HEY! I present... the next chappie!
Chapter 4
Joe opened his eyes wearily. He sat up, and looked at the clock. It was 5:10.
Joe remembered the meeting, and got up to dress, and get ready.
Dimar opened one eye to see Joe, and then decided to stay in bed, so he could have his meeting.
Robert still snored soundly.
He soon finished, and now it was 5:25.
"Good luck with your powwow," muttered Dimar sleepily.
"Thanks," replied Joe.
He headed downstairs, and into the parlor.
Mr. Shaw and Uncle Ned were there, sipping coffee.
"Good Morning, Joe, want a cup of coffee?" asked Mr. Shaw, as Joe sat down on a chair.
"Sure," said Joe.
Mr. Shaw poured some coffee, and gave it to Joe.
"Have talk now?" suggested Uncle Ned, as they were all together.
"Is inside alright? It's snowing out there." said Mr. Shaw.
Joe turned to the window, to see the white flakes dancing in the air, and the snow covered yard.
Uncle Ned and Joe nodded.
"Well, what do you want to talk about?" asked Mr. Shaw, who never was one to beat around the bush.
"Well, you see, I've already got a certificate to be a lawyer, and-er- I'm thinking of buying a house soon-in Charley Gap.
I'm just looking for an office near-by to work in," began Joe nervously.
"I see." said Mr. Shaw, sipping his coffee.
"What is point?" asked Uncle Ned, bluntly.
Joe fidgeted nervously.
"I-i-just want to-have your-er-permission to ask Mandie to-ahem-marry me." stammered Joe, in a voice barely above a whisper.
Mr. Shaw and Uncle Ned exchanged glances, and both nodded.
"Joe be good husband for papoose," said Uncle Ned.
Joe didn't dare look up, afraid his voice might betray him.
"Joe, what is the most important thing in life for you?" asked Mr. Shaw.
Joe thought for a few moments. He wanted to say Mandie, but there was something else.
"I think God is the most important thing in life," said Joe slowly.
"And the second most important thing?" asked Mr. Shaw.
"I would say Mandie," said Joe, growing redder by the minute.
"Joseph Woodard," began Mr. Shaw,
"I give you my full permission, and blessing, for you to marry my niece, and I know Jim would too," said Mr. Shaw, then looking out the window towards the cemetery where Jim was buried.
"Yes, Jim too," agreed the old indian, nodding wisely.
Joe just stared down into his cup of coffee.
"W-will Mrs. Shaw be alright with it as well?" asked Joe nervously.
"I'm sure Elizabeth couldn't find a better man for Mandie," assured Mr. Shaw.
Joe cleared his throat nervously.
"Well, thank you, I guess," said Joe, not knowing what else to say.
Mr. Shaw and Uncle Ned grinned at him.
"When will you propose to her? Right this very moment?" asked teasingly.
Joe gave a weak chuckle.
"I was thinking maybe at the ball Mrs. Taft is planning," said Joe, his tension lessening.
Uncle Ned nodded
"Yes, good time, when alone," agreed Uncle Ned.
They heard voices coming down the stairs.
"Aunt Lou, are we the first ones awake?" called Mandie, towards the kitchen.
"Yo uncle and uncle ned be in da parlor, and dey got coffee,"
called back Aunt Lou.
"Ooo, coffee," said Dr. Woodard.
Mandie, Celia, Robert, Sallie, Dimar, and Dr. Woodard entered the parlor.
"Why, hello, son, I didn't know you were awake," said Dr. Woodard, motioning for Joe to serve him some coffee as he sat down.
Joe quickly served his father some coffee.
"Why, Joe, I didn't know you were a waiter," teased Mandie.
Joe gave her a grin, and sat on a chair near her.
"I'm not, sleepyhead," retorted Joe, shyly.
Mandie frowned.
"It's 6 o'clock, what do you mean, sleepyhead?" asked Mandie.
"I was awake since 5 o'clock," said Joe, looking at the clock.
"Why wasn't Dimar and Robert with you?" asked Mandie, immediately curious.
"We were talking," put in Mr. Shaw.
Mandie raised her eyebrows, and blew out her breath.
"Oh, shucks, now everybody is so secretive all of a sudden," said Mandie, frowning slightly.
Mr. Shaw and Joe shared a glance, Mr. Shaw's eyes full of mirth, and Joe's eyes full of pleading, to not give him away.
"I-i forgot something upstairs," said Joe, getting up and exiting the parlor.
Joe sighed once he was upstairs. He was close to being given away, it seemed.
Joe's thoughts drifted to when the time came to propose. He must get the ring made soon. He would get that ruby from Mr. Shaw's mine! No, that wasn't too nice looking. He would get it diamond, surrounded by little bits of the ruby. Yes, that would look nice.
Now, as a gift, to not let on that he was proposing, at the ball, what should he give Mandie? Joe thought. Mandie had practically everything she wanted. He could give her a handkerchief, or jewlery, but then, she had tons. Then he thought of something. Mandie was not wearing her locket, which her father had given her, this morning. Joe stood up from the bed.
He strapped on his watch, his excuse to come up-stairs. Joe stepped in the hallway, softly closing the door behind him. He looked up and down the hallway, and softly stole into Mandie's room.
He easily found her locket on the dresser. Joe bit his lip. She would surely notice that it was gone. 'She'll get it back,' he told himself.
He opened it, and slipped the picture of Jim into his hand. Joe closed it, and carefully placed the locket back. Cradling the fragile picture, he softly closed the door behind him, as he entered his room. He found his spare handkerchief, wrapped the picture gently, and placed it into his pocket. He had an errand to do this morning.
Joe came into the parlor, feeling a little guilty. Fortunately everyone was involved in conversation, as Mrs. Shaw, Mrs. Woodard, Morning Star, and Mrs. Taft chatted with everyone.
Mrs. Taft saw him enter.
"And I suppose you'll ask Amanda to be your partner, since Dimar and Robert already have asked Sallie and Celia," said Mrs. Taft, now that everyone had noticed Joe coming in.
Joe and Mandie both turned red.
"And I suppose Senator Morton will ask you to be his partner," said Joe slyly.
Now it was Mrs. Taft's turn to blush. Mrs. Taft was quick to change the subject, and soon had the adults talking with her about the people she invited.
Mandie squeezed Joe's hand quickly.
"It served her right," whispered Mandie, still blushing, her eyes filled with mirth. 'much like her father's,' thought Joe. Even He missed Jim. He was a good man, and had treated Joe like a grown man, even when he was still young.
Joe squeezed her hand also.
"I suppose I should have said that, before you said something worse," whispered Joe, grinning.
"I would not have said anything, Joe Woodard!" whispered Mandie.
"I suppose. Mandie, I know mentioned this, but would you be my partner at the ball?" whispered Joe shyly.
Mandie blushed again.
"I-i don't know," said Mandie.
"Are you going with someone else?" asked Joe, suspiciously.
"N-no," said Mandie.
"Then why not? I can't think of another person to ask," persisted Joe.
"There's always Polly," suggested Mandie mischievously.
"There's no one else that I'd like to go with," pointed out Joe.
Mandie grew solemn.
"I-i'll let you know tomorrow." said Mandie, refusing to look Joe in the face.
"Then I'll wait." said Joe, squeezing her hand.
"Breakfust is on da table!" announced Liza, coming into the parlor, and then back out.
Everyone stood up, and they went to the dining room.
They soon finished.
"Well, is anyone going to town today? Elizabeth and I need to go buy some accessories for the ball," said Mrs. Taft loudly.
"I have an errand to run," volunteered Joe, remembering his 'errand'.
"I also would like to tag along, in case I need anything," said Celia.
"And I'll go with Celia," said Robert warmly, not knowing how boring it would be.
"I suppose I will tag along as well, and I know Morning Star will go with me," said Sallie, not wanting to be left alone.
"I'll go as well, to keep Robert company," said Dimar, grinning at Robert.
"Oh shucks! Everyone's going, so I suppose I'll go with y'all too," said Mandie.
Then it was silent.
"Well, John invited Uncle Ned and I to go horseback riding around the property, so we'll be with him," said Dr. Woodard.
"Then it's settled, all ten of y'all will go to town. Jonathan and his surprise guest will arrive at about noon, and us men will be back by then. Just tell Liza to tell Abraham when you're ready," said Mr. Shaw.
Everyone agreed with the plan, left the table, and went to their rooms to prepare for their outings.
(~~~~)
"I suppose I'll wear my locket, since we are going out," remarked Mandie.
"And I will wear my necklace with the feather," said Sallie.
"And I will wear my ring," said Celia, stroking the ring lovingly.
Mandie opened the locket to get a glimpse of her father, as she did daily, only to find the inside empty!
"What?" asked Mandie, looking on the dresser to see if she might have dropped the picture.
"What's wrong?" asked Celia, as she and Sallie came to investigate.
Mandie's eyes filled with tears.
"I can't find the picture! My father's picture isn't here!" said Mandie, panicking.
"It's got to be here somewhere," said Celia, stooping to look under the dresser.
The girls searched the room thoroughly.
Mandie was crying now.
"My father's only picture is gone!" cried Mandie.
"I'll call the boys, maybe they can find it," said Celia, determined to find the picture. How could it vanish into thin air?
"Robert, Dimar, Joe, Mandie lost her father's picture!" said Celia urgently, knocking on the boy's door.
Robert opened it, and Dimar stood beside him.
"Joe left five minutes ago, he said he wanted to go early," said Robert.
Little did they know that Joe had left early to escape the scene.
The boys looked for the picture, but could not find it.
"It could have been stolen," thought Dimar aloud.
Mandie sobbed harder.
"Who would want to steal my only picture of my father?!" sobbed Mandie.
They could not find the picture, so they tried their best to comfort Mandie, and eventually went to town.
(~~~~~)
"Welcome to Smith's photography shop! What can I do for you today?" called a jolly voice.
"I'd like to get a photo enlargement, please." said Joe, pushing forward Jim's picture.
"Alrighty, what size?" asked the worker.
"About seven by seven inches," said Joe.
"That will be seventy-five cents," said the worker.
Joe handed him money.
"Address? " asked the worker.
"Send it to the Shaw household, in an envelope. Addressed to Joe Woodard." said Joe.
"Got it. It will be sent there in about three days," said the worker.
"Thanks," said Joe, with a smile, and then walked out.
Now, to wait.
SUSPENSE*
Lol, c u in the next chappie!
3 -EquestrianIntrovert