The Mandie Collection (66 page)

“No light?” the Indian asked.

“No, Uncle Ned,” Mandie replied. “Our lantern is out of oil.” Celia touched Mandie's arm. “Aren't there any of those new electric lights down here like there are upstairs?” she asked.

“I don't know,” Mandie said, looking around. “If there are, there would be a string hanging from a fixture on the ceiling.”

The group searched each room for any indication of electric lights, but they found none.

“Now, why would they have electric lights upstairs and none down here?” Joe wondered.

“They haven't had the lights upstairs very long,” Celia replied. “They put them in since we came to school here in Asheville, and I seem to remember something about having to raise more money to wire the basement.”

Mandie sighed in disappointment. “You're right, Celia,” she said. “I remember now, too.”

“What do you use for light when you're in the basement at night, then?” Joe asked.

“I don't think it's ever used at night,” Mandie answered. “There are so many rooms upstairs that they don't really need it.”

Uncle Ned spoke up. “Where door?” he asked, putting his sling of arrows over his shoulder again.

When they showed the door to him and Ben, Uncle Ned felt around in the darkness. “Here knob hole,” he said. “Notches inside.”

“You see, there's no way to open it,” Celia said.

“Never say no way anything,” Uncle Ned replied. “Always way.” He took one of his arrows from his sling, felt for the hole, and carefully inserted the tip of the arrow into it.

The young people and Ben hovered around, trying to see in the darkness. Uncle Ned slowly twisted the arrow, and they heard the click of the latch withdrawing in the lock. Carefully pulling on the door by the arrow in the lock, the old Indian gradually eased the door open.

Everyone gasped.

“But that door was locked!” Mandie exclaimed. “We couldn't turn the lock, remember?”

“It certainly was,” Joe agreed. “And all Uncle Ned did was turn the latch and it opened. Someone has been playing tricks on us.”

“You mean somebody locked it and then later unlocked the thumb latch on the other side?” Celia asked in disbelief.

“I guess so,” Joe replied.

“Get coats,” Uncle Ned urged. “Ben lock window.”

Ben hurriedly latched the window as the young people started up the stairs.

Joe's foot kicked something, and he bent to pick it up. “Here's the other doorknob,” he said, holding it out to Uncle Ned.

“Leave here. Must hurry,” Uncle Ned urged.

When they all got upstairs, they found their coats just where they had left them in the last pew at the back of the sanctuary.

Celia hurriedly slipped into hers. “Thank goodness no one took our coats while we were trapped down there!” she exclaimed. “Oh, this feels nice and warm.”

“Wait a minute,” Mandie cried as Joe helped her into her coat. “If the front door is locked, how are we going to get out of here?”

They all stopped and looked at each other, realizing Mandie was right.

Joe ran to try the front door. “It's locked, all right,” he said, shaking his head.

“Is door in back?” Uncle Ned asked.

“You mean a back door?” Mandie replied. “I don't know. I don't think I've ever noticed. Let's go see.”

They hurried to the back.

“I know where it is,” Celia suddenly remembered. “It's in the back of the pastor's study. I remember seeing it once when the door to the study was open.”

“And the pastor keeps his study locked,” Joe reminded them. “Why would the back door be in the pastor's study?”

“His study was probably made out of the end of the hall. See?” Mandie pointed to the room down the hall. “And the door was probably already there.”

“Oh, give me a country church anytime. These city churches are made too complicated,” Joe moaned.

“Must go down, out window,” Uncle Ned decided.

“Now, how's we gwine do dat?” Ben asked. “I almost didn't fit through dat window a-comin' in.”

Mandie smiled. “Ben, if you fit coming in, you'll fit going out,” she teased.

Uncle Ned led the way back down to the basement room where he and Ben had come in. “I go first,” he said. “Then Ben. Be up there, help papooses get out. Doctor son last. Help papooses up. Take coats off and push through window.”

They understood his plan. The old Indian gave Joe his bow and arrows and quickly scooted through the window. Joe handed the Indian's things back to him; then Ben started through. It took some squirming
and twisting, but he made it all right. The young people removed their coats and pushed them through the window to the men above.

“Mandie, you go first,” Joe suggested. “Then you can help Celia get out.”

“All right,” Mandie agreed, climbing onto the chair to reach the windowsill.

“When I get hold of your feet and push, you grab Uncle Ned's hands up there,” Joe instructed.

Mandie did as she was told and soon found her feet firmly planted on the ground outside the window. She breathed a great sigh of relief.

Celia climbed through with no problem and then Joe followed, handing Uncle Ned the worthless empty lantern. He reached back inside to slam the window shut, hoping the latch would catch. It did.

Hastily putting on their coats in the bright moonlight, the young people ran out to the rig with Uncle Ned and Ben.

Mandie looked up into the old Indian's face. “How did you know we were here, Uncle Ned?” she asked.

“I go to school. Aunt Phoebe see, tell me Papoose at Grandmother house. I tell her I go to Grandmother. Aunt Phoebe not wait for Papoose now,” the Indian explained. “On way to Grandmother, I see rig in front of church. Ben sleep. I know about bells. I know Papoose near.”

“Then you heard us hollering our heads off,” Mandie said with a nervous laugh.

Uncle Ned reached out and took her small hand in his old wrinkled one. “Papoose, what been doing?” he asked.

Mandie and the others related the night's events to Uncle Ned as they stood around the rig. They told him about all the strange things that had been happening to them since they started investigating.

“Papooses must be careful,” Uncle Ned cautioned. “Sometimes bad people 'round.”

“We'll be careful,” Mandie promised. “Are you coming on to my grandmother's with us now?”

“No, Papoose. Must go. Horse wait under tree.” He waved his hand toward a horse tethered under a bare tree across the cobblestoned street. “I come again. Remember—Papoose must think,” he said. “Always think first, then do things.”

“I'll try to remember that, Uncle Ned,” Mandie promised.

“I promise Jim Shaw when he go to happy hunting ground that I watch over Papoose, but Papoose must learn to watch, too,” the old Indian reminded her.

“I love you, Uncle Ned,” Mandie said, rising on her tiptoes to give him a quick hug. “I'll be careful.”

Uncle Ned hugged Mandie in return, then hurried across the street to his waiting horse.

The young people piled into the rig. Ben picked up the reins, and they waved to the old Indian as he mounted his horse and rode away.

When the rig started off, Celia looked up at the clock in the steeple. “It's twenty minutes till eleven!” she exclaimed.

Mandie frowned at Joe. “I don't remember hearing the bells ring while we were in the church,” she said, “but I know we got there before ten o'clock.”

“You're right. They didn't ring,” Joe said with a puzzled look on his face.

“No, they didn't,” Celia agreed.

“More and more mystery,” Mandie said. “We've just got to solve this thing before forty-'leven hundred more things happen.”

“Well, right now I imagine your grandmother and my father are beginning to wonder where we are,” Joe told her.

“I know,” Mandie said. She was more worried about going back to face the adults than she was about all that had happened to them that night.

CHAPTER SEVEN

BACK TO SCHOOL

Mrs. Taft and Dr. Woodard sat waiting in the parlor when the young people returned from the church.

Hurriedly hanging their coats on the hall tree, the three went to sit on stools near the blazing fire. They were cold from the weather and the fright they had just had as well as from the ordeal of now relating their adventure to the adults. Mandie picked up Snowball, who was curled up asleep on the hearth rug, and began to pet him.

Mrs. Taft had Ella serve hot cocoa. She and Dr. Woodard listened without interrupting as the three told of the events of the night. They raised eyebrows and gasped at some parts of the story but waited until the young people had finished. Then Mrs. Taft scolded them.

“I'm sorry, Grandmother,” Mandie said, “but we didn't intentionally get locked in.”

“No, I don't suppose you did,” Mrs. Taft answered. “However, I shall have to speak to Ben. He should have stayed right with you all.”

Dr. Woodard cleared his throat. “That could have been an unsavory character who locked you in,” he said. He turned to Mrs. Taft. “Do you think they should just stop all this investigating business?”

“Oh no, please!” Mandie pleaded. “We have to find out what's going on.”

Mrs. Taft thought for a moment. “I suppose it would be all right if they only go in the daytime—and if Ben stays right with them. But no more night adventures.”

The three young people looked at each other.

“I won't be here tomorrow night anyway,” Joe conceded. “We have to go home after church tomorrow.”

“And we have to go back to school tomorrow afternoon,” Celia added.

“We may not have time to do anything else about the mystery now, anyway,” Mandie said with a sigh.

“It's late now,” Mrs. Taft said. “You all get upstairs to bed. Tomorrow is Sunday, and we all have to get up early and go to church.”

The young people started to leave the room and Snowball followed.

Mandie turned quickly and ran back to Dr. Woodard. “We've been so wrapped up in what happened to us that we forgot to ask about Hilda,” she said. “How is she, Doctor Woodard?”

“About the same. No better. No worse,” he replied.

“Is she going to just stay that way?” Mandie asked. “Isn't she ever going to get better?”

“We hope she will, Amanda,” Dr. Woodard replied. “Like I said before, it's up to the Lord.”

Mandie turned to the others. “Don't forget Hilda in your prayers tonight,” she said.

Early the next morning, everyone was up, rushing around to get ready for church. At breakfast, Dr. Woodard announced that there was still no change in Hilda's condition. The nurses remained at her bedside around the clock, but Mandie felt frustrated that no visitors were allowed.

As they all piled into the rig to go to church, Mrs. Taft spoke quietly to the driver. “Ben, I need to have a little talk with you sometime this afternoon,” she said.

“Yessum, Miz Taft.” Ben looked nervous.

Mandie leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “Don't get so worried,” she said. “It's nothing really bad.”

Without a reply, Ben picked up the reins and drove sedately to the church. He always left Mrs. Taft at her church and then drove on to his own down the road, picking up Mrs. Taft again after services were over.

As the group stepped down from the rig, Mrs. Taft looked back at her driver. “Now, please don't be late, Ben,” she said. “We're in a hurry today.”

“Yessum, Miz Taft,” Ben answered, muttering to himself as he drove off.

Once inside the church, they all went to their Sunday school classes. Mrs. Taft's was at the rear of the main floor, and Dr. Woodard visited the men's class in a side room nearby. As the young people headed down to the basement for their classes, the first thing they noticed was the doorknob securely fastened to the door at the bottom of the stairs.

“I can't believe my eyes!” Mandie exclaimed in a whisper.

“It seems that whoever is doing these things around here comes back to reverse whatever happened,” Joe remarked. “First the
Help!
banner and now this doorknob. . . .”

“Maybe the person is sorry afterward,” Celia suggested.

“They're going to be sorry when we finally find them out,” Mandie promised. “The house of the Lord is no place to play games like this.”

Celia and Joe agreed.

After Sunday school, the young people went upstairs and joined Mrs. Taft and Dr. Woodard in the family pew for the preacher's message. Mandie was happy that the two big stoves in the sanctuary were roaring with fires to warm the whole room. How different from last night, she thought.

As soon as Reverend Tallant stepped up behind the pulpit, he mentioned the mysterious goings-on in the church. “We have not been able to remove the writing from the back wall of the church yet, but we should have that accomplished tomorrow,” he began. “Now, however, we have another complaint. It seems that neighbors living nearby heard the organ playing here in the sanctuary along about midnight. Someone notified the sexton, Mr. Clark, and he came down, looked around, and found nothing.”

The minister paused momentarily while latecomers were being seated. “Mr. Clark said he had gone through and locked the door at ten o'clock,” Rev. Tallant continued. “Everything was all right then.”

The three young people looked at each other.

“Ten o'clock?” Mandie whispered. “He certainly didn't check the basement then because we were locked in down there before ten, and it was twenty minutes to eleven when we got out.”

Celia nodded.

“You don't know what time we got locked in,” Joe whispered. “The bells didn't ring at ten o'clock, remember?”

Dr. Woodard nudged his son and shook his head.