The Mandie Collection (14 page)

Mrs. Taft stuck her head in the kitchen doorway with the Burnses right behind her, but Aunt Lou shook a big spoon at them and ordered them away. “Now dis heah kitchen done be full, and we don't need de likes o' you folks. Y'all don't know how to do anything the way we does it heah, anyhow. Jes' go sit down. Dinnuh be on de table in a minute.”

“Well, if you say so, Aunt Lou,” Mrs. Taft replied. “I thought since everyone was helping, I would see what I could do. But if you think the kitchen is too crowded, I will get out of the way.” She turned to Mr. and Mrs. Burns. “Let's go sit at the table. It looks like the food will be served shortly.”

When they had left and closed the door, Mandie whispered to Liza, “As soon as we eat, let's fix up those presents.”

“We sho' will,” Liza agreed.

When they were almost finished eating dinner, once again Mandie asked Joe to entertain Hilda so she and Liza could get the presents wrapped after dinner.

“You know I can't do anything with her,” Joe objected. “If she wants to do something, I can't stop her. She just doesn't understand anything.”

“You can try,” Mandie said. “See if you can keep her attention away from me till I get the presents out from under the tree and take them to my room.”

After they had been excused and Mandie started to leave the table, Joe turned to Hilda. “Come on, Hilda,” he said. “I have a secret. Want to see?”

“Secret,” Hilda repeated, following him out of the room.

Mandie watched them for a moment, wondering what Joe's newly invented secret would be.

Joe led Hilda to the back porch, where he picked up a piece of left-over mistletoe. “Look,” he said mysteriously. “You hang this overhead
like this”—he raised it above the doorway—“and then when someone walks under it, you grab them and kiss them. That's to show that you love them and wish them a Merry Christmas. Understand?”

Hilda just stood there, so Mandie hurried into the parlor to gather the messed-up presents.

Back in her room, Liza once more joined her and together they rewrapped the presents in the new white tissue paper from the sewing room.

“Now my presents will all look alike,” Mandie said as they cut paper, wrapped the gifts, and tied ribbons. “But I guess that's all right.”

Liza surveyed their work. “Dis heah paper prettier den de other paper anyway,” she said.

Mandie stood. “Now we have to get them back down under the tree,” she said, bending to pick up an armful.

Liza took the rest, and the two girls went back down to the parlor. Mrs. Taft was sitting by the fireplace, reading her Bible. But no one else was around.

“We've got them all wrapped again,” Mandie told her grandmother as they scattered them among the other presents under the tree.

“They look pretty, dear,” Mrs. Taft said. “I'll bring mine down tonight, I suppose, and add them to the pile. I noticed there are several others there besides yours—with no names, of course. All this present business has got to be a big secret.” She laughed.

“That's what Hilda thinks,” Mandie replied. “Where is everybody?”

“Mr. Bond is out in back, helping the Burnses get their horse and wagon ready to go home,” Mrs. Taft told her.

But at that moment Mrs. Burns came into the room with a disappointed look on her face. She sat down by the fireplace. “Well, looks like y'all gonna hafta put up with us one more night,” she said. “That horse seems to have throwed a shoe, and you know the smithy ain't open on Sunday.”

“I'm sorry about the horse, Ludie,” Mrs. Taft said, “but we will be delighted to have y'all for another night.”

“We shore are wearin' our welcome out, but I reckon it cain't be helped this time,” Ludie Burns replied.

Mandie smiled at the woman. “I'm glad y'all are staying till tomorrow because my mother will be home then. Besides, it will be Christmas Eve, and we'll have a big dinner.”

“Bless you, little lady,” Mrs. Burns replied. “But to be honest with you, I'd much rather be in my own home for Christmas Eve. We have so much that needs to be done there.”

Suddenly a streak of white bounced in from the hallway, and everyone watched in dismay as Snowball ran directly to the Christmas tree, jumped in among the presents, and climbed his way to the top of the tall pine. There he stopped and meowed for someone to get him down.

Mandie jumped up and put her hands on her hips. “Snowball,” she reprimanded the kitten, “I don't know how in the world anyone is going to get you down without turning the tree over, you silly cat!”

A voice behind Mandie spoke up. “I'll git a ladder and git him down for you, Missy.”

Mandie turned to find Jake Burns standing inside the doorway.

“Do you think it's possible?” Mandie asked. “That tree is twelve feet tall, remember?”

“I think I can reach him from a ladder all right,” Jake said, leaving the room.

Then Joe and Hilda came into the parlor. Joe shrugged, indicating that he had given up on Hilda.

“We're all done anyway, Joe,” Mandie assured him.

Snowball swayed slightly at the top of the tree and let out an angry hiss, baring his teeth.

Joe looked up and saw Snowball. “That crazy cat!”

“Mr. Burns has gone for a ladder to get him down,” Mandie told him.

Jake returned with Mr. Bond and a ladder. The two men set it up as near the tree as they could get.

“I'll go up if you'll hold the ladder down here,” Jake said to Jason Bond.

Joe walked over to help hold it steady as Mr. Burns climbed toward the top of the tree. As he reached for the kitten, Snowball snarled angrily at the man and backed away out of Jake's reach.

Hilda suddenly seemed bored with the cat in the tree and stooped to look at the presents underneath. “Red, green, red, green,” she sang.

At that instant Snowball lost his grip and began falling down through the limbs of the tree, snatching at things with his claws as he went. He landed on Hilda's back.

Hilda screamed and straightened up. And Snowball ran out of the room.

Mrs. Taft examined Hilda's back and found that Snowball had not scratched her. But the tree was a mess. The ornaments were knocked out of place and the garlands were tangled along the path Snowball had fallen.

Mandie stood there, blinking back the tears. “Sometimes I think I might just give that cat away,” she cried.

Liza, who had been standing in the doorway, watching, hurried forward to put her arm around Mandie. “Now, Missy, you know you don't mean dat,” she said. “You know you loves dat kitten so much you wouldn't take a thousand dollars fo' him.”

“I don't know,” Mandie said.

“I know,” Joe spoke up. “Like I always say, that's a dumb cat. He just didn't know any better, so you have to forgive him. Come on, let's get the tree decorations straightened.”

Mandie just looked at him for a moment; then without a word she joined him and Liza in repairing the damage Snowball had done to the tree.

Hilda stayed close to Mrs. Taft and watched.

Mandie picked up a silver ball that had rolled across the rug. “I'll be glad when Christmas finally comes before the tree and the presents all get destroyed,” she said.

“Tomorrow is Christmas Eve,” Joe said, trying to comfort her, “and our parents will be home then. You can count on that for sure.”

Mandie gave a sigh, then brightened as she helped with the tree. Her mother would be home tomorrow. She had missed her, and it would be so good to see her—then, too, she would
finally
know what the big surprise was.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

TRAPPED!

Mandie awakened early on Christmas Eve morning. Throwing back the heavy quilts, she jumped out of bed. Liza had apparently built the fire in the fireplace already but hadn't bothered to wake her.

Hilda was still sleeping, and Mandie playfully pulled the covers off the girl and tickled her feet. “Get up, Hilda,” Mandie cried. “It's Christmas Eve.”

Hilda, startled awake, withdrew her ticklish feet from Mandie's reach and then kicked hard, sending Mandie flying backward onto the floor.

Mandie got up, laughing. “I guess that pays me back,” she said. “Come on, let's get dressed and go downstairs. Today is Christmas Eve and tomorrow is Christmas. My mother and Uncle John and Joe's parents will be home today for certain.”

Hilda just lay there, listening and watching Mandie as she moved about, finding a dress and stockings to put on.

Mandie reached into the chifferobe and pulled out a bright red dress that buttoned all the way down the front. She held it up for Hilda to see. “Look at what I've got,” Mandie said, trying to entice her to get out of bed.

Hilda jumped up and snatched the dress from Mandie's hand.

Mandie laughed. “That worked, didn't it? You can wear my red dress, Hilda. I know you like it because it buttons down the front. Let me help you put it on.”

Hilda backed away from Mandie into the far corner. She dropped the red dress onto the rug behind her and didn't take her eyes off Mandie. Hastily taking off her nightgown, she put on a petticoat she had left hanging on a chair the night before. Then she unbuttoned the front of the red dress and slipped into it. Quickly buttoning the buttons, she mismatched them, so the dress hung lopsided.

“Hilda, you've got it buttoned wrong,” Mandie said, advancing toward her. “Let me rebutton it for you. Please?”

Hilda violently shook her head, her long brown hair swirling about; then she sat on the rug to put on her stockings and slippers.

Mandie gave up and hastily dressed herself. This was going to be a happy day. She would finally get to see her mother. Brushing her long blonde hair, she tied it back with a blue ribbon to match the blue dress she was wearing.

Hilda watched her, and when Mandie laid the brush down, Hilda snatched it up and began brushing her hair.

Mandie quickly rummaged through a dresser drawer and came up with a bright red ribbon to match the dress Hilda had on. She held it out to the girl.

Hilda slowly took it and looked it over, evidently not knowing how to put it in her hair.

“I'll tie your hair back with it like mine,” Mandie said, picking up the brush where Hilda had laid it down.

Hilda stood still and waited to see what Mandie was going to do. Mandie led her over in front of the mirror so she could watch.

“You do it like this,” Mandie told her as she pulled the brown hair back, looped the ribbon around it, and tied a bow. “Pretty.”

Hilda gazed at herself in the mirror and then looked up at Mandie with a smile. “Pretty,” she said.

The little ceramic clock on the mantelpiece began to chime.

“Oh goodness, it's only seven o'clock,” Mandie said. She ran across the room to pull back the draperies.

The first streaks of sunrise were just beginning to show through the dark sky.

“Thank goodness, it's going to be a clear day,” Mandie said to herself. “Let's go eat, Hilda.”

“Eat,” Hilda repeated. She smiled and followed Mandie down the stairs to the breakfast room.

When they got there, Joe was the only one at the table, and he had a plate heaped with food in front of him. He greeted the girls happily. “It's going to be a great day!” he said.

Mandie smiled at him. It took a lot to get Joe excited about anything. He must have really missed his parents.

After helping Hilda fill a plate and fixing one for herself, Mandie sat down next to Joe with Hilda on her other side. “And tomorrow will be even better!” she exclaimed.

“That's right,” Joe agreed. “So much has happened this year that it's hard to believe.”

“I know. First my father . . . died. . . .” She still had trouble saying the word sometimes. “Then I came to live with Uncle John, whom I didn't even know until Uncle Ned told me about him. Then Uncle John sent for my mother from over in Asheville, and I met her for the first time. And then after Uncle John married my mother, I was sent away to boarding school in Asheville, and now here I am back in Franklin for Christmas.” She sighed deeply.

“And your mother was so thrilled to find you at last and to know you were actually alive,” Joe added. “I can't imagine being separated from my parents.”

“Come to think of it, Hilda is separated from her parents, too, but for a good reason,” Mandie said as she cut into a piece of ham. “Remember? They kept her locked in a room because she can't talk hardly at all. And when she ran away and hid in our school attic, and Celia and I found her, they gave her to my grandmother. Can you imagine giving away your child?”

“Never!” Joe replied, emphatically hitting his fist on the table.

Hilda jumped.

“I'm sorry, Hilda,” Joe apologized. “I didn't mean to scare you.”

Hilda smiled, and after eating another bite of her breakfast, she began her singsong again. “Red, green, red, green. Secret.”

When Liza came into the room with a pot of hot coffee, she didn't speak as she filled Mandie's cup.

Mandie noticed that the young maid didn't seem very happy. “Good morning, Liza,” she said.

“Mawnin', Missy,” Liza murmured, filling Joe's cup.

“You must not have been the one who built the fire in my room this morning because no one woke me up,” Mandie reasoned.

“I built de fire, Missy,” Liza said hesitantly. “I jes' thought I'd better let you sleep.”

Mandie looked at her sharply. “Why did you want to let me sleep? It's Christmas Eve day, and my mother is coming home today!”

“I knows dat, Missy,” Liza replied, pausing with the pot of coffee still in her hand. “I jes' didn't want to—”

“To what?” Mandie asked quickly. “Is something wrong?”

Liza simply nodded.

Mandie jumped up. “No, not again!” she exclaimed.