The Mandie Collection (48 page)

Again the Cherokees responded to the word
love
, and she had a hard time quieting them. “I thank you for your confidence and trust in me when you gave me the gold that belonged to you.”

Her voice grew stronger as she got caught up in what she was saying. “We have tried to spend it on the Cherokee people by building this beautiful hospital for our people. Dr. Woodard will be here at certain times of the month, and he is training some of our people to operate the hospital. Now you won't have to go all the way into town when you get sick or hurt.”

She continued by thanking the people who actually built the structure. Then she insisted that Joe and Sallie be recognized for their part in finding the gold. Finally, she praised Dr. Woodard for his untiring supervision in building the hospital and in furnishing the interior with all the necessary equipment and furniture.

When she sat down, the applause was deafening, and some of the Cherokees stepped forward to give her a hug. Mandie took Snowball from Joe, feeling a little embarrassed at all the attention.

Dr. Woodard finally hushed the crowd by announcing that the ribbon cutting would now take place. After that the doors would be opened and the crowd could go inside to inspect the interior. The Cherokees listened intently as Sallie translated the proceedings.

“Of course the ribbon should be cut by the person who began this venture, Amanda Shaw,” the doctor said. He turned and held out a large pair of scissors to her.

As she rose, Mandie's heart pounded. “Thank you, Dr. Woodard,” she said, “but I cannot do that because the ribbon should be cut by one
of the people who now owns it. And I know of no one better qualified

than dear Uncle Ned Sweetwater.”

She motioned to him, but he shook his head.

Mandie continued in a firm, low voice. “You are always taking care of me, Uncle Ned,” she said, looking into his caring, dark eyes. “Now it's your turn to be honored. This hospital will not be opened until you cut the ribbon.” She smiled at him.

Dr. Woodard offered the old man the scissors.

Uncle Ned smiled at Mandie and took them. Standing, he walked over to the bright blue ribbon across the doorway. Then turning to the people, he said something loudly in Cherokee.

Sallie translated into English. “We dedicate this hospital in the name of our great God and ask His blessings on it and on all who require its services.” He closed the scissors on the ribbon.

As the bright blue ribbon fell into two pieces, Dr. Woodard flung open the front door and called to the already advancing crowd. “Please be careful of the furnishings and the floor,” he cried. “So many people at once could possibly do damage. It is your hospital now. It's up to you to take care of it.”

Mandie, Sallie, and Joe waited for Dimar to make his way through the crowd, and then they entered the hospital together.

Inside, Mandie gasped at the frilly yellow curtains and matching bedspreads on the six single beds in the spacious room. “Oh, Sallie, I see what you mean about a surprise!” she exclaimed. “You made these spreads and curtains, didn't you?”

Sallie nodded. “With the help of my grandmother and your Aunt Saphronia,” she replied.

As the young people wandered around the hospital, the crowd gradually returned to their wagons and left. The young Indian men who had brought Adamson from the depot took him back, after goodbyes and promises from the young people to come visit the White House again.

Uncle Wirt and Aunt Saphronia took Uncle Ned, Morning Star, and Dimar's mother, Jerusha, home with them after announcing that dinner would soon be on the table. Dr. Woodard and Riley O'Neal promised to see that Mandie, Joe, Dimar, and Sallie left with them shortly.

The doctor showed them details around the hospital that had been impossible to do with all the Cherokees milling around. He opened
a cabinet in the small room reserved for an office and said, “This is where all the medical supplies are kept. I believe we have a good stock to start off with.”

The others surveyed the rows of bottles, stacks of bandages, medical instruments and miscellaneous items on the shelves.

As Mandie opened her mouth to ask a question, there was a loud noise outside as someone rushed up on horseback. Everyone turned toward the window in the room, which was on the front side of the hospital.

Rushing up to the glass pane to look outside, Mandie exclaimed, “It's Mr. Jason! And he has a young Indian man with him!”

“Mr. Bond!” Dr. Woodard puzzled. “Why, I wonder what he's doing all the way over here.”

“Something must be terribly wrong!” Mandie cried and started for the door.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

TROUBLE!

Flinging the front door open, Jason Bond rushed into the front hallway. Everyone crowded into the doorway of the office.

“Dr. Woodard, Miz 'Lizbeth sent me for you. She said to please come at once,” Jason Bond hurriedly explained his mission.

Mandie quickly asked, “Where is Uncle John? Didn't he come home?”

“Missy, when I met him on my way to get the doctor he was hurrying on home,” Mr. Bond explained, quickly. “Dr. Woodard, we can't waste any time.”

“What's wrong, Mr. Bond?” the old doctor asked, as he grabbed his medical bag from a nearby table.

“The baby—something terrible is wrong with him. He can't breathe,” Jason Bond explained.

“Help me unhitch my horse from the buggy. I can make better time on horseback,” the doctor told Mr. Bond.

Mandie's heart pounded. She felt it must somehow be her fault. She had acted so horribly about the baby. In her mind she saw herself leaning over the cradle, saying, “You stupid baby! I wish you'd never been born!”

As the others rushed outside to help with the horse Mandie panicked. Overcome with guilt, she slipped away unnoticed and hurried out the
back door of the hospital. Snowball had been wandering around inside, but Mandie didn't even think about him now. Hot tears blurred her vision, but she just kept running. She didn't even know where she was going. She just knew she had to get out of there.

She couldn't go home. The baby was probably dying, and it was all her fault. Her mother and Uncle John would hate her, she thought. Mandie couldn't go back to Uncle Wirt's house. He would make her go home. She would just have to find somewhere else to go. Nobody would want her now.

Heading for the woods, she ran and ran, stumbling over rocks that her tear-filled eyes couldn't see. Finally, when she could run no more, she fell exhausted on the ground and just lay there, sobbing.

A little while later, she felt something rub against her leg. She sat up quickly and looked around.

Her white kitten was batting something around with his paws. “Snowball!” she cried. She didn't pay any attention to what he was doing. He was always playing with a small rock or stick or acorn. Picking him up, she cuddled him against her chin. “Oh, Snowball, I'm so glad you found me. I couldn't go off without you. But we've got to get out of here.”

As she stood, she shivered. The air felt chilly. She glanced up at the dark clouds rolling in. She didn't want to think about what that meant. “We've just got to get out of here,” she repeated.

Holding Snowball tightly, she began running again. The more she thought about her predicament, the more worried she became. Tears filled her eyes. What was she going to do? Where was she going? She didn't know.

Light raindrops began to fall, and that only made Mandie cry all the harder. Pushing her way through thick bushes, she ran on blindly. The rain became heavier, drenching her clothes and making it more difficult to run. As she jumped over a huge fallen log, she stopped short and looked down.

A bear trap
! She cringed.
I almost stepped right in it
! Her heart beat wildly as she remembered her close call with the bear on her way to Uncle Wirt's. This time she had no food to distract an attack. What would she do if she came upon another one?

As tears mingled with rain on her cold, wet face, she sat down on the log and cried out toward heaven. “Oh, dear God, I've been so awful.

Grandmother is right. I've only been thinking of myself. Please help me know what to do.” She stood and stroked her sopping wet kitten to comfort herself as much as her pet, and hurried on.

Suddenly a bolt of lightning struck a tree just off to the right. Mandie jumped. “Oh, dear God, please help!” she cried again. “Maybe I should go back. I'm scared to, but I don't know what else to do.”

She glanced around her. All at once she realized that she didn't have any idea where she might be. Was she closer to the hospital or to Uncle Wirt's? Deafening thunder rumbled overhead. Mandie jumped, then looked up. The sky seemed almost black. She couldn't tell which direction to take for either place.

The cold rain poured down, and another flash of lightning struck nearby. Mandie sobbed uncontrollably and started running again. “Oh, Snowball, what are we going to do?” she cried. Rough branches caught her sopping clothes and tore at her skin as her feet slipped and slid in the mud beneath her. Snowball dug his claws into her shoulder in fright.

Then it happened! Her feet slipped and slid as she ran into a fallen log.

“Oh! Owww! Ohhh, no!” Mandie cried, falling to the ground in tremendous pain. She dropped Snowball, and he scampered away into the bushes. “No, Snowball!” she yelled. “Don't run away and leave me, here!” She looked down at her throbbing right leg. It was bleeding. “I'm hurt, Snowball. Really hurt!” she shouted. “Ohhh, please don't leave me here all alone!”

But Snowball was nowhere to be seen, and all Mandie could hear was the rumbling of thunder overhead and the steady drumming of the pouring rain. She tried to stand and instantly fell down again. “Oh, my leg is broken!” she cried.

Mandie groaned and tears streamed down her face as she writhed in agony. But any little movement made it far worse. Mandie grabbed the back of her neck and bit her lip, trying to brace herself against the pain.

Suddenly she realized her locket was gone! She had worn it to the hospital ceremony and now it was gone! It must have come off somewhere as she ran through the woods. Mandie wept all the louder, realizing the only picture she had of her dear father was lost with that locket forever.

Then she remembered how Snowball had been batting something around when he found her lying on the ground. “Oh, no!” she cried. “My locket probably came off when I fell there. I'll never be able to find that spot again!”

Mandie cried and cried as the pain in her leg only grew worse. The lightning flashed all around her, the thunder roared, and the rain poured harder and harder.

All of a sudden she heard noises in the bushes.
Bear
! she thought instantly,
And I can't walk! I don't have any way to escape
! She closed her eyes in terror.

“Papoose! Papoose!” someone called through the bushes.

Mandie recognized the voice. “Uncle Ned!” she called back with relief. “Uncle Ned, I'm over here. I'm hurt! Please help me!” she cried, trying to raise herself up.

The bushes in front of her parted, and out stepped the old Indian, drenched and worried-looking. Snowball bounded alongside him.

“Oh, Uncle Ned, I'm so glad to see you!” Mandie cried, wincing with pain. “How did you find me?”

“Doctor son come to house of Wirt. Say he not find Papoose,” the old man explained, stooping to look at Mandie's leg. “I follow white kitten.”

“It hurts so bad,” she whispered. “Where's everybody else?”

“Doctor go see new papoose,” Uncle Ned replied, frowning as he looked at the bleeding leg. “Others wait at hospital.”

“Uncle Ned, I'm so sorry I've caused so much trouble,” Mandie cried, trying not to pull away from the gentle hands on her leg that caused her so much pain. “Oh-h-h-h!”

The old Indian grunted, stood up and quickly removed his deerskin jacket. He took off his shirt and put the jacket back on. He ripped the shirt into strips and tied them around Mandie's injured leg while she gritted her teeth in pain.

“Me go hospital,” he told her, bending to pick her up. Then he remembered something and put his hand in his jacket pocket and withdrew Mandie's locket and gave it to her. “Papoose belong this.”

“My locket!” Mandie gasped as she took it and held it tightly. “You found it! Thank you, Uncle Ned.”

“Now we go hospital,” Uncle Ned said, bending again and carefully picking Mandie up in his strong arms.

The old Indian began the long trek to the hospital, letting Snowball tag along behind. With his mistress hurt, the kitten probably wouldn't run off again.

As Uncle Ned trudged through the bushes carrying the injured girl, Mandie was in too much pain to try to talk, and she noticed that the old Indian was unusually silent.

Then he asked, “Why Papoose run away from hospital?” He looked down at her closely.

“I just don't know, Uncle Ned,” Mandie said, sobbing. “I was scared. It was my fault the baby got sick.”

Uncle Ned frowned and asked, “What Papoose mean?”

“I said something awful to the baby because I was so mad at the way he was screaming all the time,” she admitted sheepishly.

Uncle Ned looked sharply at her. “Talk not make new papoose sick,” he told her as he carefully stepped over a log in his path.

“But I have been mean about the baby, Uncle Ned. I realize that now,” she said, catching her breath in pain as her leg touched a big bush on the way. “I am really and truly sorry, Uncle Ned, for being mean to you, and to Mother, and to Uncle John, and most of all to the baby.”

“Papoose always remember. Love. Think,” the old man admonished her. As they reached the edge of the woods, the old man stopped and added, “Papoose must ask Big God forgive.”

With one arm tightly around the old Indian's neck, she put her other hand over his wrinkled one holding her and squeezed it tightly. Mandie looked toward the cloudy sky that was now clearing in places and asked, “Dear God, will you please forgive me? I'm sorry I've been so mean. And, dear Lord, please don't let my little brother die. Please make him well. Please. Thank you.”