New Horizons (13 page)

“It was wonderful having you young ladies here today,” Mrs. Wilkes told them, walking them to the door. “I do hope you all will be able to return next Saturday.”

“Unless something comes up to prevent it, we will be here,” Mandie replied. “We enjoy doing this work.”

The girls filed outside to find Mr. Ryland and his carriage; if
they were out much longer, Mrs. Dunnigan would start to worry.

The following Saturday when Mandie, Celia, and Mary Lou returned, Grace Wilson was already there, working on a small dress. Mandie immediately approached Grace.

“Hello, Grace, I'm Mandie Shaw. I'm glad to finally meet you,” Mandie said, smiling at the girl.

Grace looked up from her work and gave Mandie a tight-lipped smile. “I'm glad to meet you, also.” Then she continued working on the little dress.

Mandie glanced at her friends, then turned back to Grace and asked, “Do you mind if we sit here at the table with you?”

“Of course not,” Grace answered, barely looking at Mandie. “There's plenty of room.”

When Mandie tried to talk to her, Grace said, “I'm sorry, but what I'm doing here requires that I count stitches, and I'm not very good at counting stitches and carrying on a conversation.”

“I'm sorry. I should pay more attention to my work, too,” Mandie replied with a smile.

Grace left not long after they had arrived, and Mandie didn't get a chance to talk to her.

Mandie, Celia, and Mary Lou went to Mrs. Wilkes's to help with the sewing for the next two Saturdays, but they didn't see
Grace there anymore. She was always in her classes but was never seen around the school.

Then suddenly the Christmas holidays arrived. Everyone was excited about going home for the two weeks' break. Joe came to escort Mandie home, and Celia's aunt Rebecca came for Celia.

“Your mother is already at the Shaws' house, so we are going on the train with Mandie and Joe,” Aunt Rebecca told Celia.

“But I thought we were going home first for our own gift-giving, and then going on to Mandie's house,” Celia told her.

“Your mother changed plans, and she has all our gifts with her,” Aunt Rebecca explained.

Mr. Jason Bond, Mandie's uncle's caretaker, met them at the depot in Franklin, North Carolina, when the train came in. Abraham was also there with the wagon to carry the luggage home.

“Welcome home, missy,” Mr. Bond greeted Mandie.

“Is Grandmother here yet?” Mandie asked as she boarded the rig.

“Yes, miss, she got in last night,” Mr. Bond replied. “You ladies get in the rig while I load the luggage into the wagon.”

“I'll help you,” Joe said, following Jason Bond toward the train to get the luggage.

They were ready to go a few minutes later, and when Joe climbed into the rig, Mandie said, “I wonder if Grandmother brought Senator Morton with her.”

“I don't imagine so, not with Mr. Guyer being expected for the holidays,” Joe replied.

“Is Jonathan coming with his father?” Celia asked.

“As far as I know he is,” Joe said.

When they got to the house, everyone stepped into the parlor for a few minutes to speak to Elizabeth, Mandie's mother, and John Shaw. Dr. and Mrs. Woodard were there, also, as well as Celia's mother.

Elizabeth asked Celia's aunt Rebecca, “Did you not bring Mollie?”

“No, we left her with friends who have a daughter Mollie's age. The two girls are great friends, and we thought that since it is Christmastime and there are no children here at your house, it would be more enjoyable for her to stay with the Garrisons.”

“That's probably better for her,” Elizabeth agreed.

“Where is Grandmother, Mother?” Mandie asked.

“She's in her room resting right now, but I'm sure she'll be down shortly when she hears you have arrived,” Elizabeth replied.

“Come on, Celia, let's go say hello to Aunt Lou. Then we can change into something more comfortable than these traveling suits,” Mandie said.

In the kitchen Aunt Lou, the Shaws' housekeeper, was supervising Liza, the young maid, and Jennie, the cook. When Mandie and Celia entered the room, Aunt Lou hurried to embrace Mandie.

“So glad my chile has come home,” she said as she squeezed Mandie's shoulders.

“And I'm glad to be home, Aunt Lou,” Mandie said,
returning the embrace. “I miss all of you when I'm at school. I look forward to the day I'll be done with school and I'll be able to stay home.”

Snowball, who perked up when Mandie and Celia walked into the kitchen, jumped out of the woodbox behind the big iron cookstove and was rubbing around Mandie's legs. Mandie stooped to pick him up.

“Oh, Snowball, I've missed you, too,” she whispered to the cat as she stroked his fur.

Aunt Lou turned to Celia. “It's awfully nice seeing you, too. You need to come and visit a spell with my chile one of these days!” She gave Celia a quick hug.

“I hope I can when we get all caught up with everything at school,” Celia replied.

Mandie sniffed the air and said, “I smell something awfully good cooking.”

“That's the stew meat and potatoes on the stove over there,” Aunt Lou explained.

“It smells so good,” Mandie told Jennie. Then she turned to Liza, who was getting a pot out of the cupboard, and said, “I'm glad to see you, too, Liza. I hope you've been behaving lately.” She grinned at the girl.

“I sho' has,” Liza told her. Then moving closer, she whispered, “That Miss Sweet Thang, she come home and brung that April Snow with her. Ain't seen 'em, but her cook told me.”

Mandie was surprised. “Polly Cornwallis brought April Snow
home with her?” The Cornwallises were the Shaws' next-door neighbors, and Polly was always a troublemaker.

“She sho' did,” Liza said. “Them two must be up to sumpin'. They knows the boys are gonna be here.”

“Well, I hope they don't come over,” Mandie said with a frown.

“Oh, Mandie,” Celia said, “Polly always comes over when she knows Joe is here.”

“Liza, git the table set right now,” Aunt Lou told the girl, shaking her big white apron at her.

“Yessum,” Liza replied. She quickly left the kitchen through the door to the dining room.

“We'll see y'all later, when y'all are not quite so busy,” Mandie said to Aunt Lou and Jennie. “Come on, Celia, let's go change our clothes.”

Celia shared Mandie's room when she came to visit, and the girls talked and laughed as they quickly changed into fresh dresses and went back downstairs to the parlor.

All the talk centered around Christmas gifts. Jonathan and his father were expected the next day, and Uncle Ned, his wife, Morningstar, and their granddaughter, Sallie, would be arriving anytime.

“I hope we don't get a heavy snowstorm before Uncle Ned and his family arrive. They might have trouble crossing that mountain in his wagon,” John Shaw said.

“I don't think a snowstorm would stop Uncle Ned from getting here,” Dr. Woodard said. “The Cherokee people are capable of
getting through any kind of weather.”

Mandie and her friends quietly sat down at the far end of the huge parlor and listened to the adults' conversation.

“Well, I am certainly glad you have come to stay here until the holidays are over,” John Shaw told Dr. Woodard.

“Yes, I thought it best to get here early and stay for the whole event,” Dr. Woodard replied.

It was apparent they were discussing the expected baby of Elizabeth and John Shaw; however, a more-detailed conversation would not be appropriate in the presence of young unmarried people.

Mandie remembered the baby her mother had had shortly after she married John Shaw. The little boy didn't live. Mandie silently said a prayer that this baby would be born healthy and live to grow old. She glanced at her friends and knew they were also offering up prayers for her.

Mrs. Taft appeared in the doorway just then. “Well, I see the young ones have arrived,” she said, walking over to Mandie.

Mandie stood up to embrace her, and Mrs. Taft said, “I know you and your friends will enjoy the peace and quiet of this house after what you've been through at the college.”

“Oh yes, Grandmother,” Mandie said. “And I'm so glad you are here. Is Senator Morton coming, too?”

Mrs. Taft looked at her and smiled. “Not this time, dear.” She leaned closer to say, “You see, that New York friend of mine is due in at any time now.”

“Mr. Guyer! Is Jonathan coming with him?” Mandie asked.

“Why, of course, dear. Jonathan wouldn't dare miss a few days here with you girls,” Mrs. Taft said. “Now, I must go see what the grown-ups are talking about.” She patted Mandie's shoulder, then went to sit with the adults.

Mandie turned back to Celia and Joe. “She said Jonathan is coming. I hope it is in time to go with us to cut the Christmas tree.”

Joe glanced out the front window. “It's beginning to snow.”

Mandie and Celia rose and walked over to the window to watch the white flakes tumbling down from the sky.

“Those large flakes mean the snow will remain on the ground awhile,” Mandie said. “I wish Jonathan and Sallie would hurry up and get here.”

Within the next hour Jonathan and his father arrived. Uncle Ned and his family arrived in their covered wagon shortly afterward.

When everyone was settled, John Shaw organized a group to go find a tree in the woods behind his house. After it was cut down, they put it in a stand and brought it into the wide front hallway. Everyone helped decorate it.

The young people surveyed the tree and Mandie said, “Now we might as well put our presents under it.”

There was much secretive business of wrapping presents and stacking them under the tree. Mandie and her friends laughed as they tried to guess what everyone had wrapped.

“Since we are not allowed to pick them up and feel them, we might as well stop guessing,” Mandie told her friends. “A
wrapped present never is what I think it is, anyhow.” She sighed and sat down on a bench to look at the tree in its colorful splendor.

The days passed quickly and Christmas Eve arrived, without any falling snow, and the entire household went to the midnight Christmas services at the church across the road.

Mandie and Celia talked for a long time when they got into bed that night. Finally, around two o'clock in the morning, Mandie suggested they go down to the kitchen and get some warm milk.

“If we are very quiet, we won't wake anyone,” Mandie whispered to Celia as they silently descended the main staircase. A lamp was kept burning at the end of the hall next to the kitchen all night. Mandie picked the lamp up and took it with them into the kitchen.

“I hope there's plenty of milk,” Mandie said, opening the wooden icebox.

At that moment, a baby's cry caused Mandie to freeze with her hand in the air, and she turned to Celia. “Did you hear that?” she asked in a whisper.

“Yes,” Celia whispered back.

“Do you think the baby is here already?” Mandie asked excitedly, taking out the pitcher of milk and closing the door.

“Maybe,” Celia said.

Suddenly there was a louder cry. Mandie quickly set the pitcher on the table and reached to embrace Celia. “The baby must be here!”

“Yes, I think so!” Celia was nearly as excited as Mandie.

The two stood there for a few moments and listened for more cries, but there was not another sound.

Then suddenly the door opened and Aunt Lou hurried into the kitchen. She barely glanced at the girls and said, “Outta my way, chillen, gotta have hot water for them babies.” She stoked up the fire in the big iron cookstove and got a pail to get hot water out of the heater attached to it.

“Aunt Lou, did you say
babies?
More than one?” Mandie was shaking with excitement.

“That's right. A boy and a girl,” the older woman said, quickly carrying the bucket of hot water out of the room.

Mandie stood there frozen in excitement as she thought about her mother having not one but two babies. She hugged Celia and said, “Let's thank the Lord.”

The two girls bowed their heads and gave thanks for the newcomers.

Finally pouring the milk into a small pot, Mandie set it on the firebox that was kept going in the iron cookstove all the time, and waited for it to warm a little.

Then, carefully pouring it into two cups, she told Celia, “I can't go back to bed. Let's go sit in the parlor.”

The fire in the parlor fireplace had been banked for the night, but Mandie got the poker and stirred the hot coals until it began to flame up. They sat on two footstools in front of it.

To their surprise, Mrs. Taft came into the parlor, fully dressed, and sat down near them. “Thank the Lord, everything is fine this
time,” she said with a loud sigh of relief. “Amanda, you now have a little brother and a little sister.”

Mandie was speechless as she stared at her grandmother with her mouth open.

“Your mother is resting peacefully now,” Mrs. Taft added.

“Oh, Grandmother, I've been so worried about her, after losing my little brother the first time,” Mandie said, moving over to put her head in her grandmother's lap as tears covered her face.

“Now, now, child, there's nothing to cry about. It's a time to rejoice,” Mrs. Taft said, running her fingers through Mandie's long blond hair. “I see you girls have milk. I wonder if you would go with me to help me fix a cup.” She stood up.

“Of course, Grandmother,” Mandie said, rising. “But why don't you just sit back down and I'll go get some for you. It won't take but a minute or two.” She left her cup on the table and headed for the kitchen.

After Mandie returned with another cup of milk, Mrs. Taft and the two girls sat by the fire the rest of the night. Gradually everyone else joined them, and by sunup everyone had assembled in the parlor, except her uncle and her mother.