The Mandie Collection (28 page)

The two sat down across from the Woodards. Mrs. Taft was sitting at the head of the table, since Mandie’s mother and Uncle John were not expected back until late in the day.

“Did y’all get all your errands done?” Mrs. Taft asked, looking directly at Mandie and then at Joe.

“I think we’ve finished. We gave Abraham the rig,” Mandie said, glancing at Joe.

“That’s good. Now Mrs. Woodard and I will do some shopping this afternoon,” Mrs. Taft said as Aunt Lou and Jenny began serving the food.

“And I have a patient I need to see,” Dr. Woodard added.

“That’s fine,” Joe told them. “We can all sit down and visit tonight.”

Mandie needed to get together with Aunt Lou to begin making the children’s costumes for the play. So she was glad everyone was going to be out.

The minute everyone had finished the meal, Mandie rushed back into the kitchen to tell Jenny she wasn’t sure the children they had brought in that morning had had any food since breakfast.

“Jes’ you leave it to me,” Jenny told her. “I’ll fix up a big basket and take it over myself. I needs to check on Liza anyhow, and I’ll do this right now ’fo I cleans up de table.”

“Thanks, Jenny,” Mandie said. “I’ll rid up the table with Aunt Lou while you’re gone. I need to talk to her.”

The adults left immediately after the meal, so Joe volunteered to help. Aunt Lou fussed and tried to refuse the young people’s help, but they insisted.

“I knows how to clean up food and dirty dishes,” Aunt Lou grumbled as she began scraping and stacking the plates. “I don’t need no ’sistance.”

“I know, Aunt Lou, but this will give us a chance to talk,” Mandie told her as she began collecting the water glasses. “Besides, you and Jenny have to eat, too, you know, and the faster we get all this into the kitchen, the sooner y’all can eat.”

The three of them had everything in the kitchen in a few minutes. Then Mandie looked up at Aunt Lou and said, “My grandmother told me you were willing to help us with the children and the play.”

“Dat’s right, my chile,” Aunt Lou said, wiping her hands on her big white apron. “Now what is it I can do?”

“We need some costumes for the children,” Mandie began.

“And we have six girls and four boys,” Joe added.

“And I think that is all the children we’re going to find,” Mandie said, looking at Joe, who nodded.

“So I s’pose you be needin’ some lil angel clothes, or sumpin’ like dat,” Aunt Lou said.

“Yes, I think we might as well dress them all as angels because they’re going to sing together,” Mandie said.

“Liza been teachin’ ’em to sing?” the old woman asked.

Mandie looked at her in surprise. Of course, Liza would be the perfect teacher. She had a beautiful voice and she knew every song anyone could mention.

“Thanks for saying that, Aunt Lou. I was wondering how we would teach the children any songs, but of course they love Liza already, and I’m sure she could do the best job,” Mandie said.

“And I’ll make the white costumes,” said Aunt Lou. “I’ll jes’ have to go over and measure ’em all up.”

“Oh, thank you, Aunt Lou,” Mandie said as she quickly embraced the big woman. “What a load off us. Then Joe and I will write the play and decorate the church, and we’ll have to go shopping for Christmas presents for the children.”

The next few days went fast. While Mandie’s mother, Elizabeth, and her Uncle John entertained Dr. Woodard and Mrs. Woodard, everyone else was secretly working on the Christmas presentation. Jason Bond, the caretaker, helped Mandie and Joe bring in Christmas trees, one for the house and one for the church. Then the whole household pitched in and decorated the tree in the house. Mandie insisted she and Joe didn’t need any help on the one in the church because she wanted the orphans to participate in that job, and she was afraid someone else would discover their secret.

“We need to practice,” Mandie told Joe one night when they went over to the church to see how Liza was doing at teaching songs.

“Definitely,” Joe agreed. “And we need to rehearse everything.”

When they opened the door to the church, they found Liza and the orphans lined up across the room practicing their songs. Mandie was amazed at how well they were doing.

Mandie and Joe took everyone into the sanctuary of the church for the first time and explained to the children that they were to help decorate the tree on the stage. They squealed with delight as they fastened decorations to the tree. Liza giggled right along with them.

“Now you will all stand up there on the stage and sing, and people will be sitting down in the audience listening to you,” Mandie explained. “Liza, let’s try them out and see how they are going to act.”

“Dey does fine, Missy ’Manda,” Liza replied. She placed them in the center of the stage and they began singing “Silent Night.”

Mandie and Joe sat in front and watched and listened. When the children were finished, Mandie said, “They need some music. It would sound so much better. And I don’t know where we’re going to get someone to play the piano.”

“That’s something you need to learn to do,” Joe told Mandie. “You’d think that fancy school you go to in Asheville would have taught you by now.” He grinned at her.

“Oh, Joe, my mother has already said I have to learn, and I’m getting a late start,” Mandie agreed. “Now I wish I did know how to play.” She sighed.

“Well, I guess I could help you out on that, although I don’t want to,” Joe said, quickly getting up and walking over to raise the lid of the piano as he sat down on the swivel stool. Before Mandie could say a word he ran down the keyboard and began playing “Silent Night.”

Mandie was speechless. She went over to stand by the piano. And Liza had the children sing right along with him.

As soon as he hit the last note, Mandie asked loudly, “Joe Woodard! When did you learn to play the piano?”

Joe grinned at her and said, “A long, long time ago.”

Mandie frowned and said, “I’ve known you all my life, and I didn’t know you could play a piano. Why have you been so secretive about it?”

“I haven’t been,” Joe said. “My mother taught me as soon as I could walk, just about. But I revolted after I got up in school.”

Mandie grinned at him and said, “I’m glad to find this out about you. I’m sure we can make use of your talent for this play.”

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Joe protested. “I’m not very good.”

“I know better than that,” Mandie said. “If you can play one Christmas song I’m sure you can play the rest we want to sing.”

Liza and the children were standing around watching and listening. Joe suddenly stood and closed the lid on the piano. Mandie reached past him and opened it. Turning to Liza she said, “Tell him what else to play for the children.”

Liza hurriedly named off several songs and Joe played them while the children sang. Finally Mandie noticed the little orphans were growing sleepy, and she suddenly realized it must be past their bedtime.

“It’s time to quit for the night,” Mandie said. “Liza, let’s take the children back to their room and get them ready for bed.”

“And since it’s your night to stay here, I’d better be going,” Joe said as he followed them into the basement.

“Thanks for playing, Joe,” Mandie told him as they entered the room where the children slept. “And you will play for the children during our presentation, won’t you?” She smiled up at him.

Joe shuffled his feet and finally replied, “Only if I can wear a costume to disguise myself so no one will know who I am.”

“Of course, that’s a wonderful idea,” Mandie said. “Think up an idea of what you want to wear and I’ll get Aunt Lou to make it.”

“All right. See everybody in the morning,” Joe said as he went out the door and a string of good-nights followed him.

Mandie helped Liza get the children to bed. Then Liza curled up on her own mattress, and Mandie sat down by the lamp at the far end of the long room with her notebook to go over what had been accomplished and what needed to be done. It wasn’t really late, only nine o’clock when she looked at her watch, but she soon started dozing off in her chair after everyone got quiet.

Mandie was startled awake by someone opening the outside door. She scrambled to her feet, rubbing her eyes and trying to focus her vision on the person. It was a man, a strange man! She quickly realized if she yelled she’d wake the children and terrify them, and Liza would be wild with fear. So she walked toward him across the length of the long room. He seemed to be standing still.

As she got nearer, she saw he was a tall, handsome man, probably in his forties, with dark curly hair. And as she came close enough to look into his eyes, she discovered they were a deep blue and seemed to be full of surprise.

“I’m sorry,” the man said. He looked around the room. “I didn’t know someone was using the basement. You see, I’ve just got back into town after many long years and thought I’d run over to visit my old church where I went as a child.”

“Oh!” Mandie said with a gasp. She straightened her skirts and stood up taller. Luckily she had not changed into her nightclothes. “I see. My name is Amanda Shaw, Mandie for short, and these children are all orphans.” She waved her hand around the room at the sleeping children.

“I apologize. I’m George Simpson,” he informed her. “Are you related to Mr. John Shaw?”

Mandie looked at him in surprise as she replied, “Yes, he is my uncle and he married my mother after my father, Jim Shaw, died.”

“Well, well, well!” the man said, with a big smile. “I remember your father very well before he married your mother. After that he seemed to disappear, but Mr. John Shaw was very kind to me when I was growing up. You see, I was an orphan, too.”

“If you were an orphan, where did you live here in Franklin when you attended this church?” Mandie anxiously asked.

“Oh, here and there, mostly with my mother’s old cousins, who have just died. That’s why I’m back in town,” George explained.

“Did I know them? Who were they?” Mandie asked.

“No, you probably didn’t know them, because they left town years ago to live over in Jackson County,” he said. “They owned the huge house on the hill just as you go around the curve on Bryson City Road. It has been closed up ever since they moved away, and I find it’s in bad shape. I am their only heir and they left it to me, and I don’t know what I’ll be doing with it.”

“Don’t you want to live in it? I know the house you’re talking about. It looks like a mansion, it’s so big,” Mandie said.

“No, it would be impossible for me to live here in Franklin,” George said. “You see, I have a home in New York and my business is up there, so I don’t need the house.”

“New York?” Mandie questioned. “I’ve never been there, but someday I will go. Couldn’t you move your business down here so you could live in the house? I’m sure it would be beautiful if someone would fix it up.”

George laughed and said, “No, I couldn’t do that. I’m an actor and I have to stay where the theater is.”

Mandie did some quick thinking. “These children are here temporarily so we can have them in a Christmas play here in the church. My friend Joe Woodard and I are presenting the play the Sunday before Christmas, next Sunday in fact. Could we persuade you to act in our play? Please.” Her blue eyes looked directly into his.

George laughed and said, “Sorry. I won’t be in Franklin this coming weekend. I will return next week to do something about the house, though.”

Mandie had another idea. “How much are you going to sell the house for? I mean, you must be planning to sell it since you don’t want it.”

George looked down at her and asked, “Why? Do you know of someone who might be interested in buying it? I don’t believe it’s worth much.”

Mandie laughed and said, “No, not exactly. I was just thinking what a perfect home it would make for these orphans here. You see, they’ve all been farmed out wherever a family needs them to do work, and I’m sure they’re being mistreated. Can you imagine little ones like these having to work for their keep?”

George Simpson turned to pace about the end of the room. Then he stopped and looked at Mandie. “Yes, I know exactly what it’s like. I went through all that and somehow managed to survive. I ran away from the last place that gave me a home, because they beat me. I was fourteen and I hitchhiked—walked most of the way, really—to New York. I got various backbreaking jobs and was able to get some education. Then when I was seventeen, I got really lucky. I landed a job as a driver for one of the big Broadway producers, and he gave me my start in show business. But I am well aware that not all orphans are given an opportunity like that.”

Mandie thought about herself, how she had been farmed out to work for the Brysons when her father died, but she didn’t want to sidetrack the conversation so she didn’t mention it.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Simpson, but I’m happy for you now,” Mandie said, smiling up at him. “Don’t you think the house would be a good place to put these orphans?”

George thought for a moment and said, “Yes, I agree. I remember being in the house. It probably has twenty rooms. But it’s in bad shape right now.”

Mandie frowned and walked around. If he would allow the orphans to live there, what could she do about making the house fit to live in? If he would donate the house, where could she get the money to renovate it? From the people of Franklin, of course! She would solicit donations from the members of this church when the children put on the play.

Excitedly she turned back to George. “I know what we could do! If you would give us the house for the orphans, I could probably get the money from the townspeople to fix it up.”

“But what about maintenance? How would you run the operation? After all, there are regular bills, such as food and clothing among other things, that have to be funded from somewhere,” George replied.

Mandie said a silent prayer and she looked up to face George Simpson. “If you will donate the house to the orphans, I will come up with the money to run it. I have faith in the people’s kindness here in Franklin, and above all, I have faith that God will supply it.” She clasped her hands as she waited for his answer.