The Mandie Collection (20 page)

“Keep eating while we talk, girls,” Mrs. Taft reminded them. “Time is flying.”

Mandie and Celia concentrated more on eating then, and soon Ella and Annie were clearing the dishes and bringing in pumpkin chiffon pie for dessert. The girls excitedly dug into it.

“Amanda,” Mrs. Taft began again, “
if
you went to Washington, you know that would be a long trip. And since the President asked that you arrive two days before the inauguration, on March first, you would have to leave school at least two days prior to that in order to get there on time.”

Mandie listened intently as her grandmother continued.

“And it would take the same amount of time to return, so you would have to miss several days of school.”

“Couldn't I make up that time by studying extra hard?” Mandie asked.

“I'd say that would depend on how you do on your mid-year examinations this week,” her grandmother told her.

Celia swallowed a bite of pie. “Oh, but Mandie always makes straight A's,” Celia offered.

“I know, dear,” Mrs. Taft replied, “but she'd have to do exceptionally well if she wants to convince Miss Prudence.”

“I'll probably do all right on the tests,” Mandie said, “but what difference will it make? I don't have anyone to go to Washington with me.”

“Now, Amanda,” Mrs. Taft admonished with a mischievous smile, “you do well on those examinations, and I'll just see if there isn't some way to rearrange my plans to—”

“Oh, Grandmother, would you?” Mandie interrupted.

“I'm not sure it is even possible to change my plans,” Mrs. Taft replied, “so I can't promise anything. My friends and I have already paid for ship accommodations and made other reservations, but I will do my best to find out whether our plans can be changed.”

Mandie jumped up and ran around the corner of the table to give her grandmother a big hug. “I knew you'd help me out,” she said excitedly.

Mrs. Taft gave her a quick squeeze. “Let's finish our pie, dear.” She motioned to the remaining dessert on her granddaughter's plate.

Mandie sat down and quickly finished her dessert, but she was so excited she hardly tasted it or realized what she was doing.

Finishing only a moment after her friend, Celia took a sip of coffee, then set her cup down. “It'll be wonderful if your grandmother can go with you, Mandie, so you won't miss this opportunity to meet the President,” Celia told her. “Just think how special that makes you, to be invited to the White House.”

Mandie thought for a moment. “I guess it is a special privilege,” she agreed.

“I can't wait to tell everyone”—Celia fidgeted in her chair—“Miss Hope and Aunt Phoebe and—”

“Celia,” Mandie interrupted her friend, “we can't say anything until it's all settled,” she reminded her. “But I just thought of something. We haven't told Grandmother about what's going on at the school.”

Celia nodded vigorously, and Mandie proceeded to relate the events concerning the disappearance of Miss Hope, Aunt Phoebe, and possibly Uncle Cal.

“They are probably away visiting somewhere,” Mrs. Taft replied. “In fact, they may be back by the time you two return to school.” She paused for a moment listening to the clock chiming in the parlor. “Speaking of school, I'm afraid that was the clock striking seven. I promised Miss Prudence y'all would be back by seven-thirty, so we must break up our dinner party, now, dears.”

After sending Ella to have Ben get the rig ready, Mrs. Taft walked to the front hallway with the girls and helped them with their wraps. Snowball followed his mistress and rubbed around her ankles as she slipped into her coat.

“Grandmother,” Mandie said eagerly, “when will you know whether you can go with me or not?”

“It will take a little doing, Amanda,” Mrs. Taft replied. “And then we will have to get final permission from your mother and Uncle John.”

“Oh, Grandmother, please hurry things up,” Mandie begged, “or I'll die of suspense.”

“Well, the first matter of business is for you to do well on your tests,” Mrs. Taft reminded her. “Then we'll take it from there, dear.” She bent to kiss her granddaughter and gave Celia a little hug.

“I'll make the highest grades in the school. I promise,” Mandie assured her. Then stooping to talk to her kitten, she said, “Now, Snowball, you behave yourself here because you and I and Grandmother are going to visit the President—we hope.”

Snowball purred as Mandie stroked his soft white fur, then looked up at her and meowed as though he understood what she was saying.

“You'd better hurry, girls,” Mrs. Taft reminded them.

Mandie and Celia quickly said goodbye to her and hurried outside to the waiting rig.

When they arrived back in their warm room at the school, Celia shed her coat. “When can I tell everybody that you're going to see the President, Mandie?” she asked excitedly. “When?”

“Not yet, Celia,” Mandie replied, taking off her coat and hanging it beside Celia's in the chifferobe. “We've still got lots of things to work out, but I'm beginning to believe that it will all come true.”

CHAPTER THREE

DOES UNCLE CAL KNOW?

The next day, Wednesday, dragged by. Mandie was so excited about the possibility of her grandmother going with her to Washington that she had trouble studying. But as they sat on the rug by the fire in their room, Celia kept reminding her that if she failed her examinations, she probably would not be allowed to go.

“I don't think I'll actually fail anything,” Mandie assured her friend. “I may not make real good grades, but I don't think I'll fail.”

Celia held her place in her geography book and looked up. “Remember what your grandmother said,” Celia reminded her. “And you promised her you would make the best grades in the school.”

“I know,” Mandie said. “I'll do my best, but there is so much going on. It'll soon be bedtime, and we still haven't seen Miss Hope, Aunt Phoebe, or Uncle Cal. And we haven't been able to find out what's going on.”

“I suppose Miss Prudence is the only one who knows,” Celia replied, “and she's certainly not going to tell any of us girls.”

“You're right,” Mandie agreed, staring at the blazing fire in the fireplace. “But someone keeps the fires blazing hot, and I don't think Miss Prudence would be doing that.”

“What about Millie?” Celia asked.

“I don't think Millie would have time to go all over this three-story house just to keep the fires going when she has to cover Aunt Phoebe's cooking duties, too,” Mandie answered. “But since we didn't wake up yesterday morning or today when the fire was built in here, we don't know who did it.”

“It seems strange for all of us forty girls—thirty-nine without April—to be here with only Miss Prudence and Millie to keep things going,” Celia remarked.

Mandie grinned at her friend. “Oh, but there may be some little elves coming in to help when we're asleep or not looking,” she teased.

“I wouldn't doubt that at all,” Celia teased back.

Mandie stood up and stretched, tossing her book into the big chair. “I'm going to get ready for bed,” she told her friend. “I think maybe I'll get up earlier than usual tomorrow and scan through my history book before we go to breakfast.” Going over to the chifferobe, she took down her nightclothes. “That way my mind will be fresher.”

Celia stood in front of the fire. “Me too,” she decided.

Mandie didn't sleep much that night. She felt bad because she was sure that her tossing and turning kept waking Celia. So when the clock on the mantel struck five, Mandie quietly slipped out of bed.

Quickly slipping on her robe, she rolled up her sleeves and went to work, building a fire in the fireplace. It was too early for anyone else to come and start a fire. But Mandie knew how to do it. Before her father died, she had lived in a log cabin in Charley Gap, North Carolina.

Shoveling out the ashes, she put them in the bucket on the hearth. Then after laying kindling on the firedogs, she covered that with a log from the bin nearby. Taking a match from the holder hanging on the side of the fireplace, she struck it and set the kindling afire. In a few minutes, the flames were roaring up the chimney and warming the room.

After quietly slipping into her clothes, Mandie took the oil lamp from the table by the bed and set it on a small table near the fireplace. She lit it and turned it down low.

Reaching for her history book from the big chair, she curled up on the rug in front of the fireplace to study. Just the thought of time running
out made her concentrate harder. In fact, she became so absorbed in the

historical events in her textbook that she didn't hear the door open.

“Mawnin', Missy,” Uncle Cal said quietly behind her.

Mandie jumped.

“What you been doin', gittin' up and buildin' a fire?” he asked.

Mandie drew a deep breath. “Oh, Uncle Cal, am I glad to see you!”

“Why didn't you wait fo' me to build dat fire, Missy?” the old man asked.

“Because I know how,” Mandie replied. “I wanted to get up early to study, so I just went ahead and built a fire because it was cold in here.” She frowned slightly. “Where have you been, Uncle Cal?” she asked. “And where is Aunt Phoebe? And Miss Hope?”

Uncle Cal walked over to the fireplace and stirred up the small flames. “One question at a time, Missy,” he said. “I ain't been nowhere, and—”

Mandie gasped. “You haven't been anywhere? But we haven't seen you since you brought up my luggage Monday.”

“I been right heah in de school,” the old Negro replied, “but I'se been right busy tryin' to he'p out ev'ry which a-way.”

“Well, where is Aunt Phoebe?” Mandie persisted.

Celia rose up in bed and rubbed her eyes. “Yes, and where's Miss Hope?” she said with a yawn.

“Sorry, Celia,” Mandie apologized. “I was trying not to wake you.”

“That's all right.” Celia rubbed her eyes again. “I need to get up and study, too.” She watched Uncle Cal poke at the wood in the fireplace again. “What happened Monday?” she asked him. “Miss Hope came running into the dining room, and then Miss Prudence went out with her. And we haven't seen Miss Hope or Aunt Phoebe—or you either—since then.”

Uncle Cal scratched his head. “It's like dis, Missies,” he said, glancing from Celia to Mandie and back again. “I'se been fo'bidden to talk 'bout what Miz Prudence call
school bidness
.”

Mandie and Celia looked at each other in disbelief.

“But, Uncle Cal,” Mandie began, “what's so secretive about where Miss Hope and Aunt Phoebe are?”

Uncle Cal smiled. “Sorry, Missies, I'se gotta go now,” he said as he turned to leave the room.

“Is it something bad?” Mandie asked. “Has something bad happened?”

“I done give my word to Miz Prudence dat I won't say nothin' to any of you young ladies,” Uncle Cal replied. He opened the door. “I'll try to git by yo' room earlier in de mawnin' to build yo' fire if y'all 're plannin' to git up early agin.”

“Thanks, Uncle Cal,” Mandie said, “but if I get up before you come by, I'll just build it myself. Besides, you must have an awful lot of work to do right now with Aunt Phoebe gone.”

“I'se gotta go now,” the old man said, pulling the door closed behind him.

Celia jumped out of bed and quickly dressed and joined her friend on the hearth rug.

Mandie sighed. “At least we know who has been keeping up the fires,” she said with a shrug. “But you know, I don't see how we could have missed seeing Uncle Cal since Monday. Today's Thursday.”

“I can't think about that now, Mandie,” Celia said, picking up her geography book. “I have a one-track mind right now, and I've got to memorize some of this stuff.”

“You're right, Celia. I'll be quiet so you can study. I need to memorize some of these history dates, too.”

The girls were deep in their studies when the big bell in the backyard began ringing for breakfast.

Mandie reluctantly stood up and put down her history book. “Well, I guess that's all the time we've got now,” she said, straightening her long skirt.

Celia agreed and got up to straighten her dress in front of the long mirror in the corner.

“Ready?” Mandie asked as she opened the door. “On to breakfast and then to our history and geography tests! Whew! I'll sure be glad when tomorrow afternoon comes and this is all over with.”

Celia followed her friend down the stairs. “And maybe by that time you'll hear from your grandmother about her going to Washington with you,” she said.

“Celia, please,” Mandie begged, turning around. “Let's don't even mention the word
Washington
until the examinations are over, so my mind won't go wandering.”

“I'm sorry for leading your mind astray,” Celia teased. “I won't say another word about the trip.”

That day and the next, Mandie got through the examinations easier than she thought she would. And Friday, when the results were posted on the bulletin board in Miss Prudence's office, the girls all crowded around to find out how they did.

“Mandie, you're number one!” Celia squealed.

“And look, Celia!” Mandie exclaimed, pointing to the list. “You're number two!”

Mandie and Celia moved back out into the hallway to give the other girls a chance to read the board.

“Celia, there must be some mistake,” Mandie said breathlessly as they walked toward the parlor. “How did I make the top grades in the whole school? I don't think it's possible.”

“I don't see how I made it to the number-two spot, either,” Celia replied.

At that moment Miss Prudence came toward them from the front hallway. “Congratulations, Amanda, Celia!” she said, stopping to greet them. “I knew you young ladies would be two students we would be proud of. Even your mothers didn't come out in the top two positions when they attended this school. We are proud of you. We trust you will keep up the good work.”