Mandie and the Secret Tunnel (12 page)

Everything seemed like a dream to Mandie—all white, full of clouds and scents of flowers, soft music, and whispering voices. Her feet never seemed to touch the floor as she floated down the aisle with her bouquet. She was so happy, she was afraid she would awaken and find it was not true. She faintly heard the wedding march. She barely understood the words of the pastor. And when her mother and her uncle floated back down the aisle together and out through the door of the church, she pinched herself to be sure it was real.

The drawing room of Uncle John’s house had been transformed into a wonderland for the reception. There were flowers, greenery, and candles everywhere. Mandie darted in and out through the room to keep from missing anything. She had never known there could be such happiness. She caught a glimpse of her grandmother sitting alone in a corner and tried to talk to her, but the old lady had little to say to anyone except Jason Bond, whom she had charmed.

“Hey, slow down, Mandie,” Joe said as he caught her arm at the corner of the long table
holding the cake and punch bowl. “Where’re you going in such an all-fired hurry?”

“Ain’t goin’ nowhere,” she teased him.

“Ain’t goin’ nowhere? I think you’d better go somewhere—back to school if that’s the way you’re going to talk,” Joe laughed.

“Oh, yes, I’m going back to school, all the way through, with years and years of education,” Mandie continued to joke with him.

“But not
too
many years,” Joe said, as he moved closer. “I don’t want you to know more than I do.”

“Know more than you do?” she asked, twirling her long silk skirts.

“That’s right. I don’t want my wife to be smarter than I am,” he said, reaching to grasp her hand.

“
Wife
?” Mandie shot back.

“You heard right. I said my wife. I’m asking you now to become my wife—that is, when we get all educated and grown up, and all that, of course,” he said, looking seriously into her blue eyes.

“Oh, Joe Woodard, you’re not old enough to propose,” she teased.

“I’m old enough to know what I want,” he said. “Well, what is your answer? Will you be my wife—someday?”

Mandie became solemn. “I’ll have to think about it, Joe. Too much has happened lately.”

“I’ll wait for your answer. Whenever you make up your mind let me know,” he said, squeezing her hand hard.

“Holding hands in public! Shame! Shame!” Polly appeared at Mandie’s side.

“Well, shame on you for being so nosy!” Mandie retorted.

“I have to look where I’m going, don’t I? I couldn’t just close my eyes as I passed,” Polly scolded.

“Let’s go talk to Uncle Ned. He looks kinda left out over there in the corner,” Mandie remarked, and the three moved across the room to where the old Indian was sitting on a stool quietly taking in the whole scene.

Mandie was so happy she was giddy. As she approached the old man, she laughed, “Uncle Ned, will you come to my wedding? Joe has asked me to marry him!”

Polly stared at Joe in disbelief. Joe blushed and slipped away across the room.

“When Papoose gets to be squaw, then I come to wedding,” Uncle Ned smiled.

“Joe!” Mandie called after him. “I didn’t mean—don’t be angry with me!” But he ignored her and kept going.

“Uncle Ned, I guess I said the wrong thing, but everything is so out-of-this-world right now, I can hardly cope.” Mandie put her arm around the old Indian. “I’m so glad you came.”

Mandie didn’t get a chance to see Joe again, alone, and he and his father left early the next morning. Then she learned that her mother and her new stepfather were going to Swain County to
visit her father’s grave and his Cherokee kinpeople, and she was to go with them.

Uncle Ned went ahead to prepare the Cherokees for the visit. Mandie still could not comprehend; so much was happening. All her young life she had never known what it was to be really and truly happy. She thanked God every night for being so good to her.

To top off the excitement, they went by train. Mandie had never been inside a real train before. It was stuffy and dirty, but to her it was like a chariot from Heaven. At the station, Dr. Woodard, his wife and Joe met them, and they went to spend the night at their house. Mandie knew she would get a chance to see Joe alone, sooner or later.

After supper, as the older people were sitting around discussing old times, Mandie asked Joe to show her his dog’s new puppies. They went outside and into the barn where Samantha was giving her four offspring their supper. She flapped her tail when she saw Joe approaching, but kept right on with her duties. She was a golden brown mixed breed and her puppies were a variety of colors.

“Joe, they are beautiful! But, they’re so little! Watch that black one! What a little pig. He keeps rooting the others away,” the girl laughed.

“They might let him push and shove, but they get their share,” Joe assured her. Then he turned abruptly to her, “Well, did you make up your mind?”

Mandie blushed. “Oh, Joe, I’m really and truly
sorry for the way I acted at the wedding, I was just plain in the clouds during the whole time. I acted so foolishly.”

Joe dropped his head and kicked at the straw on the floor. Then he looked straight into her eyes. “That’s all right, Mandie. I understand. After all, it isn’t every day one finds their real mother and then gets a stepfather, too.”

“It’s all so unreal,” she said quietly.

“But, you still didn’t tell me. Did you make up your mind about us?” He was determined.

“I’ve been thinking about it, Joe. I’ll—I’ll let you know tomorrow,” she promised him.

“All right, tomorrow I’ll expect your answer.” He turned to the doorway. “Let’s go back to the house. I’m hungry. How about you?” He took her hand and they laughed together.

The next day was like opening an old scrap-book and reliving the old memories. They all piled into the Woodards’ wagon and began their journey up the mountainside. They approached the cemetery from the opposite side and did not pass Jim Shaw’s house.

At the sight of the graveyard, Mandie jumped from the moving wagon and hurried to kneel at her father’s grave. There were several withered bunches of wild flowers which Joe, true to his word, had put there. The Woodards stayed in the wagon while John helped Elizabeth down and together they joined Mandie in silence, standing hand in hand, and gazing at the mound of dirt which had
settled considerably from the rain.

Mandie’s memories of the day of the funeral came flooding back and tears flowed down her cheeks. If only her father could see them all now. She suddenly burst into uncontrollable sobs, and in a flash Joe jumped from the wagon and flew to her side.

Elizabeth blinked back the tears as John squeezed her hand and pulled out a clean white handkerchief, carefully wiping first her tears and then his own.

“We all loved him, John,” she whispered as she moved closer.

“Yes, we all loved him, my darling,” John replied, holding her tightly.

Joe was whispering. “Mandie, he can’t hear you. He’s in Heaven.”

“I know that! I know that!” she sobbed.

It was a silent group who came down the mountain through Charley Gap in sight of Jim Shaw’s house. As soon as she spotted the house, Mandie reached instinctively for Joe’s hand.

“Joe, I’ll marry you when we get grown, if you’ll get back my father’s house for me.” A sob caught in her throat.

Joe put his arm around her. “I will, I promise I will, Mandie.” He roughly planted a kiss on her cheek as the wagon jolted them along the bumpy trail and Amanda slid closer and smiled.

“Guess we’ll be seeing your Cherokee kinpeople next,” Joe said.

“Yes,” Amanda whispered, afraid to breathe for fear she would awaken and find it all a dream. “Thank you, God. Thank you for everything. My cup runneth over.” She lifted her face to the morning sun.

Somehow, the secret tunnel back home seemed far away and unimportant.

About the Author

LOIS GLADYS LEPPARD has been a Federal Civil Service employee in various countries around the world. She makes her home in South Carolina.

The stories of her own mother’s childhood are the basis for many of the incidents incorporated in this series.

Publication Info

Mandie and the Secret Tunnel
Copyright © 1983
Lois Gladys Leppard

MANDIE® is a registered trademark of
Lois Gladys Leppard

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number
82-74053

ISBN 0-87123-320-7

Cover illustration by Chris Dyrud

All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in
a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise—without the prior written
permission of the publisher and copyright owners.

Published by Bethany House Publishers
A Ministry of Bethany Fellowship International
11400 Hampshire Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com

Printed in the United States of America by
Bethany Press International
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55438

Rear Cover

MANDIE
and the
SECRET
TUNNEL

Mandie Shaw, almost a teenager, is certain
God no longer loves her as she watches her father
being lowered into his grave. Mandie’s move into a
neighbor family’s home, when her mother remarries,
does not soften her grief. Her only comfort is the
promise from her father’s faithful Cherokee friend,
Uncle Ned, to watch out for her and be a friend.

Will Mandie be able to escape her new
and nearly intolerable home situation?

Will she find her long-lost family?

Will the mysterious key unlock
the door to the secret tunnel
and her own family’s history?

A DELIGHTFUL MINGLING
OF SUSPENSE, TEARS AND JOY!

Wholesome, entertaining reading for young readers.

Version Info

v 1.0 HTML

• Scanned and proofed 2009-04-15
  
• Changes/corrections to the printed book
  
  • Papoose,”he said / Papoose,” he
    
  • overheard Mr. and Mrs Bryson / Mrs. Bryson
    
• Ambiguous hyphenation
  
  • corn-pone
    
  • scrap-book