The Missing Book (7 page)

“We couldn't possibly eat all that cake,” Mandie told her, giggling.

As soon as the door closed behind Mrs. Shaw, Joe said, “I'm glad she didn't catch me in the middle of what I was going to tell y'all.”

“Oh, Joe, hurry up and explain,” Mandie urged him.

Joe began talking in a low whisper. “As I said, since I am the doctor's son, I learn lots of things. What I was going to tell y'all was that Mrs. Lester had a baby last night—”

“Joe!” Mandie interrupted.

Both girls stared at him in astonishment. That topic was not discussed between boys and girls. It was considered improper.

“All right, if you don't want to know what happened, I won't tell y'all, but you said you did want to know,” Joe replied, frowning at them.

“All right, we'll listen, you do the talking,” Irene answered.

“Like I just said, Mrs. Lester had a baby last night and it died,” Joe replied.

The two girls were shocked again.

“Why? Why did it die?” Mandie asked.

“My father said it came too early, wasn't supposed to get here until June, and this is just March,” Joe said, his expression grim.

“Oh, how awful!” Mandie exclaimed, tears flooding her eyes.

“I didn't know Mrs. Lester was going to have a baby,” Irene said. “Are you sure she did?”

“Yes, I am. My father discusses all his cases with my mother, and sometimes I hear the conversation,” Joe replied. “And I heard everything about Mrs. Lester.”

“That explains why the Lesters weren't at church,” Mandie said.

“Tommy never told me a word about his mother going to have a baby,” Irene said, frowning.

“Irene, it would not be proper for him to tell such things,” Mandie reminded her.

“Now with all this happening, my father won't be able to take Mrs. Chapman to Tellico for her interview this week,” Joe said.

“Your father was going to take her?” Mandie asked.

“Yes, he was going to visit some of his patients over there and had offered to take Mrs. Chapman and Faith along,” Joe replied.

“Faith is going with her grandmother? She'll miss school if she does,” Mandie said.

“Mrs. Chapman told my father she wanted Faith to see the place and to be satisfied that she would want to move over there, just in case she gets the job,” Joe explained.

“Then how is Mrs. Chapman going if your father can't take them?” Mandie asked.

“I don't know yet,” Joe said, finally swallowing a big mouthful of chocolate cake and washing it down with coffee.

Mandie thought for a moment. “Maybe my father could take her.” Then she added with a grin, “And just maybe I could go with him.”

“Amanda Shaw, you know Mama won't let you miss school like that,” Irene reminded her.

“Well, I could always ask,” Mandie said.

As soon as she got the right opportunity she would ask her father. She had never been to Tellico, and if she could go with them, she would know where her friend would be living in case Mrs. Chapman got the job. A small consolation for having her friend move away, but Mandie would take it.

7

Waiting

THE NEXT MORNING when Joe met Mandie at the road to walk to school, he had news.

“Did you ask your father about driving Mrs. Chapman and Faith to the interview?” he asked, taking Mandie's books to carry.

“No, I haven't had the right chance yet,” Mandie replied.

“Well, you don't have to ask,” Joe said as they walked down the road. “My father has asked Mr. Miller to take them, and he can also do some errands for my father while he is over there. They are leaving tomorrow, the interview is Wednesday, and they'll come back Thursday.” Mr. Miller and his wife worked for Dr. Woodard and lived on his property.

“I suppose my father wouldn't have gone anyway,” Mandie said, disappointed by the decision.

Faith was waiting for them at the crossroads. Mandie noticed that she was unusually excited.

“We're going to Tellico tomorrow,” Faith told them.

“I know. Joe just told me,” Mandie replied, feeling guilty that she could not be excited about this journey.

“I appreciate your father's allowing Mr. Miller to take us,” Faith said to Joe as they walked on toward the schoolhouse.

“My father didn't think he could be away right now with Mrs. Lester still not doing very well.”

“I felt so sad when my grandmother told me about the baby,” Faith said. She tossed back her long dark hair.

“I suppose they will be having a funeral,” Mandie said.

“They had a private service late yesterday after we left your house, Mandie,” Joe said
.

Irene caught up with them. “Who do you think is going to be the class poet?” she asked, falling in step.

“Not me. I don't want to be it,” Mandie said.

“I'm guessing Joe will get it,” Irene said, glancing at him.

“No, I don't want to be class poet either,” Joe told her. “Maybe Faith.”

“No, leave me out of that,” Faith said. “We all have to vote, so who are y'all voting for?”

“I haven't decided yet,” Mandie said.

“If none of us really wants to win it, then why don't we decide among us who to vote for?” Joe said.

“How about Esther?” Faith said. “I thought her poem was good. Remember, it was about the birds in her mother's flower garden?”

“All right then. Let's all vote for Esther and she will probably get it,” Joe replied.

“I will vote for her if it's all done privately so no one will know who voted for whom,” Irene said. “I don't especially like that girl, and this will probably give her more reason to act uppity if she wins it.”

“She has my vote,” Joe stated.

“And mine,” Mandie added.

As they arrived at the schoolhouse, the four agreed to keep their decision secret.

When Mr. Tallant called the roll that morning, Mandie noticed that Tommy Lester was absent. He was probably grieving over the loss of his little brother or sister. No one had said whether it was a girl or a boy.

“We will now vote for the class poet,” Mr. Tallant said, looking around the room. “I had thought about some class discussion on the poems written, but I don't believe we will have time for that. We'll just go ahead and vote. I'm sure you all remember what was read in class.”

Mandie glanced at Joe, Faith, and Irene, and they all smiled.

The schoolmaster continued, holding up a stack of small papers. “I have pieces of paper for you to record your vote.” He walked over to Leland, who sat at the desk nearest his, and handed the papers to him. “Leland, take one and pass the stack on down the line, each person taking one piece of paper.”

As soon as everyone had one of the papers, Mr. Tallant explained, “Now I want you to write the name of the person you are voting for on your piece of paper, fold it once, and line up around the room and drop your papers in the basket on my desk.”

“Yes, sir,” came from around the room.

Mandie carefully wrote “Esther Rogan” on her paper, folded it, and got in line.

When all the votes had been cast, Mr. Tallant said, “Now I want you all to write down the names as I call them from these papers, and we'll see who received the most votes.”

Mandie kept count and then turned to grin at her friends.

“The winner is Esther Rogan,” Mr. Tallant announced. “Esther, will you please come forward?”

“Me?” Esther mumbled, rising from her desk. “I won?”

Then everyone began applauding and Esther became even more surprised.

“Up here, Esther,” Mr. Tallant said as the applause finally died down. And when she finally got up to his desk, he said, handing her a large piece of paper, “Here is the certificate showing that you are class poet for the rest of the year.Your duties will consist of writing poems for the holidays and any special occasions we observe. Also, for the last day of school, during our closing ceremony, I'd like you to write a poem and stand and deliver it to the class and our visitors.”

“Me, do all that?” Esther was still shaken up.

Mr. Tallant smiled. “It's easy. I'll help you.”

As Esther returned to her desk, she mumbled, “But I didn't think my poem was that good.”

Everyone laughed and then clapped. Esther finally joined in the laughter as she sat down.

Mandie let out a long breath and was silently thankful that she had not won.

After school was out for the day, Mandie and Joe walked with Faith to the crossroads.

“We will probably be back Thursday night, and I will see y'all at school on Friday,” Faith told Mandie and Joe as she started to go on her way.

Mandie didn't speak but quickly hugged Faith and then turned to go on down the road toward her house.

As soon as they were out of sight of Faith, Joe said, “Mandie, Mrs. Chapman will probably get that job, so you might as well get used to the idea.”

Mandie walked faster. “I know, I know, but I won't get used to it. I don't want Faith to move away.”

Joe kept up with her and was silent until they came to the pathway leading to her house. He handed her books to her. “I'll see you in the morning.” He turned to go back up the road toward his house.

“Yes,” Mandie said, taking the books and hurrying down the pathway to her house.

She was trying hard not to cry. She didn't want Joe Woodard to see the tears in her eyes. “Oh, why can't Faith and her grandmother keep on living here at Charley Gap?” she mumbled, almost stumbling over Windy, who was coming to meet her. Mandie snatched up the kitten and held her so tight, she protested with a loud meow as Mandie carried her into the house.

For the next three days, Mandie didn't have much to say to anyone. She anxiously awaited her friend's return. Joe walked back and forth to school with Mandie, but he didn't talk either.

Finally Friday morning came, and Mandie was standing at the road, waiting for Joe. He came, walking fast, and she hurried forward to meet him.

“Did Mr. Miller bring them back last night?” Mandie asked anxiously.

“Yes, but I have not talked to Mr. Miller or to Faith and her grandmother. I don't know anything,” Joe said.

“Then Faith will probably be at school today. Come on. Let's hurry,” Mandie urged him as she walked faster.

They got to school early. Mandie waited and watched as everyone else arrived. Finally the bell rang and they had to take their seats. Faith had not shown up. Mandie listened as Mr. Tallant called the roll, and when he got to Faith's name, there was no answer.

“Faith Winters,” Mr. Tallant repeated as he looked up from his desk.

Suddenly the door opened and Faith rushed inside, threw off her coat and hat, and hurried to her desk.

“Glad you got back, Faith,” Mr. Tallant said, and continued with the roll.

Faith looked across the room and met Mandie's gaze. She smiled and Mandie felt her heart flip. If Faith was happy, that meant her grandmother had the job.

When the bell rang for recess, Mandie grabbed her lunch pail and rushed outside. Joe caught up with her and they sat on a log in the yard. She kept expecting Faith to join them.

Finally Joe spoke. “Faith is not eating with us. She is catching up on her assignments with Mr. Tallant and then will be going back home.”

Mandie frowned. “How do you know?”

“I didn't rush out as fast as you did. I heard her talking to Mr. Tallant,” Joe replied, biting into his ham biscuit.

“Did she say—” Mandie stopped and squeezed her biscuit in her hand.

“No, she did not say whether Mrs. Chapman got the job, at least not where I could hear. She asked Mr. Tallant to give her the assignments she missed because she was going back home,” Joe said. “Seems her grandmother needs her for something or other this afternoon.”

“Well,” Mandie said, sighing.

Mandie and Joe were not sitting near the schoolhouse, and when Faith finally came outside she waved to them as she started down the trail to the road. “We got it!” she called with a big smile, but kept going.

Mandie almost choked on the bite of biscuit in her mouth. She swallowed it whole as she tried to blink back the tears in her eyes. She wouldn't look at Joe as she hastily put the rest of her food back in her pail.

Joe was silent.

When the bell rang to go back inside, Mandie stood up, shook out her long skirt, and took a deep breath as she picked up her lunch pail.

Joe, trying to lighten her mood, teased as they walked back toward the front door, “Do you still think I have a secret?”

Mandie frowned. “Are you going to tell me what it is?” she asked.

“Now, I didn't say I had a secret. I asked if you still
thought
I had one,” Joe corrected, laughing.

“Why mention it if you're not going to tell me what it is?” Mandie asked as they stepped inside the schoolhouse.

“Now, that would be another secret in your opinion, wouldn't it?” Joe said, grinning as he went to his desk.

Mandie stomped her foot and went to sit down. Of course Joe Woodard had a secret. And she had not given up on trying to find out what it was. It was just that so many things were happening, she had not had time to really think about it.

Later, as the two walked home from school, Joe said, “Today's Friday, so I suppose we won't be able to talk to Faith until Monday at school.”

“Mrs. Chapman got the job. Didn't you hear her?” Mandie asked, not looking up at him.

“I heard her say that, but we still don't know all the details,” Joe replied.

“Why do we need details? Faith is flat-out moving away from here. That's all that counts. She's going away,” Mandie said loudly as she hurried on down the road.

Joe had to walk faster to keep up with her. “I'd like to know what the school looks like,” he replied.

“A school is a school,” Mandie said sullenly.

“But they're not all alike,” Joe said. “I suppose I could talk to Mr. Miller tonight and find out about things over there at Tellico.”

Mandie didn't answer.When they got to the pathway leading down to her house, she saw her father by the fence, talking to Mr. John Knight.

When Mr. Shaw looked up and saw the two, he came to meet them. “Mr. Knight here passed Mrs. Chapman's old house last night and he did see someone there—”

“He did?” Mandie interrupted.

“Yes, and I am telling you now not to go anywhere near that old house at any time, do you understand?” her father said.

Mandie took a deep breath. “Yes, sir, if you say so.”

“I say so, loud and clear,” Mr. Shaw said. “Until this matter is cleared up, I repeat, you are not to go anywhere near that house.”

“Yes, sir,” Mandie said.

Joe looked at Mr. Knight. “What did this person look like that you saw there, sir?”

Mr. Knight replied, “It was too dark to tell anything much, other than that he seemed to be tall and thin as Mrs. Clifton had said. I was just passing by on my way home and happened to look over into the yard. Evidently he also saw me, because he immediately disappeared behind the house.”