The Mandie Collection (54 page)

Mandie was really frightened then. People sometimes went crazy like that. “We'll go, mister. We're going right now. I've lost my kitten, but as soon as we find him, we'll leave,” she promised.

He just stood there pointing the rifle at them. Then suddenly he screamed in pain. Snowball had run up his back and was sticking his claws through the man's clothes. The man turned and twisted, trying to reach the kitten on his back.

The girls couldn't run away and leave the kitten.

Mandie began to yell. “Help, Joe! Help quick!”

“Help!” Sallie hollered.

Instantly Joe and Dr. Plumbley came running through the bushes.

Joe recognized the man and realized what was going on. Jumping behind the man, he grabbed the rifle. Then Dr. Plumbley knocked the man down with his fist.

“What are you doing here?” Joe demanded, holding the rifle over the man.

“Who are you, mister?” Dr. Plumbley asked.

The man didn't answer but lay there rubbing his jaw.

Snowball, frightened with all the commotion, ran to his mistress. Mandie picked him up and held him tightly.

“He's the man who was camping out in the old house on the rock pile,” Joe explained. Glaring down at the man, he demanded, “I asked you a question, mister. What are you doing here?”

“I wanta know what y'all doin' on my land,” the man said, managing to get to his feet.

“This is not your land,” Joe told him.

“Yes it is, too,” the man insisted. “Been abandoned by the Shaws all these years. I done staked a claim on it. Y'all git off my land.”

“Mister, you had better get one thing straight,” Dr. Plumbley said, shaking his fist in the man's face. “This is not your land and never has been, and if you don't get off of it in about one minute, I'll bust you good next time.”

The man, who was much smaller than the doctor, began to tremble. “I'll go,” he said, “but I'll need my rifle. I can't live without it to hunt with.”

Joe held the gun tighter. “If I give you back the rifle, you'll shoot us all.”

“I won't harm you,” the man promised.

“You just get out of here,” Dr. Plumbley ordered. “We'll take your rifle over to the boardinghouse when we get ready to leave. You can pick it up there. Now go, man!”

“I'm goin.' I'm goin' right now,” the man mumbled. He turned and stumbled into the bushes.

“He had been drinking, hadn't he?” Mandie asked Joe as they walked back to the area where they were digging up bushes.

“He sure smelled like it. Ugh!” Joe made a nasty face. “But that cat . . .”

“It wasn't Snowball's fault this time,” Mandie protested, hugging her kitten. “I know he ran away, but Sallie and I both felt someone watching us. That man was already there.”

“Yes, the kitten may have saved your lives by attacking that man,” Dr. Plumbley agreed. “He is one smart cat.”

“Well, anyhow, we'd better get on with our work,” Joe said, reaching for a bush to put back into place.

Once more Snowball escaped from Mandie's arms and ran straight to the hole and started scratching, throwing dirt all over Joe.

“Hey, Mandie, get that cat out of the way!” Joe hollered.

“All right.” Mandie hurried to pick up Snowball. The kitten tried to resist her. “I'm sorry he kicked dirt all over you, Joe.” She looked down at the hole he was going to put the bush in and blinked.

“Wait!” she cried. Stooping down beside the hole, she dug at the dirt with her hand. “There's something here!”

Joe quickly picked up the hoe and removed more dirt. Sallie and Dr. Plumbley crowded in to see what was going on.

With a clank, the hoe struck something. Joe dropped the tool and swept the dirt away with his hand, uncovering the top of a ceramic jar.

“We've found it! We've found it!” Mandie jumped up and down. “Yes, we have!” Sallie exclaimed.

Dr. Plumbley wiped the perspiration from his face. “Thank goodness!” he said.

Joe carefully pulled the jar from the hole in the ground. It came out whole except for the bottom, which had cracked off. He gently laid the jar down in front of Mandie. Everyone sat down to see what it was.

Mandie dusted off the dirt. “A cookie jar!”

“Be careful. It's broken,” Sallie cautioned.

Removing the lid, Mandie pulled out a faded piece of paper, which was wedged inside the jar.

Joe watched breathlessly as Mandie unfolded the paper. “I'll just give up if that's another map telling us to go somewhere else,” he moaned.

The handwriting was dim, and the paper was crumbling. They all leaned over it as Mandie read aloud, “ ‘Hezekiah and his grandparents are so poor. I know my father helps them, but I want to do my share, too.' ”

Mandie looked up at the doctor in amazement.

“Keep reading,” Joe urged.

Mandie continued. “ ‘Hezekiah wants to grow up and become a doctor, and I think he would make a good one. I want to help him. My father has so much money. We need to give a lot of it away. I found this ruby myself in my father's mine. Hezekiah wouldn't be able to get his education here in the South, but the ruby must be worth enough money to pay for a doctor's education in New York City. So I'll hide it here until Hezekiah is old enough to go up North and learn to be a doctor. “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required.” Luke 12:48.' ” Mandie's voice broke as she finished reading.

Tears flowed down Dr. Plumbley's black face. Everyone was silent for a moment.

“But where is the ruby?” Joe asked.

Mandie bent to look into the hole in the ground. Something glittered in the sunlight that filtered through the trees. She reached down and lifted the bottom of the ceramic jar, which held a huge ruby.

Mandie trembled as she reached for Dr. Plumbley's hand and tried to press the ruby into it. Her blue eyes clouded with tears. “It's yours, Hezekiah,” she whispered hoarsely.

“No, no, Missy,” the doctor protested. He pushed the stone back into her hand. “I can't take that.”

“But it was Ruby's, and she wanted to give it to you,” Mandie said, still offering the ruby to him. “I wish you could have had it before now to pay for your education.”

“It would not have been possible for me to take it back then, either, Missy,” he explained. “That is too valuable for someone to give away. You must give it to your uncle.” He took a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his eyes.

“But it's not my uncle's,” Mandie insisted. “It was Ruby's. She said in the note that she found it herself and that she was saving it for you. You have to take it, please.”

“Missy, I don't want to argue about it. Let's just give it to your uncle and let him decide what to do with it,” the doctor said.

“I know what he'll decide,” Mandie said. “He'll do what Ruby planned to do with it. I'll give it to him and you'll see.”

Dr. Plumbley rose and went back to working. “If we hurry and get those bushes replanted, I might get back in time for supper with Abraham,” he said.

“Don't worry about supper,” Mandie told him. “If it's too late to eat with Abraham, I'm sure my Uncle John will ask you to eat with us. And Jenny cooks wonderful meals.”

Dr. Plumbley stopped for a moment. “What are we going to do about Jenny and Abraham?” he asked. “Do y'all have any suggestions about how we can get those two silly fools back together? They are absolutely wasting their lives by staying angry with each other.”

“If they have been angry for forty years, I do not see a chance to bring them back together,” Sallie said.

“Maybe we could work on Jenny if you would work on Abraham, Dr. Plumbley,” Mandie suggested. “He's your friend, and he might listen to you.”

“I don't know,” the doctor said. “We've known each other ever since we were born, I suppose. But even though we did stay in touch through the mail, we've been separated a good many years. And Abraham's always been stubborn.”

Joe helped the doctor replant another bush. “Why don't we just tell them both what we think of them for their childish nonsense?” he said. “I believe in coming out with it, whatever it may be.”

“I would think that might cause them to become more stubborn if we criticized them,” Sallie cautioned.

“We could try. If that didn't work, we could think up something else,” Mandie said. “Maybe Uncle John knows more about it than Abraham told us.”

“Yes, let's do talk to your uncle,” the doctor agreed. “This worries me because I think so much of Abraham.”

“My grandfather probably knows all about it, but he never tells any of his secrets unless he is forced to,” Sallie reminded them.

“He might tell us something about this situation,” Dr. Plumbley said.

Joe stepped back and surveyed their work. “Looks good as new again,” he announced. “I don't think we harmed the plants any.”

“I think they will be all right,” said Dr. Plumbley. “Now, we must take the rifle back to the boardinghouse.”

“I forgot about that,” Joe groaned. “And here I am, starving to death.” He picked up the rifle where he had laid it.

“I'm anxious to show the ruby to Uncle John and Mother.” Mandie held Snowball tightly as she put the ruby and the note in her pocket.

Dr. Plumbley picked up the hoe. “I'll carry this,” he offered.

Heading back the way they had come, they crossed the road again and went inside the boardinghouse. Jud Jenkinson stood behind the counter in the store.

“Well, hello, young folks. Glad to see you again,” he greeted them.

Mandie introduced Dr. Plumbley. “He lived in the house that burned down here before yours was built. His grandparents died in that fire.”

Jud came out from behind the counter to shake hands with the doctor. “I'm pleased to make your acquaintance,” he said. “Do you still live around here, Doctor?”

“No, I've been in New York ever since my grandparents died,” Dr. Plumbley replied. “I have my own medical practice up there. I'm just
visiting my brother, Elijah Plumbley. He lives about ten miles down the main road from town.”

“I believe I've heard of him,” Jud said. “If you've been gone all these years, you probably found everything a lot different here in Franklin.”

“Just about everything.” Dr. Plumbley laughed.

“We've come to ask a favor, Mr. Jenkinson,” Joe said, laying the rifle on the counter. “This belongs to a wild man who says he's staking a claim to that old house on the rock pile across the road a ways. He threatened us with the gun for being on the land.” Joe's voice squeaked a little. “We managed to take the gun away from him, and we told him we'd leave it here. Would you mind giving it to him if he comes looking for it?”

“Why, I'll be glad to,” Mr. Jenkinson agreed. “But if you're talking about property within three miles of here across the road, it all belongs to the Shaws. Didn't you know that, Miss Mandie?”

“No, I don't know anything about Uncle John's property,” Mandie answered. “But Hezekiah—Dr. Plumbley here—said it used to be my grandfather's.”

The man nodded.

“Thanks, Mr. Jenkinson,” Joe said. “We have to be going now. That delicious smell of food from your kitchen makes me hungry, and it'll be suppertime by the time we get back to Mandie's house.”

“You're welcome. Y'all come back to see me,” Mr. Jenkinson called to them as they left.

Mandie set Snowball on her shoulder. “Now we have three things to ask Uncle John about,” she said: “the ruby, this crazy man, and Jenny and Abraham.”

They hurried along the dirt path back to Uncle John's house.

“I hope he has all the answers,” Joe said.

“If he does not know, my grandfather will know all about those things,” Sallie promised.

“If he'll tell,” Mandie added.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSINESS

“We found it! We found it!” the three young people cried, rushing into the Shaws' sunroom.

Uncle John, Elizabeth, and Uncle Ned halted their conversation abruptly.

“Look!” Mandie put Snowball down and hurriedly took the huge ruby out of her apron pocket. “This is what we found!” she exclaimed. “And here's the note that was buried with it.” She handed the ruby and the paper to Uncle John.

The young people dropped into chairs around the room, and Dr. Plumbley sat on the settee with Uncle John and Elizabeth.

John Shaw quickly scanned the note and examined the ruby. Elizabeth read the note aloud so Uncle Ned would know what was going on. A sad expression crossed Uncle Ned's wrinkled face.

“Imagine, burying a ruby like this!” Elizabeth examined the gem, then gave it back to her husband.

“Dr. Plumbley, I believe you have just inherited what looks like a perfect ruby,” John said, offering the ruby to the doctor.

Dr. Plumbley shook his head. “Oh, no, Mr. Shaw. I couldn't accept that. It wouldn't be right of me.”

“Oh, nonsense!” John replied. “It plainly says here that Ruby was saving it for you. I'd like to carry out her wishes. If she had lived, I'm
sure you would have had it long before now. And if my father had known about it, he would have made sure that you got it before he died.”

“But Mr. Shaw, Ruby wanted to keep that for my education. Like I told these young people, I got my education years ago, and I've long since repaid my aunt who financed it. I don't need it now,” the doctor insisted.

“That doesn't matter. It is yours. Ruby gave it to you. There was just a delay in your receiving it,” John said, once again holding the ruby out to him.

Dr. Plumbley stood up. “I'm afraid I must be going now,” he said. “Abraham is supposed to have supper ready for me. It has been a pleasure meeting all you good folks, and I hope to see you again.”