The Mandie Collection by Lois Gladys Leppard Page B

disappeared.”
    Mandie quickly asked the doctor, “Is Joe going home with us? Please.”
    Dr. Woodard cleared his throat and replied, “Yes, he may go home with you all, but only because this is supposed to be educational for him. And I won’t guarantee you how long he will be able to stay.”
    â€œThank you, Dr. Woodard,” Mandie said as they all began piling into the rig.
    John Shaw shook the reins, and the horse pulled the vehicle out into the road.
    â€œWell, what did you think of a courtroom?” Joe asked Mandie as they rode together in the backseat.
    â€œIt looks awfully proper, but I didn’t think Etta Hughes acted veryproper. Did you notice she didn’t even say ‘Your Honor’ when she spoke to the judge?” Mandie told him.
    â€œI suppose he overlooked it because she told him she was uneducated,” Joe said.
    â€œAnd she never did even look at me—or us, I should say,” Mandie added. “Well, she’ll look at us next time we go there. We’ll have the will and show her up for what she is.”
    â€œI sure hope we can find the will,” Joe said.
    â€œAs soon as we get back, we’ll begin searching again, and we just won’t stop until we do find it,” Mandie told him. Then she added, “Or until we have to go back to school. Maybe if we hurry we can find it.”
    She glanced at Joe and smiled.

CHAPTER FIVE
    WITH LOVE
    When they arrived back at the Woodards’ house, Mrs. Miller had the noon meal waiting for them. And Mrs. Woodard had Snowball under her watch as he slept curled up in the wood box by the big iron cookstove.
    As everyone came in through the back door into the kitchen, Mrs. Woodard greeted them. “I know you all must be hungry, so if you’ll freshen up, the food should be on the table in the dining room in about ten minutes.” The men and Joe went on through the doorway to the hallway.
    Mrs. Taft offered to help. “What could I do?” she asked as she paused in the middle of the room.
    â€œMe too,” Mandie added.
    â€œNo, thank you, but by the time you get comfortable, Mrs. Miller and I will have everything taken care of,” Mrs. Woodard replied as she pulled a pan of biscuits out of the oven.
    â€œI’ll be back shortly,” Mrs. Taft told her.
    Mandie followed her grandmother upstairs, where they took off their best clothes and put on some everyday dresses.
    Mandie was excited about going to see her father’s house. “I’ll show you everything, Grandmother—the swing my father put up in a tree for me, the rail fence he was building around the property line, andthe hiding place where Joe and I found the will,” she said, her thoughts tumbling together. She added with a smile, “And the barn where Susie, our cow, lived. I used to milk her, Grandmother. My father taught me how, and that woman he was married to didn’t like to go near Susie. I really think she was afraid of the poor cow. Snowball wasn’t afraid of Susie. He was a little kitten then, but he would sit by the bucket and watch me. Sometimes I would squirt a little of the milk his way, and he would go crazy trying to lick it up.”
    Mrs. Taft smiled at her granddaughter and said, “Amanda, let’s talk when we get out to the house. Right now Mrs. Woodard is waiting for us to eat.”
    â€œOh yes, ma’am,” Mandie agreed as she hastily tied the sash on her full-skirted calico dress and followed her grandmother out the door.
    Their meeting with the judge at the courthouse was discussed during the meal, but everyone hurried. John Shaw told them in order to get across the mountain and home before dark, the visit to Jim Shaw’s house would have to be quick.
    ----
    When John Shaw brought the rig to a standstill in the driveway in front of the old log cabin, Mandie jumped down and waited for her grandmother to join her. She grabbed the lady’s hand and