The Mandie Collection (18 page)

After what seemed like hours, the judge declared, “We will now take a ten-minute recess and, Mrs. Hughes, or Mrs. Shaw, as you'd rather be called, if the witnesses to your will have not shown up by then, I will have to rule in favor of Mr. John Shaw as guardian of Miss Amanda Shaw.”

Nimrod immediately jumped up and began talking loudly. “I told you you wouldn't get away with it,” he said to Etta. “When I told you about them finding the will that day of the fire, you promised me half the property if I'd get in that house and hide that will, and here you mess everything up because there ain't no such people as those witnesses on that piece of paper. You don't know how to do anything right, you nor Zack Hughes, either.”

The court clerk had hurried to stand before Nimrod. “Young man,” he tried to speak to Nimrod but Nimrod kept on talking.

“I even managed to get in that desk that day and almost got caught by that maid when she left the door open, but you didn't even thank me for the risk I took. That husband of yours couldn't do it. Well, if I ain't gonna git none of that property, you ain't, either,” Nimrod told her, and then finally looking at the clerk he said, “She made this whole thing up. Ain't none of it so.”

Etta finally broke down and admitted she had made up the will, but Zack had been the one who traced the signature.

Mandie heard a commotion in the back of the courtroom and turned to see Zack Hughes standing there as he began to yell at Etta, “You told me nobody could tell it was traced.”

The judge finally restored order in the courtroom and spoke to John Shaw's lawyer. “Does your client want to prosecute these people?”

Ed Wilson quickly consulted with John Shaw and said, “Mr. John Shaw does not wish to prosecute these people, Your Honor, but wishes them to be ordered to stay away from him and his family forever.”

Etta raised her head to look in John Shaw's direction. She was clearly surprised.

The judge agreed to John Shaw's request and called Etta and Zack forward to give them orders. When the hearing was finally formally over, Etta's lawyer quickly herded her, Nimrod, and Zack out of the
courtroom, keeping one eye on John Shaw. But John Shaw asked everyone with him to remain seated until the others had left.

Mandie was so upset by what she had learned in the courtroom, she didn't remember, until Joe reminded her outside, that she now legally owned her father's house.

“It's all yours now, Mandie,” Joe told her as they waited outside for the others to come out.

Mandie looked at him with a big smile as she held on to Snowball and said, “Yes, and you did help me get back my father's house. Thank you, Joe, with all my heart.”

Joe grinned and said, “That's no reason for us not to get married when we grow up. You always said you'd marry me if I would get your father's house back for you.”

“I'll think about it later,” Mandie told him with a teasing grin.

On the way back to the Woodards' house, Dr. Woodard told Mandie, “Now that it's all settled, I'd like to mention that, knowing you can't just let the house stand empty and uncared for, Mrs. Miller's daughter who just got married recently would like to live in it.”

Mandie took a deep breath. Someone else live in her father's house? Finally she replied, “I'll have to let you know later.”

Dr. Woodard didn't mention it any more, and they went home soon after eating at the Woodards'. It was late when they got there, but Elizabeth was sitting in the parlor reading a book. When they came in, she rose and said, “I had a feeling you'd all be back tonight.”

Everyone talked for a while and explained to Elizabeth what had occurred in the courtroom. She was happy for Mandie that everything had been solved.

“I'm so glad for you, dear,” she told Mandie as she smiled at her across the room.

“Thank you, Mother. I'm glad it's all over with,” Mandie replied.

“You can say that again. That woman carried on something awful in the courtroom, and that son-in-law of hers acted like a real idiot,” Mrs. Taft added.

“By the way, dear,” Elizabeth said to Mandie. “I received a letter today from Jane Hamilton saying she is taking Celia with her to New York for Thanksgiving holidays, and she wanted to know if you might be able to go with them.”

Before anyone else could say another word, Mrs. Taft quickly said, “Elizabeth, Amanda has no business in New York.”

Elizabeth looked at her mother and frowned.

“Please let me go, Mother,” Mandie begged. “Please. We could go to see Jonathan.”

Mrs. Taft again spoke out. “Y'all may not be welcome there. Jonathan's father has not invited y'all to visit.”

“But his father did ask us while we were on the European trip this past summer, remember?” Mandie reminded her. “He said to come see them whenever we go to New York.”

Mrs. Taft told her, “It's just not proper to go dropping in on someone unexpectedly, especially during a holiday when people usually have plans of their own.”

“Mother,” Elizabeth finally spoke up loud and clear. “If Amanda wishes to go to New York with Celia and her mother, then it's all settled. She is going.”

Mrs. Taft stood up and said, “I need to change into something more comfortable,” and left the room.

Mandie smiled at her mother and said, “Thank you, Mother. I also want to go see Dr. Plumbley while I'm up there.”

“And you should thank him for me,” Elizabeth said. “He pulled me through that fever when Dr. Woodard had done all he knew to do.”

“I know,” Mandie agreed. “Without him you might not be here.”

Elizabeth stood up and said, “I suppose I'll have to go see about Mother. She is so easy to get upset if things don't go her way.” She smiled as she left the room.

John Shaw, Uncle Ned, and Jacob Smith had all been listening to the conversation between Mrs. Taft and her daughter. Now they all smiled at Mandie. Jacob Smith, sitting close by, reached to pat her blond head.

“I hope you enjoy your journey to the big city, little lady,” he told her. “I should be moved back into my cabin by then, so you'll have to come and tell me all about it when you get back home.”

Mandie suddenly had an idea. She turned to look straight at Jacob Smith as she said, “Mr. Jacob, from what I've heard, that cabin you plan on moving back into isn't much of a house.”

“No, but I can fix it up a bit,” Jacob Smith told her. “I haven't been
up there in several years so I'll have to go look it over and see what needs to be done.”

“I have a better idea,” Mandie told him with a big smile. “How would you like to live in my father's house?”

John Shaw and Uncle Ned quickly smiled at her. Jacob Smith looked at her in surprise and asked, “Move into your father's house?”

“You see, you'd be doing me a favor really, because I can't be around to take care of it, and I don't want it to get in bad shape, so you could live in it and take care of it for me,” Mandie told him.

“Well,” Jacob Smith hesitated as he looked at John Shaw.

John said, “That would solve a big problem. You'd help us out a lot if you'd just live in it and keep things in good repair.”

“If you put it like that, I can't refuse. I'd be honored to live in Jim Shaw's house, little lady,” he said.

Mandie jumped up, kissed the old man on his cheek, and said, “I have to go see about my mother now,” and she quickly left the room. Her real reason was to keep from breaking into tears. So much had been going on. She had been reunited with one of her father's best friends, and she was going to New York with Celia even though her grandmother didn't want her to.

Snowball followed her into the hallway. She stooped down and picked him up. Then she suddenly began running toward the kitchen and rushed through the door.

Aunt Lou, Jenny, and Liza were all getting the meal ready and looked up in shock as Mandie began yelling, “I have my father's house back and I'm going to New York!”

“Noo Yawk?” Liza repeated. “Lawsy mercy, Missy 'Manda, you gwine git lost and stepped on in dat big place.”

“I'm happy fo' you, my chile.” Aunt Lou put down the spoon she was using and came to hug Mandie. “Jes' be sho' you don't take dat white cat wid you, 'cause he'll git lost, dat's fo' sho'.”

That night when Mandie went to sleep, she dreamed she was lost in New York and Liza was standing there laughing at her and saying, “I done tole you you gwine git lost.” Then Jonathan appeared, and everything was all right.

CONTENTS

MANDIE AND JONATHAN'S PREDICAMENT

Chapter   1   New York at Last!

Chapter   2   Poor Fellow

Chapter   3   The Strange Girl

Chapter   4   What a Day!

Chapter   5   Suspicious Happenings

Chapter   6   On the Run!

Chapter   7   A Strange Neighborhood

Chapter   8   Out of Commission

Chapter   9   More Mystery

Chapter 10   A New York Night

Chapter 11   Whose Dog Is It Anyhow?

Chapter 12   Unexpected Visitors

CHAPTER ONE

NEW YORK AT LAST!

Mandie gasped as she stepped outside the noisy train depot in New York. She looked around in disbelief at what seemed like hundreds of people rushing in every direction.

“Where are all the people going?” Mandie asked. Snowball, her white cat, clung to the shoulder of her coat as she stopped to stare.

At that instant a tall man carrying a huge bag on his shoulder swiped by her, almost pushing off her wool tam. She snatched at her hat and managed to get it back in place with one hand.

“Come on, girls,” Jane Hamilton said, giving her daughter, Celia, a slight push forward through the crowd. Looking back, she added, “Amanda, if you just stand there, the people will literally run over top of you.”

Mandie quickly walked on with her friend Celia Hamilton.

“Sorry, we forgot to warn you about the people here being in such a fizz,” Celia said with a big smile. She dipped her head to dodge an open umbrella a woman was carrying, even though it was not raining.

Mandie tried to see where they were going, but the crowd blocked her view. She looked upward and gasped again at the sight of several monstrous buildings nearby. Pedestrians shoved against her as they rushed past, and she had to hurry to keep up with Celia.

Celia's mother was directing their baggage into a carriage on the street.

“The Waldorf-Astoria Hotel,” Mrs. Hamilton told the driver. She motioned for the girls to enter the vehicle, then she followed.

“The Waldorf-Astoria it be, missus,” the short, chubby driver said as he closed the door behind them and then jumped up on his seat.

Mandie clutched Snowball and tried to see the city through the carriage window as the driver raced the horses at breakneck speed up the avenue. She held her breath as she saw people risking their lives by dashing across the street between motorcars and horsedrawn vehicles that were moving rapidly in both directions. Most of the people were bundled up in thick coats and warm hats in the cold November weather, so Mandie thought to herself that if they were struck they would at least have a lot of padding on them.

“It's exciting to be in New York, isn't it?” Celia remarked as she turned to look at Mandie from the other side of the carriage, where she had also been gazing out the window.

“Yes, but the people sure are in a hurry,” Mandie replied without taking her gaze away from the street. “They act like they're all rushing off to some mysterious place.” Then quickly turning to look at her friend, she said, “I imagine New York is full of mysteries.” She paused to grin and then added, “Maybe we can find one to solve while we're here.”

Mrs. Hamilton, sitting on the opposite seat, smiled at Mandie and said, “I don't think we'll have time to go looking for mysteries.”

“Well then, maybe we'll just happen to run into one,” Mandie told her with a smile.

“Mandie, I hope not,” Celia said. “We've got so many things planned to do, and we are only going to be here this week because we have to go back to school next week, remember.”

“I know,” Mandie said with a slight groan.

The carriage came to a sudden halt, and Mandie looked outside. They had stopped in front of a building so tall she couldn't see the top.