The Mandie Collection (22 page)

Mandie looked doubtful. “I don't know, Miss Hope,” she said. “But if you don't mind, let's just keep this secret until Miss Prudence comes back and I know for sure that she'll give me permission to leave school.”

Miss Hope turned back toward the office. “I'll just lock this letter in her desk drawer until she returns,” she said. “But I think you can rest easy. I don't see any problem, dear, and I'll certainly keep this confidential until my sister reads it.”

Miss Hope hurried on down the hallway and disappeared into the office. Mandie and Celia stood there for a moment, then picked up their bags and walked slowly toward the stairs.

“Oh, shucks!” Mandie sighed. “Why does Miss Prudence have to be gone? I'm just dying to hear directly from her that I have permission to take those days off from school.”

Celia stopped her friend on the stairs. “Mandie, we didn't ask if Aunt Phoebe came back, too,” she said.

“You're right,” Mandie agreed. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “While we have our coats on, let's just run across the yard to Aunt Phoebe's house and see if she's there.”

“It's getting late,” Celia reminded her. “I don't see any of the other girls around anywhere. Do we have time before the curfew bell rings?”

Mandie quickly unbuttoned her coat. “Let's see,” she said. “I just happen to have my watch on.” Pulling back her lapels, she grasped a gold watch hanging on a chain around her neck. She flipped open the cover on the face of the watch and looked up. “It's twenty minutes after eight,” she said. “We have plenty of time. Come on.” The girls left their bags and ran back down the stairs.

Celia followed Mandie through the empty kitchen, across the backyard, and up to the front door of Aunt Phoebe's house. They stopped.

There was no sign of a light in the house, and they couldn't hear a sound.

“I don't believe anybody is home, but we might as well knock now that we're here,” Mandie said. She raised her fist and knocked loudly on the front door.

Suddenly a loud scream vibrated through the darkness. The girls grabbed each other and shivered in fright.

“W-what w-was that?” Celia stammered in a whisper.

“I-I don't know,” Mandie whispered back. “Did it come from inside the house?”

“L-let's g-go,” Celia begged.

But Mandie turned back and pounded on the front door. Immediately another loud scream pierced the air.

The girls gasped and ran back down the porch steps. Just then something came hurtling out from under the porch and raced across the yard.

Mandie stopped and laughed. “It was just a couple of cats chasing each other!” She pointed.

Celia took a deep breath and looked in the direction Mandie was pointing. There by the shrubbery at the back door of the big house sat a huge calico cat.

“Miss Prudence doesn't allow cats here,” Mandie said, walking slowly toward the calico. “I wonder where they came from.”

“I-I don't know.” Celia shivered. “Maybe they're just strays.” She followed Mandie toward the back door. “But I do know one thing. I'm going upstairs right now!”

As Mandie came near, the cat gave her a knowing look and scampered away through the darkness.

“I guess you're right,” Mandie agreed. “We'd better get up to our room.”

Hurrying back inside, the girls picked up their overnight bags on the stairway and ran up to their room.

Celia tossed her coat and bag aside to stand in front of the blazing logs in the fireplace. “Br-r-r!” She shivered again. “I didn't realize it was so cold outside until I felt this nice warm fire.”

Mandie hung up her coat, then picked up Celia's and hung it beside hers in the chifferobe. As she joined her friend in front of the fireplace,
they stood there quietly for a moment, enjoying the warmth. Then suddenly they heard a faint noise overhead. They looked at each other.

“Did you hear that?” Celia whispered.

“It sounded like something moving in the attic over our room here,” Mandie replied.

The girls stood quietly again for a few moments, listening, but there was no more noise.

“It must have been a mouse,” Mandie said, sitting down on the rug. “Come to think of it, maybe it's that mouse that was in our room.”

Celia sat beside her. “I hope that's all it was,” she said. “Remember what a mystery we uncovered the last time we heard noises in the attic?”

“I sure do,” Mandie said. “We got into lots of trouble, but it was worth it because we saved Hilda.”

Celia said thoughtfully, “I'm glad y'all don't have to take Hilda with you to the White House. She'd probably get into all kinds of trouble.”

“I know,” Mandie admitted. “I'd sure hate to spend all my time chasing after her. She likes to run off too much. But Hilda wasn't invited, so we couldn't take her anyway—if we get to go.”

Celia looked quickly at her friend. “Oh, Mandie, do you really think Miss Prudence won't let you?”

“I just don't know,” Mandie said. “I won't sleep all night thinking about it. I hope she gets back early in the morning so I'll know what she has to say.”

“April Snow is supposed to be back tomorrow, remember?” Celia reminded her friend. “At least that's what Aunt Phoebe said.”

“You're right,” Mandie replied, nodding her head. “Aunt Phoebe promised to watch out for April and let us know when she gets back; but since Aunt Phoebe doesn't seem to be around, I guess we'll just have to be on guard ourselves.”

The girls sat in front of the fire in silence for a few moments longer. Then finally Celia rose to her feet. “Well, we can't just sit here all night,” she said. “We'd better get dressed for bed before we have to blow out the lamps for curfew.”

The girls undressed before the warm fireplace, and then put on their nightgowns, robes and slippers.

Mandie had just bent over to straighten her slippers when there was a sudden loud noise overhead. This time it sounded as though someone had dropped something heavy.

“Let's go see!” Mandie said, quickly straightening up. Grabbing the oil lamp, she headed for the door.

“Do we have to?” Celia asked, reluctantly following.

“Come on, Celia,” Mandie urged. Carrying the lighted lamp, she led the way up the dark attic stairs just outside their room. When they reached the top, the door to the attic was closed. Mandie carefully pushed it open. There was not a sound in the attic.

Mandie paused at the entrance, holding the lamp high to light up the huge, dark room. Celia clung to her friend's robe.

Mandie turned to her. “I don't see anything,” she whispered.

“Let's go back to our room, Mandie,” Celia pleaded.

Celia let go of her friend and crouched on the top step as Mandie tiptoed inside the attic and flashed the lamp around the room. All she could see was discarded furniture, boxes, old trunks, and odds and ends. Taking a deep breath for courage, she walked around the attic, looking at everything, but there was nothing that could have made the noise.

Celia held her breath, waiting for something to happen.

Mandie came back to the doorway. “There's nobody in here,” she whispered.

“Then let's go,” Celia begged.

Mandie led the way down the dark stairs with the lamp in her hand. Celia stayed close behind. As they reached the bottom of the steps, they heard a noise on the servants' stairway nearby.

Mandie stopped and listened, but there was only silence. Then the big bell in the backyard began ringing for ten o'clock curfew.

“Time for lights out,” Celia whispered. She rushed ahead of Mandie into the warm room.

Mandie came in behind her and set the lamp on the table by the bed. “Guess I'd better put out the light,” Mandie said, and as she puffed at the light her quick eye noticed something in the big chair.

“Look!” Mandie said, pointing to the chair as the flame in the oil lamp jumped and stayed lit.

“Why! our coats are on the chair, and I know you hung them up, Mandie,” Celia gasped.

Mandie picked hers up and said, “I know I hung them up. Somebody has been in our room while we've been up in the attic.”

Celia immediately stooped and looked under the bed. “What are you doing, Celia?” Mandie asked, watching her.

Celia got up, looked at her, and said, “I just wanted to make sure there was nobody under the bed.”

Mandie laughed. “I don't think whoever did this would be foolish enough to stay around and take a chance on our catching them.”

“You're right, Mandie,” Celia said, sitting down on the rug by the fire.

Mandie dropped her coat back onto the chair with Celia's and joined her friend before the fire.

“If April Snow were back in school, I'd be ready to blame all this on her. I think she'd like to lure us off to the attic and then do some meanness in our room,” Mandie said. “But she isn't here so it has to be somebody else.”

“But who, Mandie?” Celia asked. “She is the only girl here who won't be friendly with us.”

“Just give me time, I'll get it all figured out,” Mandie said, rising and stretching. “Let's get into bed. The fire is burning low and it's going to be awfully cold tonight.”

They raced for the bed and jumped underneath the warm covers.

“I hope I wake up early so I can look for Miss Prudence,” Mandie said, “And I hope she gives me permission to take leave from school.”

“If I wake up earlier than you, I'll give you a shake,” Celia promised.

“I suppose Uncle Cal will be in to build the fire in the morning,” Mandie remarked. “That is, if he is still here—and he might not be, you know. There was nobody in his and Aunt Phoebe's house when we knocked.”

“Maybe he was just busy somewhere in the house here fixing fires or something,” Celia suggested.

Suddenly there was another noise overhead in the attic. The girls both jumped.

Then Mandie relaxed and said, “That's somebody just trying to get us to leave our room again so they can come in here and do something else. So we'll just stay in bed and disappoint them.”

“Thank goodness, Mandie,” Celia said, with a sigh of relief. The noise stopped and the girls finally fell asleep.

CHAPTER FIVE

MANDIE RUNS INTO TROUBLE

The next morning Mandie woke to the ringing of the big bell in the backyard. She sat up and quickly jumped out of bed, furious with herself for not waking earlier. Grabbing her clothes, she hurried to the warmth of the fireplace to dress.

Celia pushed back the covers and slid out of the big bed. “Oh, Mandie,” she whined, “neither of us woke up early. I'm sorry.” Picking out her clothes, she began dressing for the day.

“That's all right,” Mandie replied. “I just wanted to catch Miss Prudence before breakfast if possible.”

But when the girls joined the other students in the dining room for breakfast, they found Miss Hope at the head of the table.

“Good morning, young ladies,” Miss Hope greeted them with a smile. “My sister has not yet returned. Therefore, I will sit with you and also the next group of girls this morning. Now, let's return thanks.”

As Miss Hope thanked the Lord for the meal, Mandie and Celia shut their eyes and nudged each other in perfect communication. After they sat down, Mandie whispered, “Of all things! She's not back yet?”

Obviously afraid to talk at the table, Celia grunted softly in return.

When Mandie glanced across the room, her eyes met April Snow's.
So April is back at school
, she thought.

Celia nudged Mandie again. They both knew.

I wonder if she was back last night
, Mandie said to herself.
She could have been the one making the noises and the one who put our coats on the chair
. But she knew there was no way to find out.

Mandie tried to smile at April, but the school troublemaker tossed her long black hair and stared back at her with a mean look on her face.

After the students were dismissed from the table, Mandie heard Miss Hope speak to April.

“We're glad you could come back yesterday, dear,” the schoolmistress said. “And we're pleased that things are better at home now, also.”

Mandie and Celia stopped at the doorway, listening. But when April saw them, she gave a slight nod to Miss Hope, tossed her long black hair, and hurried out of the room without a word.

Mandie motioned for Celia to follow her, and the two girls wandered into the parlor. They had a few minutes before their first class, so they stood by the fireplace and discussed what they had just heard.

“So, more than likely, it
was
April who was making those noises last night,” Celia said.

Mandie nodded, then noticed the newspaper lying on the table nearby. Picking it up, she quickly glanced over the front page. “Look,” she said. “President McKinley is still sick.”

Celia read over Mandie's shoulder. “It says he is improving, though,” she added.

Mandie pointed to a line farther down. “But it also says he will not be in his office or see anyone this week.” She could hear the worry in her own voice.

“But he's improving, Mandie,” Celia repeated. “That's what counts.”

“I feel so sorry for him. He must be awfully sick,” Mandie said. “And I haven't even remembered to pray for him to get well.”

“We will tonight,” Celia promised.

Mandie fussed and fumed through classes all that day, keeping an eye out for Miss Prudence. But it wasn't until the noon meal was over, with Miss Hope again presiding, that Mandie and Celia caught sight of Miss Prudence. Every spare moment, they hung around the parlor, hoping to keep up with what was going on. Finally they spotted Miss Prudence walking down the hallway with her hat and coat on.

Mandie was so excited she ran out into the hallway and followed Miss Prudence down to her office.