The Mandie Collection (27 page)

“Yes, ma'am, Aunt Lou, I'll look after Mandie,”Joe promised. “Don't worry about her.”

At that moment Liza came in the back door with Abraham. Aunt Lou pointed to the sideboard and said, “Abraham, I wants you to take dat basket of food down to dat old house by de creek.”

“Yessum, Liza done tole me,” he replied, walking over to pick up the basket.

“And dese heah chillen, dey gwine wid you. You jes' be sho' nuthin' happens to dem, understand?”

“Yessum, Aunt Lou, ain't nuthin' gwine happen to dem,” Abraham replied.

“Den git outa heah and hurry back, now,” she replied. “And, Liza, git in de dinin' room and git dem dishes in heah, real fast-like.”

“Yessum,” Liza replied, going toward the door to the dining room.

Abraham quickly went out the back door, with Mandie and Joe close behind him. They followed him down the hill, and just before they got to the creek Abraham stopped.

“Now, Mistuh John, he say y'all ain't gwine up to de do', so y'all jes' stay in de yard when we gits dere, unnerstand?” he told them.

“All right, Abraham,” Mandie agreed.

“Yes, sir, Abraham,” Joe replied.

So when the three stepped into the yard of the old house, Mandie and Joe stopped near the steps and waited while Abraham went up and knocked on the door.

Mandie watched, her heart beating fast in expectation of what would happen. But even when Abraham knocked and knocked, louder and louder, there was not a sound in the house and no one opened the door. The old man scratched his head, stooped to set the basket in front of the door, and came back to join them in the yard.

“Ain't sho' dere's anybody in dat house,” he told them and he started back up the hill. Mandie and Joe followed.

Mandie kept looking back just in case the door opened, but that didn't happen. Finally they reached the rose arbor.

“Why don't we sit here and watch for a while?” she asked Joe.

“Remember your uncle said he wanted to know as soon as we got back?” Joe reminded her.

“Oh, shucks!” Mandie exclaimed, continuing on up the hill. “Maybe if we hurry we can get back before someone gets that basket,” she said, rushing. “Come on.”

Joe caught up with her, and Abraham trailed behind.

“I've about decided there is no one in that house,” Joe said as they rushed up to the Shaws' house.

“We'll know if the basket disappears,” Mandie said.

The two went down the hallway to the parlor, where John Shaw was sitting with the others. He looked up as they stopped in the doorway.

“We're back and nothing happened,” Mandie quickly explained. “Abraham left the basket on the porch and we are going back to the arbor to watch.”

“All right, but don't be gone too long,” John Shaw said.

By the time the two got back to the rose arbor where they could see the old house, it was too late. The basket was gone.

“Oh, shucks!” Mandie exclaimed, almost in tears at the disappointment. “Somebody is in there, and they took the basket and we didn't get to see them.”

“Come on over here and let's sit down,” Joe told her, leading the way to the bench.

“Whoever is in there must have been watching, and as soon as we got out of sight they snatched the basket,” Joe remarked as they sat looking down the hill. “Well, one good thing about it is the food was not wasted. Maybe whoever is in there was hungry, like Aunt Lou said.”

“I would imagine Aunt Lou put enough food in that basket to last for days, so I don't suppose she will be sending another one down there anytime soon,” Mandie said with a groan.

“No,” Joe agreed.

At that moment Liza came hurrying down the hill toward them. When she finally got to the arbor, she asked, “What happened? Did dey come to de do'?”

Mandie explained what happened, then said, “And if I had not
promised Uncle John to report right back to him, we might have seen them get the basket.”

“Next time I goes wid y'all, and I stays right heah in de arbor and watches whilst y'all go report to Mistuh John,” Liza replied.

“That's a good idea, Liza,” Mandie agreed. “If Aunt Lou sends another basket we'll do just that—that is, if you can get away from Aunt Lou long enough.”

“She let me go if you say so, Missy 'Manda,” Liza replied.

Mandie thought about Liza's idea and then she remembered Celia was coming tomorrow. Maybe with her they could work something out for someone to keep watch while the others reported back to Uncle John.

She was positive someone was in the old house now, and she just had to find out who it was.

CHAPTER TEN

CELIA ARRIVES

Friday morning the sun was shining brightly and the air was warmer. Mandie woke early and hurried to get dressed. She would be going with Uncle John to the depot after breakfast to meet Celia, Celia's mother, and her aunt Rebecca. She could hardly wait to tell her friend about what had been going on, and she was hoping Celia would agree to participate in the solution to the mystery.

Rushing down to the big kitchen, she found Uncle John and Joe already there, drinking coffee as usual. No matter how early she got up or how much she hurried, it was almost impossible to get there before her uncle. And that thought reminded her of those wonderful mornings she had spent with her father, Jim Shaw, in the kitchen before he died. John Shaw reminded her of her father so much, although his hair was dark and her father's had been red. Otherwise, they were almost like twin brothers not only in looks but in speech and mannerisms, too, even though John was older than his brother Jim.

Mandie paused just inside the door as these thoughts went through her head. Uncle John looked up from his cup of coffee and said, “Don't just stand there. I believe you are in bad need of a cup of coffee.” He smiled at her.

Aunt Lou was over at the stove, and she hurriedly poured a cup
of coffee from the percolator and brought it to the table for Mandie. “Heah, my child, you jes' sit down heah and wake up.”

Mandie smiled at the woman and pulled out a chair and sat down beside Joe. “You are going to pick up Celia and Aunt Rebecca and Mrs. Hamilton, aren't you?” she reminded John.

“Yes, since Jason Bond is still away visiting over there in Swain County, I'll be the one to go meet the train,” John Shaw replied. “And I suppose you are still planning to go with me, or will you be too busy watching that old house down there?” He grinned at her.

“Sure, I'm going with you, Uncle John. I've been waiting all week for this day to get here,” Mandie replied, sipping the hot coffee. And as Aunt Lou came to refill John Shaw's coffee cup, Mandie asked her, “Are you planning on sending another basket of food down to the old house today?”

“Lawsy mercy, not today, my chile,” Aunt Lou replied. “I puts enough food in dat one yesterday to feed a army. Mebbe tomorrow I send Abraham again. 'Sides, we got dat dinner party coming up tonight and dat's going to take a lot of time and a whole lot of food.”

“Will you let me know when you do?” Mandie asked.

“I sho' will, my chile,” Aunt Lou said, taking the percolator back to the stove.

Mandie glanced across the room and saw Snowball busily eating from a plate on the floor by the stove. “I suppose I'd better take Snowball out for a walk today,” Mandie said. “He's going to get fat as a pig eating all that food you give him and no exercise.”

“I hope you're not going to turn him loose and let him run back down to that house,” Joe said. “Now that we know someone is in there it might be dangerous for Snowball to get too close to them.”

“No, I intend on keeping him on his leash,” Mandie replied. “I suppose I could walk him around the backyard after breakfast until it's time to meet the train.”

“Do you mean you're not going to sit down there in the arbor and watch that old house before you meet Celia?” Joe asked.

“I could walk him down to the arbor as long as he is on his leash,” Mandie replied.

“Just be sure you're back in time to go with me if you're going to meet Celia. And I would like to be a few minutes early at the depot just in case the train is a little early,” John Shaw told her. “So we should leave about nine-thirty at the latest.”

“All right, I'll wear my watch so I can keep up with the time,” Mandie said.

“You don't have to,” Joe said, pulling his pocket watch out to show her. “I always have mine with me. I had to get used to that at college to meet schedules.”

Mandie glanced at the watch and said, “Oh, good, as long as you don't forget to wind it up.”

At that moment the door opened, and Dr. Woodard came into the kitchen. “I smelled that coffee all the way upstairs,” he said, smiling as he came to the table.

Aunt Lou brought a cup of coffee over to him as he sat down. He took a sip and told Aunt Lou, “That sure is good coffee. You made it just right.”

Aunt Lou smiled at him and said, “But I didn't exactly make dat coffee, Doctuh. Mistuh John did 'fo I got in heah. He's a right good coffee maker.”

“He sure is,” Dr. Woodard agreed.

“Where are you going today, Doc?” John Shaw asked.

“I believe I'm just going to hang around here today,” Dr. Woodard replied. “Since we're having all those folks in tonight I thought I'd just rest up.”

“That's a right good idea. In fact, that's what I had planned to do,” John Shaw said. “I have to go to the depot after breakfast and pick up the Hamiltons and then I thought I'd walk down to that old house on the creek and have a look around.” He told the doctor about the information Mandie and Joe had given him and about the basket of food Aunt Lou had sent down there.

“Sure sounds like someone is staying there,” Dr. Woodard agreed.

“I'd like to buy the property since those few acres join mine,” John Shaw continued.

“And then will you tear down the house and build a new one, Uncle John?” Mandie asked.

“Well, I'd at least tear down the old one. It's about to fall in anyhow,” John Shaw replied.

“But I wanted to give that property to Uncle Ned and build a new house on it for him and Morning Star to come live there,” Mandie said.

“No, Uncle Ned would never leave his home at Deep Creek and come here to live,” John Shaw said, and then, grinning at her, he added, “Maybe I'll just build a house on it for you when you get married.”

Mandie felt her face turn red, and she wouldn't reply or look at Joe when he spoke up. “That would make a nice homeplace,” he said.

Dr. Woodard looked at Joe and then at Mandie. “Now, I always thought Miss Amanda here would want to live in her father's house someday, over near our house,” he said.

Mandie finally spoke. “Maybe I will someday.”

Liza came in from the dining room and announced, “De table all set, Aunt Lou, and all de ladies be in de parlor.”

John Shaw quickly stood up as Aunt Lou said, “Den we be ready for breakfast, Mistuh John.”

“How about giving us time to go to the parlor and join the ladies, Aunt Lou?” John Shaw said.

“Sho' 'nuff will,” the old woman replied.

Mandie and Joe followed John Shaw and Dr. Woodard to the parlor. Then Liza came to announce breakfast.

After the meal was over, Mandie and Joe took Snowball on his leash and walked down to the rose arbor. They sat and watched the old house for a while, but there was no sign of anyone down there.

Finally it was time to go to the depot. John Shaw drove the rig, and Dr. Woodard went along with them. Mandie was getting more excited about Celia arriving. She kept talking about what they would do while she visited.

“You'd think you hadn't seen Celia in a year, the way you're acting,” Joe teased her. “What are you going to do when you are both grown up and go your separate ways?”

“Oh, we'll always live near each other, I'm sure,” Mandie told him as John Shaw turned the corner.

“I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you. You and Celia will both get married sooner or later, and who knows where her husband might want to live,” Joe said.

Mandie grinned at him and teasingly said, “Oh, he'll live wherever she tells him they are going to live.”

“Now, that won't work because he will have to have a livelihood of some kind, and that would probably determine where they live,” Joe said.

“You are going to be a lawyer and you will be able to live wherever you want to, so maybe her future husband will be able to, too,” Mandie replied.

“Now, Mandie, that's not exactly right. I'll have to live wherever I practice law, and not only that, I'll have to build up a clientele in one place and stay there,” Joe replied.

John Shaw drew the rig up in front of the depot. Mandie glanced around. The train was not in yet.

“I'm going down to the platform so I can assist them with whatever hand luggage they have,” John Shaw said, stepping down from the vehicle.

Mandie quickly followed him, and then Dr. Woodard and Joe joined them. She heard the train whistle in the distance and stopped to watch down the tracks. Trains always got her excited, and the fact that she could hardly wait to tell Celia about the old house built up that excitement still more.

At last the train came to a huffing, puffing stop by the platform, and Mandie could see her friend waiting in line to step down. Jane Hamilton and Aunt Rebecca paused to shake hands with John Shaw and Dr. Woodard, and Celia quickly scrambled around them and ran to hug Mandie.

“I'm so glad to see you,” Celia said.

“I'm so glad you're here,” Mandie added.

Then Celia saw Joe and rushed to hug him, much to Mandie's surprise. She noticed Joe's face turn red as he gently backed away.

“I haven't seen you in ages and ages, Joe. Mandie, please forgive me. I just got carried away,” Celia told her.