The Mandie Collection (36 page)

Dimar and Tsa'ni, already dressed, rushed downstairs.

Mandie stuck her head out of the room. “We'll be right down!” she called.

Hearing the noise, Joe's mother came out of her room and hurried to investigate. Joe followed her down the steps.

Mandie pulled her dress over her head. “Just think, we've almost caught up with them. It won't be long now,” she said.

“I wonder how my grandfather knew where they are,” Sallie said.

“Yo' grandfather know everything, Miss Sallie,” Liza told her. “He got eyes in de back of his haid.”

The four girls laughed, and hurriedly finished dressing.

“This is getting exciting,” Polly squealed. She turned her back for Liza to button her dress. “Let's hurry.”

“Bring your bags,” Mandie told them. “Joe said we had to go.” She snatched Snowball from the bed, grabbed her bag and rushed out of the room. The others followed.

Mandie led the way as the girls raced down the stairs. Then suddenly there was a scream and Polly tumbled down on top of
the others. Mandie, Sallie, and Liza managed to catch themselves, but Polly fell several steps before she could stop.

The pain showed on her face. “Oh, I must've broken something!” she wailed, rubbing her ankle.

Dr. Woodard rushed to the stairway and examined the girl's foot.

He shook his head. “It looks like you've got a nasty sprain in that ankle,” he said.

“Oh, no!” Polly moaned.

The doctor picked her up, carried her down the steps, past the anxious faces below, and set her on a chair by Morning Star.

“Sprained ankle,” he said to John. “Let me get my bag.”

The doctor quickly bathed Polly's foot in a strong-smelling liniment. As he began to bandage her ankle, the girl winced with pain.

“You won't be able to walk on that for a few days,” he told her.

“Of all the luck! What will I do?” Polly asked.

Morning Star patted her hand and said, “I take home.”

“Home? But I don't want to go home. I want to see those bandits when we catch them!” Polly protested.

“I'm afraid you'll have to go home, or else stay here a few days 'till it heals,” the doctor told her. “It will be a miserable trip back over the mountain.”

“I am sorry, Polly,” Sallie told her. “My grandmother will help you to get home.”

“But I don't want to go home,” Polly argued. She turned to Uncle John and asked, “Can't I go on with y'all?”

“Polly, I'm sorry but I don't think that would be a good idea. Your ankle will be painful for a few days, and we may be going into a rough part of the woods,” he answered. “Morning Star will be going back to my house and you can go with her. I'll send Liza back with you, if you like.”

When Liza heard this, her mouth dropped open. Here they were, getting near the bandits, and now she would have to give up the
excitement to go home with Miss Sweet Thing. Like Miss Amanda said, why did they ever bring her in the first place?

After a quick breakfast, Mandie and Liza talked out in the yard.

“I jest don't like dat girl,” Liza grumbled, throwing her blanket over the pony. “And now here she breaks up my tea party.”

Mandie grinned at her friend. “I'm glad she has to go home. You'll be doing me a favor, getting her out of my way,” she said.

Liza tossed her head and laughed. “Yeh, I guess you be right, Missy. I'll take dat Miss Sweet Thing right back home so she can't chase yo' Mister Joe no mo'. But she oughta not acome in the first place. She ain't nothin' but trouble.”

Mandie avoided Polly until the Indians were ready to leave. Then she waved good-bye as Polly rode off with Morning Star, Liza, and the two braves. She stared after them for a long time, relieved to see Polly go. She knew she was jealous and shouldn't be happy over her friend's misfortune, but she kept telling herself it was better this way. After all, Polly had her own accident. Mandie had nothing to do with it.

Some time later, loaded with food and good wishes from the Woodards, the group, led by Uncle Wirt and Uncle John, once again continued their journey. Joe stayed close to Mandie, with Snowball on her shoulder, and Sallie and Dimar rode right behind them. Tsa'ni brought up the rear as usual.
There is something wrong with that boy
, Mandie thought.
He always stays far behind the rest of us. He doesn't talk much and what he does say is argumentative. Why did he even come along?

Uncle Wirt took a shortcut he knew—up mountainsides, down inclines, across rivers, and through thick underbrush. Mandie began to wonder if they'd ever get there. Suddenly an Indian on horseback appeared out of nowhere and waited on the trail ahead of them.

Mandie squinted in the bright sunshine. Instantly, a big smile spread across her face. Digging her heels into the sides of her pony, she raced around the men ahead of her. She ignored their yells to slow down. Nothing could stop her. Catching up with the
Indian rider, she got close enough to grab one of his wrinkled old hands.

“Uncle Ned! Uncle Ned!” she cried. “What are you doing out here? We left you in bed.”

The old man smiled at her and said, “Gold bad luck. Come see gold not make bad luck for Jim Shaw's Papoose. I promise him.”

Just then Sallie rode up, looking very concerned. The other men and boys gathered around too, demanding to know why the old Indian had left his sickbed and come riding through the mountains like this.

“No more sick,” Uncle Ned insisted. “Go find bad men.” He patted his bow and arrows slung over his shoulder, and slipped down from his horse. “But now, time to eat,” he said, finding a place to sit by the cool, tinkling stream.

Mandie sat down by him with her food, while Snowball curled up in the grass at her feet. “I've been thinking about what you told me, Uncle Ned—about tithing,” Mandie told him. “God must be giving us blessings in advance. So much has happened. Tsa'ni was not killed when he fell off the railroad tracks. And you didn't die when the baggage car crashed. We have a lot to be thankful for already. Can there possibly be more?”

“Big God love Papoose,” the old man said. “She ask. He answer.”

“Yes, I'm thankful for all the prayers He has answered,” Mandie said. “And I pray that this chase will soon be over. We have to get the gold back so we can make our tithe.”

Mandie sat staring at the clear, sparkling stream as Joe came up to join them. “Did Polly get home all right, Uncle Ned?” he asked.

“Yes, foot big,” the old Indian answered, holding up his hands to illustrate. “Sore.”

“I imagine it had swelled pretty badly by the time she got home,” said Joe. “Too bad she got hurt and couldn't go the rest of the way with us.”

Mandie fought the jealousy that rose inside of her. “I don't think Polly should have come in the first place,” she said. “She's not used
to this kind of life. She has been brought up in town as a lady. She can't take the rough ordeals we get into sometimes.”

“Oh, give her a chance,” Joe argued. “She has to learn.”

“Well, this was too long a trip for her to learn on. Let her learn something somewhere else,” Mandie retorted.

“Mandie!” Joe exclaimed. “You ought to be ashamed of yourself talking about your friend like that.”

“She's no friend of mine!” Mandie shot back.

“Mandie!” scolded Joe.

Uncle Ned smiled, looked at the two of them, and said, “Papoose got jealous streak for Joe.”

Mandie's face turned red as Joe whirled to look at her. Grinning, he said, “Is that so, Mandie? Then you must think more of me than I thought you did.”

Mandie jumped up and headed toward her pony. “It's time to go,” she called back, picking up Snowball on her way.

Joe ran to catch up with her. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he turned her around to face him.

“Mandie, you don't have to be jealous of Polly,” he said. “She's just a friend, that's all.”

Mandie shook free from his grasp. “Oh, yeh,” she replied sarcastically. She mounted her pony.

As the others got ready to move, Sallie rode up beside Mandie. Having witnessed the scene between Joe and Mandie, she tried to relieve the tension. “I would like to ride beside you, Mandie, so we can talk,” she said.

“Of course, Sallie. Come on.”

Riding off behind the men, the two girls talked back and forth about nothing in particular, but carefully avoided the topic of Joe. Finally Mandie decided to tell Sallie about the school in Nashville. She hadn't said a word about it to anyone else. She was hoping that somehow she wouldn't have to go.

“Sallie, do you know what my mother is planning?” she asked. “She is planning to send me away to school—far away from home.”

“Oh, Mandie!” Sallie cried. “You will have to leave all your friends and your nice home?”

“Right. Mrs. Woodard gave me some papers for Mother,” Mandie explained. “Mother had asked her to find out about a place called Miss Tatum's Finishing School, way out in Nashville.”

“Do you have to go?” the Indian girl asked.

Mandie brushed a branch out of her way. “I don't know,” she replied. “I told Uncle John I didn't want to. He said we'd talk about it with Mother when we got home. I don't want to leave all my friends and family to live at some school where I don't know anyone. That name sounds silly anyway. Imagine going to a ‘finishing' school. Everyone would laugh at me.”

“I would not laugh at you. I would feel sorry for you,” Sallie told her. “Why can you not go to school in Franklin where you live now?”

“That's what I asked Uncle John, but he said they didn't teach some things my mother wants me to learn. I can't imagine what things they are, but I know I'd rather go to school at home where my friends are,” Mandie said.

“I have heard that some of the girls enjoy going to these schools away off,” Sallie told her. “They make new friends.”

“I don't want to leave my mother and Uncle John and Liza and Aunt Lou and everybody. I'd even have to leave Uncle Ned. He couldn't come to a girls' school to watch over me,” Mandie said.

“You do not know my grandfather,” Sallie laughed. “He promised to watch over you, and nothing will keep him from doing that.”

“It would be a hardship on him. He'd have to find a place to stay in Nashville. He couldn't very well stay at the school, and it'd be too far away for him to go back and forth,” Mandie replied. She looked at her friend pleadingly. “Please hope and pray that I won't have to go.”

“I will,” Sallie promised. “Now I understand why you have been so upset since we got to Doctor Woodard's house.”

“Upset? You mean you could tell it?” Mandie asked.

“Yes, you have not been as cheerful as usual,” Sallie answered. “I believe you hurt Joe's feelings back there, but I understand now.”

Mandie's eyes widened. “Hurt
Joe's
feelings?
He
got mad at
me!
” she said defensively.

“Did he? I think
you
caused the problem by criticizing your friend, Polly,” Sallie told her bluntly. “Of course, it's none of my business, but I hate to see my friends angry with each other.”

“You think I caused it?” Mandie asked, trying to remember exactly what she and Joe had said.

“Yes,” Sallie replied. “I heard my grandfather say you were jealous, and I agree with him. Think about it, Mandie. You and Joe have been close friends all your lives. Suddenly Polly meets Joe and decides she likes him, too. That is enough to make anyone jealous.”

Mandie frowned in bewilderment. “Then, what should I have said or done?” she asked.

“Just ignore Polly's attitude toward Joe,” Sallie advised. “She will become disenchanted sooner or later. I think she is only flitting about. She is not serious about anyone or anything. That is just her personality. Some people are like that.”

Mandie knew her friend was right. “Thanks for your advice, Sallie,” she said. “I guess I have been mean, and I'm really sorry. I'll have to do something about it.”

At the next rest stop, when they dismounted, Mandie walked over to Joe, smiled apologetically, and reached for his hand. “Joe, could we take a little walk?” she asked.

Joe was happy to see his friend smile. “Sure, Mandie,” he replied with a big grin. “Let's walk down the stream a little ways.”

They strolled silently for several minutes, then stopped to watch the tiny cricket frogs hopping along the edge of the stream.

As they stood close together, Mandie faced Joe and swallowed with difficulty. “Joe, please forgive me for acting like I did about Polly,” she said. “I'm really sorry. I won't do it again.”

Joe turned to face her, and smiled. “It's all forgiven, Mandie. I understand,” he told her. “I've been riding next to your Uncle John.

He told me that you were upset because they were thinking about sending you away to school. I don't blame you. I'd be upset, too. In fact,
I'd
just plain rebel.”

“Oh, Joe, it would be awful to leave everyone and go away by myself to some strange place with strange people,” she told him, petting Snowball on her shoulder. “I just couldn't stand it.”

“I'm sorry, Mandie. If I can do anything to help you out, I will,” Joe promised. “I don't want you to go away either. I'd hardly ever get to see you.”

“I know. I'd probably only get to come home for holidays, and there aren't many of them,” Mandie said. Tears glistened in her blue eyes. “I just don't know what to do.”

Joe pulled the bandana from around his neck and wiped away her tears.

“Don't cry, Mandie. We'll think up some way to get out of it,” he said. “Maybe when your mother sees how you feel, she won't make you go.”