The Mandie Collection (52 page)

Mandie's shoulders drooped. “Oh, Uncle Ned, I thought you came here to see us off,” she said.

“Eat. Then we talk,” the old Indian replied. Cutting a sausage with his knife, he took a bite.

Mandie and Celia exchanged glances, then began eating hurriedly.

Josephine leaned across Celia to talk to Mandie in a hushed tone. “Are y'all so poor you have to wear the same dresses you had on last night?”

Tommy bristled. Before Mandie or Celia could answer, he leaned forward and spoke quietly to his sister. “If you say another word, I'll speak loud enough so that Mother will know what is going on.”

Josephine straightened up and began eating her eggs.

Mandie couldn't let Josephine's remark pass without comment. “We have to hurry through breakfast, Tommy,” she said loudly enough for all to hear, “because Celia and I have to go back upstairs and put on our traveling suits. Oh, wait till you see them, Tommy. Mine is a beautiful blue and Celia's is green. We have trunks just running over with new clothes.”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “Grandmother took us to Raleigh to shop before we left. She said we wouldn't have time to buy anything here in Charleston, and I guess she was right.” She smiled at Tommy.

Tommy smiled back, obviously understanding why Mandie had to get out all this information.

When they had all finished eating, Uncle Ned left the table, and Mandie followed him out onto the wide veranda. They both sat down.

“Uncle Ned, I wish you could go to the ship with us,” Mandie said sadly.

“Business important. Not go to ship.” The old Indian leaned forward and looked into her blue eyes. “Papoose must promise be good. Old Ned not there to watch.” He smiled and his weathered face folded into a thousand wrinkles.

“I promise to be good, Uncle Ned,” Mandie replied. “But you know I am thirteen years old now, and Mother has even given Celia and me permission to pin our hair up, so you see, we've grown into young ladies.” She reached for his old wrinkled hand and squeezed it tightly. “But I do love you, Uncle Ned, and of course I'll miss you, too.”

“Remember, obey grandmother. Mother not there, so grandmother boss,” he reminded her. “Remember, thank Big God every day. Think first everything. No secret adventures. No slipping off from grandmother. Behave like young ladies.” His eyes twinkled.

Mandie gazed into his loving face. “I promise, Uncle Ned,” she agreed. “I promise to behave. You know I really am going to miss you.”

The old Indian stood up. “I go now.” Starting for the steps down to the yard, he stopped and turned back. “Papoose behave like Jim Shaw would want.” With a smile he hurried down the walkway into the street.

Mandie sat there quietly for a minute, thinking about their brief, strange conversation. He didn't say he would see her again, and that was always the last thing he said when they parted. And he mentioned her dear father. Before Jim Shaw died, Uncle Ned promised him that he would watch over Mandie. He had been there for Mandie ever since, rescuing her from one mess after another.

Now she was going all the way across the ocean without Uncle Ned. She had told him she was old enough to take care of herself, but she shivered a little at the idea of being so far from his protection. Shaking the thought from her mind, she hurried inside to find Celia so they could get dressed and go down to the ship.

Uncle Ned would be back home in North Carolina when she got there.

CHAPTER TWO

ANCHORS AWEIGH!

The Pattons had to harness their small rig as well as the larger one in order to hold all the people and baggage. The six adults rode in the small rig while the young people piled into the other one amid all the baggage. Mandie had to hold Snowball tightly because he squirmed fiercely to get down.

As the buggies started off, Mandie rode silently, wishing Uncle Ned could have come to see them off.

But Josephine talked constantly all the way to the wharf. “If you watch long enough, you can see ships from every nation in the world dock here,” she said. “And someday when I am older, I want to ride on every one of them. I want to go to Holland and see the people wearing wooden shoes, and to Italy to see all the famous fountains, and to Greece to see the Acropolis, and to Africa to see all the wild animals.”

The others ignored her, almost dozing in the warm sun.

Josephine pushed her glasses up on her nose. “And then I'd just love to go to wherever it is those women do that bellydancing.”

Suddenly she had everyone's attention.

“Josephine!” Tommy scolded. “How vulgar!”

“But there really are women who dance with their bellies somehow,” she insisted. “I've read about it but I just can't remember where—”

“Well, when you learn how they do it,” Joe interrupted, “you'll just have to show us how it's done,” he said with a grin.

“Joe!” Mandie exclaimed.

“Sure, Joe. I'll be glad to.” Josephine glanced at Mandie to watch her reaction.

Mandie tightened her lips and said nothing.

Celia leaned forward. “Mandie, do you suppose there are any of these dancers where we're going in Europe?” she asked.

“You know as well as I do that Grandmother would never permit us to see such a thing,” Mandie answered. “But I doubt that the people of Europe do it anyway.”

A short time later, the driver of the small rig stopped ahead of them on the road leading to the dock. As soon as their rig stopped, the young people jumped down, and Snowball almost struggled free.

“Look!” Mandie exclaimed. “There's the
Queen Victoria
! Isn't it beautiful?”

Celia stared at the huge ship. “Tommy, I do see the Union Jack flying up there,” she said.

The others just stood there for a moment, watching as the ship's gangplank was lowered and people walked up and down, to and from the ship. There were several other large ships at dock, but the
Queen Victoria
was the most luxurious.

The adults looked back, waiting for the young people to join them. “Amanda,” Elizabeth called.

“Oh yes, Mother.” Mandie felt the spell of excitement broken. “We're coming.” Securing Snowball tightly, she rushed ahead with her friends and quickly caught up with the adults.

A man in uniform at the foot of the gangplank checked everyone through, and they all walked up the steep incline toward the ship's deck.

Celia grabbed Mandie's hand. “This is really high and scary,” she said.

Mandie stopped for a moment with her friend. “I'm sorry, Celia,” she replied. “I know you are afraid of heights.”

Joe came up behind Celia and took her arm. “I'll hold on to you,” he offered. The three walked up the gangplank together.

As they reached the rail at the top, another uniformed man directed them to the proper deck. The girls oohed and aahed as they followed through the elegant interior of the ship.

Senator Morton took charge and found the reserved cabins. Ahead of them, he stopped in front of a door and pushed it open. “I believe you have number 12A, Mrs. Taft. This is it.” He turned to Mandie. “And you young ladies have the adjoining cabin, which is number 14A.”

He walked into the room ahead of them and tried to open the connecting door. “It's locked,” he said. “We'll have to get someone to open it. Now my cabin is number 13A, which is right across the hall from these two.”

The girls and Joe wandered around Mrs. Taft's room, looking at all the beautiful furnishings—all velvet and silk. None of the three had ever been on a ship before. Leaving Josephine with the adults to talk, they took Tommy with them to explore Mandie and Celia's cabin.

Mandie shoved Snowball inside a tiny closet and shut the door so she wouldn't have to worry about her kitten running off. “Sorry, Snowball,” she said. “I'll let you out when we're done exploring.”

“Look!” Celia cried. “Two beds—one stacked on top of the other.”

Tommy smiled. “They call them bunks on a ship,” he said.

“Mandie,” Celia began slowly, “would you by any chance prefer the top one?”

Mandie laughed. “Of course, Celia. I don't mind, but don't blame me if I fall out during the night and wake you up!”

Tommy stepped forward. “See the rails up there?” Pulling a sliding board out from the foot and head of the bed, he fastened them for Mandie. “Now, that will hold you in.”

“Great!” Mandie exclaimed. “Thanks, Tommy.” As she gazed around the room, she spotted the porthole in the wall and walked over to look out. “Celia, we're on the outside of the ship,” she said. “You can see right out onto the deck. Look here!”

Celia joined her and peered through the round window.

Tommy turned to Joe. “Too bad we can't go, too, to watch out for these girls,” he said with a smile.

Joe shuffled his feet. “Nah. I don't really want to go,” he said. “Later maybe, when I'm older. I'd like to see the world, but not now.”

“Maybe when I'm older I'll go again,” Tommy replied.

Josephine popped her head in the doorway. “I've been on a ship before, but I was too small to really remember anything much,” she said, coming into the room. “So I can't wait to travel.”

At that moment the connecting door swung open, and a man in a red-and-gold uniform stood there. Behind him the young people could see into Mrs. Taft's cabin, which was full of people now.

“Must be friends who came to say goodbye,” Tommy said.

Josephine craned her neck to see what was going on. “Hey, I see food in there.” Pushing her way through the crowd, she disappeared into the other room.

“There's food all right,” Tommy affirmed. “See those carts covered with white tablecloths? Let's get something.”

Mandie and Celia sipped on lemonade and awkwardly stood listening to the adults' conversation. Tommy, Joe, and Josephine were not so shy, and helped themselves to the delicacies.

Mandie nudged Celia. “That man holding the newspapers and talking to Senator Morton—I think I've seen him before. . . .”

Celia followed her gaze and nodded. “Are you sure? Do you remember exactly
where
you saw him? I really don't think he looks very familiar to me.”

The girls watched as the man handed the stack of newspapers to the senator. “I brought you all the latest newspapers,” the man said. “I thought maybe you'd like to read them sometime during your journey.”

Senator Morton laid the papers on a nearby table. “How thoughtful of you. Thank you.”

“His voice sounds familiar, too,” Mandie said. “Oh, I remember now. I saw him at President McKinley's inauguration in Washington. He sat next to Senator Morton at the President's dinner that night. I suppose he's just a friend of the senator.”

Celia looked around the crowded cabin. “All these people . . .” she said. “It's a good thing that man unlocked the door between the two rooms.”

Mandie nodded and suddenly realized that Joe was standing beside her.

“Excuse me, could I talk to you a minute, Mandie?”

“Sure.” Mandie didn't move.

“Not in all this crowd,” he said.

Mandie looked at him in surprise.

“Let's walk out into the hallway for a minute,” Joe suggested. After excusing themselves, Mandie followed as Joe led her through the clusters of people and out of the cabin.

When they reached a cross hall on the other side of Mrs. Taft's cabin, Joe leaned against the safety rail on the wall and cleared his throat a bit nervously. “Mandie, I just wanted—” He paused and ran his long, thin fingers through his hair, making it more unruly than ever. “I just—” He stopped.

Mandie looked at him curiously. It wasn't like Joe to be at a loss for words. “I'm listening,” she assured him.

Joe reached out, put his hands on Mandie's shoulders, and spoke quickly, as if to get it over with. “Mandie, I just wanted to say that I'm going to miss you, and I'll be wishing the days away until you come back.” He blushed slightly.

Mandie smiled. “That's the sweetest thing you ever said to me, Joe,” she said. “I really appreciate it. And I'm going to miss you, too.”

“I wish you didn't have to be away so long,” Joe said. “I'll be so worried about you, being on this great ship out in the ocean in the middle of nowhere, and in strange countries where you don't know anyone.”

Mandie looked into his sad brown eyes. “But Grandmother knows people in Europe,” she reminded him. “She's been there lots of times, and she knows her way around. So don't worry about us. We'll be all right.”

“I'd feel a lot better about your safety if Uncle Ned were going with you,” Joe insisted.

Mandie pulled herself up as tall as she could manage. “Joe Woodard, I'll have you know that I don't need anyone hovering over me. Remember I was thirteen last month, and my mother agreed that I didn't need Uncle Ned along.”

“She agreed after several arguments,” Joe reminded her. Then softening his voice, he said, “Let's not quarrel, Mandie. It's not worth it. Please?”

Mandie smiled and her blue eyes brightened. “I'm sorry, Joe. I don't want to quarrel either.” She paused for a moment and then said, “Joe, will you wave to me from the wharf when the boat pulls out? I'll be at the railing.”

“Of course, Mandie.” Grinning, he reached for her hand and squeezed it. “I was already planning on it.”

As soon as the captain called for all visitors to leave the ship, Mandie and Celia hurried to get a place at the railing to wave goodbye to everyone.

Celia gazed out over the mass of people on shore. “This ship is so big, and we're so far up in the air, I can't tell who anyone is down there.”

The ship lurched, blew off steam, and sounded its horn.

“Oh, that gives me goosebumps.” Mandie laughed. She clung to the rail, squinting to see Joe on the dock.