The Mandie Collection (55 page)

“Wait, Dr. Plumbley.” Mandie stood up, trying to detain him. “We haven't decided what we're going to do about Jenny and Abraham, remember?”

“And we haven't told Mr. Shaw about the crazy man yet,” Joe added.

Sallie glanced at her grandfather. “Yes, we must discuss this while my grandfather is also present,” she said. “He may know something.”

The doctor looked into Mandie's pleading blue eyes and sat back down. “I can only stay a minute longer, or Abraham will think I'm not coming back,” the doctor insisted.

Mandie returned to her chair. “First, we'll tell them about the crazy man,” she began, relating their adventures with the wild man and his rifle.

Elizabeth's face showed alarm, and Uncle Ned leaned forward in concern.

“You didn't find out who the man was?” Uncle John asked with a frown.

“No, he wouldn't tell us his name,” Mandie replied.

“We were so afraid of him we wanted to hurry and get away,” Sallie said.

“I'm pretty sure he had been drinking,” Joe explained. “He was wild. He didn't make any sense.”

“He could have been dangerous,” Uncle John said. “We do still own that land and also that old house sitting on the rock pile. We
just haven't used it in a long time. He had no right to be on our land. There's no way he can claim it.”

Uncle Ned finally spoke. “Must be man named Sod. Live in Burningtown.”

“Sod?” Uncle John questioned the odd name. “I've never heard of him.”

Dr. Plumbley turned to Uncle Ned. “Was his father named Lister?”

Uncle Ned nodded. “Yes, father dead long ago.”

“I thought there was something familiar about him. He's about the same age I am. I remember he was always stirring up trouble among the young people,” Dr. Plumbley told them. “Back then people thought he had a little something missing.”

“I think I know whom you're talking about,” John said. “I wonder why he thinks he can stake a claim to our property?”

“He have more missing now. Make no sense,” Uncle Ned observed.

“Maybe he has also become a drunkard,” Dr. Plumbley suggested. “Anyway, I think we're rid of him. I don't believe he'll be back.”

“I'm glad Dr. Plumbley was with y'all,” Elizabeth said. “He could have hurt you.”

“Uncle John, we have something else we want to talk to you about,” Mandie said, changing the subject. “Did you know that Abraham and Jenny are married?”

Uncle John nodded slowly and smiled at her.

“And that they haven't lived together in forty years?” Mandie continued.

Uncle John kept nodding. “Yes, we know all about that.”

“John!” Elizabeth sounded shocked. “You mean our cook, Jenny, is married to Abraham the gardener? Why does she live here in the house with us while he stays in that cottage in the back yard? What happened?”

Mandie related what Abraham had said about the man at the stables, but Elizabeth couldn't believe the story.

“Well, I've never heard of such a silly reason to separate,” Elizabeth said. “And this has been going on for forty years?”

Sallie sat up straight in her chair. “I think he is still in love with Jenny,” she said.

Uncle Ned nodded. “Too stubborn to tell her.”

“You're right, Uncle Ned,” John Shaw agreed. “Abraham has always been a stubborn man. He always has to have things his way. My father let him run the garden whatever way he wanted to. He does a good job if you leave him alone, but don't ever tell him he's wrong about anything, especially about Jenny.”

“What about Jenny?” Mandie asked. “Is she stubborn, too?”

“Well, sometimes,” Uncle John said. “But you can get her to see two sides of a question most of the time.”

“Then maybe we should work on her,” Joe said.

Elizabeth's eyebrows shot up. “Work on her?”

“We've all decided to see if we can get them together again,” Mandie said.

“Dear, don't go interfering in other's people's business,” Elizabeth warned.

“We're only trying to help,” Mandie replied.

“We think if one knows how the other one feels, we might be able to make them realize they're wasting their lives apart,” Joe explained.

“And make them realize that they do still love each other,” Sallie added.

Uncle Ned smiled. “Pray Big God help. Been tried before.” “Tried before, Uncle Ned?” Mandie asked.

“I try. Listen, but do nothing,” the old Indian replied. “Too stubborn.”

Dr. Plumbley stood up again. “I really must go. Abraham is probably waiting for me to eat with him.”

“Won't you please take this ruby?” Uncle John tried again, standing up beside the big man. “It's rightfully yours. And it would give me great pleasure to be able to carry out Ruby's wishes.”

“No, thank you, Mr. Shaw, but I couldn't accept such a gift,” the doctor told him. “I appreciate your kindness, and I hope we remain friends.”

“Of course we'll always be friends,” Uncle John assured him. “This has nothing to do with our friendship. We want you to feel welcome at our house here at any time.”

“Yes, Dr. Plumbley, you must come back to visit us,” Elizabeth insisted. “It is our good fortune to know a friend of John's sister, Ruby.”

“Thank you, ma'am,” the doctor said. “Thank you very much. I will come again. And if y'all are ever up in New York, please let me know, and come to visit with my wife and me.”

Mandie's blue eyes lit up. “Uncle John, could we go to New York one day?” she asked. “I've never been there.”

Uncle John smiled down at her. “One of these days we'll just have to take a trip up there,” he said.

Dr. Plumbley turned to go.

“When are you leaving town, Dr. Plumbley?” Joe asked.

“If my brother is getting along as well tomorrow morning as he has been, I plan to return to New York tomorrow,” the doctor said. “I have enjoyed being with you young people especially.”

“Thank you, sir,” Joe said.

“We've enjoyed getting to know you, Hezekiah,” Mandie said. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

The Negro doctor smiled with a sad expression in his eyes. “Will you talk to Abraham?” Sallie asked.

“Yes, I will talk to him. You young people work on Jenny,” he said, leaving the room. “Good night and thanks.”

After seeing the doctor to the front door, Uncle John returned to the sunroom and sat down. He turned the ruby over in his hands. “What am I going to do with this?” he asked, looking at Uncle Ned.

“Maybe Elijah, brother of Samuel, need,” the old Indian suggested.

“That's an idea. We'll find out what his circumstances are and see if we can help him,” John agreed.

“Ruby would be disappointed if she knew Hezekiah wouldn't accept the ruby, wouldn't she?” Mandie said.

“I imagine so.” Uncle John nodded. “I just wish there were some way to get him to take it.”

“Ruby must have had a very warm heart to have given him something so valuable,” Elizabeth remarked.

Uncle Ned smiled sadly. “Ruby good all way through,” he said.

“Maybe we can figure out some way to carry out Ruby's wishes,” Mandie suggested.

“But what about Jenny?” Joe asked.

Mandie walked over to her mother and put her arm around her. “Mother, is Jenny cooking supper right now?” she asked.

“Well, not exactly cooking. Since this is Sunday, she's probably warming up what was left over from our noon meal,” Elizabeth replied.

“Let's go see what she's doing,” Mandie told Joe and Sallie.

The three young people rose and started to leave the room.

“All of you get washed up first, so you'll be ready to eat,” Elizabeth told them.

They hurried upstairs, hastily cleaned up, and raced back down to the kitchen, where Jenny was stirring two pots of food at once on the big iron cookstove. Jenny saw them come in and quickly turned back to the stove.

Joe strode up behind her, trying to look into the pots. “Jenny, something smells delicious!” he exclaimed.

“Git out of here,” she snapped. “I ain't got no time fo' no foolishness.”

“What we want to talk to you about is not foolishness. It's just plain common sense,” Mandie said.

The cook didn't reply. She just kept stirring the pots.

“Jenny, this food smells awfully good,” Joe complimented her. “Why don't you take some of this nice-smelling food to poor old Abraham out there all alone in his little house?”

“Git!” Jenny hissed.

“We don't want to git,” Mandie told her. “We want to stay right here and talk to you until you get supper on the table.”

“Well, you ain't, Missy,” Jenny said, turning to look at her, “ 'cause I'll go git Aunt Lou to git you out of here.”

“You don't want Aunt Lou to hear what we're going to talk to you about, do you?” Joe asked.

“Ain't nuthin' to talk 'bout,” Jenny said, still stirring the pots.

“I don't think there's been enough talking done. That's what's wrong with things now,” Mandie said. “If you and Abraham had really talked things over, you wouldn't be living here alone in the house and him alone out there in the little cottage.”

“Ain't none of yo' bidness.” Jenny slammed a lid onto one of the pots.

“We're only trying to help you,” Mandie insisted.

Sallie looked directly into Jenny's eyes. “Abraham still loves you,” she said.

Jenny stopped stirring.

“He does,” Sallie assured her.

Jenny slammed the lid onto another pot and said, “No, he don't!”

“But he does still love you a whole lot, Jenny,” Mandie argued.

“Now, how y'all knows dat?” Jenny asked.

Joe smiled. “We have ways of finding out things.”

“What ways dat be?” Jenny asked.

“We talked to Abraham,” Mandie said.

“And he done tol' you dat?”

“He didn't have to say it,” Mandie said. “We could tell.”

Just then one of the pots on the stove started to boil over. Jenny quickly turned back to the stove and slid the pot off the burner. “Y'all gwine t' cause me t' burn up de supper, and den you won't have nuthin' t' eat tonight,” she grumbled.

“We'll help you watch it,” Joe said. Picking up a large spoon, he began stirring one of the pots. “Oh, Jenny, these beans are starting to stick.” He grabbed a towel nearby and pulled the pot off the burner.

Mandie tried to get back to the subject. “Jenny, don't you love Abraham?” she asked. “You must have loved him when you married him.”

Jenny turned around and put her hands on her slim hips. “Y'all git out of here,” she demanded, “or y'all ain't gwine t' have no supper.”

“You might as well give in,” Joe teased. “It's three against one.”

Jenny busied herself at the stove again. “Go ahaid and talk. You ain't gittin' no answers.”

“Didn't you take the vows, ‘till death do us part,' when you married Abraham?” Mandie persisted. “You're not living up to your part of the bargain.”

“And don't blame it all on Abraham,” Joe added.

“Maybe there were some misunderstandings on both sides,” Mandie added.

Jenny kept stirring the pots vigorously.

“Everybody has faults,” Mandie reminded her. “Nobody is perfect. So we need to forgive each other and wipe the slate clean.”

Sallie rested her hand lightly on Jenny's shoulder. “Abraham is so lonely out there in that little cottage all alone,” she said softly. “He does not even have anyone to talk to out there.”

Jenny glanced at the Indian girl.

“Really lonely,” Sallie added.

Silently, Jenny began removing the pots from the stove. Joe rushed to help her, and then she started taking dishes down from the cupboard.

“And you must be lonely all alone up there in that little room,” Mandie said. “It's just not right for a man and his wife to be separated.”

Jenny slammed the dishes down, but fortunately they didn't break. She turned quickly to face Mandie. “You listen here now! It better a man and his wife live apart than to live together and fuss and fight!” she said vehemently.

“Did y'all fuss and fight?” Mandie asked, taken aback.

“It was all one-sided fussin' wid dat Abraham doin' it all,” Jenny replied. “I wouldn't belittle myself to fuss back. I jes' up and left.”

“Then we'll have to talk to Abraham,” Joe said.

“Don't do no good to talk to dat man. Too stubborn,” Jenny said, taking down more dishes.

“That is what my grandfather said—that Abraham is stubborn,” Sallie confirmed.

Mandie smoothed her blonde braid. “We'll have to find a way to break his stubborn streak.”

“Den y'all go do dat and leave me alone,” Jenny told them.

The three young people looked at each other and smiled. Maybe Jenny was listening to them after all.

“Let's run over there and see what Abraham is doing,” Mandie suggested.

“Fine,” Joe agreed. “As long as we get back in time for supper.” “Supper be ready in a minute,” Jenny warned them.

“We'll hurry,” Mandie said.

They rushed out the back door and over to Abraham's little cottage.

Abraham came to the door and allowed them to come back to the kitchen where he and Dr. Plumbley were preparing their supper. “What y'all be wantin'?” he fussed.

“We want to see Dr. Plumbley for a minute,” Mandie said. She stood on tiptoe to speak into the doctor's ear. “We've been talking to you-know-who,” she whispered.

Dr. Plumbley nodded and continued setting the table.

Mandie turned to the gardener. “Abraham, we've been talking to Jenny, and we found out she still loves you,” Mandie said.