The Mandie Collection (19 page)

“If I write a poem, you can be sure it won't be about anything that's true,” Celia remarked. Seeing the newspaper lying on a table nearby, she added, “But, Mandie, you could probably write stories for the newspaper.”

Following her friend's glance, Mandie walked over and picked up the newspaper, scanning its pages. “I don't think the newspaper prints the kind of stories I'd write.” Suddenly she gasped and held the newspaper out to Celia. “Oh, no. Look!” she cried. “It says here that President McKinley is ill with a cold, and his doctor has advised him to stay in his room for three or four days. Celia, the President is sick!”

Celia quickly skimmed the article. “But, Mandie, he only has a cold,” she said. “Everybody has a cold now and then.”

“But what if he gets too ill to be inaugurated?” Mandie worried.

“I would imagine that he's so eager to get inaugurated again that he'll make it, cold or no cold,” Celia assured her.

“Yes, I suppose so,” Mandie agreed.

The bell in the backyard rang for breakfast, and the two girls quickly joined the line to the dining room.

Miss Prudence herself opened the French doors and let the girls inside. “Come, young ladies, take your places around the table. Quickly now.”

As the girls scrambled for their assigned places, Miss Prudence walked to the head of the table.

“Good morning, young ladies,” she said, pausing long enough for the girls to reply. “We are in a hurry this morning, so we will return thanks immediately and have our breakfast.”

The girls looked puzzled, then quickly bowed their heads. As soon as the prayer was over, Miss Prudence sat down, and the girls did likewise.

Millie, the maid, poured coffee as usual, but there was no sign of anyone else. When the students had finished their meal, Miss Prudence stayed in the dining room to preside over the second sitting.

“I wonder where Miss Hope is,” Mandie said to Celia as they left the dining room. “I didn't see Aunt Phoebe either. Do you think something else has happened?”

“Maybe it has something to do with whatever happened last night,” Celia reminded her.

But throughout the morning, the girls went through their classes without catching sight of either Miss Hope or Aunt Phoebe in the hallway. That was unusual. Finally, at the end of one of their classes, Mandie got up the nerve to ask Miss Cameron about it. Miss Cameron came in daily from town to teach.

Mandie and Celia stopped by her desk on the way out of the classroom. “Miss Cameron,” Mandie began, “do you know where Miss Hope is, and Aunt Phoebe, too?”

Miss Cameron looked up. “Miss Hope? Why, I suppose she's around somewhere,” she replied with a smile. “And Aunt Phoebe is probably busy upstairs.”

Mandie immediately realized that her teacher knew nothing about the scene at the supper table the night before. But Miss Cameron listened carefully as Mandie related what happened.

Miss Cameron rose from her desk. “I'm sure that if there were something important going on, Miss Prudence would let everyone know,” she replied. “Why don't you two go look for Aunt Phoebe? If she isn't in the kitchen, maybe she's in her house in the backyard.”

“That's a good idea.” Mandie brightened. “Thanks, Miss Cameron.”

The two girls left the classroom and started down the long hallway toward the kitchen.

“Mandie, don't forget,” Celia warned. “We're supposed to go to our rooms to study for examinations.”

“I know. We'll go upstairs in a minute,” Mandie replied. Pushing open the door, she looked into the kitchen, where Millie, all alone, was quickly dishing up food from the big pots on the stove.

Mandie and Celia watched her for a moment from the doorway. “Millie, where is Aunt Phoebe?” Mandie asked.

Millie looked at them absentmindedly. “Lawsy mercy, Missy. Don't bother me. I got to git dis heah food on de table. It be eatin' time any minute now.” She quickly went out the other door that connected with the dining room.

Mandie let the big swinging door close as she and Celia stepped back into the hallway. “I suppose if we hurry we could go see if Aunt Phoebe's in her house,” she said. Quickly opening the kitchen door again, she hurried across the room to the outside back door.

Celia followed, protesting, “Mandie, you know what'll happen if we get caught roaming around when we're supposed to be studying in our room.”

Mandie looked back over her shoulder as she hurriedly opened the back door. “It'll only take a minute. Come on,” she urged.

Celia followed, and they ran across the big backyard to the cottage where Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Cal lived. The girls shivered and rubbed their arms in the cold. Neither of them even had a sweater on.

Mandie ran up the steps and knocked loudly on the front door. They stood there a few minutes, knocking and listening, but there was no answer from within. “Let's see if the rig is in the barn,” she suggested. Turning around, she ran across the yard to the huge barn where the rig, the smaller surrey, and the horses were kept.

“The surrey is gone!” Mandie exclaimed. “Somebody has gone off in it.”

“Let's go back to our room, Mandie,” Celia urged her. “It's freezing out here. And someone may see us.”

Mandie ran with Celia toward the back door. “I don't believe Miss Hope and Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Cal could all be gone in the surrey,” she pondered.

As they burst into the warm kitchen, Millie stood filling the coffeepot for the table. She looked up. “What y'all be doin' out dere in dat cold widdout no wraps?” she scolded.

Mandie and Celia rushed to the big iron cookstove to warm their cold hands. “We're looking for Aunt Phoebe,” Mandie answered.

“Well, I tells you right now, you ain't gwine t' find huh. She jes' don't be heah at de moment,” Millie said, picking up the filled coffeepot. She turned back as she started through the door to the dining room. “And you bettuh not let Miz Prudence find y'all in heah.”

“Wait, Millie,” Mandie said anxiously. “Please tell us where Aunt Phoebe is.”

“I jes' don't be knowin' dat. All's I knows is I'se havin' to do all huh work dis mornin'.” Millie hurried through the door into the dining room.

The girls looked at each other in dismay.

Mandie frowned. “I think she does know where Aunt Phoebe is,” she said.

“And she's been told not to tell anyone,” Celia added.

“You're right,” Mandie agreed, starting for the door to the hallway. “Let's get up to our room before somebody sees us.”

The two girls cautiously crept down the long hallway and up the stairs to their room. As they entered their room, the big bell in the backyard began ringing for the noon meal.

Mandie laughed. “I guess we have to turn around and go back down,” she said, throwing her books into the chair nearby.

Celia put her books with Mandie's and turned to face the nice warm fire in the fireplace. “I don't know where Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Cal are, but somebody sure is keeping the fires going,” Celia said. Turning to the mirror, she gently brushed back some loose tendrils of hair.

“I'm sure it's not Miss Prudence,” Mandie added. “Come on, we've got to wash our hands and get downstairs.”

After quickly freshening up in the bathroom, the girls rushed down to join the line to the dining room. There, several of the students were trying to guess where Miss Hope and Aunt Phoebe had gone.

Inside the dining room, Miss Prudence presided over their meal as usual and then remained for the second sitting again. After the headmistress dismissed them, Mandie and Celia started to leave with the other girls, but Miss Prudence called to them across the room.

“Amanda, you and Celia come here,” she said loud enough that all the girls stopped to listen. Miss Prudence gave them a stern look. “The rest of you are dismissed. Get along now.” Her voice softened. “Amanda, I have a message for you.”

Mandie anxiously hurried over to the headmistress, with Celia following. “Yes, Miss Prudence?” Mandie said.

The short, thin elderly woman continued. “It seems that your grandmother would like for you and Celia to come for supper tonight.”

Mandie nervously smiled, eager to say something but afraid to.

“I gave permission, but only permission to go eat and come right back,” Miss Prudence added. “You are to return to your room afterward and study for your examinations. Is that understood?”

“Yes, ma'am,” the girls replied in unison.

“Your grandmother's driver, Ben, will pick you up at five o'clock this afternoon. You are to be ready and waiting in the alcove for him,” Miss Prudence explained. “That is all. You may go to your room now, but be sure you study. I cannot overemphasize how important these examinations are.”

Mandie beamed at the prospect of seeing her grandmother that afternoon. “Thank you, Miss Prudence,” she said.

“Thank you, ma'am,” Celia echoed.

As soon as they left the dining room, the girls rushed to their room and did their best to concentrate on their studies. But they kept wishing the time away until at last they got dressed and went downstairs to wait for Ben.

As soon as they sat down in the alcove at the front of the house, the girls heard Ben drive up in the rig. They jumped up and rushed out to greet him.

Urging Ben to hurry the horses, they quickly rode to Mrs. Taft's huge mansion. When they arrived, the girls almost became entangled in their long skirts as they jumped from the rig.

“What fo' y'all be in sech a all-fired hurry, Missies?” the Negro driver asked as he leaped to their assistance.

“Miss Prudence says we have to hurry and eat and rush right back,” Mandie explained as she and Celia ran up the steps. “So we're trying to make the most of every minute.”

Evidently Ella, the Negro housekeeper, was watching for them because she quickly opened the front door. The girls almost knocked her down in their haste to get to the parlor.

“Sorry, Ella,” Mandie apologized, removing her winter coat, hat, and gloves.

“Excuse us, please,” Celia added as she handed the maid her wraps.

“Dat's all right,” Ella smiled, “but y'all could at leas' act like young ladies now that you s'posed to be learnin' how at dat school.” She turned and hung the girls' things on the hall tree.

“We haven't learned everything yet, Ella,” Mandie teased. She and Celia headed down the hallway toward the parlor.

Mrs. Taft was sitting by the fireplace reading, while Snowball, Mandie's white kitten, was curled up asleep on the hearth. The old lady looked up and smiled as the girls entered.

Mandie ran to plant a kiss on her grandmother's cheek and give her a hug. Then as Celia smiled and greeted Mrs. Taft, Mandie snatched up her kitten. Snowball stretched, then snuggled on her shoulder.

Mrs. Taft set her book down and rose from her chair. “Since Miss Prudence is so strict about time, I saw to it that supper would be on the table by the time you got here,” she announced. “So let's go to the dining room, dears.” She led the way.

The three of them sat at one end of the huge table while Snowball curled up in a chair next to his mistress.

Ella and the other maid, Annie, hurriedly served the meal of baked turkey, cranberries, potatoes, turnip greens, corn bread, biscuits, corn pudding, and English peas.

After they had returned thanks, Mandie realized that she had not seen Hilda, the runaway girl Mandie and Celia had found a few months ago. Mrs. Taft had given her a home.

“Where is Hilda, Grandmother?” Mandie asked.

“She's visiting the Mannings for a few weeks,” Mrs. Taft explained. “She seems to get along well with their little girl, you know.”

Mandie quickly swallowed a bite of potatoes. “Was there some special reason for asking us over for supper tonight?” she asked, her blue eyes twinkling with excitement.

Mrs. Taft smiled. “I don't really need a reason,” she answered. “It's just nice to have y'all around now and then. But I would like to ask you something, Amanda,” she said. “Have you heard anything from your mother yet about whether or not someone has been found to accompany you to see the President?”

Mandie put down her fork dejectedly. “No, I haven't heard,” she said. “It just doesn't look like I'll get to go.” She paused a moment, then continued. “If Mother wasn't going to have that baby, she could go with me, but . . .”

“I do know how hard this adjustment is for you, Amanda,” her grandmother replied kindly, “but your mother is awfully happy now that she has married your Uncle John. I know she loved your father,
too, when he was alive. I realize that now. And your mother and your Uncle John love each other too.”

Tears swam in Mandie's blue eyes. Her grandmother had never said much about her daughter marrying John Shaw. Mandie could only guess that she was probably ashamed of the part she had played in separating Mandie's father and mother when Mandie was born.

Blinking back the tears, Mandie said, “I'm glad they got married, too.” She sighed. “I just wish the baby had picked some other time to come.”

Celia set down her coffee cup suddenly. “Mandie!” she exclaimed. “I just had an idea. Remember that newspaper article we read that said the President is sick? Maybe your friend Joe's father, Dr. Woodard, could go with you and doctor the President.”

Mrs. Taft laughed. “No, dear. The President has his own private doctor,” she explained. “I don't think he needs Dr. Woodard attending him. As much as we all love Dr. Woodard, he is still just a country doctor. The President's physician is probably better educated and more knowledgeable.”

Mandie shook her head slowly. “That wouldn't work anyway, Celia,” she told her. “Dr. Woodard has his own patients he has to visit. He couldn't go all the way to Washington and leave them.”