The Mandie Collection (46 page)

“Thank you, Dimar, but we are leaving early tomorrow morning,” Joe told him.

“I am sorry to see you go,” Dimar answered. “Will you come back again this summer?”

“I don't know,” Joe said, glancing at Mandie.

“We are going to New York when we get back to my house, but I don't know what we will do the rest of our vacation,” Mandie told him. The quilt was heavy in her arms as she tried to roll it up.

“If you are ready to go back, I would be glad for you to ride in my cart with that quilt,” Dimar offered.

Mandie quickly made a decision. She couldn't run away forever. “Yes, Dimar, thank you, we will go back,” Mandie replied.

Joe looked at her but didn't say anything as he helped her into Dimar's cart.

As they rode back to Uncle Ned's house, Mandie did a lot of thinking while Joe and Dimar discussed hunting. She silently asked God to forgive her and to show her the way to straighten matters out. But when Dimar turned the cart into Uncle Ned's yard, Mandie still didn't know what to do.

“Come on, let's go inside,” Joe said, helping Mandie out of the cart with the quilt. “Dimar, you are coming in, too, aren't you?”

“Yes, for a few minutes,” Dimar agreed.

The three walked through the back door. Mandie saw that everyone was still there but no one seemed to be talking. She hesitated for a moment and then ran to the huge open fireplace. She took a deep breath and tossed the quilt into the flames. There was a loud explosion as it caught fire.

Mandie turned to go to Uncle Ned, but he had come to her. The old man held her tightly and smoothed her hair while she cried.

“I'm sorry, Uncle Ned, please forgive me,” she begged.

“Problem gone, up in fire,” the old man said. “Love, Papoose.”

“I love you so much, Uncle Ned,” Mandie whispered to him. She turned to look at the fire. The quilt was burning rapidly, burning away all the hard feelings associated with it.

“Sit. Coffee,” Morning Star called from across the room.

Mandie laughed and said, “Morning Star thinks coffee is a cure for everything.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and turned to face her friends. At that moment everyone clapped.

“Mystery solved,” Joe said.

“Problems solved,” Celia added.

As Mandie walked over to the table, she realized Aunt Saphronia was sitting by Uncle Wirt. The old woman had not been there when she ran out of the house.

“I bring love,” Aunt Saphronia told her as she rose from the table and held up a brightly colored quilt.

“Oh, what a beautiful quilt,” Mandie said, going to look at it.

“This message of love,” Aunt Saphronia explained, pointing to the birds and flowers on the quilt. “Talitha make this for her white husband. It says love.” She held the quilt out for Mandie to take.

Mandie hesitated for a moment. “But that is not mine,” she said.

“Mine. I give you,” Aunt Saphronia tried to explain.

“Yours? But I don't understand,” Mandie said, still not touching the quilt.

“I help Talitha make when marry. When Talitha go to other world, John Shaw give me,” the old woman said. “Please take.”

“Uncle John gave you this quilt?” Mandie repeated.

“Because I help make,” Aunt Saphronia replied. “Now I give you.”

“Oh, Aunt Saphronia, I love you,” Mandie exclaimed as she hugged the little old lady, quilt and all. Then straightening up, she accepted the quilt.

“Sit. Coffee,” Morning Star kept insisting.

When everyone sat down at the long table, Riley was across from Mandie. “Celia gave me the quilt you had in your valise, and Uncle Wirt went to get Aunt Saphronia to be sure it was the quilt she had given Tsa'ni for me. And guess what? It was.”

“I'm glad you've finally got yourself a new quilt,” Mandie said, smiling across the table.

“And I'm glad you got yourself a new quilt with a beautiful message,” Riley replied.

Mandie looked at the quilt she had draped across the back of her chair. She thought it was the most beautiful quilt she had ever seen.

That night Mandie slept soundly and didn't even dream.

The next morning she was up before daylight. She was anxious to get home now that the quilt mystery had been solved. She could hardly wait to go on to New York from there and tell Uncle John Shaw what had happened.

Uncle Ned drove the wagon faster than usual, and they didn't take time for any rest stops.

“We hurry,” Uncle Ned explained as they went over the mountain. “I go back home today, not spend night.”

Mandie, holding Snowball, said, “We're in a hurry anyhow. We'd like to go on to New York tomorrow if Grandmother is agreeable.”

“I don't believe she is in any hurry to go to New York, or I should say, to Lindall Guyer's house in New York,” Joe said.

“There is something rather unusual about that, isn't there?” Celia said.

“I don't understand why she is going to the man's house if she doesn't really like him,” Mandie pondered.

“Miz Taft know Mr. Guyer long time ago,” Uncle Ned told them.

“A long time ago? How long ago, Uncle Ned?” Mandie asked.

“Many years ago when Mr. Taft living, Mr. Guyer come visit their house,” Uncle Ned explained.

“In other words, Mr. Guyer knew Grandfather Taft, too,” Mandie said. “That is very interesting.”

“Mandie, I can see you are getting involved in another mystery,” Joe said with a big grin.

“Someday I'll figure all this out,” Mandie said, sighing.

When Uncle Ned pulled his wagon up in the Shaws' driveway a while later, Mandie was surprised to see Dr. Woodard's buggy there.

“Joe, I wonder if your mother and father have come to go with us to visit my Cherokee kinpeople, not knowing we've already been there,” Mandie said as everyone stepped down from the wagon.

Mandie held on to her white cat, and Celia carried the quilt for her. Uncle Ned and Joe carried their bags.

They met up with Dr. Woodard in the front hallway.

“We figured y'all would return today,” Dr. Woodard told them.

“Are you going to New York with us?” Mandie asked, setting Snowball down.

“Yes, we thought we'd go up for a few days,” Dr. Woodard replied. “I'd like to talk to Dr. Plumbley and see what's new in the medical field.”

“I'm glad,” Joe said with a smile for his father.

As Mandie took the quilt from Celia, Dr. Woodard stepped over to look at it. “That's a beautiful quilt you've got there. Any chance it might be for sale?” he asked Mandie.

“No, sir, all the gold in the world couldn't buy this quilt,” Mandie replied with a big grin. “You see, my Grandmother Shaw made it.” Then, turning to Celia, she winked at her friend and added, “Now,
Dr. Woodard, Celia and I are learning to make something called the Album Block. We'd be glad to make one for you.”

Dr. Woodard smiled back and said, “If you ever get it down, let me take a look at it.”

Mrs. Taft came into the hallway at that moment. She came to embrace Mandie. “I'm so glad you came home today. We can go on to New York tomorrow.”

“You sound like you're in a hurry to go,” Mandie said with a big grin.

Mrs. Taft frowned and said, “Might as well go on and get it over with so we can do other things.”

“Other things?” Mandie questioned.

“Perhaps we will visit the Pattons in Charleston,” Mrs. Taft replied. “And Senator Morton is coming through here after we return from New York.” She walked on down the hallway and went into the back parlor.

Mandie and Celia looked at each other and burst out laughing.

“I knew Grandmother was going to have some plans of her own,” Mandie said with a laugh. “This may be a very interesting summer.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LOIS GLADYS LEPPARD worked in Federal Intelligence for thirteen years in various countries around the world before she settled in South Carolina.

The stories of her own mother's childhood as an orphan in western North Carolina are the basis for many of the incidents incorporated in this series.

Visit her Web site:
www.Mandie.com

MANDIE MYSTERIES

The Mandie Collection:

Mandie: Her College Days