The Mandie Collection (3 page)

“You two young ladies plan on being down here and ready to go when Ben arrives,” Miss Prudence said, turning back to her papers. Then she quickly added, “And, young ladies, please remember your social graces. I understand Mrs. Taft has invited Thomas Patton and Robert Rogers, also. Remember to conduct yourselves in a ladylike manner. Now, let me get back to work here.”

“Thank you, Miss Prudence, I'll remember,” Mandie said with a secret smile at her formality.

“Yes, ma'am, Miss Prudence,” Celia added as they stepped back into the hallway.

They hurried down the corridor out of sight of Miss Prudence's doorway. “Whew!” Mandie then added, “Shucks! Miss Prudence
will be going! Why did Grandmother invite her? She'll put a damper on everything.”

“Your grandmother has a huge house. Maybe we can manage to talk to the boys away from Miss Prudence,” Celia suggested.

“I hope so. But then there will be Mollie, who will be running all over the place, and we may have to keep up with her,” Mandie replied.

As they came to the turn in the hallway that connected with the front corridor, the girls met April Snow. She was hurrying the way they had come. When she saw Mandie and Celia, she suddenly stopped right in front of them.

“Well, well, been to Miss Prudence's office, huh? What have y'all been into this time?” April asked, tossing her long dark hair back over her shoulder.

“Private business, if you must know,” Mandie replied, stepping aside to proceed up the hall.

April quickly stepped in front of her again. “Private business—like private trouble you've been in, I'd say,” April said with a sneer.

“April, we are not in any trouble,” Celia quickly told her.

“And what we just talked about to Miss Prudence is none of your business,” Mandie added. “What are you going to see her about? You in trouble again?”

“That's for me to know and you to find out,” April said tartly with her most irritating smile.

“Well, get on with it. We have things to do,” Mandie said. This time she quickly stepped around the girl and hurried away.

Celia followed. “Mandie, I'm afraid April Snow is on the warpath again,” she muttered.

“We'll just ignore her. That's the best way,” Mandie declared.

The girls picked up their books where they had left them on the table near the front door and then hurried up the long staircase to their room on the third floor.

“I worry about April Snow, Mandie. You know, she could be a nice person if she wanted to be,” Celia said, flopping into one of the big chairs.

Mandie went to sit on the window seat. “There's nothing we can do about it. Maybe one of these days she will realize how she makes
other people dislike her,” she said. “Anyhow, right now we need to decide what we will wear tomorrow so we can have it all laid out and ready. Our last class will end at three, and that won't leave us much time to get dressed.” She got up, went across the room, and opened the huge wardrobe.

Celia followed, and the two stood there, flipping through their hanging clothes.

“Since Grandmother got that banging furnace installed in her house she keeps it pretty warm, so we won't need anything heavy,” Mandie remarked.

At that moment the radiator in their room started hissing and rattling.

“Hear that? The heat is coming up,” Celia remarked, looking across the room.

“I wish someone would learn how to run that furnace to keep it just right. It's either freezing cold in here or blazing hot, never in between,” Mandie fussed.

“I know,” Celia agreed, pulling out a dark green taffeta dress. “I think I'll wear this.” She held it up, shaking out the folds.

“In that case, I'll wear my blue taffeta,” Mandie said, reaching for the dress.

“You know, this taffeta kinda rattles when we walk,” Celia remarked as she shook the skirt of the dress. “We won't be able to sneak up on anyone with this stuff on,” she laughed.

Mandie looked at her and smiled. “You mean like Mollie?” she asked.

“Yes, that's the only way to catch up with her sometimes, just sneak up,” Celia replied with a big grin.

There was a knock at the door. When Mandie opened it, Aunt Phoebe, the school housekeeper, stood there.

“Oh, come in, Aunt Phoebe,” Mandie said, opening the door wide.

Aunt Phoebe frowned as she shook her head and said in a solemn voice, “Miz Prudence, she say fo' you young ladies to come to huh office, right now.”

Both girls looked at her in surprise.

“We were just there, Aunt Phoebe. Do you know what she wants?” Mandie asked.

Aunt Phoebe shook her head and replied, “No, dat I don't know. But de lady was not in a good mood aftuh dat Missy April left huh office.”

“April Snow!” Mandie exclaimed as she and Celia looked at each other. “I thought April was up to something.”

“Oh, Mandie, she is probably trying to make trouble for us,” Celia said.

Aunt Phoebe said, “Best you be gittin' on dere and face de music.” She went on back down the hallway.

“What could April Snow have said to Miss Prudence to make her call us down there like that?” Mandie moaned.

“Well, come on, Mandie. We'd better not keep the lady waiting,” Celia said, starting for the door.

“Why does April Snow always have to be causing trouble? I don't know of anything that we've done wrong that she could be telling Miss Prudence, do you?” Mandie asked as they went down the long hallway.

“No, I can't think of a thing,” Celia replied.

“You know, April Snow has been known to make things up,” Mandie reminded her.

They came to the top of the steps and stopped.

“Mandie, she is always eavesdropping on people and telling everything she hears,” Celia said.

“Eavesdropping? I haven't seen her around any place we've been lately, so what could she have heard that we said?” Mandie wondered.

“I haven't seen her, either, but she's like a ghost the way she appears and disappears so suddenly in unexpected places,” Celia said.

“Well, come on, we'll soon know,” Mandie said, starting down the stairs.

The girls were reluctant to face whatever Miss Prudence might have waiting for them. As they slowly entered the hallway to Miss Prudence's office, they were surprised to see her standing outside the doorway.

“Get a move on, young ladies,” Miss Prudence called to them. “I have work to do.”

The girls hurried on down to meet her. They followed Miss Prudence into her office, where the lady sat down behind her desk. She did not invite the girls to sit. They stood nervously before her desk.

Mandie wanted to get this over with. “We're here, Miss Prudence. Aunt Phoebe said you wanted to see us,” she said, clearing her throat.

Miss Prudence looked sharply at her and then at Celia. “I know very well you are here,” she said. Pausing for a moment, she then said, “I want an explanation from you two.”

The girls didn't reply but silently watched the lady.

“Do you hear me?” the lady asked.

“Yes, ma'am,” Mandie and Celia both answered.

“Well then, speak when you are spoken to,” Miss Prudence said.

“Yes, ma'am,” the girls both replied again.

“Now, it has been brought to my attention that you two young ladies have asked Ben to drive you through some alley somewhere, and I want to know what that is all about,” Miss Prudence demanded.

Mandie's heartbeat quickened as she tried to think of an explanation. Though they had not seen her, evidently April had been eavesdropping on their conversation with Ben.

“It's just a . . . a shortcut out . . . to my grandmother's house,” Mandie haltingly explained.

“What shortcut? Where is this alley?” Miss Prudence asked.

Mandie and Celia looked at each other.

“I don't know, Miss Prudence,” Mandie replied.

“We don't know,” Celia repeated.

“I asked a question and I want a sensible answer,” Miss Prudence announced. “Young ladies attending this school do not venture forth into the alleyways of Asheville for any reason whatsoever, as you two are well aware. Now, I want to know where this alley is, and how did you two learn of it?”

Mandie looked at Celia. Then she said, “The truth is, Miss Prudence, we really don't know where the alley is. It's just that when Ben
was bringing us back to school from Grandmother's house Sunday night, her rig broke down in a dark street somewhere and Ben said it was not a good place to be, so we didn't tell anyone because we didn't want Ben to get in trouble.”

“Is your grandmother aware of this?” Miss Prudence asked.

“I don't suppose so, Miss Prudence,” Mandie said. “We haven't seen Grandmother since then, and I don't know whether Ben told her or not.”

“Now, furthermore, I understand you were asking Ben to drive you back through that alley after you leave your grandmother's house tomorrow night,” Miss Prudence said, watching the girls closely.

Mandie felt her face grow hot. April had overheard all this and was trying to make trouble over it. She took a deep breath and said, “Miss Prudence, we—or I should say I, because Celia did not ask or agree—I just wanted to see where the alley is. We couldn't tell much that night when the rig broke down. It was too dark—”

“You want to know where this alley is? For what reason? Why should you want to know where an alleyway is?” Miss Prudence interrupted, her tone stern.

“Well, for one thing, so we would know not to go back that way again,” Mandie replied somewhat lamely. She silently argued with herself that was part of the reason anyhow.

“You are supposed to be chaperoned any time you leave this school,” Miss Prudence reminded her. “That is not for you to decide. Ben knows better than to take anyone down those dark alleyways. I will have to speak to your grandmother about this. You may go now.”

“Yes, ma'am, thank you, Miss Prudence,” Mandie managed to mumble as she and Celia left the office.

Rushing down the hallway to the front corridor, Mandie came to a halt in the foyer. She angrily said, “I'll get even with April Snow. You just wait and see. She not only got us in trouble, she has also made trouble for Ben. It wasn't his fault that the rig broke down.”

“I know, Mandie, but there is nothing we can do about it now,”
Celia soothed. “Come on. Let's go back up to our room till it's time to eat.” She started toward the wide staircase.

“Yes, there is something I can do, and believe me, I will think up something to do to April Snow for this,” Mandie fumed as she followed Celia up the stairs.

“That would just make matters worse,” Celia reminded her.

“Not exactly. If I can figure out something that will make trouble for her . . .” Mandie muttered. That April Snow was forever causing trouble, poking into things that didn't even concern her. Well, Mandie would poke into April Snow's affairs and find something to make trouble for her. Mandie seethed inwardly as she slammed their door shut.

CHAPTER THREE

DID MISS PRUDENCE TELL?

The excitement of going to Mrs. Taft's dinner party was dulled by the trouble caused by April Snow.

“I almost wish we weren't going,” Mandie said, blowing through her teeth in frustration as she and Celia sat in the alcove near the front door, waiting for Ben to pick them up.

“Why, Mandie? Remember, Tommy and Robert will be there,” Celia reminded her, straightening the folds of her taffeta dress and then pushing back her auburn curls.

“That's the problem,” Mandie moaned as she moved restlessly. “It might turn out to be really embarrassing if they overhear Miss Prudence telling my grandmother about the alley.”

“But, Mandie, it would probably be exciting to them to hear that we've been down a dark alley late at night and plan to go back,” Celia argued. “They are boys, and boys love adventurous doings like that.”

“I'm afraid they would have the same opinion that Miss Prudence did, that young ladies don't go in such places,” Mandie said.

Celia looked out the window and stood. “Well, here's Ben,” she said, quickly putting on her cloak.

Mandie picked up her cloak from a chair and slipped into it, pulling the hood over her long blond hair. She looked at Celia and
said, “I suppose it's only fair to warn Ben that Miss Prudence is about to tell all.”

“Yes, I would,” Celia agreed.

The late-afternoon temperature was dropping. The girls hurried down the front steps.

“Howdy, missies,” Ben greeted them as he stood waiting by the rig.

The girls quickly stepped into the vehicle, and Ben climbed up on the driver's seat and shook the reins.

“Oh, Ben, I'm afraid we have some bad news.” Mandie leaned forward as the rig rolled down the street.

“Bad news? Whut bad news dat?” Ben asked, glancing back from his seat.

“I'm sorry to say it's really bad news, Ben, for you and for us—or me, I should say. And I was the one who caused it,” Mandie replied, trying to explain.

“Ah, now, missy, you don't never cause bad news. You go round fixin' up bad news,” Ben assured her as he guided the vehicle down the street.

“Ben, you know who that April Snow is at our school, don't you?” Mandie asked.

“Yeh, now, dat's de troublemaker fo' sho',” he said.

“Well, she has caused some trouble for us. You see, when I was asking you if you would drive us back through that dark alley tonight after we leave Grandmother's house, she was eavesdropping and she went straight and told Miss Prudence, and Miss Prudence called us into her office and said she is going to tell my grandmother tonight. My grandmother invited her to come for dinner tonight, too.” Mandie, exasperated, finished her explanation in a rush.

Ben scratched his head under his cap. “Well now, missy, we jes' won't go back down dat alley. Den ain't nuthin' to tell.”