The Mandie Collection (33 page)

“What you steal will never do you any good,” Joe put in.

“No, it won't, because it will bother your conscience,” Mandie told the woman, feeling a little more bold. “I will help you pray for forgiveness if you want me to.”

“I don't need no forgiveness for nothin,' ” the woman muttered.

“Yes, you do. You need our forgiveness for what you're doing to us,” Mandie said. “It's a sin to hold things against people when they do you wrong. You might not exactly like what they do to you, but Christians have to forgive other people.” Mandie swallowed hard. “I forgive y'all for what you've done to us. Won't you ask God to forgive you?”

With Snowball curled up in her lap, Mandie fearfully reached across to the woman and put her small hand over an old wrinkled one. She searched the woman's tired eyes.

The woman quickly pulled her hand away and wouldn't look at Mandie.

“Your daddy a preacher or somethin'?” the old man asked.

“No, my daddy is in heaven with God,” Mandie said sadly, “but he was a good man. He taught me that God loves us and will forgive us for our sins if we'll tell Him we're sorry.”

The woman just stared at Mandie again.

“If you think you can persuade us to let you go with that kind of talk, you might as well shet up, because it won't work,” the old man said. “If there's a God up there, He shore has forsaken us. I done give up on that stuff a long time ago.”

As they traveled downstream, Joe looked all around. “Where are we going?” he ventured to ask. His voice was a little shaky.

“That I ain't tellin' neither,” the man said.

“I reckon I'll see when we get there then,” Joe replied.

The man pulled hard on the oars as they swept through a strong current. “We may not be goin' to the same place,” he said.

Mandie and Joe glanced at each other. What were these people up to, anyway? And how would anyone ever find them? No one could track them in the water. Was there no way to get to these people's hearts?

Mandie tried again. “Do y'all have any children?”

The old woman shook her head while the man ignored the question.

“I am my mother's only child,” Mandie said. “She loves me an awful lot, and I love her more than anything. She's going to be worried about me when I don't get back home on time,” Mandie said. “You see, my grandmother didn't like my father because he was half Cherokee. After I was born, she made my father take me and leave. I wasn't reunited with my mother until after my father died. You see, his old Indian friend, Uncle Ned, helped me get to my Uncle John Shaw's house in Frank–”

“Shet up!” the man shouted. “What's all that got to do with us?”

“Maybe you didn't catch what Mandie said,” Joe answered bravely. “She is part Cherokee, and the Cherokees will come looking for her when she doesn't show up back at the house. I'd sure hate to come up against those Indians when one of their kin has been wronged. ”

“Indians?” the woman echoed.

“That's what he said,” the man told her. “Don't you remember all that hullabaloo about the Indians and that mine?”

“I suppose so. Seems like I remember somethin,' ” the woman said.

Mandie and Joe exchanged glances.

“What about the Indians and that mine?” Mandie asked.

“Nothin' you need to know,” the man said.

“I
am
part Cherokee,” Mandie admitted,” “but I wouldn't ask the Cherokees to harm you in any way. Most of my Cherokee kinpeople are Christians, and they believe like I do, that we must forgive each other. They wouldn't carry off any white children for no reason at all. They know God sees and hears everything, and they want to live by His Word. But if you harm us, they will see that you are punished.”

The old woman fidgeted with her blue gingham dress. “Maybe we's doin' somethin' we shouldn't–”

“Keep your trap shet, woman.” the man yelled. “Don't you see what they's tryin' to do? They think they can sweet-talk us into lettin' 'em go, and then they'll go straight to John Shaw with a tale and–”

“We wouldn't cause you any trouble, mister,” Mandie interrupted. “Just let us go home. My mother must be awfully worried by now.”

Suddenly the man turned the boat toward the creek bank. Mandie's heart leaped in anticipation. Maybe he was going to set them free.

“Grab a bag, woman,” the man ordered as he brought the boat near the bank.

Mandie and Joe silently looked at each other. Could they make a run for it? But the man quickly threw the bags on the bank as the woman jumped out onto the sand. Then the man gave the boat a sharp push with the oars as he jumped out, taking the oars with him.

Joe tried to jump out, but the man hit him hard with an oar, knocking him down into the boat.

Mandie held Snowball tightly as the boat rocked and swirled about, floating swiftly down Rose Creek toward the river. She bent over Joe. He looked lifeless. “Joe! Joe! Wake up!” she cried, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.

Fearfully, she watched the man and woman pick up their bags and hurry off into the woods without looking back. “Help us, please,” Mandie yelled. “Joe is hurt.”

Pushing Joe's hair back from his forehead, she gently touched his cheek. Then she took his limp hands in hers and rubbed them. He didn't move or open his eyes.

As the boat drifted free in the swift current, Mandie sat up on the seat. Gripping Snowball with one hand, she held on to the side of the
boat and looked toward the sky. The sun had come out. “Dear God, please help us!” she prayed. “Please! Please don't let Joe die!”

Snowball meowed, protesting the tight grip she had on him, and Mandie held him up to her face to cuddle him. “Snowball, I love you!” she whispered through her tears. “I didn't mean to squeeze you so hard. It's just that I'm so scared. Joe is hurt and the boat is drifting away We may all be drowned!”

She took a deep breath and wiped her sleeve across her tear-stained face as the boat bumped and swirled.

“Now that's not the way to act at all,” she scolded herself. She looked toward the sky again and began quoting her favorite verse: “ ‘What time I am afraid I will put my trust in Thee.' Oh, God,” she prayed, “I know you'll take care of us, but please hurry!”

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE SEARCH BEGINS

When John, Uncle Ned, and Dr. Woodard returned home a little before noon, they found the worried women sitting by the window in the parlor. Elizabeth and Mrs. Woodard told them about Hilda's disappearance and about sending Mandie and Joe to get her.

“But they should have returned long before now,” Mrs. Woodard said.

Elizabeth rose from her chair and clutched her husband's arm. “Amanda promised to go straight to the Hadleys and back without stopping anywhere,” she told him.

“You know Amanda as well as I do,” John said with a smile. “She probably found something interesting on the way.”

“But Joe was with her, and I'm sure he would have reminded her that they were to go there and back without any delay,” Elizabeth replied.

“We find,” Uncle Ned said, putting a hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. “Do not worry. We go to Hadleys now.”

“Yes, we'll go right now,” Dr. Woodard agreed.

John Shaw put his arm around his wife. “Don't worry, dear. With Uncle Ned's help I'm sure we'll find them.”

Elizabeth dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief. “You know how I love Amanda,” she said. “If anything ever happened to her, I'd never get over it.”

Mrs. Taft looked up from her needlework. “Elizabeth, you don't give Amanda credit for having any sense. She knows how much she means to you. I'm sure she has just been delayed at the Hadleys. Maybe she couldn't get Hilda to come back with her.”

“In that case, they were to come on back without her,” Elizabeth replied.

“Come back to your needlework, dear,” said Mrs. Taft. “The men will find Arnanda and Joe, I am sure.”

“That's right,” Dr. Woodard said. “We'll find them.”

“Where are the other young people?” John asked.

“Probably out in the kitchen worrying Jenny for goodies,” Elizabeth said, managing a smile. “But you will go right now, won't you?”

“Yes, dear. We'll leave right now.” John kissed his wife on the forehead and started outside with Uncle Ned and Dr. Woodard.

Quickly mounting their horses, the men rode over to the Hadleys. As they approached the huge old house, their eyes quickly searched the grounds for Mandie's and Joe's ponies. There was only one pony at the hitching post, and it was not familiar to them.

“Either they have already come and gone, or they never got here at all,” John said.

“I'd say you're right about that,” Dr. Woodard agreed.

“We find,” Uncle Ned grunted.

They dismounted and walked up to the front door. As John Shaw reached up to use the knocker, the door opened, and there stood Hilda.

The men looked at her in astonishment. Hilda reached to take Dr.

Woodard's hand and tried to lead him back down the walkway.

“Home,” she said, smiling.

“Wait,” Dr. Woodard told her.

Mrs. Hadley appeared in the doorway with her walking cane. “John, I am so glad to see you,” she said. “This poor girl just appeared on our doorstep this morning, and she wouldn't go home when Liza came for her. She has been sitting in the parlor all morning, never saying a word, just smiling at me.” The elderly woman looked bewildered.

“I'm sorry, ma'am,” John replied. “Elizabeth sent Amanda and Joe after her, but evidently they never got here.”

“Why, no. I haven't seen another soul all day,” Mrs. Hadley said. The men exchanged glances.

“We find,” Uncle Ned insisted.

“Well, I do hope you find them right away,” said Mrs. Hadley. “They mustn't be out too late. The days are getting shorter, you know. It will be dark early.”

“Evidently Hilda is in the mood to go home. Why don't I take her back to your house while you and Uncle Ned ride around looking for them?” Dr. Woodard offered.

“That's a good idea,” agreed John. “You go ahead with her. Uncle Ned and I will work our way back toward the mine. That's the only place I can imagine they went.”

After they bade Mrs. Hadley goodbye, Dr. Woodard helped Hilda onto his horse with him, giving her stern instructions to hang on tightly all the way back to John Shaw's house. Apparently she understood, and they started off down the road.

Uncle Ned and John mounted their horses.

“Two roads go to mine,” Uncle Ned stated.

“That's right. There are two ways to get there from here. Why don't you go that way?” John said, indicating the road to the right. “I'll take the other road, and we'll meet at the mine.”

Uncle Ned nodded. “We meet,” he replied.

The old Indian rode off to the right, carefully watching the road for tracks. John Shaw went the other way.

When Dr. Woodard and Hilda arrived at John Shaw's house, Elizabeth greeted them at the door.

“Amanda and Joe weren't at the Hadleys?” she asked.

“Mrs. Hadley had not seen them,” Dr. Woodard told her. “But Hilda came with me readily enough.”

Elizabeth put her hand on Hilda's arm to keep her from running off somewhere again. “Hilda, we will find Liza to entertain you awhile,” she told the girl. Turning back to Dr. Woodard, she asked. “Where are John and Uncle Ned?”

“They're coming back by the mine. That's the only place we could figure the two might have stopped,” Dr. Woodard answered. “If they don't find them there, John or Uncle Ned will come back here to get me to help search.”

Elizabeth sighed. “Where, oh where can those two be?”

“I'm afraid only the Lord knows that right now, Elizabeth,” Dr. Woodard replied.

“Go on into the dining room. We decided to start eating since we didn't know how long you all would be gone,” Elizabeth said. “Come on, Hilda, we will eat and then we will find Liza.”

The girl smiled and followed Elizabeth and Dr. Woodard into the dining room. Then spying Dimar, she plopped down in the chair next to him. Immediately, all the young people at the table bombarded Dr. Woodard with questions.

“Did you find Amanda and Joe?” Mrs. Woodard asked.

Dr. Woodard shook his head.

“Weren't they at the Hadleys?” Celia dabbed her lips with her linen napkin.

The doctor held a chair for Elizabeth, then sat down on the other side of the table. “No, they haven't been there,” he answered.

“We have decided that they went to the mine,” Dimar volunteered.

“Why is that?” Elizabeth asked.

“Because Mandie is so enthralled by the place, and there is a mystery about it,” Dimar replied.

“A mystery?” Elizabeth questioned.

“A mystery about why the mine was closed and why Uncle Ned won't talk about it,” Celia put in.

“There is no mystery about that,” Mrs. Taft spoke up. “John's father just decided to close the mine years ago, and that's that.”

“My grandfather knows something that we do not know about the mine,” Sallie said.

“You really believe that, don't you?” returned Mrs. Woodard.

“Yes, we all believe it. There is something he is not telling about the mine, and Mandie would like to find out what it is,” Sallie explained.

“Amanda had better get that out of her head because there is no mystery,” Mrs. Taft said.

Elizabeth sat forward. “Mother, you know Uncle Ned has been acting mysterious about the mine. He won't talk about it.”

“And he keeps saying it is a sad, bad mine,” Sallie added.

“You can remember that far back, Mother,” Elizabeth prodded. “What was the reason for closing the mine?”