The Mandie Collection (17 page)

Mrs. Patton greeted Mandie sweetly. “Come on in, dear. Breakfast is very informal. We just help ourselves to whatever we want. And I do hope there is something over there that you like.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Mandie replied, helping herself.

Elizabeth greeted her daughter as Mandie took her plate and sat down. “I hope you slept well, dear.”

Mandie smiled weakly. “Well, it's always hard to get used to another house, but I slept all right once I got to sleep,” she said, noticing that Tommy and his father had just entered the room.

Mr. Patton took a plate from the stack at the end of the sideboard and let his son go ahead of him.

Tommy looked over at Mandie. “Good morning,” he said with a smile.

“Hello, Tommy,” she replied, still a little embarrassed by the sweet way he looked at her.

Mr. Patton rested his hand on his son's shoulder. “Let's hurry so we can show our guests the city,” he urged.

Mandie expected Josephine to mention the so-called ghost noises, but the girl didn't say a word to anyone about it during breakfast.

CHAPTER SEVEN

THE MYSTERIOUS APPEARANCE

Within the next hour they were all riding through the city in the Patton's rig, stopping here and there for the Shaws to investigate some place of interest.

Although Mandie had brought Snowball with her, she soon regretted it.

While the two families were looking around outside historic St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Mr. Patton acted as a tour guide. “This is the oldest church in the city,” he told them. “George Washington worshiped here in 1791, when he toured the southern part of the country. These church bells have rung for over two hundred years.”

Mandie looked up at the 186-foot steeple, topped with a gilt ball and above that a weather vane.

“That ball on top,” Mr. Patton continued, “was blown down to the street in the cyclone of August 1885. A year later, it had just been restored to its place when the earthquake shattered the church. The ball is now eight inches nearer the ground, due to the sinking of the steeple in that earthquake.”

“Earthquake?” Mandie questioned. “You had an earthquake here in Charleston?”

“Yes, dear, just fourteen years ago,” Mrs. Patton put in. “And I hope I never experience another one.”

Mr. Patton led the group through the door into the dimly lighted interior of the church. Mandie became so interested in the various plaques on the walls that she didn't notice when everyone else started leaving.

All of a sudden Snowball jumped down from her shoulder and scuttled away.

“Snowball, come back here!” Mandie called, stooping to look for him under various pews. “Snowball, Snowball!”

Suddenly she heard a weird clanking noise. She looked up. A strange, headless, robed figure moved slowly toward her in the semidarkness. She caught her breath. The thing sounded like it was made of metal. It clanged and moved nearer.

Mandie froze.

The figure quickened its pace.

Out of the corner of her eye, Mandie saw Snowball under the next pew. She grabbed him and started to run out of the church.

Then she noticed it. The figure was limping! Mandie turned quickly and snatched at the robe. “Josephine, you are disgusting!” Mandie told her. “Why don't you grow up?”

“I had you scared all right!” The girl dropped the robe on a pew and set down the metal collection plates she was holding.

At that moment Tommy appeared in the doorway. “We must have lost you somehow. Come on,” he said.

“Snowball ran away and I had to find him,” Mandie explained. She was tempted to tell Tommy about Josephine's prank, but she decided against it. She would just have to watch out for Josephine from now on.

The two families explored other historic places, including the oldest public building in Charleston, one of America's first playhouses, and the first fireproof building erected in the United States.

“Whew! I've had some history lesson today!” Mandie exclaimed as they rode back to the Patton house.

Tommy laughed. “We don't really expect you to remember all we told you,” he said.

“I won't remember all of it, but I think I'll know enough to turn in a good paper for my history class when I get back to school,” Mandie replied, stroking her sleeping kitten. “Will we be going to your beach house now?” she asked.

“As soon as we eat and get our things together,” Tommy replied. “That shouldn't take long. I can't wait to show you the sun rising over the ocean tomorrow morning.”

“I can't wait to see everything,” Mandie said.

Later that afternoon the Pattons' rig pulled up in front of the beach house. It was an impressive frame structure built up on stilts over the beach. The Pattons had sent servants on ahead, including Tizzy and Cheechee, to prepare for the guests.

As they were about to leave the rig, Mandie turned to Tommy. “Why is the house built on stilts?” she asked.

“You'll see when the tide comes in,” Tommy said, helping her down from the rig. “The water normally comes up almost to the base of the stilts. But in case there's an unusually high tide, the water would just pass through under the house.”

“The tide?” Mandie questioned.

“Some of the water in the ocean washes up high onto the beach at certain intervals—twice a day, as a matter of fact,” Tommy explained. “That is what you call the tide coming in. Then the water washes back out to sea, and that's what you call the tide going out.” Tommy took a couple bags from the rig and started inside. “Wait till you see it. It's really a sight to see.”

Mandie followed. “You love the beach, don't you?”

“The beach has always been my life, like the mountains are to you,” Tommy replied. “I miss the beach when I'm at that stuffy old school in Asheville.”

“I know what you mean,” Mandie replied.

Inside, Mandie marvelled at the rich furnishings of the beach house, but she was appalled to find out she had to share a bedroom with Josephine.

“You take the bed by the windows so you can see out,” Josephine told her as they dropped their bags in their room. “I'll take this one over here by the door.”

“Thank you,” Mandie replied, suspicious of anything Josephine said now.

After an informal supper, everyone sat outside on the veranda, which overlooked the ocean. While the adults talked leisurely, Mandie stood transfixed, watching the motion of the waves. So when Tommy asked her if she wanted to take a walk on the beach, she gladly accepted.

Tommy had shown Mandie his sand dollar collection shortly after they arrived, and she wanted to find some for herself. Snowball hopped and skipped along over the sand, trying to follow.

Time passed quickly, and Tommy and Mandie found quite a few sunbleached sand dollars of various sizes. But as dusk settled over the beach, the two couldn't see much.

“Well, I guess that's it.” Tommy handed her one more sand dollar he had uncovered, shuffling along in the sand. “After the tide comes in and goes back out, we'll look again. Morning is the best time to find them—and shells, too.”

Mandie took off her sunbonnet, and as they strolled along, she paused now and then to stare out at the water.

Finally, Tommy showed her the pier where they fished sometimes. It was a long, high walkway, which extended far out over the ocean. As the two walked out on it, Mandie became dizzy and had to close her eyes.

“This thing is moving,” she cried.

“No it isn't.” Tommy laughed, taking her hand to steady her. “You're just not used to the movement of the water. It's only the water that is moving, not the pier,” he said. “Just stand perfectly still for a minute, then look down at the water and you'll see what I mean.”

Mandie did what he said, and then smiled. “You're right,” she admitted.

“I think we'd better head back now,” Tommy suggested. “It's getting late.”

Mandie picked up Snowball, and they started back for the house. When they arrived, no one was on the veranda.

“Everyone must have gone inside,” Mandie observed. “Let's go sit in the sand down there for a few minutes and listen to the water before we go in,” she suggested.

Tommy agreed and led the way down toward the water.

“Here,” Mandie said, plopping down into the warm sand.

Tommy sat beside her. “It's nice to have a holiday from school isn't it?”

“It certainly is. I don't care too much about the Misses Heathwood's School for Girls anyhow. They teach too many silly, useless things,” Mandie replied.

“So does our school,” he said. “I'll never need half the things they are teaching me.”

“Are you planning to go into business with your father someday?” Mandie asked, pushing back her long blonde hair.

“I haven't decided yet,” he said. “I might go to Europe for a while first.”

“To Europe? That would be wonderful!” Mandie exclaimed. “I'd love to see the rest of the world.”

Tommy turned to look at her. “Maybe you will someday.”

“I'm not holding my breath,” Mandie laughed. “You and I live in different worlds. Now that I've visited your home and your town, I can see that.”

Tommy's eyes twinkled. “Don't be so sure. I understand your mother was the belle of the season before she married your father. And your grandmother definitely moves in social circles.”

“Yes, Grandmother Taft could move in any circles she pleased,” Mandie agreed. “She really knows how to get what she wants.”

“That's what I've heard,” Tommy said knowingly. “But you have years before—”

“Look!” Mandie jumped up. “What's that?”

Tommy sprang to his feet beside her. The two stood in shock as a phantom-like apparition rose into the air near the pier. Then it dropped into the ocean and disappeared, making an eerie sound.

Mandie shivered. “Was that a g-ghost?” she asked.

Tommy seemed more in control. “A ghost? No, I don't think so, but it certainly did look like something supernatural, didn't it?” he said. “Let's walk back down that way and see if we can find anything.”

Mandie followed him somewhat reluctantly. “It looked like a bundle of filmy, wispy white something or other,” she said.

Walking back to the pier, they found nothing.

Mandie sighed in frustration. “Tommy, please do me a favor and don't tell anyone about this,” she said.

“You mean like Josephine?” he teased.

“Yes. She would be just too pleased that we actually saw a ghost or whatever it was.”

“I understand. I won't mention it. But it certainly is strange. There's nothing here, and I can't see anyone else around,” he said. “I guess we'd better get back to the house. They'll be worried about us. But we'll come back down in the morning to see the tide.”

Later that night, lying in her bed with Josephine nearby, Mandie kept thinking of the eerie white thing they had seen near the pier. Was there really such a thing as a ghost? If only Joe were here . . . He always helped her solve her mysteries. Oh, why had she been so unkind? She wished she could just see him and tell him she was sorry. She had to make things right.

As she lay thinking, the rhythmic sound of the waves lapping on the beach lulled her to sleep. She dreamed about Joe.

CHAPTER EIGHT

THE PHANTOM IN THE MOONLIGHT

Before daylight, Mandie awakened to a gentle touch on the shoulder. She opened her eyes and saw her mother standing beside her bed.

“Amanda,” Elizabeth whispered, trying not to wake Josephine. “Tommy is waiting for you to go down and watch the tide.”

“It can't be time to get up, Mother,” Mandie protested. “It isn't even daylight.”

“No, but the tide won't wait for daylight. It'll be gone if you don't hurry,” Elizabeth whispered. “After you watch the tide, you can stay and watch the sun rise over the ocean.”

Half asleep, Mandie tumbled out of bed and quickly dressed with Elizabeth's help.

“Now you're ready, dear.” Her mother handed her a shawl and urged her out the door. “Tommy's in the kitchen. Leave Snowball here, and please be quiet so you won't wake anyone.”

Mandie found Tommy wide awake and drinking orange juice in the kitchen. Mandie rubbed her eyes and yawned. “I hope it's worth it,” she mumbled.

“Here, this will wake you up,” Tommy said, handing her a small glass of orange juice. “I've been up a long time. I like to rise early.”

“I do, too, at home, but somehow the ocean has made me sleepy,” Mandie said. She started drinking the juice.

“You were just tired after your long journey and all that sightseeing we did yesterday,” he told her.

“I'm awake now. Let's go,” she said, putting down the empty glass.

“We're only going out on the porch until the tide goes out,” Tommy said, leading the way. “Then later, we'll go down on the beach and look for sand dollars and shells.”

As Mandie followed him out onto the veranda, the roar of the ocean waves was deafening. She was glad her mother had insisted she take a shawl. It was cool outside. Huddling on a bench by the railing in the dim predawn light, she looked out over the ocean in amazement. The entire beach was covered with water.

Mandie got close enough to Tommy to yell in his ear. “Will it come on up to the house?” she asked, above the roar.

“No, it has come just about as far as it ever does,” Tommy yelled back.

Then the water's motion reversed and little by little it began moving back out to sea. Mandie watched the slow process as the waves grew more calm and the sand reappeared, looking much smoother after being washed by the high tide.

“I think we can go down there now,” Tommy said. “But it's going to be awfully squishy. You'll ruin your shoes.”

“That's all right. These are my old shoes. Mother had me bring them just for the beach,” Mandie told him.