The Mandie Collection (9 page)

“Yes, I can see there is,” Dr. Woodard said, piling his plate high, and turning to Joe who kept his eyes glued on Polly. “Joe, dig in, boy.”

“Oh, yes, sir,” Joe answered and began filling his plate, still stealing glances at Polly who was openly staring at him also.

“Where are you from, Dr. Woodard?” Bayne asked him.

“We live near where Amanda comes from, in Swain County,” he answered between mouthfuls of green beans and cornbread. “Had to come to Franklin on some business and just thought we'd drop in to see how she was getting on.”

“You know that Uncle John died?” Mandie questioned.

“Died? Why, no, I hadn't heard. When? What happened?” Dr. Woodard asked.

“He died right after I came here,” she told him. “He was in Europe.”

“It was very sudden, Doctor, from what his lawyer told me, and he was buried overseas,” Mr. Bond added.

“Well, I'm very sorry to hear that,” the doctor replied. “Your ma and sister are fine, Amanda. I saw them at the store yesterday.”

“Oh, Dr. Woodard, please don't tell them where I am!” Mandie begged, as she quickly studied the doctor's face. “You—you haven't already, have you?”

“Well, as a matter of fact, I have, Amanda. But, now don't you worry. It's all right with your ma, if you want to stay here—but then, what's going to happen now that your uncle is gone?”

“You
told
her?” Mandie felt betrayed.

“Yes, I had to. There was a posse out looking for you all over Nantahala Mountain after you ran away from the Brysons. Just happened you had written Joe where you were going,” Dr. Woodard told her. “I didn't want to, Amanda, but I had to. Those men were wasting their time. But like I said, your ma doesn't care if you stay here. She told me so. Will you stay on here, now that your uncle is dead?”

“Yes, I will,” Mandie replied. “Mr. Bayne Locke says he is my uncle's nephew and Mrs. Snow says she is his niece. But, we haven't found the will yet, so we don't know what he left to whom.”

“Well, that's a nice kettle of fish. Can't find the will, eh?” The doctor continued eating as he turned to Mr. Bond. “Say he has a will to be found yet?”

“That's right. His lawyer believes it's somewhere in this house but we haven't turned it up yet,” Jason Bond told him. “And until we do, nothing can be settled.”

Dr. Woodard turned to Bayne Locke and Mrs. Snow.

“I don't recollect Jim and John Shaw having any other living close relatives,” he told them.

“That's because my mother, who was John Shaw's sister, Martha, died when I was born,” Bayne told him.

“When you were born? Now, let me see, you must be twenty-two or twenty-three?”

“Twenty-two.”

“Well now, twenty-two years ago I was in school with Jim Shaw and he didn't have a sister. As a matter of fact, I had known the family probably four or five years before that.” The doctor was emphatic about this.

“Sorry, but he did have a sister and I am her son,” Bayne Locke smiled crookedly at the doctor.

The doctor grunted his disapproval and turned to Mrs. Snow. “And you claim to be a niece? He didn't have any niece except Amanda here.”

“Well, I don't know who you think you are, but I guess I know who I am.” Mrs. Snow jumped up from the table and threw down her napkin. “Come on, Ruby, we have things to do.” And they left the room in a hurry.

“Guess she's mighty sensitive about it,” Dr. Woodard mumbled.

“You're absolutely right, Doc,” Jason Bond told him. “I know these people are not kin to John Shaw, none of them excepting Amanda here, but I got to get proof before I can put them out. And that proof should be on the way any day.”

Mandie finally noticed that Joe and Polly were staring at each other. Thinking they were both just being shy, she tried to start a conversation. “Joe, you just ought to see all the nice clothes Aunt Lou has made for me since I came here.”

“Clothes? Aunt Lou? Oh, yes,” Joe turned and smiled at her. “I see you have on a new frock. It's awfully pretty.”

“Joe, maybe Dr. Woodard would let you visit with us for a while. We have this huge house with all these rooms and all this food,” Mandie began.

“Could I, Dad?” Joe turned to his father and watched Polly out of the corner of his eye. “Could I stay here till you come back next week? Please?”

“Well, I don't know about that. There isn't any—”

“Please, Dr. Woodard!” Mandie begged.

Jason Bond tried to help her. “He's welcome, Doc, if he wants to stay. Like Amanda said, plenty of room and plenty to eat.”

“What about clothes? What did you bring with you?” his father asked.

“You said we were going to be in Franklin two or three days, so I brought a change of everything,” Joe replied. “Please, Dad.”

“All right. I'm not sure what your mother will say, but I reckon it'll be all right,” his father finally agreed.

“Whee!” Polly spoke at last and jumped up. “Let's show Joe around—all over—you know.”

Mandie understood the “all over” to include the tunnel and she quickly left the room with them.

Joe, who inadvertently found himself between the two girls, was speechless with all the finery and rooms in the house, and most of all, the story about the tunnel. Mr. Bond still had the key and Mandie had to return to secretly ask him for it. He smiled and handed it to her.

Curious about the tunnel, Joe was glad that his father had allowed him to stay to visit; but Mandie wanted to talk to him alone and it was near suppertime before she had a chance. Mr. Bond went with Polly to her house next door to get more clothes and
Mandie promptly asked Joe to sit in the swing on the front porch with her.

“I sure miss school, with you and everything, Joe,” she told the boy.

“Me, too, Mandie. I never go over to your mother's house anymore, but I heard that Irene is getting seriously involved with Nimrod,” Joe told her.

“Nimrod! Oh, well, they are two of a kind!” she laughed. “Joe, have you—do you ever—that is, were you ever up at my father's grave since I left?”

Joe reached over and took her hand in his. “Yes, I've been up there several times when I was with Dad in the neighborhood. I've tried to keep it cleaned off. And once in a while, I find some flowers growing along the way and I put them on his grave.”

“Thank you, Joe!” She reached over and kissed him on the cheek. “You're the only real friend I ever had.”

Joe blushed and squeezed her hand. “You, too, Mandie. You know, we will grow up someday. And I still plan on looking out for you.”

“Oh, Joe!” Mandie became shy.

Polly came around the corner of the house suddenly and broke the spell.

“Goodness gracious! Holding hands!” she teased, as she stood in front of them.

Mandie and Joe both blushed then and the boy nervously watched Polly as she went into the house. Mandie caught the look and sensed some feeling between Joe and her friend, and wise beyond her years, did not give away the fact that she was upset over it. After all, Joe was going to be around until the next week. And after all, she had known Joe all her life and she was sure she came first with him.

CHAPTER NINE

UNCLE NED'S MESSAGE

The messenger Mr. Bond had sent to Lawyer Wilson's office returned early one morning, tied his horse to the hitching post at the road and came to the door to give his report.

“Morning, Jason,” he said as Mr. Bond opened the door. “I jest got back and came straight hyar.”

“Come in, Daniel,” Mr. Bond greeted the man. “Come on into the kitchen and I'll see if we can't rustle up a cup of coffee.”

“That would be nice, Jason,” Daniel said, following him into the kitchen where Jenny, the cook, was washing the breakfast dishes.

“How about some coffee and something to eat with it for my friend here, Jenny? We'll just sit right here,” Mr. Bond told her as they sat down at the table where the hired help ate their meals.

“Sho, Mr. Jason, comin' right up,” Jenny said, bustling about.

“Did you have a good trip, Daniel?” Jason asked, as the man eyed the food being placed before him.

“Well, Tiddlywinks throwed a shoe smack-dab in front of old man George's mansion and that was lucky 'cause his smithy put on a new 'un right then and thar. Otherwise, I tended to my bisness and had to wait fer Lawyer Wilson to come back to town,” Daniel told him. “Then when he did git back, didn't do no good. He ain't never heerd of this hyar man, Locke, or that thar woman, Snow. Said they probably thought they could worm their way into some easy money.”

“Well, that's exactly what I figured. I didn't believe a word of their stories. Now, what did he say I should do about it?” Jason Bond asked.

“Hyar, he writ you a letter.” Daniel pulled out a folded envelope from his shirt pocket.

Jason took it, withdrew a letter on the lawyer's stationery, and read parts of it out loud. “ ‘Just leave things alone for the time being and I will begin a thorough investigation in order to get the proof we will need to evict them from John Shaw's house.' ”

“Sounds like you gonna hafta put up with 'em a whit longer, eh?” Daniel gulped down the last of the strong coffee.

“I 'spec so. We'll have to do things legal-like so there won't be no repercussions,” Jason agreed. “Dad-gum, I was hoping I could put them out in the street when you got back. Well, reckon I'll have to wait.”

“They been causin' you any trouble?” Daniel asked.

“Not really. It's just that I don't trust them and I can't keep them in my sight all the time.”

“Does the girl keep a lookout on 'em, too?”

“Yeh, Mandie and Polly follow them around some—that is, when they're around. I sorta figure Mandie has decided not to trust
me
either. She won't talk about things anymore. And we've got Doc Woodard's boy staying here for a few days from over in Swain County. The girls are more interested in him right now than in our impostors.”

“Well, I gotta be ramblin' on home 'fore Sadie hyars I'm done back and ain't come home yit.” Daniel rose and turned to Jenny. “Thet was right good, Jenny—good food.”

“Yessuh,” Jenny replied, smiling.

“You comin' back to town on Saturday?” Jason asked as he led the way to the front door.

“Yeh, reckon I'll have to git some things from the store,” Daniel answered, walking on out to his horse.

“Stop by and I'll have the money then to pay you for the trip,” Jason told him.

Daniel waved and was off down the road on his horse.

Mandie and Polly came out the front door while Jason still stood there on the porch. Joe was close behind them.

“Well, 1see Mr. Daniel got back,” Mandie remarked.

“Yep, and Lawyer Wilson don't know nothing atall about these people we got staying here,” Mr. Bond told her.

“Does that mean you can make them leave?” Polly asked.

“Nope, he's got to do some investigatin' first.”

“Well, I hope it won't take long,” Mandie said.

Mandie remembered this was the night that Uncle Ned was supposed to return with his information on the Snows and Bayne Locke. She also knew tomorrow was the day that Polly's mother was supposed to return home, and she was glad because jealousy had sprung up between the two girls over Joe. Not a word had been said, but each one sensed it. Mandie had been subconsciously possessive of Joe from the first day he had smiled at her, and she always felt he had eyes for her only.

Joe was attracted to Polly, but he did his best to remain loyal to Mandie. Polly was attracted to Joe and did nothing to disguise the fact.

“We're going over to my house, Mr. Jason. Mother is coming home tomorrow and I have to tell the cook,” Polly told him, as the three went on down the front steps.

“Well, be sure you get back in time for supper,” the old man called after them.

Polly bounded along the lane to her house. “Can't wait to see what Mother brings me.”

“Is this the first time your mother ever went off and left you?” Joe asked.

“She didn't exactly leave me. I didn't want to go, so I persuaded her to let me stay with Mandie. I've always gone on trips with my mother, but this time I just didn't want to go. Too many interesting things going on,” Polly told him. She turned to Mandie. “We sure fell down on our job of finding the will, didn't we?”

“Yeh, but it's bound to be somewhere. It will eventually be found,” Mandie said.

“If we could only find the way into the tunnel from inside the house!” Polly sighed.

“Let's try again tonight. Three heads are better than two,” Joe suggested.

“All right, except it'll have to be real late, because Uncle Ned is coming as soon as it gets dark,” Mandie warned.

“Uncle Ned is coming? How do you know?” Joe asked.

“Because I sent him to Richmond to find out about Bayne Locke and this is the night he said he'd be back. He never fails to keep his word,” Mandie assured him.

“Can I see him, this time? Please?” begged Polly. “You always tell me about him but I've never seen him.”

“Oh, he's just a real old Indian,” Joe told her.

“He's also kin to me somehow. I told you I'm part Cherokee,” Mandie put in.

“That's right. I forgot you're an Indian papoose,” teased Joe. “That's not funny, Joe,” Mandie snapped.

“Sorry, Mandie, I didn't mean any harm. It's just that I can't get used to the fact that your father was half Cherokee,” he said, taking her hand in his, causing her heart to flutter.

“Well, you didn't answer my question. Can I see this kinfolk of yours, Mandie?” Polly tried to break the mood.

“I guess so. But you'll have to wait until I talk to him and tell him you want to meet him. Otherwise he'll run away if someone besides me shows up.”