The Mandie Collection

by Lois Gladys Leppard

  “Her name was spelled with a ‘y’ on the papers the law officers gave my grandmother in Ireland to bring Mollie home with us,” Mandie told her. “So I suppose you are going to take Mollie home with you?”

  The woman stood up and said, “No, that’s impossible right now.”

  “I want to go back home with Celia,” Mollie said.

  “Why is it impossible?” Mandie asked, ignoring Mollie’s remark.

  “Because my husband died three months ago, and I don’t have a definite home right now. I am staying with his sister for the time being, but as soon as I can get on my feet again, I will come after Mollie,” the woman said.

  “Where do you live? What town?” Mandie asked.

  “Your uncle John Shaw knows all that,” the woman told her. “Now I think it’s best I leave since I cannot take Mollie with me.” She quickly stooped to kiss Mollie and said, “You be a sweetie, and I will be back for you, soon, I hope.”

  Mandie saw tears in the woman’s eyes as she quickly turned and ran back over the hill, retrieving her white hat from the bushes where it had landed. She disappeared in the distance as the young people watched.

  “ ’Tweren’t no ghost, aftuh all!” Liza said with a big sigh.

  “I guess me aunt Lou must’ve been right. There be no real angel people that we kin see,” Mollie said, sadly looking into the distance.

  “Aunt Lou is right. There are angels all around but we can’t see them,” Celia told her.

  Mollie looked up at Celia and then at Mandie with tears in her blue eyes and said, “And there be no leprechauns either, no real leprechauns.” She shook her head and frowned.

  “That’s right,” Mandie agreed.

  Mollie suddenly started to run down the hill. “Let’s go tell me grandmither!” she yelled.

  Liza ran after her. “I knowed dat all de time,” she called to Mollie.

  “But it took you both a long time to say it,” Mandie said as she and Celia followed.

  MANDIE AND MOLLIE & THE ANGEL’S VISIT

  A Drama in Three Acts

  by Lois Gladys Leppard

  TIME: 1902

  PLACE: Franklin, North Carolina

  ACT I: Scene 1—The Shaws’ parlor.

  An afternoon in the spring.

  Scene 2—The Shaws’ kitchen.

  Same afternoon.

  ACT II: Scene 1—The Shaws’ parlor.

  After supper on the same day.

  Scene 2—The Shaws’ parlor.

  After midnight on the same day.

  ACT III: Scene 1—On the mountain above Franklin.

  Sunrise service.

  CHARACTERS

  (in order of appearance)

  Amanda (Mandie) Shaw, thirteen years old, blond hair, blue eyes, small

  Celia Hamilton, thirteen years old, auburn hair, green eyes, Mandie’s friend

  Mollie, ten years old, carrot-red hair, bright blue eyes, Irish orphan

  Snowball, Mandie’s white cat

  Liza, sixteen years old, maid in the Shaw home

  Aunt Lou, elderly housekeeper for the Shaw family, large woman

  Abraham, elderly handyman for the Shaw family

  Jenny, middle-aged cook for the Shaw family, Abraham’s wife

  Jason Bond, elderly caretaker for John Shaw’s businesses, tall, gray hair

  Preacher, elderly man, tall, heavyset

  The Woman, in her thirties, Mollie’s aunt from Ireland, carrot-red hair, blue eyes

  Audience on mountain for service

  ACT I—Scene 1

  THE SCENE:

  AT CURTAIN:

  MANDIE: (Walking over to the settee and sitting down.) Celia, I’m so glad you and your mother could come and spend the Easter holidays with us. And could bring Mollie, too. I do believe she has grown a couple of inches since we brought her home with us from Ireland. (Mandie looks at Mollie, who is wandering about the room.)

  CELIA: (Sitting on the settee next to Mandie.) She is growing fast. And she also gets around fast, you’ll find out.

  MOLLIE: (After inspecting everything in the room, she comes to stand in front of the fireplace.) Mandie, do ye be havin’ leprechauns in this place where ye live? (She frowns and pushes back a lock of hair as she looks at Mandie.)

  MANDIE: (She sighs.) Oh, Mollie, are you still chasing leprechauns? I don’t believe we have any in this house, or in this town, in fact.

  MOLLIE: (Walking closer to look at Mandie.) But there might be one here someplace. I’ll be lookin’ and watchin’ for one while I be stayin’ here with ye.

  MANDIE: But you don’t need to find one now to get his pot of gold. You have a nice home with Celia.

  MOLLIE: When Celia finds me aunt, the lady may be needin’ the gold.

  CELIA: We may never find your aunt, Mollie. So far the detectives my mother has had looking for her haven’t found any trace of her, so you may have to live with us until you grow up.

  MOLLIE: (Looking at Celia thoughtfully.) I still be lookin’ for a leprechaun.

  (Snowball, Mandie’s white cat, wanders into the room.)

  MOLLIE: (Picking up Snowball and going to sit on the stool.) I know ye. Yer name be Snowball, and ye came to Ireland with Mandie last summer.

  MANDIE: (In a low voice to Celia.) Is your mother still trying to find Mollie’s aunt, or has she given up?

  CELIA: (In a low voice.) No, she hasn’t given up, but so far no one has found a trace of her. Remember the police authorities in Ireland told your grandmother that the aunt had come to the United States when Mollie was a baby. That’s a long time ago.

  MANDIE: But they also told us that the aunt was last heard from somewhere in Virginia. Of course she might have moved on to another part of the country. (Lowering her voice to a whisper.) Does your mother plan to keep her if she never locates the aunt?

  CELIA: (In a whisper.) I think so. She is quite a handful, never having had any discipline in Ireland and being allowed to roam the streets there, but Aunt Rebecca has become attached to her, and I sorta think she hopes we never find her aunt so she can keep Mollie.

  MANDIE: How is your aunt Rebecca doing in trying to educate her?

  CELIA: (With a big smile.) Well, you know Aunt Rebecca used to be a schoolteacher, and this gives her something to do.

  MANDIE: Have y’all heard anything more about Mrs. Wiley, the woman who was keeping Mollie in Ireland?

  CELIA: Yes, Mother stays in touch with her. I’m sure Mother sends her money, too. The woman is still in such bad shape—after that accident she had and no one to support her. Even though she is in that rest home for the poor in Belfast, she does need some money.

  MANDIE: (Rubbing her arms.) It still gives me goose bumps just thinking about that awful fire. I’m so thankful we were able to save Mollie and Mrs. Wiley, although the lady did get seriously injured.

  CELIA: I know. Never in all my thirteen years have I been so frightened.

  LIZA: (Appearing in the doorway and standing there to look into the room.)

  MANDIE: (Seeing Liza.) Come on in, Liza. This is Mollie. (She motions toward Mollie.) And, Mollie, this is Liza.

  MOLLIE: (Jumping up and running to stand in front of Liza. She drops the cat in her haste. Snowball runs out the door.) Do ye be knowin’ if there be leprechauns in this house?

  LIZA: (Frowning as she looks at Mollie and then at Mandie.) Be whut? Missy ’Manda, dat lil’ girl she don’t speak good English.

  MANDIE: (Smiling.) She wants to know if we have leprechauns in this house.

  LIZA: (Looking puzzled.) If we has whut?

  MANDIE: Leprechauns. You have probably never heard of leprechauns. You see, some people in Ireland believe they exist. And Mollie is always looking for one because they are supposed to own a pot of gold.

  LIZA: (Her eyes widening.) Pot o’ gold?

  CELIA: (Looking at Mandie.) You might as well explain what this is all about.

  MANDIE: Yes. Many, many years ago, Liza, these leprechauns were supposed to live in Irela
nd. The English or American name for them is shoemaker—

  LIZA: (Excitedly interrupting.) Like dat shoemaker man named Pat whut works down in dat shop on Main Street? But he ain’t got no pot o’ gold.

  MOLLIE: (Becoming excited.) Ye know where there be a leprechaun? Show me where he be.

  MANDIE: (Loudly.) No, Liza, Pat is a shoemaker, but he’s not a leprechaun. Maybe leprechauns only lived in Ireland. We don’t have any here.

  MOLLIE: (Grasping Liza’s hand.) Will ye take me to see this Pat shoemaker? Please, I say.

  LIZA: (Looking from Mollie to Mandie and then back to Mollie.) But Missy ’Manda she say dis heah Pat he ain’t de right kind o’ lepcawn, or whatever you calls it. And he sho ain’t got no pot o’ gold. Now iffen dat’s all you lookin’ fo’, why don’t you find de end to de rainbow? Dey say it’s a pot o’ gold at de end.

  MOLLIE: Do ye be knowin’ where this rainbow be?

  MANDIE: (Speaking sharply to Liza.) Liza! Please don’t put such nonsensical ideas into Mollie’s head. You know very well there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, which I know you must have learned in church.

  LIZA: I knows.

  MANDIE: (Looking at Mollie.) The rainbow is God’s promise to us, all of us here on earth, that the earth will never again be destroyed by water. He gave the promise to Noah after the flood was over.

  MOLLIE: (Looking at Mandie in surprise.) But how do ye be knowin’ all this?

  MANDIE: Because it’s all in the Bible. (Looking at Celia.) Y’all have been teaching her the Bible, haven’t you?

  CELIA: Of course, Mandie. But there is so much she doesn’t know that it’s going to take a lot of time for her to understand everything.

  MOLLIE: (Looking at Liza.) Anyhow, kin we find a rainbow?

  LIZA: Missy ’Manda, she be right ’bout rainbows. Ain’t no pot o’ gold at de end. Dat’s jes’ ole tales. (Looking at Mandie.) I’se sorry fo’ all de tomfoolery, Missy ’Manda. ’Course I knows bettuh. Aunt Lou she tell me all ’bout rainbows long time ago.

  MOLLIE: (Quickly pulling on Liza’s arm to get her attention.) Kin we find a rainbow? Please, I say.

  MANDIE: (Looking at Liza.) You are forgiven this time, Liza, but please remember that Mollie is young and doesn’t know everything you’ve been taught. In fact, you could help us teach her what Easter is all about while she’s here.

  LIZA: (Looking at Mandie with widened eyes.) Missy ’Manda, I don’t be knowin’ how to teach nobody nuthin’. Y’all be needin’ Aunt Lou to do de teachin’.

  MANDIE: (Smiling at Liza.) That’s a good idea, Liza. We’ll ask Aunt Lou to help explain things to Mollie.

  MOLLIE: (Suddenly, loudly, looking up at Liza.) Kin we find a rainbow? Kin we? (Then she looks at Mandie.)

  MANDIE: All right, Mollie, if a rainbow comes into the sky while you are here, we’ll be sure to show it to you. You see, we can’t just make rainbows whenever we want one. God puts them in the sky, usually when the sun comes out after it rains.

  MOLLIE: We kin look for leprechauns then. Maybe they don’t be made by God.

  CELIA: Mollie, God made this earth and everything in it. So if there is such a thing as a leprechaun, I’m sure God made it, too. However, I don’t believe He made any leprechauns, because if He did, sooner or later you’d be able to find one.

  MOLLIE: (Frowning and stomping both her feet.) Then I be wantin’ to go back to Ireland, where God didn’t make everythin’.

  LIZA: (Quickly turning to leave the room.) And I’se got to go back to de kitchen ’fo Aunt Lou start lookin’ fo’ me. (Liza exits through the doorway.)

  (Mandie and Celia look at each other in dismay.)

  CELIA: So far only Aunt Rebecca has been able to get through to her.

  MOLLIE: (Suddenly sitting down on the floor near the door.) Where be Grandmither? She took me to this United States. Now I be wantin’ Grandmither to take me back to Belfast. That I do.

  MANDIE: (Quickly slipping out of her seat and sitting on the floor next to Mollie. She puts an arm around Mollie.) Grandmother will be coming later this week, but we don’t want her to take you back to Ireland. Remember the cold place in the cellar where you lived? And lots of times you didn’t have enough to eat. We want you to stay in the United States so we can take care of you, at least until we can locate your aunt. (Reaching to smooth Mollie’s hair.)

  MOLLIE: (Pulling away from Mandie.) But I might be findin’ a leprechaun in Ireland, and then I could git his pot o’ gold, and I could be gittin’ me a new home to stay in, that I could.

  CELIA: (Coming to sit on the floor with Mandie and Mollie.) Mollie, have you ever thought about the fact that if you did find a leprechaun and he had a pot of gold, you couldn’t take the gold away from him because it would belong to him? That wouldn’t be nice to take something away from someone that it belonged to.

  MOLLIE: (Looking at Celia for a moment.) But he would be knowin’ where he could be findin’ another pot o’ gold. That he would.

  CELIA: But suppose he had to work many long years and save to fill that pot with gold, like you had to work for your food when you lived in Ireland?

  MOLLIE: (After a pause.) Where be that Indian uncle? He helped me look for leprechauns in Ireland, that he did.

  MANDIE: Uncle Ned. He’s not actually my uncle. He was my father’s Cherokee friend. He and his family will probably meet up with us on the mountain at sunrise on Sunday.

  MOLLIE: On the mountain? Sunrise?

  MANDIE: Yes, we will be going up the mountain Sunday to see the sun rise and to hear the Easter sermon.

  MOLLIE: (Looking at Mandie and then at Celia.) Then kin we look for leprechauns on the mountain?

  MANDIE: There aren’t any leprechauns on the mountain. We’ll find something else to do up there. We’ll sing.

  MOLLIE: Sing? And kin we dance, too?

  MANDIE: (Becoming impatient.) No, Mollie, we will not dance. Easter is a special holy day. We’ll be celebrating the time that Jesus rose from His tomb.

  MOLLIE: Celebratin’? Will we be havin’ a party? Like a birthday party?

  MANDIE: (Standing up and looking at Celia.) Let’s take this child to Aunt Lou and ask her to explain a few things. I don’t seem to be getting anywhere with it myself.

  CELIA: (Smiling as she also rises.) You are doing better than I have been able to do. But Aunt Lou sounds like the perfect teacher.

  MANDIE: (Reaching for Mollie’s hand.) Come on, Mollie, we want you to meet Aunt Lou. You’ll love her, I’m sure. She’s in charge of everything here—cooking the food, sewing clothes, and running everything.

  (Mollie stands up.)

  (Mandie leads her toward the door. Celia follows.)

  CURTAIN

  ACT I—Scene 2

  THE SCENE:

  AT CURTAIN:

  AUNT LOU: (Walking toward Mollie with her arms out to hug her.) Here’s dat lil’ angel from Ireland.

  MOLLIE: (Frowning at her.) I don’t be no angel. Mollie I be.

  AUNT LOU: (Bending down to look at her.) I knows you ain’t no real angel. Come to Aunt Lou.

  MOLLIE: (Allowing Aunt Lou to embrace her.) Will you be me aunt? Celia and her mither they look and look for me aunt and don’t find her. Will you be me aunt? (Looking up into Aunt Lou’s smiling face.)

  AUNT LOU: ’Course I’ll be yo’ aunt. Now you jes’ call me Aunt Lou and I’ll be proud to be yo’ aunt.

  MOLLIE: (Staring at Aunt Lou.) Do ye be needin’ a pot o’ gold then?

  AUNT LOU: (Glancing at Mandie with a puzzled look.) A pot of gold? Now whut would I do wid a pot of gold? I don’t need no gold.

  MOLLIE: (Looking at Mandie.) Then I don’t be havin’ to take his pot o’ gold when I find a leprechaun.

  (Aunt Lou straightens up to look at Mandie.)

  (Mollie holds on to Aunt Lou’s big white apron.)

  MANDIE: Oh, Aunt Lou, it’s all so confusing. Mollie needs a teacher, and I think you’d be better at that than I am. She just doesn’t understand anything I
try to explain. Please say you’ll help.

  AUNT LOU: Liza done told me whut was said in de parlor a while ago. I’ll see whut I kin do. Aftuh while, dat is. Right now we’se got to git supper done. (Turning to Mollie and patting Mollie’s head.) Now I’ll be yo’ aunt, but you’s got to go back to de parlor so I kin git dis heah food cooked, you heah?

  MOLLIE: (Looking up at Aunt Lou as she pulls on Aunt Lou’s apron.) If I be goin’ back to the parlor, ye won’t go ’way some place, will ye? Will ye, I say?

  AUNT LOU: No, no, I won’t be goin’ no place. (She pulls her apron out of Mollie’s hand.) I stays right heah in dis kitchen till I gits de supper on de table so you kin eat. Ain’t you hungry now? (Moving toward the stove.)

  MOLLIE: I may be a little hungry. What do ye be wantin’ me to do to pay fer it?

  AUNT LOU: I be wantin’ you to go back to de parlor now.

  MANDIE: Aunt Lou, she hasn’t met everyone else. (Taking Mollie by the hand, she leads her over to Jenny and Abraham, who have been listening.) Mollie, this is Jenny and her husband, Abraham. And you already know Liza over there.

  ABRAHAM: Howdy, little missy.

  JENNY: And you come all de way ’cross dat big ocean from Ireland.

  MOLLIE: No, I come from Virginny with Celia and her mither. Before that I be in Ireland.

  ABRAHAM: Ireland, where dey has leprechauns.

  MANDIE: (Taking a quick breath.) Abraham, please don’t mention the word.

  MOLLIE: (Her blue eyes open wide.) Leprechauns, ye say. (Leaning toward Abraham she whispers.) Do ye be havin’ leprechauns here, I say?

  MANDIE: (Rolling her eyes and shaking her head behind Mollie’s back and whispering.) No.

  ABRAHAM: (Quickly to Mollie.) Ain’t no sech thing as leprechauns in dis heah place. Only find dem in Ireland.

  MANDIE: (Under her breath.) Oh no!

  MOLLIE: (Moving closer to Abraham.) Will ye go to Ireland with me and hunt for leprechauns then? Will ye, I say?