Leppard, Lois Gladys - [Mandie 03] (7 page)

“Et? They ain’t et enough to keep a bird alive. I knows when my chile is hungry. She don’t hafta tell me,” Aunt Lou said, climbing the winding stairway to the second floor.

As they entered Uncle Ned’s room with the trays, the two girls looked up.

“We’se brought my chile and her li’l friend some food,” Aunt Lou said quietly. Setting the tray on a table by Mandie, she motioned for Liza to take the other tray to Sallie. Aunt Lou filled two glasses with milk and set the pitcher aside.

“Now here’s enough milk for y’all and the cat,” Aunt Lou said, putting the glasses on each tray.

“But, Aunt Lou, we just ate not long ago,” Mandie protested.

“See what I done said? They jest et ’while ago,” Liza chimed in.

Aunt Lou scowled at Liza. “Liza, you jest hesh your mouth. These chillen’s gonna eat what we done brought ’em,” she said.

Mandie inhaled the tempting aroma of the food. “We’ll try, Aunt Lou,” she said.

“Liza, go git two pillows for these chillen so’s they kin curl up in dese big chairs and rest after they done et,” the old woman said.

“I be right back,” Liza promised, dancing quietly out of the room.

Sallie took a bite of fried okra. “The food tastes delicious, Aunt Lou,” she said.

“Jenny be a good cook,” Aunt Lou replied.

“Jenny is the best cook in the whole world,” Mandie added.

Liza danced back into the room with two frilly pillows. As the girls sat in the big chairs eating, Liza plumped up the pillows behind them. Snowball, for once too tired to eat, stayed curled up sound asleep in the corner of Mandie’s chair.

“Now, you chillen eat. We’se got work to do, but we’ll be back,” Aunt Lou said, waving Liza to the door.

Mandie set her tray aside and got up to give the big woman a hug. “Thank you, Aunt Lou. I love you.”

The old woman bent to hug her. “I loves my chile, too, and we’se all aprayin’ the good Lord spares Mister Ned’s life,” she said.

“Thank you, Aunt Lou,” Sallie replied.

“You go finish eatin’ now, Mandie,” Aunt Lou ordered. “We’ll be back.” She closed the door quietly behind them.

When Mandie and Sallie could eat no more, they pushed their trays aside and curled up in the chairs. In spite of their determination to stay awake, before long, both of them were sound asleep. Aunt Lou, knowing this would happen, slipped back inside the room and sat down near the foot of the bed to keep watch.

Chapter 8 - Prayer Changes Things

When Morning Star arrived during the night, she fell weeping upon her husband’s bed. Only Mandie and Sallie could calm her.

Mandie knelt with the old squaw and Sallie by the bed. “Morning Star, Uncle Ned is not going to die,” she said. “God is going to heal him.”

Morning Star couldn’t understand everything Mandie was saying, so Sallie translated it into Cherokee.

“God is testing our faith, Morning Star. We must put our faith in God to heal Uncle Ned,” Mandie continued. “I believe He will answer our prayers.”

As Morning Star calmed down, she took her husband’s hand and began to pray in the Cherokee language. Refusing to leave the room to eat or sleep, she stayed with Mandie and Sallie as they watched and waited.

Every day Dr. Woodard came to examine Uncle Ned. But on the third day he sadly shook his head. He turned to John Shaw who was standing nearby.

“I’m afraid we’re going to lose him,” the doctor said.

Hearing his words, Mandie ran to the bedside and began to cry. She grabbed the old man’s hands in hers and shook him.

“Uncle Ned! Uncle Ned! Come back to me. Please don’t die!” she cried hysterically, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Sallie knelt beside her grandmother to explain in Cherokee what the doctor had just said.

Morning Star looked up at Dr. Woodard. “God heal. No die,” she said firmly.

Uncle John tried to settle Mandie down. But as he reached to pull her hands away from the old man’s, Mandie cried out in joy.

“Uncle Ned! Uncle Ned, I knew you wouldn’t leave me,” she exclaimed.

They all hovered closely around the bed, astonished to see his eyes open. Uncle Ned looked directly at Mandie, then curled his fingers around her hand.

Dr. Woodard reached for the old Indian’s wrist, waited silently for a moment, then smiled. “His pulse is normal,” he announced. “God still works miracles.”

“Grandfather, I love you,” Sallie whispered.

Morning Star gently rubbed his forehead. “God heal,” she muttered.

Uncle Ned managed a slight smile for his wife and granddaughter. “Eat,” he said softly.

Everyone laughed and began to praise God. Aunt Lou hurried Jenny into making some hot broth for the old man. Before long Morning Star was holding his head and feeding him with a spoon.

Uncle Ned continued to improve a little bit each day. As soon as he was able, he told them what had happened to him. Propped up on his pillows, and with everyone gathered around him in great anticipation, he began his story.

“Ghosts ride horses,” he said. “Train stop. They unhook
train. Baggage car roll backward. Go off track. I jump out. Hurt head. Get water. No more remember.”

There were lots of questions, and the young people told him what they had been through. But no one knew what happened to the gold.

Several days later, when Uncle Ned was well enough to sit up in a chair, Mandie waited until everyone else was out of the room, and then came to sit on the rug at his feet. Leaning her head against his knee, she said, “Uncle Ned, I need to talk to you. Are you well enough to talk?”

He nodded and smiled. “Well enough to get up and go,” he said.

“I’ve been thinking a lot since you got hurt,” the girl began. “You know, the gold is all gone. I guess the bandits stole it. But you know what I think?” She looked up at him very seriously. “I think God took it all away from us because we forgot to tithe. We forgot to give Him ten percent of it.”

Uncle Ned was startled with her thinking. “No, no, no, Papoose!” he said anxiously. “Big Book say Big God throw blessings out window to people if people tithe.”

“But we didn’t tithe,” Mandie said.

“Then we no get blessings,” the old man replied. “But Big God not punish. Papoose find gold, but bad men take it away—not Big God.”

“Do you really think so? I’ve been so worried about it,” she said.

“So. Bad men take gold—not Big God,” the old Indian repeated. “Cherokee find bad men, get gold back for Papoose.”

“Oh, I hope we can get it back. I want so much to build that hospital for the Cherokees,” Mandie told him.
“And if we get it back, we will most certainly give ten percent of it to the Lord.”

The old man smiled and patted her blonde head. “Then we must watch so we catch. Blessings fall down on us from window up there.” Uncle Ned pointed upward.

Mandie felt better after her conversation with her dear friend. She knew Uncle Ned was right. And now that he was so much better she had time for her friends.

During those first trying days, Joe had more or less been her shadow, and of course, Sallie was always with Mandie and Uncle Ned. But it seemed that Dimar and Tsa’ni had done nothing but sit around and eat. Leaving Morning Star with Uncle Ned, Mandie decided to round up her friends. She found them all together in the parlor.

As Mandie entered the room, Polly Cornwallis, her friend from next door, rushed up and put her arms around her.

“Mandie, I was so sorry to hear about everything,” she said, shaking her black curls out of her eyes. “Mother and I have been in Nashville. We just got back this afternoon.”

“I’m glad you came, Polly,” Mandie told her. “Have you met all my friends?”

Whirling about to smile at Joe, Polly replied, “Yes, Joe just finished introducing all of us.”

“Well, then, since Uncle Ned is so much better, and Morning Star is staying with him for a while,” Mandie explained, “I thought you might all like to see the secret tunnel Joe and I have told you about.”

The others were on their feet immediately.

“Yes, yes,” Dimar answered.

“Oh, please,” Sallie chimed in.

“It would be interesting,” Tsa’ni said.

Joe came to Mandie’s side. “I’ll be the guide for you,”
he laughed as he led the way into the hall. “Hadn’t we better get the key from your Uncle John?”

Sticking her hand in her apron pocket, Mandie withdrew a large key and held it up. “I already have.”

Snowball bounced along under their feet as Joe led the way up the stairs to the third floor and into Uncle John’s library. The young Indians were fascinated with the beautiful house. They had never seen such a large mansion before.

Joe walked over to the heavy draperies in the corner of the room and pulled them aside, revealing a door. Mandie inserted the key and swung it open. Behind the door was a paneled wall. Pushing a latch, she waited for the panel to swing aside and then showed them steps going down.

Dimar was impressed. “That is very clever,” he said.

“I think so, too,” Mandie said with pride. “Uncle John said my great-grandfather built this house when the Cherokees were being moved out of North Carolina. He didn’t like the way they were being treated, so he had this tunnel built just for them. He hid as many Cherokees as he could in this tunnel until things became peaceful. It was about 1842 when the Indians moved out and set up their own living quarters,” Mandie explained. She turned to Tsa’ni. “That’s how my grandfather and my grandmother met,” she said. “He was twenty-eight, and she was a beautiful eighteen-year-old Indian girl. So you see, my family not only married Indians, they helped them survive when no one else would.”

Tsa’ni only tightened his lips and said nothing.

Sallie sighed. “What a beautiful romance!”

“Yes,” Mandie agreed. “My grandmother was Uncle Wirt’s sister, you know. So he is really my great-uncle.”

“Let’s go,” Tsa’ni complained.

Joe led them through the door to the steps. “It’s kind of dark in places,” he cautioned, “so be sure to watch your step.”

Snowball meowed at Joe’s feet. Joe picked up the cat and handed him to Mandie.

As they made their way through, Sallie and Dimar were thrilled, knowing the tunnel had once protected their people. When they finally emerged in the woods, almost out of sight of the house, they were really excited.

“What an adventure!” Dimar exclaimed, looking back to the exit door concealed by bushes.

Sallie turned to Mandie. “You know that my grandfather and my grandmother lived here at one time, don’t you?”

Mandie set Snowball down and the kitten rubbed around her ankles. “Yes, Uncle John told me. Morning Star and Uncle Ned came to live with them after my grandfather died. He said my father was only five years old then,” Mandie replied.

“My grandfather has never mentioned this tunnel to me,” Sallie said. “He lived here, so he must have known about it.”

“Your grandfather is the world’s greatest keeper of secrets!” Mandie laughed.

“The old people do not like to talk about the Cherokee removal, or anything that reminds them of it,” Dimar volunteered.

Tsa’ni changed the subject. “When are they going to look for the gold?” he asked.

Everyone stared at him.

“Who is going to look for the gold?” Joe asked.

“My grandfather and Mandie’s uncle are planning to,” Tsa’ni answered.

Mandie stood up straighten “The Cherokees put me in charge of the gold, so I will go with them to hunt for it,” she told them.

“So will I,” Joe put in.

“And I,” Sallie said.

Dimar was again admiring Mandie’s pretty blue eyes. “I also would like to go with you,” he said.

“Could I go, too?” Polly asked. “I’d just love to look for those creatures that stole it”

“Oh, Polly!” Mandie replied. “It won’t be fun. They were awfully dangerous looking.”

“Joe already told me about them,” Polly said. “Do you think I could go with you?”

“I suppose. You’d have to ask your mother and also my Uncle John,” Mandie said.

“Then let’s go find out,” Polly said, turning to go up the hill to the house.

The young people found Uncle John with Uncle Wirt and Elizabeth in the parlor. Not waiting for any greeting or explanation, Polly walked straight to Uncle John and asked, “Could I please go with y’all to search for the gold?”

Uncle John looked at her and then at the other youngsters.

“Do what?” he asked.

“You are making plans to hunt the gold, and everyone else is going, so I’d like to go. too,” Polly explained.

“Now wait a minute,” Uncle John said, addressing the anxious young people. “This business about the gold must be kept absolutely secret. No one is to know about it outside of our immediate group here. If it got to be public knowledge, we’d have half the country out here
looking for it. We’d never find it. Do you all understand?”

They nodded in agreement.

Mandie sat down on a low stool near her uncle. “But, are we going to look for it?” Mandie asked.

“Uncle Wirt and I will,” John answered.

“But, Uncle John, I am responsible for the gold. My Cherokee kinpeople put me in charge of it, so I must go, too,” Mandie pleaded.

“It’s too dangerous,” Uncle John told her.

“I’m not afraid,” Mandie protested. “I have to find it so I can give ten percent of it to the Lord, and we can receive His blessings.”

“You can give the ten percent after Uncle Wirt and I find it,” he reasoned.

Just then Snowball came into the room and jumped into Mandie’s lap. That gave Mandie an idea. “I have to go so Snowball can go,” she said. “Remember, he was the one who found Uncle Ned. Maybe he can help us find the bandits.”

No one dared to laugh.

“Amanda, darling,” Elizabeth said gently, “I want you to stay here with me to help take care of Uncle Ned. Please.”

“But, Mother, Uncle Ned said we must find the gold so we can tithe,” Mandie told her. “And he can’t go, so I have to.”

Uncle John finally relented. “All right, you youngsters can go with us to the wrecked train car, but I don’t make any promises after that,” he told them. Turning to Joe, he added, “If we get that far we’ll stop at your father’s house, Joe. He must be home by now.”