The Mandie Collection (39 page)

PREACHER: I’m happy to see so many wonderful people made it out of bed and up the mountain this morning to give thanks to our Lord for this special day. Let us pray.
(The preacher watches to see that heads are bowed. Then he begins his prayer.)
We thank Thee, dear God, for this glorious morning and for what it stands for. We thank Thee for clearing away the rain we had last night so that we may be able to see the sun rise this morning. Now we offer our thanks up to you in song.

MOLLIE:
(Excitedly speaking, overlapping the last few words of the preacher.)
There’s the angel people, Mandie! Look!
(She points to upstage right.)

MANDIE:
(Bending to whisper to Mollie.)
Sh-h-h-h! Be quiet!

MOLLIE: But, Mandie—

MANDIE: Sh-h-h-h-h! Hush!

(The crowd had begun singing “He Is Risen,” and Mandie, Celia, and Liza join in.)

(Mollie tries to see through the crowd in the direction she had pointed about the angel people.)

PREACHER:
(After the end of the song.)
Now may the Lord go with you forevermore, my brethren. God bless you all.

(The crowd starts to break up and go back down the mountain, to the right.)

MANDIE:
(Looking at Celia and quickly grasping Mollie’s hand.)
Let’s let the crowd get on down ahead of us so we can be sure Mollie doesn’t run away somewhere.

CELIA: Yes, it would be bad if she broke away and got lost in all these woods on our way down.

LIZA:
(Listening to the conversation.)
I needs to go he’p wid de breakfus’, Missy ’Manda, or Aunt Lou be lookin’ fo’ me.

MANDIE: We’re all going to help with the food, Liza. You don’t have to hurry.
(Glancing overhead as a strong gust of wind sweeps past them.)
I do believe the sun is coming out full force now. Look.
(Pointing toward the sun.)

LIZA:
(Looking at the sky.)
It sho’ is.
(Turning to Mollie.)
Look at dat. Dere be one of dem rainbows I be tellin’ you ’bout. Right dere!
(She points back across the hill.)

MOLLIE:
(Turning to look and becoming excited as she points toward the rainbow and jumps up and down.)
Mandie, look! Look, Celia, look!

MANDIE:
(Stepping back to look at the rainbow. She sees something near it and exclaims.)
What is that?

MOLLIE:
(Pulling on Mandie’s hand.)
Mandie, it’s the angel people! Mandie, let’s go see!

CELIA: It’s something white.

LIZA:
(Moving closer to Mandie as she shivers.)
Looks like a ghost to me. And it’s supposed to be a pot o’ gold at de end of de rainbow, not a ghost!

MANDIE:
(Still holding Mollie’s hand as she leads the way with Celia and Liza following her and Mollie.)
Come on. Let’s go see what it is. Looks like a lot of white, fluffy material floating in the air.

(As they get nearer, the top part of the white form seems to break away and go flying off into the air with a strong gust of wind, uncovering the head of a woman with carrot-red hair.)

LIZA:
(Grasping Mandie’s other hand.)
It broke!

MOLLIE: I thought it be the angel people.
(She tries to pull back.)

MANDIE:
(Pulling on Mollie’s hand as they come closer to the woman.)
You are Mollie’s aunt, aren’t you?

CELIA:
(Stopping to look at the woman.)
She has to be with that red hair.

THE WOMAN:
(Coming forward and stooping down to get a look at Mollie, who is trying to hide behind Mandie’s skirt.)
That I am. And this is my sister’s dear daughter. I am your aunt, child. Come to me.

MANDIE: How did you know where Mollie was?

THE WOMAN:
(Still stooping and looking up at Mandie.)
Ah, that you do not know? The detectives hunted and hunted but could not find me because I got married and changed my name. Then weeks and weeks ago, your grandmother, Mrs. Taft, asked your uncle John Shaw to send his man to contact the Cherokee people to help locate me, and, as you see, they found me.

MANDIE: Then why didn’t you just come to the house instead of hiding out here on the mountain?

THE WOMAN: My poor sister and I had hard words years ago when I left Ireland, and I was not sure I wanted to see my niece.

CELIA: You must have been the one who lured Mollie out of her bed the other night.

MOLLIE: Aye, she was.

THE WOMAN: And how do you be knowin’ that, child?

MOLLIE: Because ye smell like ye did that night when ye ran off and left me.
(Taking a deep breath and blowing it out.)
Do ye not want to be me aunt?

THE WOMAN: I am your aunt, dear child. Nothing can change that.

MOLLIE: Me name is not child. Me name is Mollie.

THE WOMAN: That I do know, and also your name was spelled wrong on the papers the detectives had. The correct spelling is M-o-l-l-i-e, and they had it spelled M-o-l-l-y, which almost caused me to disclaim any knowledge of you because I thought it was the wrong little girl, so I had to see you for myself. And when I saw that red hair and blue eyes, I knew you were my sister’s child.

MANDIE: Her name was spelled with a ‘y’ on the papers the law officers gave my grandmother in Ireland to bring Mollie home with us. So I suppose you are going to take Mollie home with you?

MOLLIE: I want to go back home with Celia.

THE WOMAN:
(Standing up.)
No, that’s impossible for me to take her with me right now.

MANDIE: Why is it impossible?

THE WOMAN: Because my husband died three months ago, and I don’t have a definite home right now. I am staying with his sister for the time being, but as soon as I can get on my feet again, I will come after Mollie.

MANDIE: Where do you live? What town?

THE WOMAN: Your uncle John Shaw knows all that. Now I think it’s best I leave since I cannot take Mollie with me.
(Stooping to quickly kiss Mollie.)
You be a sweetie, and I will be back for you, soon I hope.
(Her voice quivers with emotion.)

(As the young people watch, the woman runs back over the hill, retrieves her hat from the bushes where it had landed, and disappears in the distance.)

LIZA:
(Grinning.)
’Tweren’t no ghost aftuh all!

MOLLIE:
(Looking into the distance.)
I guess me aunt Lou must’ve been right. There be no real angel people that we kin see.

MANDIE: Aunt Lou is right. There are angels all around but we can’t see them.

MOLLIE:
(Looking up at Mandie and then at Celia and then at Liza.)
And there be no leprechauns either, no real leprechauns.
(She shakes her head and frowns.)

CELIA: That’s right.

MOLLIE:
(Suddenly starts to run down the hill.)
Let’s go and tell me grandmither.

LIZA:
(Running after Mollie.)
I knowed dat all de time.

MANDIE:
(Following.)
But it sure took you both a long time to say it.

(Celia follows.)

CURTAIN

LOIS GLADYS LEPPARD worked in Federal Intelligence for thirteen years in various countries around the world before she settled in South Carolina.

The stories of her own mother’s childhood as an orphan in western North Carolina are the basis for many of the incidents incorporated in this series.

Visit her Web site:
www.Mandie.com

Mandie and . . .

. . . the Secret Tunnel

. . . the Cherokee Legend

. . . the Ghost Bandits

. . . the Trunk’s Secret

. . . the Abandoned Mine

. . . the Mysterious Bells

. . . the Shipboard Mystery

. . . the Foreign Spies

. . . the Silent Catacombs

. . . the Mysterious Fisherman

. . . the Windmill’s Message

. . . the Invisible Troublemaker

. . . the Courtroom Battle

. . . Jonathan’s Predicament

————

The Mandie Collection: Volume One (Books 1–5)

The Mandie Collection: Volume Two (Books 6–10)

The Mandie Collection: Volume Three (Books 11–15)

The Mandie Collection: Volume Four (Books 16–20)

The Mandie Collection: Volume Five (Books 21–23)

The Mandie Collection: Volume Six (Books 24–26)

The Mandie Collection: Volume Seven (Books 27–29)

The Mandie Collection: Volume Eight (Books 30–32)

The Mandie Collection: Volume Nine (Books 33–35)

The Mandie Collection: Volume Ten (Books 36–38)

The Mandie Collection: Volume Eleven (Books 39–40)

Mandie: Her College Days

New Horizons