The Mandie Collection (29 page)

With a big grin on his face George Simpson stepped up and held out his hand. “It’s a deal,” he said. “You get the money rounded up and I will be back in town, probably on Christmas Eve, and we’ll seal the bargain.”

Mandie, overcome with excitement and thankfulness, suddenly raised up on tiptoes and planted a kiss on the man’s cheek. “Thank you, with all my heart, thank you!” she exclaimed with tears of joy in her eyes.

George embraced her quickly and said, “Now I have to go. I have someone waiting for me. I will see you on Christmas Eve.” He started toward the door.

“Thank you,” Mandie said again as she followed him to the door.

He went out, and she shut the door and leaned against it, too excited to go to bed now. It was going to be a long night. She would have to wait for daybreak to come so she could rush over and tell Joe.

The Lord was going to take care of His orphans.

The next morning, by the time Mandie spread the word to everyone involved in the Christmas play secret, she was almost too hoarse to speak.

Mrs. Taft remembered being in the huge house when people lived there and she told Mandie that, as far as she could recollect, the owners had grown too old to care for George Simpson and had lost everything but their house. Then they had moved over to Jackson County to stay with other relatives when the boy was probably six or seven years old.

“Yes, Amanda, it would be an ideal place for the orphans to live, but just remember it takes money to keep up such a place, as the man said,” Mrs. Taft told her, as they sat in her bedroom early that morning.

“But I am going to ask all the people in Franklin to donate money, or if they can’t afford that, to donate time for fixing up the house and taking care of the children,” Mandie explained.

“Well, I hope you will be able to do that, Amanda, but please don’t build up too much hope. It’s a doubtful proposition,” her grandmother said.

“I just believe I can do it,” Mandie said. She jumped up from the footstool where she sat and said, “Now I’ve got to see if Joe is downstairs yet so I can tell him.”

Joe was in the kitchen hungrily watching Aunt Lou and Jenny prepare breakfast. When Mandie came in the door, he and the two women all looked at her.

“You’re out so early. Is everything all right over at the church?” Joe asked anxiously.

“Fine. In fact, finer than normal,” Mandie said with a big laugh as she twirled around the room. “I have exciting news. I’ve found a new home for the orphans.”

“A home?” Joe inquired.

“Is dat so?” Aunt Lou said.

“Praise de Lawd!” Jenny shouted as she clapped her hands.

“Yes,” Mandie said, and she went on to explain about the visit of George Simpson. No one said a thing until she had finished. “So now all we have to do is get money and work from the people of Franklin.”

“Good luck,” Joe said with a sigh.

“Now that’s no attitude to take,” Mandie reprimanded him. “We just have to trust and have faith and we can do it. I know we can.”

“I give time, my chile, but ain’t got no money,” Aunt Lou said.

Mandie ran to embrace her as she said, “There! That’s our first donation.”

“And I’ll he’p cook for dem chillun, jes’ like we doin’ now,” Jenny promised.

Mandie hugged her and said, “You see, it’s going to work. We can do it.”

“I’ll do whatever I can, but I don’t even live in Franklin, Mandie, and I won’t be here to give much time,” Joe reminded her.

“We will accept the very smallest donation of time, work, or money,” Mandie declared.

———

Saturday night finally came and Mandie and Joe worked late to be sure everything would be ready for the play the next day. Decorations were checked. Costumes were pressed. The children practiced their songs. And Mandie wrote a speech which she planned to deliver to the audience after the play was over.

Sunday morning Mandie woke to find a light snow had fallen the night before, but it would not deter the people from getting to church. It only made it seem more Christmas-like.

At the breakfast table Elizabeth asked, “Shall we go over to the church when you do, dear, and maybe help get things in order for the play?”

“Oh, no, Mother, we don’t need you. I mean we have everything in order and we appreciate your offer, but please don’t come over until everyone else starts coming in,” Mandie said, quickly looking at Joe.

“You seem awfully mysterious about all this,” Uncle John commented as he ate his food.

“Yes, and I know these two well enough to know the outcome of their secrecy is always unpredictable,” Dr. Woodard said with a laugh.

“Oh, well, you know how young people are,” Mrs. Taft said as she looked around the table. “They just like to do things on their own, without some grownup telling them what to do. I imagine the play will be interesting.”

“Yes, I’m sure it will be,” Mrs. Woodard remarked.

Mandie just remembered something and she asked, “I thought Uncle Ned was coming to see us this weekend.”

“Oh, he is,” Uncle John said. “He’ll be here in time for your play, at the regular morning worship time.”

Mandie had been hoping he would get there before the play. Now she would have to postpone a talk with him until afterward.

The two young people rushed through the meal and asked to be excused in order to get last minute details ready in the church.

When Mandie told the children that this was the big day, that they would be dressed in their costumes and would sing before a real audience, some of them got excited. Jake and Jasper had become good friends and were ready for anything, but she noticed two of the little girls seemed shy.

Mandie and her grandmother had bought gifts for all the children and they were now wrapped and beneath the huge tree on the stage. Excitement ran through Mandie’s heart as she anticipated the happiness of the orphans when they unwrapped toys and clothes all their own.

Aunt Lou and Jenny had slipped over to the church to help, and finally it was time.

The church had a large platform, and with the help of Aunt Lou and Abraham, Mandie and Joe had converted it into a real stage. Aunt Lou had made a curtain out of bedsheets and Joe and Abraham had hung them on rods across the front, concealing the stage to the audience until the curtains would be pulled back by ropes at each side.

When the curtain was finally pulled before a full audience—with some standing in the back—Mandie began reading the story of Jesus’ birth as she sat on a low stool by the huge Christmas tree. She wore a long red dress and had pinned a bunch of holly with red berries on her shoulder. Her hair was loose, flowing down below her waist.

As she recited the story, the children came onto the stage with Liza, all dressed in white robes with wings and halos, and they began to sing softly in the background.

Then Abraham, dressed as Joseph, and Jenny, dressed as Mary, entered from backstage.

All this time Joe was softly playing the piano, which they had moved into a dark corner by the stage. He was clothed in a robe and his head was covered with a turban.

While she was reading, Mandie’s eyes danced around the stage as she tried to ascertain that everything was going as planned. It had taken a lot of persuasion to get Jenny and her husband, Abraham, to participate, and she had to agree that they would not have to learn any lines or speak.

The audience was completely silent until the moment when the curtain closed, and then they applauded as the church had never heard before. Aunt Lou was pulling the curtain, and she kept opening and closing it for everyone to bow until Mandie signaled her to stop.

Mandie took the orphans downstage and held up her hand to speak. She had them lined up for the audience to see.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to tell you how much we appreciate your coming and how much the applause meant to us for all the hard work involved, but I just wanted to explain a few things,” she began as the crowd became quiet and sat back down.

“We wanted to make this a real Christmas—what Christmas really stands for—Jesus’ birthday, not just the time when Santa Claus comes and everyone is so anxious to receive all the gifts they can get, with no mention of our Savior. Presents should be given to show our love for other people, people who are poor and needy, and who won’t receive much for Christmas.”

She paused when she spotted Uncle Ned sitting in the audience. She felt like waving at him, but she only smiled as she continued.

“These little children are all orphans. They don’t have homes. They live wherever people will take them in exchange for work. Imagine little ones like these having to work for their keep,” she continued. “I want to ask each and every one of you to help these orphans. You probably all know about the old house that’s been closed up for years and years out on Bryson City Road. Well, the owners died recently and I met the man who has inherited it, George Simpson, their cousin.” She paused as some of the older people looked at each other in recognition of the name.

Mandie took a deep breath and continued as she said a silent prayer. “Now Mr. Simpson has agreed to give us the house for a home for these orphans, provided we donate enough time, work, and money to get it in livable shape and maintain it. Just look at these two little boys here named Jake and Jasper. They are not aware of it yet, but they were separated when they were babies after the death of their parents. That shouldn’t ever happen to anyone.” She pointed to the boys, who stared at each other and rushed to embrace.

There was a murmur from the audience. Mandie looked at the left edge of the stage and saw Joe hiding behind the curtain as he listened to what she was saying. He gave her a big grin and she turned back to continue.

“Now I’m asking that every person in this audience give something,” Mandie said. Her voice got stern as her determination grew. “Everybody here can give something. If you don’t have money to give, you can give time and work. We have promised Mr. Simpson that the people of Franklin will come to the rescue of these little orphans, and we are going to keep our promise. Please don’t say you’re too busy or you can’t afford to give even a few dollars. No matter how poor you are, you can still share in some way. We can always find someone poorer than we are, and these little orphans are poorer than anyone in this audience.”

She paused again to let that soak in, and then she continued.

“Now who will be the first to make a donation?” she asked, as she looked over the audience. The crowd had become restless and the people were murmuring among themselves.

Suddenly a heavyset man with bushy gray hair stood up and yelled at Mandie, “We don’t need a half-breed telling us what to do with our money and time!”

Mandie was so shocked she yelled back, “I am what God made me and I can’t change that so you better like it!”

Joe instantly came to her side and shouted to the man, “This is God’s house and no place for such talk, mister!”

Uncle Ned suddenly materialized at Mandie’s side and, putting his arm around her, managed to get her behind the curtain. Joe followed.

They could hear the audience picking up on what the man said. “No, we don’t.” “No.” “Never.” Finally the uproar grew dimmer and Mandie knew the people were leaving the church.

“Papoose!” Uncle Ned said as he tightly embraced Mandie. Aunt Lou, Jenny, Abraham, and Liza all surrounded them with shocked expressions.

In spite of her determination, Mandie felt her eyes flood with tears and she turned to lean her head on the old Cherokee’s shoulder. The others were softly murmuring to comfort her. The orphans stood in awe and watched.

In a moment, Mandie’s grandmother had come onto the stage. Elizabeth and Uncle John and Dr. and Mrs. Woodard were close behind them. Mandie dimly saw Jason Bond bringing up the rear as they all came toward her.

“I’ll fix that man!” Mrs. Taft was so angry, she was sputtering.

“Are you all right, dear?” Elizabeth asked as she patted Mandie’s blond head.

Mandie looked up at her mother, and making every effort to steady her voice, she said, “I’m all right, Mother. I just need to get everything straightened up here so we can go eat dinner.”

“Please hurry, dear,” Elizabeth told her.

“We’re all hungry,” Uncle John tried to joke.

“We’ll be along in a little bit,” Mandie said and then, remembering their arrangements, she added, as she tried to smile, “Orphans and all. Aunt Lou and Jenny have already prepared dinner enough for everyone, and we want to eat together.”

Elizabeth glanced at Uncle John, and he said, “Of course, just hurry up and bring everyone over. We’re starving.” He, Elizabeth, and the Woodards left.

Mandie helped re-dress the children after the others were gone. Mrs. Taft had stayed to see what she could do. She helped Aunt Lou and Jenny herd the children across the road to the house. Liza went along to control them.

Left alone with Joe and Uncle Ned, Mandie said, “I’m sorry everything went so badly. I guess I ruined it all.”

Joe clasped her hand and said, “No, you didn’t, Mandie. You did wonderful. It was that selfish man who tried to ruin everything. I’m going on to the house because I know you want to talk with Uncle Ned. You haven’t seen him since he got here. But like your Uncle John said, please hurry. I’m hungry!” He laughed as he left.

“Uncle Ned, what did I do wrong?” Mandie asked when they were alone. They sat down on a low bench.

“Papoose, must learn to think,” Uncle Ned told her. “I always say, think before acting. Think what people will say when Papoose demand money and work from them.”

Mandie looked at him in surprise. “But I didn’t demand it, Uncle Ned. I was only asking for it,” she said.

“No, no, Papoose must walk softly when asking for something,” he tried to explain. “Cannot make people do things. Must set example to influence them.”

“I thought I was doing the right thing, showing them the orphans and telling them about the house,” Mandie said.

“Papoose must set example. Show people she can work and give,” the old man kept trying to explain.

“You mean we should go ahead and start work on the house if Mr. Simpson will let us?”

Uncle Ned smiled and said, “Yes, begin work. Others will come.”

“I don’t know. The other people in the audience were saying things that sounded like they were agreeing with what the man said,” Mandie insisted.

“Trust,” Uncle Ned said. “Work. Other people will work.”

“Trust, yes, I must trust in the Lord to help,” Mandie agreed.

As the old man and the young girl held hands, they looked above and said a prayer.

“Dear Lord, we need help to help the little orphans, please. Thank you, dear Lord,” Mandie said.

“Yes, Big God, please help,” Uncle Ned added as he also prayed.

Uncle Ned stood up and said, “Must go eat now.”

Mandie laughed as she wiped her reddened eyes and said, “Even you are hungry.”

At the house Mandie discussed her decision with the others, and everyone agreed to pitch in and help if Mr. Simpson would allow them to do so. And Mrs. Taft offered whatever money was needed to get things going.