The Mandie Collection (29 page)

“Please, everybody, help me watch Snowball. I sure don't want him to get outside in all this rain,” Mandie said.

“We keep him right heah in de kitchen, my chile,” Aunt Lou promised. “He sho' don't need outside.”

When all the others were up, and everyone had gathered around the table for breakfast, the decision was made that they would stay home and John Shaw would lead them in a Bible study in the parlor.

Aunt Lou, Liza, Abraham, and Jenny joined them. Mandie noticed Liza was still nervous about the weather. Every time a strong gust of wind rattled a shutter, Liza would almost hold her breath. She would frown and clench her fists. Mandie tried to talk to her but she was too distracted to listen.

“Liza, this house has been here for years and years and years. My great-grandparents lived here. It's a good, strong house and I don't think it's going to blow away,” Mandie said calmly as she sat next to Liza.

“Dey's always a fust time,” Liza said without looking at her.

Mandie was secretly afraid herself, but she didn't want Liza to know it. She and her friends just looked at one another and didn't discuss the storm.

Later, when everyone sat down for the noon meal, Mandie glanced out the window and noticed the wind had almost completely subsided. The day was still dark and drizzly, though, and she knew she and her friends would not be going outside today to look at the old house down by the creek.

Conversation had picked up as the weather became quieter, and the adults talked among themselves around the table. The young people listened to part of it and were unusually quiet.

“I hope the weather clears up,” Mandie remarked as she ate the beans on her plate.

“Me too,” Celia added, sipping her coffee.

“We can always play checkers again,” Joe said with a grin.

“And let you keep on winning?” Mandie teased.

Suddenly Aunt Lou opened the door from the hallway, and Uncle Ned came rushing into the room. “Tunnel!” He was almost shouting. “Go to tunnel. Tornado coming this way. Now. Go to tunnel.”

Everyone jumped up in shock, dropping silverware and almost turning over chairs.

“Uncle Ned! You're back!” John Shaw exclaimed. Then, looking around the room, he said, “Quick! Let's get in the tunnel. It's safe in there.”

“Hurry! Hurry!” the old Indian kept repeating as he stood just inside the room.

John Shaw led the way and everyone quickly followed him. “This way,” he was saying as all the servants came into the dining room and followed. Aunt Lou put an arm around Liza and led her with the others.

Mandie was halfway down the hallway when she suddenly remembered Snowball. In all the excitement, Joe and Celia quickly followed the adults, but Mandie dropped back to get the cat from the kitchen without the others noticing.

Pushing open the kitchen door, Mandie ran to the woodbox behind the stove. He was not there. She looked under everything, all around the room. Snowball was not there. Noticing the back door was slightly open, she gasped and said, “Oh no, Snowball! I hope you didn't go outside!”

Pushing open the door, she looked around the back porch. There was no sign of Snowball, but she noticed fresh wet paw tracks leading out into the yard. She ran on out and was almost blown down by the wind. Straining against it, she managed to look around the yard. No sign of Snowball.

Suddenly she faintly heard meows of distress nearby. She searched the bushes and yard. “Oh, Snowball, come here! Where are you? Come on, Snowball!” she called and called.

Then there was a loud, angry meow, and she glanced up into the tree near where she was standing. There he was, clinging to a limb, his white fur ruffled, and crying as he watched his mistress below.

“Snowball! Snowball! Come down here!” Mandie tried to call
over the roar of the wind as she stared at the cat in the tree. She held to low branches to keep from being blown away.

Snowball just clung to the limb up there and refused to budge. Rushing around the tree, Mandie tried to decide whether she could climb up and reach him. There were several low limbs, but the wind was forcing them every which way. She knew she didn't have time to go back and get Joe or one of the men to climb the tree and rescue the cat. And she couldn't go back into the house without Snowball.

“Snowball!” she called up to him as she paused by the lowest limb. “Stay right there. I'm going to get you down.” The wind was drowning out her words, but the cat was watching from above.

Jumping to catch hold of a limb, she tried to swing herself up on it. Snowball was on the next limb above and she could almost reach him. As she clung to the limb, the wind whirled her about. She managed to reach up over her head and felt Snowball's fur. She couldn't look up. The wind was too strong. Grasping for the cat, Mandie grabbed the limb he was sitting on. Then all of a sudden the limb broke. She and Snowball tumbled to the ground.

Grasping her cat, Mandie didn't take time to figure out whether she was hurt or not. She pulled up her long skirts with her free hand and raced back toward the house just as Joe was coming out the back door. “Mandie! Where have you been? Come on. We have to get in the tunnel,” he called as he came to meet her. He put his arm around her shoulders and they pushed their way back toward the house. The wind was so strong they could only take half steps at a time. It was impossible to talk. They were both about to lose their breaths from the gusts, and the noise was so loud it was deafening.

Finally, at the back door, Mandie and Joe fell into the house, managing to slam the door behind them. Then they ran to catch up with the others in the tunnel her great-grandparents had built under the house to hide their Cherokee friends when the Cherokee people were forced to move out of North Carolina.

Rushing down the hallway to the door that led into the tunnel, Mandie and Joe suddenly ran into Uncle Ned and John Shaw coming back out.

“Amanda! Where have you been? Come on, immediately!” John Shaw told her, giving her a little push through the doorway.

“Papoose look for cat,” Uncle Ned declared as he followed.

“Yes, Uncle Ned, I couldn't find him. He was up in a tree in the backyard,” Mandie turned back to say.

Uncle Ned smiled at her and said, “Papoose always look after white cat.”

When they got down into the tunnel with the others, Mandie explained what had happened. It was much quieter down there, and she was able to talk and be heard. “I couldn't go and leave Snowball somewhere,” she said, still holding her cat in her arms. Snowball was clinging to her dress with his claws and was still frightened.

“I don't be knowin' how dat cat got out,” Aunt Lou said, looking around at the group. “Somebody musta left dat back do' open, dat's whut happened.”

No one answered. The sound of the wind was stronger, and everyone gathered by the lantern someone had lit while Uncle John led them in a prayer. “Dear Lord, we beseech you, spare us and our friends and neighbors. Please calm the storm,” he began, with all the others uttering “amens” now and then.

Mandie, with her eyes tightly shut, held firmly to Snowball with one arm and Celia's hand with the other while Joe tried to embrace both girls to protect them.

Liza was crying and Aunt Lou hugged her tight. “Be all right soon, baby,” she whispered.

Mandie said to her two friends, “Our verse. Let's say our verse.” She opened her eyes to look at Celia, who was speechless with fright, and Joe, who was trying not to show that he was worried.

Both agreed with Mandie and together they recited Mandie's favorite Bible verse, “ ‘What time I am afraid I will put my trust in Thee.' ”

Then, taking a deep breath, Mandie tried to smile at her friends as she said, “Now everything will be all right.”

Celia and Joe only nodded.

And at that moment the noise of the wind suddenly subsided and the tunnel became quiet as all the others looked at one another.

“Passed,” Uncle Ned determined.

“Yes, I believe it has passed,” John Shaw agreed. “Shall we take
a look?” He and Uncle Ned started for the door leading to the steps that went back up into the house.

“And I'll go with you,” Dr. Woodard added.

Elizabeth looked at them and said, “Please be careful. There could be some damage to the house up there.”

“Yes,” Mrs. Taft agreed. “I've lived through one of these storms before and it can be devastating.”

“So have I,” Mrs. Woodard added.

Aunt Lou started to follow John and Ned. John turned back to say, “No, Aunt Lou, I want you to stay down here until we look things over. Everyone, please wait. We'll be back shortly.”

Mandie watched as the men left the tunnel. She was hoping they wouldn't run into any damage and get injured. The way the wind had roared, it was impossible to know how much fury it had poured out on the house.

When everyone was beginning to get worried about the men, they finally returned.

“No damage to the house that we can find, thank the Lord,” John Shaw announced. “Some of the trees are down but luckily didn't hit anything.”

“Then is it safe to go back upstairs?” Elizabeth asked as she stood up from the stone bench where she had been sitting with Mrs. Woodard and Mrs. Taft.

“Yes, I believe so,” John Shaw replied. “Just be sure you look around you for any damage we didn't find. But I believe the house is safe.”

Everyone followed the men back up the steps into the house. Mandie still held tightly to Snowball, who had not calmed down. Looking about as they went, Mandie noticed the kitchen table had moved . . . across the kitchen. In the dining room they found the food still on the table but in somewhat different places from where they had left their plates.

“Lawsy mercy,” Aunt Lou said, looking at the dining table. “We sho' do need to eat some mo' of dat food 'fore it goes bad.” Turning to Liza, who was clinging to her apron, she said, “Liza, git in de kitchen and git a fresh pot of coffee goin'.” She removed Liza's hands.

Liza finally straightened up and said, “Yessum, Aunt Lou,” and went out of the dining room.

Mandie hurried over to a window to look out where the shutter had been blown open. “Oh, what a mess!” she exclaimed, gazing at the tree limbs scattered all over the yard.

“Just be thankful we have a good strong house,” John Shaw said, standing behind her.

“A good, strong house!” Mandie repeated in excitement. “Uncle John, did y'all check on that old house down by the creek? It's not strong.”

John Shaw straightened up, looked at Uncle Ned, and said, “I believe we'd better take a look down the hill. Of course that old house is in a gap and protected by the slope, but it could be damaged and someone could have been in it.”

“Yes,” the old Indian agreed.

“I want to go with you,” Mandie said, quickly depositing Snowball in the woodbox behind the stove. “Aunt Lou, please don't let Snowball out.”

Joe and Celia joined her as she followed the men out the back door. The wind had calmed and the sun was trying to peek through the stormy clouds that were sailing away into the distant horizon.

As soon as they reached the rose arbor, Mandie could see the place where the old house had been. It was completely destroyed. Pieces of lumber were scattered through the trees and countryside.

“Oh!” Mandie exclaimed as the three rushed on down behind the men. “I hope no one was inside that house.”

When they got to the bottom of the hill, John Shaw and Ned began searching the area. The young people did their own searching, rushing about and looking under pieces of timber.

Then suddenly Mandie spotted something in a ditch down the creek. “Look!” she told her friends as she pointed and kept going. “Is that someone in the ditch?”

The men heard her and ran after them, but Mandie got there first.

Crouching there in a ball was someone who looked like a young boy. He wasn't moving.

Mandie put her hand on the boy's shoulder and asked, “Are you all right?” There was no movement or response.

Then John and Uncle Ned took charge.

“Thank the Lord Dr. Woodard is at the house,” John Shaw said as he tried to rouse the boy.

“Hurt,” Uncle Ned said. Stooping down, he picked up the boy and said, “We go house. Doctor see.”

“Yes, yes,” Mandie excitedly said.

They all followed the old Indian back up the hill as he carried the boy, who seemed to be unconscious. They entered through the back door, and Uncle Ned laid the boy on a cot at the end of the kitchen.

Mandie stood by watching, and when Uncle Ned stepped back, she said excitedly, “That's not a boy! It's a girl! Look!” She pointed to the long, dark hair where the cap had fallen off.

Dr. Woodard came hurrying into the room. “All right, let's clear some space here,” he said, reaching for the girl's hand to feel for a pulse.

As everyone stood back and waited, Dr. Woodard examined the girl and said, “She's breathing but she seems to be in shock. John, we need to get her in a warm bed with some hot-water bottles.”

Aunt Lou took charge then. “I turn down de kivvers in dat fust room on de right upstairs. Liza, you start fillin' some water bottles.” She hurried out of the room.

“A girl!” Mandie exclaimed. Turning to her friends, she said, “Do y'all suppose she has been staying all alone in that old house?”

“Yes, and I wonder what she was doing there,” Joe replied.

“How awful! A girl all alone in that old house!” Celia exclaimed.

“I can't wait to ask her questions when she wakes up,” Mandie told them.

Dr. Woodard heard her and turned to say, “No questions anytime soon. This girl is in bad shape.”

Mandie felt a stab of pain in sympathy for the girl. Here she was all alone and so ill she didn't know where she was. What would happen when the girl finally woke up? Would she talk and tell them anything?