The Mandie Collection (26 page)

“If there are any rubies down there, I'm sure Joe and I will find them,” Mandie replied, smiling.

“And what do you plan to do with any you find, Joe?” Uncle John asked.

“Me? You mean I can keep whatever I find?” Joe inquired.

“You certainly may. If you're going to do all that work, you're welcome to keep whatever you find,” Uncle John told him.

“Well, thanks, Mr. Shaw. I'll just . . . uh . . . uh . . . keep them until I decide what to do with them, I suppose,” the boy said, glancing shyly at Mandie.

“And don't you two forget,” Uncle John reminded them, “I may be selling this mine to Jake Burns soon, so you'll have to work fast.”

“When Sallie and Dimar get here, we'll have plenty of help,” Mandie stated.

Just then one of the workmen stuck his head out of the opening to the mine. “Mr. Shaw,” he called, “I reckon we'll have this thing safe and sound some time tomorrow.”

“That's good, Boyd,” John Shaw called back. “Then we'll let the kids explore it tomorrow.” He walked on down to talk further with Boyd.

Mandie clasped her hands in delight, releasing Snowball onto her shoulder. He immediately jumped down and ran toward the workman.

“Thank goodness, it's not taking long to get it ready.” Mandie turned to chase Snowball, and her bonnet fell back. “Snowball, come back here. Don't you go inside.”

“I won't let him in, Missy,” Boyd called to her as the white kitten raced on toward him.

Joe hurried to help. Together they cornered Snowball as he stopped to sniff at the workman. Mandie picked up the kitten and turned back up the hill. Joe followed.

“Snowball, you've got to learn to stop running away like that. One of these days you might get lost,” Mandie reprimanded the kitten as she cuddled him in her arms.

“And then we'll have to waste time looking for him,” Joe added.

“I know, and we don't have any time to waste. We have to go back to school after Thanksgiving, so we've got to hurry,” Mandie agreed.

Dr. Woodard called to them as they came up the hill. “Do you see what I see?” He pointed to the trees behind him.

Mandie looked up the hill and then began running with Joe right beside her. Uncle Ned, Mandie's old Indian friend, was riding toward them on his horse.

As the old Cherokee dismounted and tied his horse to a tree, Mandie grabbed his wrinkled hand. “Uncle Ned, I'm so glad you got here. Did you bring Morning Star and everyone?” she asked excitedly.

Uncle Ned stooped to embrace the small girl. “Papoose, do not make talk so fast,” he laughed. “Sallie and Dimar come with me. Morning Star come Thanksgiving Day. Needed in village now.”

“I'm so glad you're here,” Mandie said. She turned to Uncle John, who was coming up the hill with Dr. Woodard. “Are we going home now, Uncle John?”

“I suppose we are, Amanda,” Uncle John told her. He extended his hand to the old Indian. “How are you, Uncle Ned?”

“Good,” Uncle Ned replied.

Dr. Woodard shook hands with the Indian. “Glad to see you,” he said.

Uncle John pointed to the opening in the mine. “Looks like we'll have it open tomorrow, Uncle Ned.”

“Bad to open,” the old Indian grunted. “Ruby mine bad place.”

Mandie and Joe looked at him and frowned.

“The workmen are making sure the timbers are solid and everything is safe,” Uncle John assured him.

“No good mine. Your papa close. Bad to open,” Uncle Ned insisted.

“What do you mean by bad?” Dr. Woodard asked.

“Your papa close mine because bad things happen. Bad to open mine,” the Indian replied, adjusting the sling over his shoulder holding his bow and arrows.

“But why is it bad to open the mine?” Uncle John wanted to know.

“You no remember?”

“No, I was too young. What do you remember about it?” John persisted.

“I put away memory. Best not to open mine,” Uncle Ned repeated.

“If you won't tell me why you think it shouldn't be opened, I don't see any reason not to,” John said, exasperated.

Mandie took the old Indian's hand and gave it a slight jerk. “Please, Uncle Ned, tell us whatever you know.”

“I watch over Papoose. I promise Jim Shaw when he go to happy hunting ground I watch over Papoose. When Papoose go in ruby mine I watch,” he told the girl.

“My father would be proud of you, Uncle Ned, if he could know how well you've kept your promise since he died,” Mandie responded.

Dr. Woodard cleared his throat. “All this talk of the mine being bad sounds awfully mysterious to me, Uncle Ned,” he said. “Is it safe for the young people to go inside?”

“I keep watch.” Uncle Ned untied his horse. “Sallie and Dimar wait at house of John Shaw. They say hurry.”

The others all looked at each other as the Indian mounted his horse and rode off. Then Mandie and Joe laughed loudly.

“We sure didn't get a straight answer from him,” Mandie cried as she turned to get her pony. “Depend on Uncle Ned to keep a secret!”

“Yep, if anybody can keep a secret, he can,” Joe added.

“Well, there's nothing left for us to do but go back to the house,” Uncle John said to Dr. Woodard.

“Whatever was bothering Uncle Ned probably wasn't very important,” Dr. Woodard agreed.

Uncle Ned was already out of sight by the time the others mounted. It wasn't far to John Shaw's house in the city of Franklin, and Mandie and Joe excitedly rushed ahead of the men.

As they approached the huge white house, they saw Sallie and Dimar sitting on the front porch waiting for them. Uncle Ned's horse stood at the gate, but the old Indian wasn't in sight. The young people quickly dismounted, tied up their ponies, and ran up the long walkway.

“Sallie! Dimar!” Mandie cried. “You finally got here!” She embraced Sallie Sweetwater, who was Uncle Ned's granddaughter, and turned to shake Dimar's hand. Dimar was a neighbor of the Sweetwaters.

“I am so excited.” Sallie laughed. “This is so different from where we live in Deep Creek.”

“I know how you feel. I remember when Uncle Ned helped me get here to Uncle John's house after my father died. I had never been away from our log cabin at Charley Gap.” Mandie sat down beside Sallie in the swing. “But you have been here before.”

“Yes, but it is exciting,” the Indian girl said, smoothing her long black skirt.

Dimar cast an admiring glance at Mandie. “I am glad to see you, Mandie—and Joe, too,” he said, sitting with Joe on a bench near the swing.

“Dimar, wait till you see the mine where we're going to hunt for rubies,” Joe told him.

Mandie's blue eyes sparkled. “That's where we've just been. It'll be ready for us to go inside some time tomorrow.”

“Inside?” the Indian boy questioned. “Ruby mines do not have an inside.”

“This one does,” Mandie replied. “Uncle John says the dirt was so deep they had to dig about nineteen feet down before they got to the gravel. We have to walk down some steps to get inside.”

“Oh, I see,” Dimar replied. “Then it will be interesting.”

“According to Uncle Ned, it will be
bad
, but he wouldn't tell us what he meant by that,” Joe added.

“Where is he?” Mandie asked. “He rode off ahead of us in a big hurry.”

“He went inside the house,” Sally answered. “He said that it is a bad mine and it should not be opened again.”

“He would not tell us why,” Dimar said.

Mandie rose from the swing. “Oh, well, Uncle John is getting it opened anyway. Let's go inside the house now.”

Liza, the young Negro servant girl, appeared at the front door. “Y'all wanted in de parlor,” she said. “Ev'ry one of y'all.”

“Thank you, Liza. We were just coming in,” Mandie replied.

Liza stared at the two young Indians as the group entered the house and went through the big double doors into the parlor. She noticed every little detail as they passed her. Sallie, a little taller than Mandie, had black hair and black eyes. She had a red scarf tied around her hair, and shell beads jangled around the neck of her white blouse. Dimar wore a deerskin jacket like Uncle Ned's. He was not quite as tall as Joe, but he was handsome.

Mandie gave her mother a hug, spoke to Mrs. Woodard, and then sat down beside Uncle Ned. The others seated themselves in comfortable chairs around the room.

“I'm so glad you invited our friends for Thanksgiving,” Mandie said to her mother. She looked up as Uncle John and Dr. Woodard entered the room.

Her mother smiled. “Your Grandmother Taft and Celia Hamilton will be here tomorrow,” she said. “We will have a wonderful time.”

Liza had followed the young people into the parlor and stood just inside the door, staring.

Elizabeth, Mandie's mother, noticed the servant girl and spoke to her. “Liza, would you please pass the little cakes for me while I pour the tea?”

“Yessum, Miz Shaw,” Liza said, stepping forward to take the plate from her.

Elizabeth filled teacups and passed them around as Liza moved from one to another with the plate of sweetcakes. When she came to the Indians, she stood back and held out the plate.

“Liza, what's the matter with you?” Mandie asked. “You know all these people.”

“Yessum, Missy. I jest ain't seed 'em in a long time,” the Negro girl replied, quickly bringing the plate to Mandie.

“Liza, I think Aunt Lou needs your help getting the dinner table set. Why don't you go and see?” Elizabeth said.

“Yessum, yessum, Miz Shaw. I sho' bet she does,” Liza replied quickly. She almost ran out the door.

Mrs. Woodard laughed. “That Liza is a strange one, isn't she, Elizabeth?”

“In a way. You know, she was born and raised here in this house and has never been anywhere else much.”

“And she was already working here when you married John, wasn't she?” Mrs. Woodard asked.

“Yes, all the servants were here. I didn't make any staff changes when John and I got married. I just left everything the way it was. Aunt Lou is the best housekeeper anyone could ask for, and she keeps a rein on Liza and Jenny, the cook.”

Uncle John took a sip of his tea and spoke to Elizabeth. “The mine will be ready to open tomorrow,” he said.

Uncle Ned grunted, and everyone looked at him.

“Uncle Ned doesn't want us to open the mine at all,” Mandie told her mother.

“Why not?” Elizabeth asked.

The old Indian merely shook his head.

“He said it's a bad mine,” Mandie answered.

“A sad, bad mine,” Uncle Ned corrected her.

“But why, Uncle Ned? What's wrong?” Elizabeth asked. Uncle Ned crossed his arms and remained silent.

Elizabeth tried again. “Is it dangerous?”

When Uncle Ned didn't answer, John said, “I know it's safe. The workmen have been very careful to examine everything.”

Mandie stood by Uncle Ned's chair and put her small white hand on the shoulder of his deerskin jacket. “Please tell us why you say the mine is a sad, bad mine,” she begged.

Uncle Ned looked into her blue eyes and reached for her hand. “Papoose be all right. I watch over Papoose,” he told her.

“And you won't tell us whatever you know?” Uncle John asked.

“You find out,” the old Indian said.

Everyone fell silent, contemplating what the Indian had said. There was something very mysterious about the mine, and Mandie was determined to find out what it was.

CHAPTER TWO

THE STORE-BOUGHT DRESS

When Uncle John and Dr. Woodard escorted the young people back to the mine the next day, Uncle Ned refused to come. He said they were only going to look inside and that when they really settled down to prospecting, then he would watch over Mandie and her friends.

The workmen were still at the mine when the group rode up.

Boyd came to meet John Shaw. “We had a little trouble getting some new posts cut just the right height, Mr. Shaw,” he said. “So I guess it'll be a while yet before we're through. I'm sorry.”

“That's all right, Boyd. Take time to be sure it's positively safe. Don't rush and cut corners,” John Shaw told him.

“That's why we've been this long getting it open. I know how important it is to know without a doubt that it's safe for the young people,” Boyd said.

Dimar sat forward on his pony and smiled at Mandie. “Now I understand why you said it had an inside, Mandie,” he said.

“Uncle John said it's probably nineteen feet deep under there,” Mandie explained.

The Indian boy looked around. “The dirt from uphill there has probably washed down this way for a hundred years or more. That is why the gravel was so far down.”

Sallie followed his gaze. “I see a chimney over there,” she said, pointing off through the dense trees that were beginning to lose their leaves. “Does someone live there?”

“Let's go see while we're waiting for them to get finished,” Mandie said. She called to Uncle John and Dr. Woodard, who were still talking to Boyd. “We're going to ride over there through the trees.” She pointed.

“Don't go too far away,” Uncle John called back.

“And don't be gone too long,” Dr. Woodard added.

The young people promised they wouldn't and rode off through the trees in the direction of the chimney.

Coming into a clearing a few hundred yards away, they found an old abandoned farmhouse, standing on tall stone pillars. The shutters hung haphazardly from the windows, and the front door stood half open. Tall weeds surrounded the house.

Joe slid off his pony beside the sagging front porch. “Looks like nobody lives here,” he remarked.

The others dismounted and joined him as he carefully stepped up the shaky front porch steps.

“I wonder if this house is on Uncle John's property,” Mandie said as she and the two young Indians followed.