The Mandie Collection (6 page)

Jason Bond, the caretaker for Mandie's Uncle John, met them at the depot.

“Mother didn't come, Mr. Jason?” Mandie questioned him as he piled the luggage in the rig.

Jason Bond helped Hilda and Mrs. Taft into the carriage. “No, Missy,” he said. “Your mother and your Uncle John had to go over to Tellico early this morning. Mr. Wright, a good friend of theirs, is awfully sick.”

Mandie took a seat next to Hilda and settled Snowball in her lap. “When will they be back?”

“Don't rightly know,” Jason Bond replied as he climbed into the driver's seat. “They said they'd be back as soon as Mr. Wright shows some improvement.” He shook the reins, and the rig moved forward.

“Aw, shucks!” Mandie sighed loudly.

“Amanda!” Mrs. Taft reprimanded her. “The man is sick, and your mother and John are trying to help out.”

“I'm sorry, Grandmother,” Mandie said. “I'm just so eager to find out what Mother's big surprise for me is.”

“It will just have to keep until your mother returns home,” her grandmother said.

“Yes, ma'am,” Mandie said meekly. “Where is Tellico, Mr. Jason? How far is it?”

“It's a purty fur piece over the mountain and down the other side,” Mr. Bond told her. “Looks like a good snow might be coming. If it does, it'll take them a good while to get home.”

Mandie sighed again.
So, I still don't know what the surprise is
, she thought.
Oh, why did my mother pick this day to go off? Why couldn't she wait till I got home
?

“Your friend Joe Woodard is at the house,” Mr. Bond told her. “He came with his mother and father yesterday. Dr. and Mrs. Woodard left Joe at the house while they went with your parents to care for Mr. Wright.”

Mandie bristled at the term
your parents
. “Mr. Bond, you know that Uncle John is not my parent.” She hoped that using his last name indicated a formal tone and set him straight. “I have only one
parent
. My father is . . . no longer living, and my mother married Uncle John, my father's brother. So I have a mother and a stepfather, not two
parents
.”

“Yes, yes, Missy. I'm sorry. I know John Shaw isn't your father.”

“Then please remember that,” Mandie said in a trembling voice. “No one could ever replace my father.” Mandie felt badly about the
way the words came out, and she expected her grandmother to scold

her, but Mrs. Taft said nothing.

Mr. Bond reached back and patted Mandie's hand.

“At least I'm glad Joe is at the house,” Mandie said, trying to smile as she fought back tears. She looked down at her white kitten. “Wake up, Snowball, you lazy cat.”

Snowball had slept during the whole train ride, and when they got in the rig, he immediately went back to sleep in her lap. But now, at the commanding tone of his mistress's voice, he blinked his blue eyes and began unfolding from his sleeping position.

Mandie picked him up and looked into his sleepy eyes. “I'll be glad to get you home and let you loose, Snowball,” she said. “I know you're tired of being shut up.”

Hilda suddenly leaned forward and smoothed the kitten's fur. “Snowball,” she said.

Mandie handed her the kitten, and Hilda immediately cuddled him in her arms. As Snowball began to purr, Hilda started humming.

“I think this trip will be good for Hilda,” Mrs. Taft said. “She has been shut up too much lately, too, what with being sick and all. I hope you and Joe will include her in whatever you do for the holidays, Amanda. I'm not sure she's happy with me. Maybe I shouldn't have taken her into my home. Maybe I should have placed her in a home where there are other young people.”

Hilda didn't seem to be listening, but suddenly she reached forward and grabbed Mrs. Taft's hand. “No!” she said loudly.

“I love you, dear,” Grandmother Taft told her. “I just want you to be happy.”

“Happy. Love,” Hilda repeated the words with a smile.

“Well, I guess that settles that,” Mandie commented.

Moments later the rig pulled up in front of John Shaw's huge white house and came to a halt at the hitching post.

“Here we are,” Mr. Bond announced.

Mandie surveyed the grounds. The grass and flowers behind the picket fence were dead now. The summer-house at the side looked cold and uninviting against the gray winter sky. The big tree limbs in front were bare as they reached up toward the third story of the house. The rocking chairs that occupied the long front porch in the summer had
been put away. Only the porch swing remained, swaying and creaking on its chains.

Mandie took Snowball from Hilda and then quickly jumped from the rig, running up the long walkway toward the house. The front door opened and Joe hurried out to meet her.

Joe Woodard, Mandie's lifelong friend, was a tall, gangly lad with unruly brown hair, brown eyes, and a determined chin.

“Oh, Joe, I'm so glad you're here since nobody else is,” Mandie exclaimed, meeting him halfway.

“Now that's a nice welcome,” Joe teased with a solemn face. “You're glad I'm here because no one else is.”

“Oh, Joe, I didn't mean it like it sounded,” Mandie protested. “I'm always glad to see you. I don't know what I'd do without your friendship.”

“I'll remember that a few years from now,” Joe replied as they turned to walk toward the house.

Mandie looked puzzled.

“A few years from now when we get old enough for me to ask you to marry me,” he explained with a mischievous grin.

“Please don't ruin everything by talking like that,” Mandie fussed as he opened the door for her.

Joe didn't have time for an answer because Mrs. Taft, Hilda, and Mr. Bond caught up with them. And the whole household waited in the entrance hall to welcome Mandie home.

Aunt Lou, the tall, buxom housekeeper, quickly embraced Mandie. “I's glad you's home, my chile,” she said enthusiastically.

Mandie squeezed her tight. “I'm glad to see you all, too, Aunt Lou”—she looked around—“and Liza . . . and Jenny . . . and why, there's Abraham, too!”

The servants all smiled and greeted Mandie while Snowball stayed close, rubbing against her legs.

Aunt Lou turned to Liza. “Now you goes upstairs wid my chile and help her change into sumpin' more like we wears heah, Liza,” she ordered. Then she grinned at Mandie. “Git rid of dem fancy clothes whilst you heah, my chile.”

Liza followed Mandie upstairs to her room while Aunt Lou got Hilda settled in a room next to Mandie and across the hall from Mrs. Taft's room. Snowball was allowed to roam the house.

As soon as Liza closed the door to Mandie's room, Mandie grabbed the servant girl's hand. “Liza, what is the big surprise my mother has for me?” she asked.

Liza looked at her, plainly puzzled. “Big surprise? I don't be knowin' of no big surprise.”

“Oh, Liza, please tell me,” Mandie begged. “I won't let anyone know you told me. Please?”

“Now you listens hear, Missy 'Manda. I don't be knowin' what you's talkin' 'bout,” Liza said firmly.

Mandie sighed. “Oh, shucks!”

Then Liza began dancing around the room, laughing. “But I knows who does know. Dat I does.”

“Who knows, Liza? Who?” Mandie asked quickly.

Liza came to a halt in front of Mandie. “You promise you ain't gwine to repeat nuthin' I says, ain't you now?” she asked.

“Yes, I promise, Liza. Please hurry up and tell me.”

“Well, I thinks it be like dis,” Liza began as she moved about the room. “Early dis mawnin' I hears Miz 'Lizbeth whisperin' to Miz Doctor Lady when de messenger brang de word 'bout Mistuh Wright bein' 'bout to leave dis world. He be right sick, you knows.”

“Please hurry, Liza. Tell me,” Mandie begged, stomping her foot.

“Well, dat's all I knows.” Liza walked over to the fireplace and stirred up the fire. “When dey sees me standin' right there by de sideboard where dey's gittin' coffee, dey shuts right up.”

“You couldn't hear anything they said?”

“Didn't hear nuthin' dey say 'cause dey talk too low-like,” Liza replied. “Now, I's s'posed to he'p you unpack, and den I's gwine downstairs to he'p git dinnuh on de table.”

“Go ahead, Liza. I can do this myself.” Mandie turned to the luggage Mr. Bond had deposited in her room. “Would you check on Hilda, too, in case Aunt Lou went back downstairs to work. We don't want Hilda running off somewhere again.”

Liza started for the door. “I find dat Hilda girl, and I takes huh downstairs wid me,” she promised.

Mandie pulled a gingham pinafore from her trunk.

“You better put on sumpin' warmer den dat 'cause it be gwine to snow,” Liza said as she went out the door.

As Mandie pulled things out of the trunk, she piled them on her blue taffeta bedspread until she finally found the red plaid wool dress she had been looking for. She put it on. Then she sat on a stool in front of the blazing fire in the fireplace and changed her high-top boots to lower ones, all the while wondering what her mother's surprise was.

I know
, she thought,
I'll ask Aunt Lou. She knows everything that goes on around here
.

As soon as she straightened up the mess in her room, she quickly ran downstairs in search of Aunt Lou. She found her by the linen closet, folding freshly washed sheets and putting them away.

“Aunt Lou, you always know everything,” Mandie began, watching the woman work. She picked up a pillowcase and folded it herself.

“No, my chile, I don't knows ev'rythin', never,” the Negro housekeeper said, smiling at her in that way that made Mandie feel special.

“I need to know something, and you probably know it,” Mandie said, folding another pillowcase.

“Whatever my chile need, I finds out,” Aunt Lou replied.

“I want to know what the big surprise is that my mother has for me,” Mandie said quickly, watching the old woman's face.

Aunt Lou gave her a sly glance and went right on folding sheets. “I thought you say you
needs
to know somethin', but heah you say you
wants
to know somethin'. Big diff'rence.” She put her hands on her broad hips and looked sternly at Mandie.

“So you do know what I'm talking about,” Mandie reasoned. “Please tell me what it is, Aunt Lou. Please?”

“I ain't tellin' you nuthin', my chile,” Aunt Lou said. “Might as well give up. Wouldn't be right fo' me to ruin yo' mother's su'prise fo' you. No, it wouldn't.”

Mandie stood there thinking for a moment. She was sure the old housekeeper knew what the secret was, and she knew Aunt Lou would never tell.

“Bettuh git in dat parlor and find dat doctuh boyfriend o' yours,” Aunt Lou said, again folding sheets. “He be lonesome.”

“All right,” Mandie said, disappointed. And she went to look for Joe.

She found him lying in front of the huge fireplace in the parlor, staring at a checkerboard in front of him.

“I don't see any partner,” Mandie teased. “Who is playing checkers with you?” She dropped down on the rug beside him.

“I'm waiting for you,” Joe replied. “You take the red ones to match that red dress you've got on.”

Mandie looked down at her dress and smiled. “You like my new dress?”

“I suppose it's all right. Must be new. Never saw it before.” Joe handed her the stack of red checkers. “Come on. I'll beat you.”

“I will beat you,” Mandie laughed as they began the game.

But Mandie's mind was not on the game of checkers. She would wait until Joe was clearly winning before she asked her question.

At last her opening came.

“I'm ahead!” Joe announced, proudly surveying the board. “Better hurry if you're going to beat me.”

Mandie sat back on her heels and looked Joe in the eye. “I'm more interested in asking you a question than I am in winning our game,” she said. “Joe, do you know what the big surprise is that my mother has for me?”

“Just like a conniving woman,” Joe said, mimicking his father. “Try to get a man in a good mood and then take advantage of it.” He laughed.

“I am not a conniving woman,” Mandie retorted. “I only want a simple answer to a simple question.”

“Which I am not going to give to you,” Joe said smugly. “Your turn.”

“You can at least tell me whether you know what the secret is, please?” Mandie begged. She looked down at the board and shoved a checker forward.

“Why should I tell you and make your mother mad at me?” Joe asked, taking his turn.

“Because she's not here to tell me, and I just can't wait any longer,” Mandie insisted. “I want to know.”

“You'll have to wait until your mother gets back,” he said.

“Joe, I thought you were my friend,” Mandie pouted.

Joe looked straight into her blue eyes. “Believe me, Mandie. I am your friend. That's why I'm not going to tell you what the surprise is.”

“Then you do know. Why won't you tell me?”

Joe jumped up, knocking the checkerboard and messing up the game. “Because knowing you, you're going to be madder than an old wet hen,” he said. “You're not going to like it at all when you find out what the surprise is.”

Mandie jumped up from the floor. “I'm not going to like the surprise?” she said in shock. “But all the time I thought it was going to be something nice. How do you know I won't like the surprise?”

“That's all I'm going to say.” Joe strode over to a nearby armchair and sat down. “The subject is closed.”

“Joe Woodard, I could . . . could . . .” Mandie was at a loss for words.

Suddenly Jason Bond came into the room, breaking the tension. “Looks like snow out there any minute now,” he said. “Being Mr. and Mrs. Shaw aren't here, I think
we'd
better see about getting a Christmas tree in before it starts.”