Leppard, Lois Gladys - [Mandie 03] (6 page)

“I won’t give up. God will help us find him,” Mandie said as they walked slowly forward.

“Don’t say that too loudly, or we’ll get a few smart remarks from Tsa’ni,” Joe warned her.

“We’ll have to see what we can do about Tsa’ni,” Mandie said.

“I think he’s hopeless,” Joe replied.

“No one is hopeless, Joe. There is always hope,” Mandie argued.

As they neared the river, the ground was steep and covered with slippery green moss. Mandie, trying to look all around for any sign, was not watching her step. Suddenly, her feet went out from under her and she sat down hard. Snowball, frightened by the jolt, jumped free and ran into the weeds nearby.

Joe helped her to her feet. “Are you all right?”

Mandie laughed nervously. “I’m all right,” she said. “I should have been paying more attention to where I was walking. Oh, goodness, where did Snowball go?” she asked, brushing off the back of her skirt.

The two looked around quickly, but there was no sign of the white kitten. Tsa’ni did not notice their predicament and went on ahead.

Mandie searched the tall weeds. “Snowball! Kitty, kitty, kitty!” she called. “Come here, Snowball!”

The kitten meowed loudly. Joe and Mandie stood still to listen.

“He sounds either angry or hurt,” Joe remarked.

“This way, Joe,” Mandie said, turning to the left. “Sounds like he’s over this way—toward the river.”

She went on through the bushes, looking for the kitten, with Joe right behind her. The meow grew louder.

Then Snowball hopped out of the weeds in front of them. With his fur up, he meowed loudly.

“Snowball, you shouldn’t run off like that,” Mandie scolded. She stooped to pick him up, but he was too quick for her. He bounded into the bushes. Mandie and Joe followed. But as they came through the underbrush into the open area by the river, a terrible sight greeted them.

There on the sandy riverbank lay Uncle Ned on his back. His head was covered with blood. His bow and arrows were by his side.

Mandie, blinded with tears, rushed forward. She dropped to her knees at his side.

“Uncle Ned! Uncle Ned!” she cried, touching the still face. “Please, Uncle Ned, don’t be dead! Please speak to me, Uncle Ned! Oh, dear God, please don’t let him be dead!”

Joe knelt by her side and tried to find a pulse in the old man’s wrist. He held his hand over Uncle Ned’s mouth to see if he was breathing. He couldn’t feel a thing. Jumping up, he yelled for Tsa’ni.

“Tsa’ni! Quick! Here by the river!” Joe called.

In seconds the Indian boy came rushing through the bushes.

Mandie cried as she held Uncle Ned’s wrinkled hand in hers.

“Move, woman!” Tsa’ni ordered. He pushed Mandie aside to kneel by the old man. He, too, felt for a pulse and breathing with no results. “I am afraid he is very near death.”

Tsa’ni stood up and gave a loud Indian call for help. Dimar and Sallie quickly joined them. When Sallie saw the condition of her grandfather, she sobbed uncontrollably.

“We must get him out of here at once!” Dimar ordered.

“Oh, dear God, how? Show us how!” Mandie said through her tears.

At that instant a faint Indian call answered Tsa’ni’s. Speechless, the five young people looked at one another.

“God has sent help!” Mandie cried.

Tsa’ni gave a shrill whistle and again received an answer.

“Keep it up. Whoever it is will find us,” Dimar told him.

They all waited silently, listening for the response. Each time it grew louder.

Then suddenly, Uncle Wirt burst through the bushes, followed by Uncle John, Elizabeth, Dr. Woodard, and four young Indian braves from Deep Creek and Bird-town.

Mandie rushed to Dr. Woodard, grasped his hand and pulled him down beside Uncle Ned. “Dr. Woodard, quick!” she cried.

The others gathered around as the doctor carefully examined the old Indian. Dr. Woodard looked up. “He’s not dead, but he’s close to it,” he said gravely. “I cannot help him here, but if we don’t treat him immediately, he probably will not live.”

“We take him home,” Uncle Wirt told them.

“It would be better if we could get him to John’s house in Franklin,” Dr. Woodard said. “We could care for him better there.”

“Then we’ll take him to my house,” Uncle John declared.

Elizabeth put her arms around her daughter and tried to comfort her. But Mandie’s whole body shook as she sobbed. Uncle Wirt put his arm around Sallie. It was a sad moment, always to be remembered—Uncle Ned, the dear old man, lying there helpless, and close to death.

Uncle Wirt turned to the braves and spoke rapidly in Cherokee. The young Indians immediately unrolled the blankets they carried and prepared a hammock-type bed to carry the old man over the mountain. Gently lifting him, they placed him on the blankets. Each brave took hold of a corner and lifted him from the ground. The old man did not move or utter a sound.

“Speed is the important thing,” Dr. Woodard cautioned them. “We must get him to Franklin as quickly as we can.”

The braves nodded in understanding.

“Braves, run!” Uncle Wirt ordered. “Quick!”

Without hesitating a second, the braves took off through the bushes, carrying the old man. Mandie and Sallie tried to follow, but Uncle John held them back.

“Wait! We have horses up at the tracks,” Uncle John told them. “Since the braves left their horses, we’ll have enough for all of us to ride back home.”

“Braves run faster through woods than horses,” Uncle Wirt said.

“Yes, they’ll be there by the time we arrive,” Uncle John agreed. “Thank goodness Aunt Lou and Jason Bond can help.”

Mandie looked up at her mother. “Ever since we found the gold, Uncle Ned has said the gold was bad luck to the Cherokees, and now he may die because of it,” she said shakily. “Oh, how could we have been so greedy that we ignored his beliefs?”

Elizabeth held her daughter tightly. “Now, don’t blame yourself, dear,” she said. “The gold will eventually be a good thing for the Cherokees when we get the hospital built.”

“The gold is nowhere to be found,” Joe informed them as they all climbed the steep side of the ravine.

The adults stopped and stared.

“So the bandits got away with it!” Uncle John said angrily.

“Cherokee catch bad men,” Uncle Wirt vowed as the group hurried on up the mountainside.

Sallie looked up at Uncle Wirt. “Please catch the bad men who hurt my grandfather,” she said.

Uncle Wirt took her hand in his and squeezed it gently in reply.

Riding double on some of the horses, the group galloped off toward Franklin.

Mandie fought back the tears. “Please, God, don’t let him die!” she implored.

Chapter 7 - Mandie Keeps Watch

Uncle Med, bathed and dressed in a clean nightshirt, lay very still in a bedroom across the hall from Mandie’s room. Dr. Woodard tried everything he knew, but there was no improvement in the old man’s condition. Finally, he sent the braves to Deep Creek to bring back Uncle Ned’s squaw, Morning Star.

Everyone hovered around Uncle Ned’s doorway, waiting for some word.

“I have an idea he was thrown out of the train car and landed on his head,” Dr. Woodard told them. “I can’t find any broken bones, though. Now that his head has been washed, you can see that there are several large cuts in the scalp.”

Mandie tugged at the doctor’s hand. “Dr. Woodard, will—will he—live?” she asked.

“Will he, doctor?” Sallie echoed.

“I don’t know,” Dr. Woodard replied. “Only the Lord knows that. I have done all I can. I’d say it’s up to the Lord now.”

Mandie noticed that Sallie was crying and gave her Indian friend a hug. Their tears mingled in love for the old man.

Sallie pulled Mandie across the room with her to the bed where her grandfather lay. “We will stay with him,” she managed to say.

“Yes, and we will pray.” Mandie said. “I know God will heal him.” She held her friend’s hand and they knelt by the bed.

“I think we should all pray. Come on,” Elizabeth told the others. She led the way into the room and knelt behind the girls. Only Tsa’ni remained outside in the hallway. Aunt Lou, Liza, Jason Bond, and Jenny joined the others. The room was soon full of people on their knees, praying for Uncle Ned to be healed, and thanking the Lord that he had lived so far.

As the group became silent and got to their feet, Dr. Woodard spoke. “We must arrange a schedule now. He shouldn’t be left alone, and I have other patients I must see now.”

“I am not leaving Uncle Ned, not for one second,” Mandie declared.

“Neither am I!” Sallie told them.

“But you were up all of last night, and you only ate a snack while Dr. Woodard was working with Uncle Ned,” Elizabeth objected. “You two girls didn’t even take a good bath when you changed clothes. You’ll be Dr. Woodard’s patients next if you don’t take care of yourselves.”

Mandie shook her head angrily. “No, no, no! I won’t leave him! He would never leave me! I love him!”

“I know. I know, dear,” Elizabeth said. She tried to put her arm around Mandie, but the girl pulled away. “Let’s go take a nap and then you can come right back,” her mother suggested.

Mandie stomped her foot. “No! I am not leaving this room!” she cried.

Elizabeth looked at her husband in despair.

“Mandie,” Uncle John said firmly. “I know how much you have grown to love Uncle Ned since your father died and how Uncle Ned has been watching over you—”

Mandie wiped at her tears with her apron.

“—but we cannot permit you to throw a temper tantrum like this.”

Mandie felt badly for the way she had acted and began to cry softly. Dr. Woodard understood the situation and stepped forward. “John, may I make a suggestion? Why don’t you let Mandie and Sallie rest in here tonight?” He pulled one of the big, plush armchairs to the side of the bed. “That way, they can keep watch and still rest a little, too.”

John thought for a moment. “Well, I suppose that would be all right. Elizabeth?” His wife nodded.

Dr. Woodard pulled a second big chair to the other side of the bed, and the girls scrambled into them. Snowball hopped up beside Mandie and curled up in a corner of the big seat. Joe took his place behind the big chair as if watching over both Uncle Ned
and
Mandie.

Elizabeth looked at John again. Mandie was her daughter, but she didn’t know how to discipline her. They had never even met each other until a few months ago. She hardly knew how to be a mother. John, sensing how Elizabeth felt, and knowing Mandie didn’t normally act like this, put his arm around Elizabeth and moved her toward the door.

“All right, girls,” Uncle John told them. “We are going to get some sleep, but we’ll be back. If you get too sleepy, Aunt Lou or Liza will take over for you.”

Mandie jumped up from the chair and ran to put her arms around her mother, wiping tears from her face.

“Mother, I’m sorry.” Her voice was trembling. “I love you. I do. It’s just that I love Uncle Ned, too, and I have to stay here and wait. I want to be here when God heals him,” she said.

Elizabeth squeezed her tightly. “I understand, dear. You and Sallie get comfortable in the chairs. We’ll be back later.”

As Mandie went back to her chair, John turned to Uncle Wirt, Joe, Dimar, and Tsa’ni, who was watching them from the doorway. “Come on, Uncle Wirt, boys,” he said. “Aunt Lou will show you some rooms where you can rest.”

Joe started to leave with the others, but quickly returned to Mandie’s side.

“Do you want me to stay with you?” he asked in a low voice. “I can lie down on the rug there.”

“Thank you, Joe,” Mandie told him. “I appreciate your offer, but why don’t you come back after you sleep?”

Joe squeezed her hand and started to go. “I’ll be back soon,” he promised.

Out in the hallway, Dr. Woodard gave John a slip of paper. “Here are the names of the patients I’ll be seeing,” he said. “If there is any change in him at all, send for me immediately. Otherwise, I’ll be back as soon as I can. I’ll plan on spending the night here.”

“You don’t really think there is any hope for him, do you?” John asked.

“Well, as I said in there, it’s up to the Lord now,” the doctor replied. “He does still work miracles.”

“I know. We’ll all be praying for him.”

After everyone was settled, Aunt Lou and Liza went down to the kitchen.

“We’se gotta git my chile somethin’ to eat, Liza,” Aunt
Lou told the young black girl.

“Think that Injun man gonna live?” Liza asked.

Aunt Lou whirled on her heels. “Liza, don’t you let me hear you talk like that agin,” the old housekeeper said firmly. “That man is Mister Ned what loves my chile and watches over her. And you don’t go callin’ him Injun man no more. You hear that?”

“Yessum,” Liza replied, looking down at the floor.

Aunt Lou pushed through the kitchen door. Jenny, the cook, was stirring something on the big iron cookstove.

“Jenny, I wants two trays loaded with some of everything you got in this kitchen,” the big woman ordered.

“Two of everything, Aunt Lou?” Jenny frowned.

“Yep, two of everything you’se got cooked already, that is,” Aunt Lou said. “Right now!”

“Yessum!” Jenny answered. Taking two trays from the shelf over the stove, she placed dishes on them and called for Liza. “Here, Liza, help me fill these up.”

Aunt Lou supervised as Jenny and Liza opened each pot on the stove and dished up its contents.

“Now, I wants a pitcher of sweet milk,” the big woman told Jenny.

“Who all’s gonna eat all dis stuff?” Jenny asked, filling the milk pitcher as ordered.

“Jest my chile, and that other poor li’l girl and that smart little cat,” Aunt Lou said. “He’s the one what found Mister Ned. You oughta heerd what kind of troubles they done gone through.”

“Yessum. Miss Amanda done told me ’bout them creatures what wrecked the train—look like ghosts,” Liza told her.

“Well, shake a leg, girl. Them chillen’s hungry.” Aunt
Lou picked up one tray and Liza got the other one.

“I don’t ’member them sayin’ they’se hungry,” Liza answered as she followed Aunt Lou through the doorway. “They done et one time since they got home.”