The Mandie Collection by Lois Gladys Leppard Read Free Book Online Page A

hear him lead the horse away before mounting. Joe’s heartbeat quickened in anger at the thought of someone tearing down the walls. He edged closer to the structure. He could hear talking, but it was too low to be understood. As he moved still closer, he could see three men with axes standing by the hospital. In the darkness he could not tell whether they were Indians or white men. He moved just a little closer. A dry twig cracked loudly under his foot.
    The three men turned in his direction and listened. Then they moved forward quietly to investigate.
    Joe stood motionless, hoping they wouldn’t hear him breathing. Suddenly the three men came at him.
    As Joe tried to flee, the men spread out and surrounded him. In the scuffle, they caught him by his shirt and tore it off him. Then they pulled Joe closer for a better look.
    â€œNobody we know,” one man said. The other two agreed.
    Quickly the men pulled out rope and handkerchiefs from their pockets. Even though Joe put up a good fight, they managed to gag and bind him.
    After carrying Joe away from the hospital, the three men picked up their axes and completely wrecked the walls. Satisfied with their destruction, they pulled Joe to his feet and pushed him ahead as they tromped off into the woods.
    As Dimar arrived back at Uncle Ned’s house, he called to the men for help. Within minutes Uncle Ned, Uncle John, Uncle Wirt, and Dr. Woodard had dressed and saddled horses to return with the boy to the hospital. Tsa’ni had already gone home.
    When the girls heard the commotion, they hurriedly dressed enough to get downstairs before the men left. Elizabeth and Morning Star were there, too.
    â€œDimar, is Joe all right?” Mandie asked anxiously. “You left him alone with those crooks.”
    â€œHe is all right, Mandie. He is not with the crooks. I left him hidden in the bushes,” the Indian boy told her.
    â€œPlease hurry, Dimar,” Sallie urged him. “And be careful.”
    â€œI will,” the boy promised. Hurrying outside, he rode quietly off into the night with the men.
    â€œAmanda, Sallie, if you’re staying up, we might as well have some tea,” Elizabeth told the girls. “Morning Star is getting it ready.”
    â€œI couldn’t go to bed with all this going on,” Mandie told her mother.
    Mandie and Sallie pulled chairs over in front of the huge fireplace. Morning Star poked at the fire and soon had a nice blaze going.
    Mandie shivered. “I’m so excited, I’m cold.”
    â€œSo am I,” Sallie admitted.
    â€œI know it gets cold in these mountains at night, but it’s partly nerves, too,” Elizabeth told them. “The tea will help.”
    Sallie looked around the room. “Mandie, where is Snowball?” she asked.
    Mandie jumped up to look for him. Then she laughed as she saw the white kitten perched at the top of the attic ladder. He looked down at them, whining. Climbing the ladder, Mandie picked up her kitten and brought him down.
    â€œSnowball, you’ve got to learn to come down the ladder, you silly cat,” she said.
    When she set him down in front of the fire, he curled up and began purring while the women and girls drank hot tea and discussed the chances of catching the crooks.
    Before the men got very close to the hospital, they dismounted to avoid being heard.
    â€œMust be quiet,” Uncle Ned told the others as he led the way on foot.
    Silently, they crept through the bushes. As they came within sight of the hospital, the clouds uncovered the moon. The men stopped in horror when they saw the destruction. Circling around, they found no one.
    â€œThey’re gone,” Uncle John said.
    Dr. Woodard looked around for his son. “Where is Joe, Dimar?”
    â€œWe were in the bushes down this way,” Dimar said, leading them into the woods. “Joe,” he called out, “it is Dimar. Joe, where are you?”
    There wasn’t a