Mandie Collection, The: 4 (78 page)

“Food hot. People not gone long,” Uncle Ned said as he picked up a bowl of steaming potatoes.

“You’re right, Uncle Ned. Anna must have cooked the food, and Gretchen set it out for us. Then they must have had to leave in a hurry for some reason,” Mandie remarked, helping herself to a roll. “Oh, there’s coffee on the stove. I’ll get it.” She started to push back her chair, but Uncle Ned stopped her.

“I get hot coffee,” he said. He got up and went to the kitchen. In
a moment he returned with the pot and filled their cups with the dark, aromatic liquid.

“Do you suppose someone got sick, or hurt, and had to rush to the doctor or something?” Celia asked as she filled her plate.

“Maybe,” Jonathan said, taking some of everything.

“We thank big God for food,” Uncle Ned announced.

The young people laid down their forks and waited for the old Indian to return thanks. “We thank you, Mighty Father, for this food, for every blessing. Amen.”

Mandie filled a saucer with bits of food and set it under the table for Snowball. As soon as the others had begun eating, she said, “Maybe we could go over to the miller’s when we finish. He certainly ought to be up and around by now.”

The others nodded, none of them looking as excited about the prospect as Mandie.

“I hope we can at least find him this time,” Mandie said. “Everybody else has plumb disappeared.”

At that moment there was a loud knocking at the back door.

“Apparently not everybody,” Jonathan observed, pushing back his chair. “I’ll see who it is.”

“Well, it’s about time somebody showed up,” Mandie remarked as they all stopped to listen.

Mandie could hear a man speaking English with a foreign accent. “Is lady here?” the man asked.

“What lady?” Jonathan answered.

“Young lady from mill,” the man tried to explain.

“Oh, you mean the miller’s daughter. No, she’s not here. As far as I know she lives with her father, the miller. Did you try there?” Jonathan asked the man.

“Yes. Not there. Good day,” the man said.

Mandie heard Jonathan close the door, and he came back into the dining room and sat down. “I’m pretty sure that was the Chinese man we saw at the Delftware factory. He was looking for the miller’s daughter.”

“I wonder what he wanted with her, and why he came here looking for her?” Mandie said.

“This house next door. Girl might visit here,” Uncle Ned said.

“You may be right about that, but what on earth would that Chinese
man want with the miller’s daughter?” Mandie asked, puzzled by the man’s appearance. “Well, I guess it only adds to our mystery,” she said. “Let’s hurry and finish so we can try to figure out what’s going on before something else happens.”

The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, but Jonathan had a smile on his face.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

SOME THINGS EXPLAINED

As soon as the meal was finished, Mandie and her friends walked over to the miller’s house. Mandie carried Snowball in her arms just in case they came near the Van Dongens’ cat. And when they got close enough to see, Mandie noticed her skirt was no longer hanging on the windmill blade. The miller must have taken it down.

“The blades are still set for closing,” Jonathan remarked as they walked along.

Mandie looked up at Uncle Ned and asked, “Do you know about the signals given by the windmill blades, Uncle Ned?”

“Yes, Papoose,” the old Indian replied. “Blades good for messages. But not ladder to climb,” he said seriously.

Mandie knew what he meant, and said, “I won’t ever do that again, Uncle Ned. Did you notice my skirt is gone? The miller must have pulled it down.”

“Yes. Must move blades to remove skirt. Now, same position as before,” Uncle Ned observed.

The young people stopped to look at him. “You’re right, Uncle Ned, someone had to move the blades to get the skirt,” Jonathan said.

“The miller must be finished with his nap,” Mandie said. “Maybe we can get him to come to the door this time.”

When they came into the yard of the miller’s house, Mandie went
straight to the door and began knocking. Snowball pulled at the end of his leash trying to get loose.

Everyone waited and listened, but there was no response. Mandie continued knocking, and called, “Mr. Van Dongen! Mr. Van Dongen!”

Still, there was no answer.

“Let’s go to the mill. Maybe he’s out there,” Mandie said, turning to walk toward the structure. She stopped for a moment and picked up Snowball.

As they stepped up to the door of the mill, Mandie was almost knocked down by two Chinese men who came rushing out. She dropped Snowball and he ran into the mill.

Jonathan and Uncle Ned turned to chase the two men, but they disappeared quickly into the tall bushes and trees surrounding the property.

Mandie heard her cat running around inside the mill. Evidently Snowball had found the miller’s cat. “Snowball!” she called as she ran inside looking for him. Celia followed.

Even though it was daytime and the sun was shining, sections of the mill were dark. Mandie glanced around. Someone had hung pieces of heavy cloth over the windows. She walked over to uncover one window when she stumbled over something and fell onto the floor. Looking up, she discovered the miller, once again tied up and gagged.

“Mr. Van Dongen!” she cried, “Uncle Ned!”

Jonathan and Uncle Ned had just entered the mill. Uncle Ned saw at once what Mandie was calling him for, and quickly pulled out his knife to cut the cords and set the man free.

Mr. Van Dongen, finally able to talk, said with a deep breath, “Thank you. Thank you.”

“What happened, Mr. Van Dongen?” Mandie asked. “You must tell us what happened this time.”

Uncle Ned helped him to his feet. “Thank you, sir,” the miller said again.

The old Indian nodded.

“We saw two Chinese men run out of here,” Mandie told the man. “What is going on?”

“First, my apologies to you Americans,” he said, sitting down on a stool, and offering similar seats to the others. “This can no longer
be a secret. I work for our government. I was told foreigners visiting our country had been causing trouble with the paint at the Delftware factory, and that all foreigners present then were suspect and being investigated.”

“Oh!” Mandie held her breath and glanced at Jonathan. Was Mr. Van Dongen suspicious of the boy? Jonathan seemed interested in what the man was saying, and didn’t look the least bit worried.

“I arranged with your driver to take you people to the inn where you would meet my son, and he would bring you here so I could evaluate things for myself,” the miller continued.

The young people looked at one another, and Mandie noticed that Uncle Ned was leaning forward, listening to every word.

“Is that why you were so friendly to us?” Mandie asked.

Mr. Van Dongen smiled and said, “No, miss, I simply found you people interesting.”

“But then you suddenly decided you had to go to work, and practically told us to leave,” Mandie reminded him.

“For which I apologize, miss, but I had just remembered that I was acting in the service of my country, and that must come before friendship,” Mr. Van Dongen explained.

“Where is Albert, sir? Why wasn’t he here to help you?” Jonathan asked.

“Albert is away on business,” the miller replied.

Uncle Ned finally joined in the conversation. “Crooks got away. Must catch them,” he said.

Mandie suddenly remembered that the miller did not know Uncle Ned’s name. The last time he had only said that he was a Cherokee.

“Mr. Van Dongen, this is my father’s friend, Mr. Ned Sweetwater. I didn’t introduce you to him last time. I call him Uncle Ned, and so does everyone else, but he’s really not related to me, even though I am one-fourth Cherokee.”

Mr. Van Dongen reached to shake hands. “I am pleased to meet you, sir, and I appreciate all your help.”

Uncle Ned nodded, never having taken well to compliments or gratitude. He was always ready and willing to help those in need, and didn’t feel their thanks was necessary.

“I don’t know why we’re sitting out here in the mill, when we could be in the house taking some refreshments,” the miller said, rising
from the stool. “We will make tea. We can close the door to the mill and leave the cats to play.”

As Mandie followed, she asked, “Where is your maid, Mr. Van Dongen? We haven’t seen her at all.”

“She is away visiting an ailing sister,” the miller explained as they stopped in front of the door to the house. He inserted his key and pushed the door open, stepping back for them to enter.

They all took seats while the miller went to brew some tea.

“Do you think anyone will catch those Chinese men, Uncle Ned?” Mandie asked, glancing at Jonathan from the corner of her eye. It had dawned on her that the Chinese men were no doubt the culprits in the paint mixing, and not Jonathan.

“Yes,” the old Indian said. “They will be caught.” He looked directly at Mandie. “You know, Papoose.”

The others wouldn’t understand what he meant by that, Mandie reasoned, but she knew that Uncle Ned was saying that she knew who was guilty, and she had better apologize to Jonathan and ask his forgiveness. She would do that as soon as the proper moment arose.

“One of those men was the same man who came to our house asking for the miller’s daughter, and also the same man we saw at the Delftware factory,” Jonathan revealed.

“I wonder what he wanted with Mr. Van Dongen’s daughter?” Mandie asked as the miller returned to the room. She told him about the Chinese man coming to their house.

“My daughter is working odd hours,” the miller said as he served the tea. “I do not know how the Chinese man could know her.”

As they sat there sipping tea, Mandie heard Snowball outside meowing loudly. How did he get out of the mill?

Setting down her cup, she jumped up to go to the door. “Snowball is here. Someone let him out!”

By the time she opened the door, the men and Jonathan were right behind her. Suddenly, Mandie heard a creaking noise from the windmill. She looked up and watched as the windmill blades began to move.

Mr. Van Dongen led the way to the mill. Uncle Ned cautioned them to be quiet. “They hear us. We not catch them.”

“You are right,” Mr. Van Dongen agreed. He and the old Indian quietly approached the mill. The others followed at a cautious distance.

Just as they reached the open door of the mill, the blades stopped
moving. Mandie didn’t understand the position at which they were set.

After Uncle Ned and Mr. Van Dongen ran inside, Mandie caught a glimpse of the Chinese men sneaking out again.

“There they are!” she called.

Uncle Ned and Mr. Van Dongen came out of the mill and raced after the men. Jonathan followed them.

“Let’s stay here and watch the door,” Celia suggested to Mandie.

Mandie paused. “We should. Someone needs to watch the door in case they come back.”

Celia was visibly shaken by the thought, and Mandie tried to comfort her. “We won’t try to capture them by ourselves.”

“What if they try to capture us?” Celia asked.

Mandie frowned and said, “I don’t think they’d try that. We can always run away from them.” She was still holding Snowball. “Besides, Snowball will protect us. I could always throw him in their faces, and they’d leave us alone real fast.”

Celia winced at the thought.

At that moment, Mandie heard the sound of distant horse’s hooves. She listened as they came nearer. Pushing Celia ahead of her into the mill, she whispered, “Quick. Let’s hide behind the door!”

Celia clung to Mandie, and Mandie’s heartbeat quickened. She had no idea who would come riding up on a horse after all that had happened. It couldn’t be the Chinese men. They were running on foot.
Could they have hidden horses somewhere?
Uncle Ned and Mr. Van Dongen had disappeared into the fields, chasing the men. Even Jonathan had gone with them.

Finally Mandie heard the horse stop outside the mill and a man called, “Whoa!” She stuck her head around the door, and relief flooded over her as she recognized Albert.

“It’s Albert, Celia!” Mandie said as she hurried out into the yard.

Albert saw the girls, and before Mandie could speak he said, “This is a nice reception. Are you visiting my father?”

“We don’t have time to explain, but you should take your horse and see where your father and Uncle Ned and Jonathan went,” Mandie urged. “They were chasing two Chinese men into the woods. We think they are crooks.”

“Chinese crooks?” Albert asked, digging his heels into the horse’s sides. “Thank you. I’ll be back.”

The girls watched as he disappeared into the trees. Then they sat down on a nearby bench to wait for everyone to return.

“Do you know what all this means, Celia?” Mandie asked her friend as she held Snowball securely in her lap.

“Yes. The Chinese men were the ones who mixed the paint and not Jonathan. Oh, I’m so glad he’s not guilty, Mandie. I just couldn’t believe he would do a thing like that,” Celia told her.

“It also means I have to ask Jonathan’s forgiveness, and knowing him, he will really take advantage of that. I’ll never hear the end of it,” Mandie said with a sigh as she pushed back her tousled blond hair.

“I don’t know, he might not,” Celia said.

“You know how he’s always teasing me,” Mandie said. “I think he enjoys it.”

“That’s because he likes you, Mandie,” Celia said.

“Likes me? I don’t think so,” Mandie disagreed. “But I do really and truly hope he forgives me. I have been terribly wrong.”

“Mandie, have you thought any more about what was going on back at the house?” Celia asked. “I mean, that no one was there, and all that food was prepared?”

“Yes, I have,” Mandie said. “I don’t understand it, though. We sure do run into some mysterious things, don’t we?”

Celia smiled and said, “And you love it.”

“I guess you’re right, but I enjoy the mysteries back home even more. I understand the people better there,” Mandie said.

“Well, a few more countries and we’ll be on our way back home,” Celia reminded her. “I think I’ll be glad to get back and see my mother before I have to return to school.”