The Mandie Collection (47 page)

Liza peered ahead and finally allowed Mandie to hold her hand. Mandie slowly urged her forward. As they got to the middle of the broken-down bushes, a playful squirrel romped through underfoot. Liza screamed and rushed forward to where Joe was standing in the clearing.

“What happened?” Joe asked the girls.

“Nothing. A squirrel ran through and brushed against our legs,” Mandie explained.

Liza held her sides in fright. “Dat wudn't no squirrel. Dat be a snake.”

“No, Liza. I saw it,” Sallie said. “It was a squirrel.”

“Let's git goin' befo' it come back,” Liza said, walking forward down the open pathway. “I ain't used to no sech things. I stay home where I belongs. I don't go trampin' 'round de world like y'all does.”

“I'm sorry,” Mandie said, catching up with the girl.

“You jes' go yo' way. I'se stayin' up here next to de doctuh son. He protect me.”

“Wait a minute,” Joe said. “We've got to measure the distance through the bushes I chopped down.”

They backtracked enough to add the distance to their calculated total while Liza, shivering with fright, stood in the opening, waiting.

All of a sudden something white came bouncing out of the bushes and rubbed around Liza's ankles. She screamed, and the others came running.

“Snowball! Where did you come from?” Mandie rushed forward to grab her kitten. “Look, Liza, it's only Snowball. Look.”

The Negro girl finally hushed and opened her eyes. She stared at the white kitten. “You mean dat Snowball come runnin' over my feet?” Liza asked shakily.

“That's right. Here he is,” Mandie said, rubbing the kitten's fur.

“How he git here?”

“I don't know. He must have been following us all the way here,” Mandie replied. “Do you want to carry him for me?”

Liza took the kitten and cuddled him in her arms. “Snowball, you bad kitten, scaring lil' ol' Liza like dat,” she scolded.

Snowball purred and reached up to lick her throat.

“That cat!” Joe said, exasperated.

“Joe, you know he always goes with me everywhere,” Mandie said. “This time I left him in the house because I didn't want to have to stop measuring to go find him when he decided to run off.”

“He got out somehow,” Joe said. “Maybe he'll keep Liza entertained so she'll quit that screaming every time we turn around.”

Sallie looked ahead. “It looks like the path goes on out of sight without anything else blocking it.”

“Let's work fast while the path is clear,” Mandie said, as they moved forward with the rope stretched between them.

They walked on quickly down the path without finding any more obstructions. Then suddenly they came to the end of it.

“The path ends up at that main road ahead. Look!” Joe quickened his strides.

In seconds they all stood on the main road.

“Look!” Mandie pointed to a big house directly in front of them across the main road.

“How many feet have we gone now?” Sallie asked.

“A little more than 5000 feet,” Joe calculated.

“Then that must be Hezekiah's house,” Mandie cried. “Come on. Let's go over there!”

They ran across the road and stopped at the edge to look at the house. There was a sign across the front door: Fine Food Since 1852.

“A restaurant!” Mandie exclaimed.

“Probably a boardinghouse,” Joe said.

“It has been in business since two years after Ruby died,” Sallie noted.

“Don't look like no bidness to me. Look like somebody's house,” Liza muttered, holding Snowball tightly.

“Let's go knock on the door,” Mandie suggested.

They walked up the long front yard, and as they approached the porch, two people came out the door.

As the door swung open, Joe peeked inside. “Looks like a store inside to me. I don't think we should knock. You don't knock on a store door. You just go in,” he said, pushing the door inward.

The girls followed close behind. The inside did look like a variety store, but there was also the strong, wonderful aroma of food cooking.

“Food!” Joe whispered.

The girls smiled at him.

Behind a counter stood a short, fat, bald-headed man, and Joe led the way toward him.

“How do you do, sir?” Joe began, introducing himself and the others, including Snowball.

The man looked up and smiled. “What can I do for y'all?”

“We're looking for a house where a man named Hezekiah lived about fifty years ago,” Mandie said.

“Fifty years ago? Hezekiah?” the man asked in amazement.

“Yes, sir. How long have you lived here?” Joe asked.

“We've been here about thirty-five years,” the man said.

“Thirty-five years,” Sallie repeated, a little disappointed.

“Do you know who lived here before you?” Mandie asked.

“Nobody. We built this here house ourselves,” the man replied.

“But your sign says Fine Food Since 1852,” Sallie objected. “That would be forty-eight years ago.”

“Oh, that's because the other owners didn't have much of a house. The roof fell in when a heavy snow came one winter. They sold it to us and we built a new house,” the man explained.

“And they owned a store and a restaurant, too?” Joe asked.

“This here is a boardinghouse, young fella, and a store,” the man replied. “That's what they had, too, so we just kept their sign to put on our door.”

“Do you know who the other people were?” Mandie asked.

“No, don't recollect who they was,” the man said. “You see, it was my grandpa that bought it from them, and he handed it down to my pa, and he gave it to me, and they're all dead now.”

“Do you remember anyone having the name Hezekiah, or ever hearing anyone mention the name?” Joe asked.

“Don't believe I do. Only thing I remember for sure was that these other owners had built their house on the site where an old house had burned down many years ago,” the man told them.

“Has there ever been any other house near here?” Mandie asked.

“Not that I can remember,” the man said. “Where you younguns from? Are you looking for long-lost relatives or something?”

Mandie and Joe looked at each other. It wouldn't do to let anyone know there was supposed to be buried treasure somewhere near here.

“I live in town with my Uncle John Shaw and my mother,” Mandie replied. “We were just walking around and thought we'd see if we could find some old property of some of their friends from long ago.”

“Oh, yes, I know John Shaw when I see him. Sorry I can't help you.” He shook his head. “I've got to go in the back now and see how the cooking is coming along for supper,” he said, starting to leave.

“That's all right, sir,” Joe said. “But I don't believe I got your name.”

The man stopped. “Name's Jud Jenkinson. Y'all come back.” The young people turned and went out the front door. Once outside, they stopped to talk in the yard.

“This has got to be Hezekiah's house, or where it used to be,” Mandie said. “I just know it is.”

“It probably is,” Sallie agreed.

“I don't know.” Joe looked skeptical.

“Well, y'all hurry and decide whose house it be, so's we kin go home. Must be time to eat,” Liza said, cuddling Snowball in her arms.

“You're right, Liza. It must be nearing suppertime,” Mandie said. “Do y'all think we have time to measure the other distances from here?” She pulled the map out of her pocket. “It says it's 936 feet to a rock pile, but that's in a different direction from the way we came.”

“I think we'd better head home,” Joe said. “If we're late for supper, your mother may not let us go out again tomorrow.”

“Besides, that doctor friend of Abraham's was supposed to come back,” Sallie reminded them.

Mandie gasped. “Oh, I forgot all about him! Let's hurry! He may be there by now.”

“ 'Bout time to hurry home, ain't it, Snowball?” Liza grumbled, holding the kitten tightly.

When they got back to the house, Jason Bond, the caretaker, was sitting on the front porch waiting for them. “Where in tarnation have y'all been?” he asked. “You tell me to let you know when that doctor comes back to Abraham's house, and then you go off and don't even let me know where you are. And everybody else is gone off, too.”

“Mr. Jason, I'm sorry. Has the doctor been back to see Abraham?” Mandie asked.

“Yep. Been and gone,” the caretaker told her.

“Gone? Oh, shucks!” Mandie cried.

“Well, we can't be in two places at one time,” Joe said.

“And he might not know anything anyway,” Sallie added.

“Has dat Jenny got supper cooked wid out me?” Liza asked.

“I believe so. Everything is waiting for Mr. and Mrs. Shaw and Uncle Ned to come back,” Jason Bond replied.

“In dat case, I'll jes' go on in,” Liza said. Opening the screen door, she took Snowball with her inside the house.

“Where has everybody gone?” Mandie asked.

“I don't rightly know, Missy. Said they'd be back in time for supper,” the caretaker replied. “I reckon they'll be here any minute now.”

Aunt Lou appeared in the doorway and stood listening to the conversation.

“Let's go ask Abraham if Dr. Plumbley has left town or if he's coming back,” Mandie said.

“Yes, he might be back,” Sallie said.

“Come on.” Joe led the way down the front steps.

“Don't go nowhere now,” Aunt Lou called to them as they hurried around the house. “Git in here and git washed up for suppuh.”

Ignoring Aunt Lou, they found Abraham on the front porch again, rocking and drinking coffee.

“Here's your rope and your hoe,” Joe said, laying them on the end of the porch.

“Done missed him,” Abraham said as they walked up the steps.

“I know. Mr. Bond told us,” Mandie said. “Is he coming back again?”

“Maybe tomorruh or de next day,” Abraham replied. “He has to doctor his brother. He be good and sick.”

“I'm glad Dr. Plumbley's coming back, but I'm sorry his brother is so sick,” Mandie said.

“Tomorrow or the next day,” Joe repeated. “You know what tomorrow and the next day are, don't you, Mandie? Tomorrow is Sunday and the next day is Monday. Sallie and I both have to leave on Monday to go back to school.”

“Maybe he'll come back tomorrow,” Mandie said.

“We need to spend the day tomorrow measuring off the other distances on the map to see if we can find anything else,” Sallie said.

“Ain't y'all got nuthin' to do but go 'round measurin' things?” Abraham asked. “Y'all ain't even stayin' home long 'nuff to have comp'ny.”

“Company?” Mandie asked. “We're not expecting any company. All our company has left except Uncle Ned, Joe, and Sallie.”

“Dat lil' girl what live next do,' she been over heah two time dis afternoon lookin' fo' y'all,” the gardener said.

“You mean Polly?” Joe asked.

“Dat her,” Abraham replied. “I heah her come over two times and aks Aunt Lou where you at.”

Mandie sighed. “Aunt Lou didn't know where we were. But, anyway, I guess Polly will come back later.”

“I think we had better go get washed up before your mother gets home, Mandie,” Sallie warned.

“Abraham, just in case your doctor friend happens to come back tonight unexpectedly, will you please come and let us know?” Mandie asked.

“He won't be back tonight. Too far,” Abraham replied. “But I let you know when he do come back.”

The young people went through the back door of the house. As they entered the long hallway inside, the kitchen door was open, and they could see Jenny stirring pots and moving about, getting the meal ready.

“Let's go through the kitchen,” Mandie said, quickly entering the room.

“Something smells good!” Joe exclaimed. He tried to look into the pots on the big iron cookstove.

“Outta dem pots, boy!” Jenny scolded. “Ain't done yet nohow!”

“Oh, Jenny, can't I even look?” Joe teased.

“Nope,” Jenny said, shaking a spoon at him. “Git!”

“All right, we'll git . . . Mrs. Davis,” Mandie said slyly.

Jenny dropped the spoon she was holding and turned to look at Mandie. “You talkin' to me, Missy?” She picked up the spoon, took it to the sink, and rinsed it off.

“You are Mrs. Davis, aren't you?” Mandie replied.

Joe stood by, tightening his lips.

“What you talkin' 'bout, Missy? My name Jenny,” the Negro woman said.

“I know. Your name is Jenny Davis,” Mandie said. “Abraham told us.”

“Who dis Abraham?” Jenny turned back to the stove.

“Jenny,” Mandie chided, “we know Abraham, the gardener, is your husband. Why won't you go back and live with him? You do still love him, don't you?”

Jenny stood there, speechless.

“Mandie, I think we had better hurry and wash up,” Sallie prodded.

“Yes, let's go,” Joe said, walking toward the door.

Mandie stepped up close to Jenny. “Abraham still loves you,” she whispered quickly.

Jenny's eyes filled with tears, and she dropped the spoon down into the big pot.

In the hallway Joe waited for Mandie. “You shouldn't go messing in other people's business, Mandie,” he scolded.

Mandie smiled. “I'm not messing in anybody's business. I'm just trying to fix things up a little.”

“I know about your kind of fixing up,” Joe replied. He bounded up the stairs ahead of the girls to clean up.

“Do you think Abraham and Jenny will ever get back together again?” Sallie asked as they walked slowly to Mandie's room.

“If I can figure out how to finagle things around, they will.” Mandie laughed. As she walked by the full-length mirror in the corner of the room, she shrieked. “Oh, I have to change dresses. I'm filthy!” she cried.