Leppard, Lois Gladys - [Mandie 03] (11 page)

“Mandie!” scolded Joe.

Uncle Ned smiled, looked at the two of them, and said, “Papoose got jealous streak for Joe.”

Mandie’s face turned red as Joe whirled to look at her. Grinning, he said, “Is that so, Mandie? Then you must think more of me than I thought you did.”

Mandie jumped up and headed toward her pony. “It’s time to go,” she called back, picking up Snowball on her way.

Joe ran to catch up with her. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he turned her around to face him.

“Mandie, you don’t have to be jealous of Polly,” he said. “She’s just a friend, that’s all.”

Mandie shook free from his grasp. “Oh, yeh,” she replied sarcastically. She mounted her pony.

As the others got ready to move, Sallie rode up beside Mandie. Having witnessed the scene between Joe and
Mandie, she tried to relieve the tension. “I would like to ride beside you, Mandie, so we can talk,” she said.

“Of course, Sallie. Come on.”

Riding off behind the men, the two girls talked back and forth about nothing in particular, but carefully avoided the topic of Joe. Finally Mandie decided to tell Sallie about the school in Nashville. She hadn’t said a word about it to anyone else. She was hoping that somehow she wouldn’t have to go.

“Sallie, do you know what my mother is planning?” she asked. “She is planning to send me away to school—far away from home.”

“Oh, Mandie!” Sallie cried. “You will have to leave all your friends and your nice home?”

“Right. Mrs. Woodard gave me some papers for Mother,” Mandie explained. “Mother had asked her to find out about a place called Miss Tatum’s Finishing School, way out in Nashville.”

“Do you have to go?” the Indian girl asked.

Mandie brushed a branch out of her way. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I told Uncle John I didn’t want to. He said we’d talk about it with Mother when we got home. I don’t want to leave all my friends and family to live at some school where I don’t know anyone. That name sounds silly anyway. Imagine going to a ‘finishing’ school. Everyone would laugh at me.”

“I would not laugh at you. I would feel sorry for you,” Sallie told her. “Why can you not go to school in Franklin where you live now?”

“That’s what I asked Uncle John, but he said they didn’t teach some things my mother wants me to learn. I can’t imagine what things they are, but I know I’d rather go to school at home where my friends are,” Mandie said.

“I have heard that some of the girls enjoy going to these schools away off,” Sallie told her. “They make new friends.”

“I don’t want to leave my mother and Uncle John and Liza and Aunt Lou and everybody. I’d even have to leave Uncle Ned. He couldn’t come to a girls’ school to watch over me,” Mandie said.

“You do not know my grandfather,” Sallie laughed. “He promised to watch over you, and nothing will keep him from doing that.”

“It would be a hardship on him. He’d have to find a place to stay in Nashville. He couldn’t very well stay at the school, and it’d be too far away for him to go back and forth,” Mandie replied. She looked at her friend pleadingly. “Please hope and pray that I won’t have to go.”

“I will,” Sallie promised. “Now I understand why you have been so upset since we got to Doctor Woodard’s house.”

“Upset? You mean you could tell it?” Mandie asked.

“Yes, you have not been as cheerful as usual,” Sallie answered, “I believe you hurt Joe’s feelings back there, but I understand now.”

Mandie’s eyes widened. “Hurt
Joe’s
feelings?
He
got mad at
me
!” she said defensively.

“Did he? I think
you
caused the problem by criticizing your friend, Polly,” Sallie told her bluntly. “Of course, it’s none of my business, but I hate to see my friends angry with each other.”

“You think I caused it?” Mandie asked, trying to remember exactly what she and Joe had said.

“Yes,” Sallie replied. “I heard my grandfather say you were jealous, and I agree with him. Think about it, Mandie. You and Joe have been close friends all your lives. Suddenly
Polly meets Joe and decides she likes him, too. That is enough to make anyone jealous.”

Mandie frowned in bewilderment. “Then, what should I have said or done?” she asked.

“Just ignore Polly’s attitude toward Joe,” Sallie advised. “She will become disenchanted sooner or later. I think she is only flitting about. She is not serious about anyone or anything. That is just her personality. Some people are like that.”

Mandie knew her friend was right. “Thanks for your advice, Sallie,” she said. “I guess I have been mean, and I’m really sorry. I’ll have to do something about it.”

At the next rest stop, when they dismounted, Mandie walked over to Joe, smiled apologetically, and reached for his hand. “Joe, could we take a little walk?” she asked.

Joe was happy to see his friend smile. “Sure, Mandie,” he replied with a big grin. “Let’s walk down the stream a little ways.”

They strolled silently for several minutes, then stopped to watch the tiny cricket frogs hopping along the edge of the stream.

As they stood close together, Mandie faced Joe and swallowed with difficulty. “Joe, please forgive me for acting like I did about Polly,” she said. “I’m really sorry. I won’t do it again.”

Joe turned to face her, and smiled. “It’s all forgiven, Mandie. I understand,” he told her. “I’ve been riding next to your Uncle John. He told me that you were upset because they were thinking about sending you away to school. I don’t blame you. I’d be upset, too. In fact,
I’d
just plain rebel.”

“Oh, Joe, it would be awful to leave everyone and go away by myself to some strange place with strange people,”
she told him, petting Snowball on her shoulder. “I just couldn’t stand it.”

“I’m sorry, Mandie. If I can do anything to help you out, I will,” Joe promised. “I don’t want you to go away either. I’d hardly ever get to see you.”

“I know. I’d probably only get to come home for holidays, and there aren’t many of them,” Mandie said. Tears glistened in her blue eyes. “I just don’t know what to do.”

Joe pulled the bandana from around his neck and wiped away her tears.

“Don’t cry, Mandie. We’ll think up some way to get out of it,” he said. “Maybe when your mother sees how you feel, she won’t make you go.”

“Maybe,” Mandie said. “But she really wants me to learn how to be a proper lady.”

“A proper lady?” Joe laughed. “That’s funny. I thought you were a proper lady already.”

Mandie giggled. “You know what she means. She wants me to learn how to put on the social airs.”

“I’m not so sure I want my future wife to learn all that nonsense,” Joe told her. “You might get so you think you’re better than I am.”

Mandie jerked his hand. “Don’t ever say that! That will never happen! You know that!”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t!” Joe said.

Rejoining the rest of the group, Joe and Mandie continued on their gold-recovery mission. But, somehow, they had to find a way for Mandie to get out of going to Miss Tatum’s Finishing School.

Chapter 12 - The Creatures in the Woods

As the group got a glimpse of the wealthy Mr. Vanderbilt’s mansion in the distance, Uncle Ned held his hand up signaling them to halt.

“Must be quiet. Go slow now,” he told them. “Into woods.” He pointed to a faint trail leading off to the left from the main road.

They followed him into the dark woods. The sun sank lower in the sky, and thick trees blocked out most of the remaining daylight.

The old Indian stopped in the thick underbrush and dismounted. “Leave horses here,” he said. “Bring rope, bow, arrows.”

“Joe, we must be awfully close now,” Mandie whispered excitedly.

“Yes, and you stay back,” he whispered, slinging his rifle over his shoulder. “I’ll go ahead with the men.”

Mandie took Snowball in her arms as she and Joe joined the group around Uncle Ned. Dimar stood ready with one hand on his bow and arrows and the other on his rifle. Tsa’ni trailed along behind.

Uncle John spoke in a loud whisper. “We will move
forward slowly,” he explained. “And when we spot the cabin, you young people stay back out of sight.”

“I would like to go with you,” Dimar volunteered.

“We’ll probably need you boys later, but let us men handle things first,” Uncle John answered. “We’ll let you know what we’re going to do.”

They crept quietly through the woods until they came within sight of an old rickety cabin. Uncle Wirt pointed to the woodpile nearby. Running over to it, he held up one of the long cloaks the bandits had worn. It was just as Uncle Wirt’s son, Jessan, had said.

There were three horses tied behind the hut, and an old wagon stood in front. The strong odor of fish cooking filled the air, and a faint sound of voices came from inside the hut. There were no windows in the hut—only one door, and it was standing open.

Uncle Ned slipped behind a tree on one side of the cabin, and Uncle Wirt moved into position on the other side. Uncle John hid behind a tree between the other two. The young people huddled together where they were, waiting breathlessly.

Suddenly Snowball jumped down from Mandie’s shoulder and darted for the door of the hut. Mandie caught her breath and froze. When the kitten stepped into the clearing around the cabin, they all watched and waited anxiously.

Snowball walked straight through the doorway of the cabin. Immediately, there was a big commotion inside. The cat meowed loudly. “Hey, come hyar, you cat!” a gruff voice hollered.

Snowball ran out the door with a big, burly man close behind. He stooped and grabbed the kitten. Snowball
started biting and scratching. The man shook him violently.

“You dumb cat! Bite, will you? I’ll kill you for that!” he yelled.

The kitten managed to get loose, but instead of returning to Mandie, he ran in circles around the clearing. The man grabbed an axe from the woodpile and chased the cat furiously.

Mandie could stand it no more. She had to save her kitten. Breaking quickly through the underbrush before anyone could stop her, she ran into the clearing, intent on rescuing Snowball.

When the bandit saw her, he whirled and started in her direction. “How did you git hyar?” he bellowed. “Hey, you’re that gal on the train with that cat, ain’t you?” he said as he got closer.

Mandie began to chase Snowball, and the man chased her. Then, all of a sudden, a sharp arrow whizzed across the clearing and grazed the bandit’s leg. He screamed and fell to the ground, clasping his bleeding leg.

A second man edged out of the hut to see what was going on. Uncle Ned and Uncle John rushed forward and knocked him down. With Uncle Wirt’s help they tied him and the wounded man to a tree away from the clearing.

The third man, still inside the hut, called out. “What’s goin’ on out there?” There was no answer. He came to the doorway. But when he saw the others in the yard, he slammed and barred the door.

Mandie hurried with Snowball to the shelter of the trees. “Snowball, why do you always have to cause trouble?” she scolded.

Uncle John summoned the boys. “All right, come on if you want to help,” he said.

The boys followed quickly.

“How are we going to get that man out of the cabin?” Joe asked.

“We can shoot him out,” Uncle John suggested. “The cabin has enough holes in it to shoot through. Or we can just wait for him to come out. He has to, sooner or later,” he said as the two old Indians joined them.

“Why do we not burn him out?” Tsa’ni asked.

“Burn him out? Suppose the gold is in that cabin and it burns up,” Dimar protested.

“Gold wouldn’t burn up,” Uncle John informed him.

“Fire dangerous!” Uncle Wirt added.

“I agree,” said Uncle John. “He doesn’t really have a chance. We’re all armed. The odds are in our favor. Everyone get your weapons ready. I think we can get him to surrender.”

As soon as the bows and arrows and rifles were aimed and ready, Uncle John called to the man inside. “Come out!” he said. “We’ve got you completely surrounded, and we are armed.”

There was no answer. Everyone waited silently, their weapons pointed at the only door of the old shack.

Mandie and Sallie remained at a distance, watching and biting their fingernails, afraid someone would get hurt.

Slowly, the door to the cabin opened, and the last bandit, seeing all their weapons, hurried out into the yard.

“Don’t shoot! I give up!” he called as the men and boys advanced.

Quickly, Uncle Ned threw his rope around the bandit, and Uncle Wirt helped tie him up. After leaving him with the other two, Uncle Ned and Uncle Wirt joined the others.

“All right, let’s go find the gold,” Joe said, leading the way into the cabin.

The girls started to come forward and follow, but Uncle Ned waved them back.

“Stay!” he called to them, as he, too, entered the hut.

Mandie took the rope she was carrying and let one end dangle so that Snowball could play with it. Worry clouded her face. “What if they don’t find the gold in there, Sallie?” she asked. “Those men might’ve spent it.”

Sallie laughed. “I do not think they could spend that much gold so soon.”

Snowball scratched around at Sallies feet, throwing dirt everywhere.

The Indian girl looked down. “Why does Snowball keep scratching in the dirt?”

“I don’t know,” Mandie answered. “Snowball, please be still.”

Then she saw what the kitten was playing with. It looked like a string, but when she stooped to pick it up, it wouldn’t come all the way out. Part of it was buried under the ground. The more Mandie pulled at it, the more excited she became.

“Sallie, look!” she cried. “This string is attached to something underground!”

Sallie knelt beside her. “Do you think it could be one of the drawstrings on the bags of gold?” she asked.

“Oh, I hope so,” Mandie replied as both girls started digging with their hands.

They were right. Within minutes they had uncovered one of the bags of gold. And from the looks of the tangled web of strings, it appeared that the other bags were there, too.

Mandie picked up Snowball and the bag of gold. “Let’s
get Uncle Ned!” she exclaimed, heading for the cabin. Sallie stayed right behind her.