The Mandie Collection (2 page)

Celia pushed the door closed. “Put him down and let him get that mouse,” she said.

Mandie stooped down and gave Snowball a push under the bed. “Go get that mouse, Snowball.”

“We'se got to go now,” Aunt Phoebe told the girls. “We'se got work to do.”

“I got a message from your grandmother, Missy 'Manda,” Uncle Cal said. “She say to tell you dat Hilda's up walkin' round.”

Mandie stood up and clasped her hands in joy. She looked over at Celia and both girls smiled.

Uncle Cal continued. “Not long after y'all left, Hilda got out of bed.”

“Thank the Lord,” Mandie said excitedly. “I knew she was going to get well. You say she's well enough to walk around?”

“Dat what Miz Taft tells me to say to you,” the old man said, smiling. “She be up and wantin' sumpin' to eat.”

“I'm so glad!” Mandie exclaimed.

“She'll probably get to go home with you for Christmas, Mandie,” Celia said.

“Thank you, Uncle Cal and Aunt Phoebe,” Mandie said.

“Let me know what happens to dat mouse,” Uncle Cal told the girls as he and Aunt Phoebe left the room.

The girls hurriedly put away their small things—ribbons, gloves, handkerchiefs, and stockings. Then they took their school books out of their bags.

“We sure didn't get any studying done while we were at your grandmother's, did we?” Celia remarked.

“No, we didn't. I suppose we ought to brush up now on some of the things we're supposed to know for exams,” Mandie answered.

“Right. I need a lot of brushing up,” Celia said, rolling her eyes.

Sitting on the windowseat in their room, the two girls reviewed the lessons in their workbooks. Quarterly examinations would start any day now.

The big bell in the back yard of the school started ringing to beckon the students to supper. Making sure the door was tightly closed behind them, Mandie and Celia scurried downstairs to the hallway outside the dining room where the students assembled for meals.

When Aunt Phoebe opened the French doors to the dining room, the girls quietly hurried to their places behind their assigned chairs around the big table.

Miss Prudence came through the doorway on the far side of the room and went to stand at the head of the table. Picking up a small silver bell next to her plate, she rang it to get the students' attention. “Young ladies,” she said, “we are so happy to have you all back after that siege with the flu. And we're thankful we didn't have any permanent losses from it.”

The girls stood attentively, listening to the headmistress.

“We
have
lost quite a few days from school because of the flu, and now Christmas is almost here,” she continued. “Because of this, we will not have time to put on a play for the holidays. However, we have all been invited to Mr. Chadwick's School on Wednesday night for a holiday dinner with his young men.”

There was a slight murmur among the girls.

Miss Prudence rang her little silver bell. “Young ladies, please let me finish,” she said. “I'm sure you will all want to hear this. We have decided to dismiss you for the holidays on Thursday morning.”

Every ear was listening now as the headmistress continued.

“I know we were to have our quarterly exams before Christmas, but we will postpone these until you return after the holidays. We will have classes for review tomorrow morning. I would advise you to study during the holidays and be prepared for examinations when school reopens Monday, January seventh,” she said. “Are there any questions?”

The headmistress paused and looked around the room. No one ever dared ask a question of Miss Prudence. She could make a person look foolish. All the girls took their questions to Miss Prudence's sister, Miss Hope. Miss Hope was always ready to listen and to help.

The headmistress spoke again. “One more thing. We are going to do everything possible to get the electric wires and the furnace installed, so that when you return to school we will have electric lights and no further need for fireplaces. The workmen have promised to work while you are away. Are there any questions?”

The girls remained silent and she went on. “We were able to get a Christmas tree put up in the parlor while you were all out because of the flu. However, it has not been decorated. May I have some volunteers to do this? It needs to be done right away because Mr. Chadwick and his boys will come calling on us tomorrow afternoon for tea. Who will volunteer?”

Mandie and Celia looked at each other, and both of them raised their hands. No one else responded.

“Amanda and Celia, thank you,” Miss Prudence said. “The decorations are in boxes in the parlor. Please be sure you two are finished and in your room before curfew at ten o'clock. Young ladies, we will return thanks now and be seated.”

After the meal when Mandie and Celia turned to leave the room, they overheard Miss Prudence speaking to April Snow.

“Go straight to your room, April,” she said. “Remember, you are allowed out only for classes and meals. And if you break any more rules, the punishment will be severe next time.”

April looked at Miss Prudence without saying a word. Then quickly leaving the room, she ran ahead of Mandie and Celia and hurried up the stairs.

“So, April has to stay in her room,” Mandie said as she and Celia walked down the hallway to the parlor. “Maybe she won't get a chance to do any more meanness.”

“I doubt that she stays in her room,” Celia replied.

As the two girls entered the parlor, they gasped at the sight of the beautiful Christmas tree standing in the room.

“It's so tall we can't reach the top to decorate it,” Celia said.

“Well, I suppose we'll just have to ask Uncle Cal to help us. He's nice and tall,” Mandie said. “Let's see what we have to decorate it with first.”

Hurrying over to the boxes nearby, they knelt down and pulled out garlands, ornaments, tinsel, fancy bows, and lots of other beautiful things.

“That tree won't hold all this stuff!” Celia exclaimed.

“We'll pick out what we want and put the rest back in the box,” Mandie said, pulling out a streamer. “This is going to be fun. I love to decorate Christmas trees.”

“Look at this ball,” Celia cried, holding an ornament up for Mandie to see. “Isn't it pretty?”

As Mandie examined the fragile ball, Snowball peeked out from under the tree to play with the ornament.

“Snowball!” Mandie exclaimed, picking up the white kitten. “How did you get here?”

“You know how,” Celia said. “April went upstairs, remember? She probably went into our room again.”

Just then Uncle Cal came into the parlor with a stepladder. “Miz Prudence sent me to hep git dis heah tree decorated,” he told the girls.

“We were just saying we'd have to ask you to reach the top for us,” Mandie replied.

Noticing the kitten Mandie was holding, he said, “I thought dat white cat s'posed to be up in dat room catchin' dat mouse. Did he come down fo' supper, too?”

“Supper? Oh, Uncle Cal, I'm glad you said that. Snowball hasn't had anything to eat since he got here. I forgot all about it,” Mandie said.

“While y'all pullin' out dem decorations, I'll take dat cat to de kitchen. Phoebe, she in dere. She feed him good.” Uncle Cal reached to take Snowball from Mandie.

“Thanks, Uncle Cal.” Mandie gave him the kitten. “Please tell Aunt Phoebe that Snowball is not supposed to be running around loose.”

The old man smiled as he left the parlor with the kitten. “I knows,” he said.

When Uncle Cal returned, he helped the girls cover the tree with lots of the bright glittery things in the boxes. Finding a huge star, he fastened it to the top of the tree.

There was freshly cut holly lying in a corner, and the three of them fashioned clumps of holly with some of the other decorations and put them around the room.

“Did you hear what Miss Prudence said?” Celia asked Mandie. “The boys are coming over from Mr. Chadwick's School tomorrow.”

“I know. I suppose Tommy Patton will be with them,” Mandie replied as she straightened a garland on the tree.

“Are you hoping he will?” Celia asked.

“I suppose it would be nice to see him again,” Mandie mused. “Do you hope Robert Rogers will come, too?”

Celia stopped to think. “I don't know, Mandie. He makes me nervous or something when I'm around him. I almost spill things, and I just can't think of anything to say.”

“You'll get over it,” Mandie assured her friend. “All girls growing up get like that some time or other, I think. After you've been around Robert awhile, you'll get used to him. That's the way I was around Tommy, but when my mother and Uncle John and I went to Charleston to visit his family, I had a good time. I sort of got used to him, I suppose.”

“But how long does this ‘getting used to' take?” Celia asked. “When you went to Charleston, you were down there for days. I've never been around Robert except a few times at things we do here at the school.”

Mandie laughed. “Oh, Celia, the more you see someone, the more comfortable you become around them. They get to be friends with you.”

Uncle Cal perched silently on the ladder during this whole conversation, straightening the decorations on the upper part of the tree. “Dat's sho' right, Missy,” he said at last. “Takes time to make real friends.”

“How much time?” Celia asked.

“Oh, I don't know.” The old man laughed. “I'd say by de time dis heah school lets out in de spring, you oughta be knowin' dat Robert fella purty well.”

“That is if our school has events that include the boys' school. Otherwise we'd never see Tommy and Robert.” Mandie put the extra decorations back in a box. “These are left over, Uncle Cal. I suppose you know what to do with them.”

The old man stepped down from the ladder. “I'll take care of them, Missy 'Manda,” he said. “I think you girls did a purty job wid dis heah tree.”

As the girls stood back and surveyed their work, they agreed.

“We'd better get Snowball now and take him up to our room,” Mandie said.

Celia suddenly frowned. “That mouse will still be in our room,” she said, “because Snowball hasn't been there to catch it.”

“I'm sure he'll catch it tonight,” Mandie assured her. “Come on. Let's go. Thanks for helping us, Uncle Cal.”

After the girls picked up the kitten from the kitchen, they went to their room. But when they looked around, they found nothing out of order. If April Snow had let Snowball out, evidently that was all she had done.

Leaving Snowball there, they went downstairs to the guest room to sleep. That night Mandie dreamed of the surprise her mother had waiting for her at home. In her dream, the surprise turned out to be a beautiful Christmas tree.

CHAPTER TWO

UNINVITED GUEST FOR TEA

The next day the girls had a hard time concentrating on their review lessons. The talk in general centered around what to wear when the boys came over for tea that afternoon.

After the noon meal, Mandie and Celia looked through their clothes while Snowball prowled around the room. He had not yet caught the mouse, and it had not reappeared.

“What am I going to wear?” Mandie sighed, pushing the hangers apart in their chifferobe.

“What am
I
going to wear?” Celia echoed. She reached over Mandie to help look through their dresses.

Mandie's hand rested on a red velvet dress. “This is it!” she cried. “Red for Christmas.”

“I'd save that for dinner tomorrow night,” Celia suggested.

“That's a good idea,” Mandie said. “Let's see, I'll wear this tan and brown silk dress this afternoon,” she decided, pulling it down from the rack.

Celia grasped a gray silk dress by the hanger and took it out of the chifferobe. “I'll put this one on.”

Mandie looked from her dress to Celia's and said, “We're going to be a conservative-looking pair with these dresses, aren't we?”

“Yes, but that's the way my mother's friends look for an afternoon tea,” Celia replied. “Always plain and simple. Besides, tomorrow night is the time to brighten up and have a party look, don't you think?”

“You're right,” Mandie agreed. “But let's wear some jewelry. I think my locket and chain will do.”

“And I'll wear my watch on a chain,” Celia added as they began dressing for the tea.

Mandie slipped into fresh silk stockings. “I'm glad everything is going to be informal this afternoon and we don't have to have partners,” she said.

“Me, too,” Celia replied as she stepped into a long taffeta petticoat.

“But don't forget what Miss Prudence said,” Mandie reminded her friend. “Tonight the boys are supposed to ask the girls to be their partners at dinner tomorrow night.”

“I suppose Tommy Patton will ask you to be his partner,” Celia said, fastening the buttons on the waistband of her petticoat.

“Maybe,” Mandie answered, fastening her own petticoat around her waist. “I just know Robert will ask you because he is absolutely fascinated by you.” She laughed.

Seeing that her friend was teasing, Celia laughed, too. “I suppose I'll have to put up with some boy for dinner, so it would be better if Robert asks me. I haven't even spoken to any of the other boys.”

Mandie stepped into her dress, pulled it up, and began buttoning the tiny buttons down the front. Celia pulled hers over her head.

Then they paraded before the full-length mirror, which stood in the corner.

Mandie smoothed the skirt of her dress. “Celia, look!” she exclaimed. “I'm growing! This dress is getting too short for me, and Mother just had it made last summer!”

“Of course you're growing,” Celia replied, glancing at her own skirt in the mirror. “I am, too, but it doesn't show yet with this dress.” She straightened up and tried to stretch tall. “Maybe a little bit.”