Jonathan watched as Mandie, Celia, and Joe all accepted buttermilk. “How can you drink that stuff?” he asked.
“Buttermilk is good,” Mandie replied, sipping at hers. “You don’t like it?”
“Like it? Why, I’ve never tasted it. Just the looks of it is enough,” Jonathan said, wrinkling up his nose. “Looks like spoiled milk.” He drank from his coffee cup.
“If you’d just shut your eyes and take one sip of it you might really like it,” Joe said with a big grin.
“I could still smell it,” Jonathan replied.
“Smell it? Why, I’ve never thought about buttermilk having a smell,” Celia said, picking up her glass to sniff it.
“Do y’all not have buttermilk in New York?” Mandie asked.
“We New Yorkers have better sense than to drink such foul stuff,” Jonathan replied with a big grin, sipping his coffee again.
“Shh!” Mandie whispered to her friends as she rolled her eyes toward the adults.
Mrs. Taft and Aunt Pansy were discussing Miss Hope, and Mandie wanted to listen.
“Miss Hope has always been such a pleasant person, I can’t imagine why she would want to just disappear and cause everyone to worry,” Mrs. Taft was saying.
“Maybe not her decision,” Uncle Ned suggested.
Mrs. Taft and Aunt Pansy both quickly looked at him.
“Are you thinking something might have happened to Miss Hope—that she didn’t just walk off somewhere?” Mrs. Taft asked.
“Like somebody made her do dat,” Aunt Pansy added.
Uncle Ned nodded and said, “We find out.”
“Oh dear,” Mrs. Taft said breathlessly. “I do hope nothing has happened to the dear lady.” She put down her fork and took a deep breath.
Mandie also caught her breath as she glanced at her friends.
“Do you suppose someone kidnapped her?” Jonathan whispered.
“No, no, no!” Joe quickly said, shaking his head.
Mandie looked back down the table at the adults. Her grandmother was dabbing at her eyes with her lace handkerchief.
Mrs. Taft then straightened up and said in a firm, loud voice, “We are going to find Miss Hope.”
“Amen!” Mandie called out and was joined with more amens from her three friends. The adults smiled at them.
“And we’re going to work on it as soon as we finish this meal,” Mrs. Taft told everyone.
The four young people smiled and hurriedly finished their meal.
When they were ready to leave, Mandie opened the kitchen door and picked up her white cat.
While Mrs. Taft thanked Aunt Pansy for the meal, the young people followed Uncle Ned outside to tell Ben to bring the rig around to the front door. They found him at a table under a grove of trees, where he was finishing his dinner with Willie.
“So that is where Willie ate his food instead of joining us,” Mandie whispered to her friends as they walked on behind Uncle Ned.
“Mrs. Taft say we go now,” Uncle Ned told Ben.
Ben quickly stood up and said, “I’ll git de rig and bring it to de door.” He started toward the vehicle as it stood in another grove of trees.
Mandie watched as Uncle Ned put his hand out to shake hands with Willie, who had also risen from the table. “Thank you for dinner,” he said.
Willie was slow, but he finally took the old man’s hand and shook it. “Come see us agin,” he said.
The four young people watched and then followed Uncle Ned to the front yard to wait for the rig.
Mandie turned toward her friends as Uncle Ned stepped up on the porch while the young people stayed in the yard. “Do good to evil. That’s what Uncle Ned always tells me. He thanked Willie when Willie had been hiding something regarding Miss Hope.”
“Uncle Ned is smart enough to figure things out without Willie’s help, I’m sure,” Joe said.
“Yes, he has always helped me with problems, ever since my father—ever since I lost my father,” Mandie mumbled as memories of her father came back. Uncle Ned was not really her uncle but was a lifetime friend of her father, and he had promised Jim Shaw that he would look after Mandie when he died three years before. She turned away from her friends so they wouldn’t see the tears in her blue eyes.
“Amanda, let’s go,” Mrs. Taft called to her as everyone else approached the rig.
Snowball tried to get down, but Mandie held him tight as she rushed to join them, wiping a tear from her eye with her finger.
As Ben drove the rig out onto the road, Mrs. Taft spoke to Uncle Ned. “Now I think we ought to go straight to the church and see if we can catch the preacher, don’t you think so, Uncle Ned?”
“Yes, see preacher,” the old man agreed.
The young people listened with interest.
“Somehow I don’t believe the preacher will know anything,” Mandie whispered to her friends, still holding tightly to Snowball.
“No, he probably won’t know a thing,” Jonathan agreed.
“I wonder if Miss Prudence has talked with him,” Joe said.
“But Miss Prudence didn’t even know about Annie thinking she saw Miss Hope by the church until Grandmother told her, remember?” Mandie said.
“Yes, but they belong to that church. Wouldn’t Miss Prudence have said something to him about Miss Hope not coming to church with her?” Celia asked.
“Maybe, unless she was determined to keep everything so private she didn’t want him to know Miss Hope had disappeared. You know how Miss Prudence kept telling Grandmother she wanted to keep everything private,” Mandie reminded her.
“Then Miss Prudence is really going to be upset when she learns your grandmother has visited the preacher and asked questions about Miss Hope,” Jonathan said with a big grin.
“She sure is, but that won’t bother Grandmother,” Mandie agreed. “I wonder where Grandmother is planning to go after we visit the preacher.”
“It may be too late today to go anywhere else,” Joe said.
“When Grandmother gets wound up about something, she doesn’t slow down until the problem is solved,” Mandie said with a grin.
Mandie hoped they would at least get some information today from someone about Miss Hope. She was worried about her.
CHAPTER FIVE
NO LUCK
As soon as they came to the main road after leaving the school farm, Mrs. Taft leaned forward and said, “Ben, drive a little faster back to town. We would like to catch the preacher before suppertime.”
Ben glanced back at Mrs. Taft, grinned, and said, “Yessum, Miz Taft.” And he shook the reins. They went flying down the road. Ben, always delighted at a chance to speed, began humming to himself.
Mandie grinned at her friends. “I’ve never known Grandmother to tell Ben to drive fast. She is always saying he is going too fast,” she whispered.
Mrs. Taft and Uncle Ned, on the seat in front of the young people, discussed what they would say to the preacher about Miss Hope’s disappearance. Mandie and her friends tried to listen, but with the sudden speed, the rig rattled and the wind blew, blurring part of their conversation.
“I intend asking him, first of all, whether he has seen Miss Hope lately,” Mrs. Taft said. “And then I will ask if he knows the lady has completely disappeared.”
“Yes,” Uncle Ned agreed.
“I’m not sure yet what I will undertake next. It all depends on what we learn from the preacher, if anything at all,” Mrs. Taft said. “What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“See people in stores downtown Asheville,” Uncle Ned replied. “Stores where Miss Hope goes.”
“Yes, that is what should be done next unless we gather more information from the preacher,” Mrs. Taft agreed.
Mandie and her friends were silent, listening and waiting for more conversation between Mrs. Taft and Uncle Ned, but they were also silent the rest of the journey.
When Ben pulled the rig into the preacher’s driveway next door to the church, he had a little troub
le stopping it. The horse didn’t seem to want to slow down. He managed to get it under control by the time they got near the side door of the house.
Mrs. Taft blew out her breath and adjusted her hat. “That was fast, Ben,” she said as she stepped down from the rig.
At that moment, the door to the house opened and a woman stuck her head out to see what was going on. Mrs. Taft hurried toward her. Uncle Ned and the young people stayed by the rig, watching and waiting.
“Mrs. Slocum,” Mrs. Taft greeted the woman. “Is Preacher Tallant at home?”
“Why, no, ma’am, he’s gone calling,” the woman replied, straightening her long white apron.
“Oh dear, we would miss him,” Mrs. Taft said and turned to look at Uncle Ned. “I suppose we’ll have to come back.” Looking back at the woman, she asked, “Do you have any idea as to when he will return?”
“No, ma’am,” Mrs. Slocum answered. “You know how he just takes his own good time when he goes calling, visiting with some of those people who talk so much. They get wound up when the preacher arrives because they know he’s going to listen to them.”
“Yes, indeed I know all about those gossipers in the church,” Mrs. Taft replied. “Do you not have the faintest idea as to when he might return?”
Mrs. Slocum shook her head, straightened her apron, and said, “No, ma’am, all these years I been keeping house for him I know he just goes and comes when he gets ready.”
“What about his supper? When will he be having supper tonight? Don’t you have to prepare that for him?” Mrs. Taft asked.
“It’s done prepared and in the warmer,” Mrs. Slocum said. “He eats whenever he does come home. And sometimes he eats at someone’s house where he’s visiting, and then what I have prepared for supper will do for dinner the next day.” She squinted her black eyes as she glanced at the young people and Uncle Ned standing by the rig. She lowered her voice as she asked, “Is there some kind of Indian trouble?”
Mrs. Taft looked shocked for a moment, and then she also glanced at Uncle Ned and said, “My dear lady, this Indian was a close friend of my granddaughter’s father before he died. He more or less acts as a bodyguard for my granddaughter now.”
Mandie smiled and caught Uncle Ned’s hand and held it firmly as she straightened up to stare back at the woman. Her three friends moved closer to her side, and they looked at Mrs. Slocum. Uncle Ned was silent. It was always hard to tell what he was thinking because his face very seldom reflected his feelings.
“Oh, she needs a bodyguard, eh?” the woman said.
Mrs. Taft took a deep breath and said, “Thank you for the information, Mrs. Slocum. I shall return later in an effort to catch Preacher Tallant.” She gave her long skirts a shake and hurried back to the rig, where Uncle Ned gave her a hand to step back into the vehicle. The young people followed.
Suddenly Mandie realized she had left Snowball in the rig. She hurriedly looked under the seat without saying anything for fear he had run away. He was curled up asleep under the seat.
“Ben, let’s get on our way home now,” Mrs. Taft told her driver.
“Yessum, Miz Taft, be dere in a minute,” Ben replied, shaking the reins, and the horse moved the rig out onto the road.
Turning to Uncle Ned, Mrs. Taft said, “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone so—so—” She was at a loss for the right word.
“So nosy,” Mandie supplied with a little laugh.
“Yes, so nosy,” Mrs. Taft agreed. “I don’t think I had ever met her before. She doesn’t go to Preacher Tallant’s church but to some small place down in the valley, I’ve heard. There’s no telling what she will tell the preacher when he comes home, so I must catch him tomorrow and explain.”
“Yes, tomorrow,” Uncle Ned agreed.
“If you would like to return with us to talk to the preacher, you are welcome to come along,” Mrs. Taft told Uncle Ned.
“Yes, I will go with you, and then I will go to stores and ask about Miss Hope,” Uncle Ned replied.
Mandie moved closer to her friends and whispered, “I hope Grandmother allows us to go with her tomorrow.”
“She probably will,” Jonathan said.
“If she doesn’t, we can all go out on a search of our own,” Mandie told Jonathan, Joe, and Celia.
“Yes,” they all agreed.
When they got back to Mrs. Taft’s house, they found Senator Morton sitting in the parlor. He stood up when they came into the room.
“I’m so glad to see you must be feeling better,” Mrs. Taft greeted him. She went to sit nearby.
“I’m glad to say I feel much better,” Senator Morton replied, standing up until Mrs. Taft was seated.
“I’ll just rest a few minutes and then go upstairs and freshen up for supper,” Mrs. Taft said.
Mandie put Snowball down, and the four young people sat in chairs close enough to hear what the adults were going to talk about.
“I go out for air, come back in for supper,” Uncle Ned said as he turned to leave the room.
Mandie was undecided as to whether they should follow him or stay and see what Mrs. Taft was going to say about their search. She glanced at her friends. All three motioned to their seats. They wanted to stay in the parlor. Mandie watched as Uncle Ned left the room.
“We have not had a fruitful day,” Mrs. Taft told the senator. “I believe the people out at the school farm know something about Miss Hope’s disappearance, and they are not telling me. And that woman who is housekeeper for Preacher Tallant said he was out making calls, and she was very rude to us.”
“I’m sorry you’ve had such a bad day,” Senator Morton replied. “Do you plan on returning to see the preacher?”
“Yes, and Uncle Ned is going to inquire at some of the stores tomorrow,” Mrs. Taft replied. “I thought I’d see if I can catch the preacher early tomorrow morning, and then I’d like to check with Miss Prudence just in case she has heard something. And if she hasn’t, then I will go directly to see the sheriff, without Miss Prudence’s knowledge of course.”
“I would like to accompany you,” Senator Morton said.
“And I would be grateful if you would,” Mrs. Taft replied.
Mandie stood up and said, “Let’s go get freshened up for supper.” She looked at her friends and then at Mrs. Taft.
“Be sure you are all back down here ready for supper at six o’clock sharp,” Mrs. Taft said.
“Yes, ma’am,” the four replied as they went out into the hallway.
Mandie told her friends, “Let’s meet back at the top of the stairs in thirty minutes.”
The boys looked at each other and grinned.
“It won’t take me thirty minutes to wash my face and hands,” Jonathan said, grinning at Mandie.
“Or me, either, but we’ll wait for you girls,” Joe added. Mandie and Celia hurried ahead.
Once inside their room, the girls sat down to talk.
“I hope Grandmother allows us to go with her to visit the sheriff,” Mandie said.
“I’m glad she is going to law enforcement people. I’m really worried about Miss Hope. Something bad could have happened to her,” Celia said.
“Yes, it’s so unlike her to just disappear,” Mandie replied. “But I believe Willie out at the farm knows something about it. Maybe if we told Miss Prudence, she could get him to talk to her about it.”
“Maybe your grandmother will tell Miss Prudence about the strange way Willie acted,” Celia said. “And then maybe Miss Prudence will talk to Willie.”
“Maybe,” Mandie agreed. “I hope Grandmother will be able to catch the preacher and ask about Annie saying she saw Miss Hope that night by the church.”
“Well, most of all, I do hope we can find Miss Hope before school opens, and that’s only a few weeks away,” Celia said.
Mandie grinned at her friend and said, “We sure are using the word hope a lot, aren’t we?”
Celia grinned back and said, “I suppose so, but we are hoping we can solve t
his mystery, aren’t we?”
“We certainly are,” Mandie replied. “You know, I still think the boys from Mr. Chadwick’s School might be able to help us on this. They are freer to roam the town than we girls are, and they also know lots of local people.”
“So what are you planning on doing? Going to see them?” Celia asked with a big grin.
Mandie knew what that grin was for. Celia had a friend, Robert, who was a student at Mr. Chadwick’s School. “Maybe we could get word to Robert to come see us since we are not allowed to go to their school without a chaperone,” she suggested as she straightened her skirts before the mirror and watched Celia out of the corner of her eye.
“But Mandie, remember they are on vacation like we are,” Celia replied, brushing her auburn curls as she stood before the bureau mirror.
“Oh, shucks, I suppose they are,” Mandie said with a sigh. Then she remembered something else. “But you know, Robert might have decided to come back to school early to take some of those extra courses that Mr. Chadwick gives in the summer.”
“I don’t know how we could find out,” Celia said, fluffing out her full skirts as she stood before the mirror.
“Hmmm.” Mandie thought for a moment and then said, “We might be able to get Uncle Ned to check Mr. Chadwick’s School and see.”
“Do you think he would?” Celia asked, eagerly turning around to look at Mandie.
“I could ask,” Mandie said and then added, “Or we could ask Joe and Jonathan if they would go over to Mr. Chadwick’s School for us.”
“Jonathan wouldn’t know where the school is,” Celia said.
“But Joe probably knows,” Mandie told her. “Come on. Let’s go meet them.” She started for the door.
“Mandie, I know what Joe will say. We left Robert down at Tommy’s house in Charleston when we came home with you, and he’s probably still down there,” Celia said, following Mandie out the door.
Joe and Jonathan were already sitting on the settee in the alcove at the top of the main staircase.
The Mandie Collection Page 5
