The Mandie Collection (3 page)

Liza grinned and danced around the porch.

“Mother, Uncle John, it's so good to be home,” Mandie said, embracing her mother and tiptoeing to kiss her uncle's cheek.

“Enjoy it, dear,” Elizabeth Shaw told her daughter. “We have to leave early tomorrow morning to go to Deep Creek.”

“Deep Creek? Are we going to stay at Uncle Ned's house?” Mandie asked.

“Yes, the hospital site is nearer his house than the others,” said Uncle John, “and he's expecting us.”

“Good.” Mandie grinned. “That means I'll get to see Sallie and Morning Star.”

“Right now I think we'd better get inside and finish things up for our journey,” her mother said.

Joe stepped to Mandie's side. “I'm going with you to Uncle Ned's,” he said.

“And I'll be along out there later after I make some calls here in Franklin,” Dr. Woodard added.

Mandie could hardly contain her excitement. “This is going to be a great trip,” she said, swinging her bonnet by its ribbon.

Mandie spent a happy evening with her family and friends. When she told Liza about the “uppity” school she was attending, Liza laughed till her sides hurt.

“Lawsy mercy, Missy,” Liza gasped, dancing around Mandie's bedroom. “Why don' you come home and go to school with yo' own kind o' people? Whut good all dat fancy schoolin' gonna do you when you gonna wind up marryin' dat Joe boy?”

Mandie blushed. “Liza! My mother went to that school, and she married my father who was half Cherokee. And Uncle John is half Cherokee, too, of course, since he's my father's brother.”

“Well, maybe Joe boy will git to be a rich man somehow,” Liza said. “But he don' need no money if he marries you 'cause yo' uncle de richest man dis side o' Richmond. And lawsy mercy, dey say yo' mother got money to burn.”

“Better not let Aunt Lou hear you say that. Remember?” Mandie warned her. “She won't like you discussing people's business.”

“Whut she don't know can't hurt her,” Liza laughed. “Well, anyhow I gotta go. See you in de mornin.' ”

“Good night, Liza,” said Mandie.

“Night, Missy,” Liza replied. “I knows you gonna sleep good in yo' own bed.”

“You bet.” Mandie hopped into bed as Liza slipped out into the hallway.

The world was going around in Mandie's pretty blonde head as it touched the pillow. So much was happening. And she didn't want to sleep too much of her holidays away.

Morning came and Elizabeth was shaking her to wake up.

“Darling, it's time to get up,” Elizabeth told her.

Startled awake, Mandie sat up and looked around for a second before she realized where she was. Then she jumped quickly out of bed, dumping Snowball onto the floor from his place at the foot of her bed.

“Good morning, Mother. I'm so glad to be home,” Mandie said, stretching and yawning.

“I'm glad to have you home with us for a while,” Elizabeth told her, giving her a quick hug. “Now wear some serviceable clothes on the road, dear. It'll be a long, dusty journey. You've been there before. You know how it is.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Mandie replied. “I'll wear my red calico and take the blue gingham.”

“That'll be fine. Now hurry and dress,” her mother urged.

“Mother, would you mind if I took Sallie and Morning Star some presents?” Mandie asked.

“Why, no, dear. That would be nice,” Elizabeth replied. “What would you like to give them?”

Reaching into a bureau drawer where she had unpacked her things, Mandie pulled out an ivory fan. “How about this for Morning Star?” she asked.

“Well, I suppose so. I don't know whether she'd have any use for it, but give it to her if you like,” Elizabeth told her.

Then Mandie held up a small velvet-covered Bible. “And this for Sallie? I bought it in Asheville for myself, but I have the Bible that you gave me. I don't really need this one, too.”

“I know Sallie would appreciate that,” her mother agreed. “Now do hurry, dear.”

“I will, Mother,” Mandie promised. “The sooner we get to Deep Creek, the sooner we'll get our job done, and the sooner we can go to Charleston.”

Elizabeth laughed. “I suppose that makes sense,” she said, leaving the room.

As soon as they all finished breakfast, Dr. Woodard left to make his calls, and Mandie, Elizabeth, Uncle John, and Joe climbed into the big covered wagon. All the others gathered on the veranda to see them off.

Mandie carefully tucked her presents for Sallie and Morning Star into a bag and then sat down beside Joe at the back of the wagon.

Snowball curled up in Mandie's lap as they traveled quickly down the rocky dirt road. The mountainous terrain bounced the wagon around, uphill and downhill. As the wagon swayed far to the right and then far to the left, Mandie and Joe held on to the side rails of the
wagon. Snowball sank his claws into Mandie's apron to keep from sliding around.

When Mandie and Joe tried to talk, their voices trembled from the vibration of the rough road.

After a long time the road became parallel to the Tuckasegee River. Then they crossed an old wooden bridge and traveled along the rocky banks of Deep Creek. The glistening water flowed over hundreds of rocks on the clear bottom.

“Look!” Mandie cried, pointing to the creek. “Wouldn't I—”

“Don't say it!” Joe interrupted. “I know you'd like to get in that water, but remember the last time we traveled along this road and you decided to put your feet in the water?”

“I know, I know,” Mandie replied. “I remember that awful panther staring at me! And Tsa'ni wouldn't help me. If Uncle Ned hadn't come along right then, I might not be here now to tell about it. That panther was ready to come after me.”

Joe reached for her hand. “I don't understand Tsa'ni,” he said. “He's your cousin, but he tries to see how mean he can be.”

“That's because he's full Cherokee and I'm only one-fourth.” Mandie sighed. “And he doesn't like white people,” she added.

“Well, he'd better behave himself this time,” Joe said. “Or I'll see to it that he wishes he had.”

Mandie looked at Joe and didn't answer. She remembered all the trouble Tsa'ni had caused on their other trip to Deep Creek.

Cornfields with bare dried-up stalks began appearing along the way. Harvest came early in the North Carolina mountains. The odor of food cooking over wood fires filled their nostrils.

The wagon rounded a sharp bend in the road. Several log cabins came into view.

“We're here!” Mandie cried, trying to lean out and see ahead of the wagon. Snowball fell off her lap. He stretched and started washing his white fur.

Joe grabbed the edge of Mandie's apron. “Mandie, be careful! You'll fall out!” he warned her.

Mandie sat down quickly. “Oh, well, we're almost to Uncle Ned's house anyway.”

CHAPTER THREE

VISIT WITH UNCLE NED

John Shaw slowed the wagon in front of the largest cabin. The house looked very similar to the one in which Mandie had lived with her father until he died. The old cabin was made of logs chinked together and had a huge rock chimney at one end. The door stood open. Horses grazed behind a split-rail fence.

After the wagon came to a halt by the barn, John helped Elizabeth down. Mandie, with Snowball on her shoulder, jumped off the wagon with Joe.

Her father's Indian friend, Uncle Ned, and his wife, Morning Star, and their granddaughter, Sallie, stood waiting by the open door to greet them.

“Welcome!” said Uncle Ned with a big smile.

“Hello, Uncle Ned,” Mandie replied, reaching up to hug his neck. Then she embraced the old Indian woman who stood beside him, grinning. “Morning Star, I'm so glad to see you.” Reaching out to their granddaughter, she cried excitedly, “Oh, Sallie, I have so much to tell you!”

“And I have things to tell you,” Sallie replied, pushing her long black hair back with a toss of her head.

“Come,” Uncle Ned said, leading them all into the cabin.

Joe quickly helped Uncle John bring the bags in from the wagon, and Mandie retrieved the presents she had brought.

Inside, Morning Star removed a cloth from a long, rough, wooden table, revealing dishes piled high with steaming, delicious-smelling food, all ready for supper.

Mandie looked around. Everything was the same. At the far end of the room were several beds built into the wall and covered with cornshuck mattresses. Curtains hanging between the beds could be pulled around each one for privacy. Over in the other corner stood a spinning wheel and a loom. And against the wall was a ladder going upstairs, where there were more beds in the two rooms there.

Mandie walked over to Morning Star with the ivory fan in her hand. “Morning Star, I brought you a present,” Mandie told her. Spreading the fan wide, she fanned herself with it, and then handed it, closed, to the old woman.

Morning Star looked at the fan, puzzled. Then she managed to open it and stood there fanning her smiling face.

“Good!” Morning Star grunted. She couldn't speak English, but she could understand some things.

Mandie turned to Sallie and handed her the velvet-covered Bible.

Sallie fingered it excitedly. “This is for me?” she asked.

“Yes, I bought it in Asheville,” Mandie told her.

“Thank you, thank you, Mandie!” Sallie cried, hugging her friend. Sallie showed the Bible to Morning Star, talking rapidly in Cherokee.

Then Morning Star gave Mandie a big hug, fanning herself all the while with her new ivory fan.

“She thanks you,” Sallie explained. “She hopes we soon find the crooks who are tearing down the hospital.”

“Thank you,” Mandie told the old woman.

Uncle Ned, standing nearby, seemed proud to have the white people in his house. He and Morning Star had once lived in the house of Mandie's grandparents, and he tried hard to do things the way his guests expected.

“Wash! Eat!” Uncle Ned said loudly. “Food get cold.”

John and Elizabeth headed for the washpan on the shelf. A clean towel hung on a nail beside it. A bucketful of fresh drinking water
sat nearby with a gourd dipper hanging on a nail above it. As soon as John and Elizabeth washed their faces and hands, Joe and Mandie did likewise.

“Come on, Joe,” Sallie said, leading him to the side of the table opposite where the adults were seated. “I will sit between you and Mandie so I can talk to both of you.”

“I sure hope you're not having owl stew again,” Joe moaned as he sat down.

“Why, Joe, I thought you liked owl stew,” Mandie teased.

Sallie smiled. “You are lucky; my grandmother has cooked ham tonight. Can you not smell it?” the Indian girl asked, straightening her full, red flowered skirt as she sat down.

“Hmm,” Joe sniffed. “Well, yeh, but I was afraid it was something else that might smell like ham. And I'm so hungry I could eat almost anything—except owl stew.”

Uncle Ned stood at the head of the table and tapped his tin plate. “John Shaw will thank Big God for food,” the old Indian announced.

They all bowed their heads as John returned thanks.

“Thank you, dear God, for the privilege of being with our dear friends again, and for the good food you have supplied for this meal that we are about to partake of. And, dear God, please lead us and guide us in our search for those who are tearing down the hospital the Cherokees so badly need. And, dear God, please give us the courage and strength to follow through with this and get the hospital built. We ask your blessing on everyone present at this table. Amen.”

Joe looked at the two girls. “Now, that's what we came for. We've got to get that hospital built,” he said as the adults began their own conversation.

“You are right, Joe,” Sallie agreed. “We must find out who is tearing down the walls and put a stop to it.”

“Yes, Sallie,” Mandie said. “We're all going to see what's being done there. I haven't even seen the land cleared for it, much less the building, because I've been away at that silly school.”

Sallie passed Joe a big platter of ham. “Please, tell me about your school, Mandie,” she begged. “Why do you call it silly?”

Joe took several large slices of ham, then helped himself to the potatoes sitting in front of him and passed the bowl to the girls.

Mandie, helping herself, explained. “They teach you to be what they call
a lady
. It's a lot of put-on and silly stuff. You learn how to walk with a book balanced on your head so you'll be straight. You learn how to stoop and pick up something without sticking your bottom up in the air. You learn how to talk quietly, in what they call a
well-modulated voice
. I call it leaving all the fun out of living.”

Mandie looked up as Morning Star placed a plate of hot bread in front of them. “Eat,” said Morning Star loudly.

“Thank you,” Mandie said. “You eat, too.” After each of the young people had taken some bread, Mandie handed the plate back to Morning Star.

Joe started to get up. “Let me carry the plate back for you.”

Morning Star stepped back. “Sit! I take,” she said sternly. Carrying the plate around the table she sat down next to Uncle Ned and helped herself.

Joe looked puzzled. “Did I make her angry?” he asked.

“You are our guest,” Sallie told him. “She must serve you. You must not serve her.”

“Sorry,” Joe apologized. “I forgot she has a different way of doing things.”

“Have you been to see this silly school that Mandie goes to, Joe?” Sallie asked, returning to the previous subject.

Joe grinned and swung his feet under the table.

“You bet I've been to that school. I've helped Mandie and her friend Celia solve some pretty baffling mysteries around that place,” he said.