So I planned on updating way back in the beginning of June, but then I went on an almost spur-of-the-moment trip to Disney World, and when I came home I was far too depressed to no longer be in Disney World that updating sank down below "miss Disney" and "wish I was still in Disney" on my to-do list. But really, can you blame me?
I hope everyone's summer is going well, better than Mandie's, at least. Or maybe some of you are currently spying on mysterious strangers in the middle of the woods with your best friends ever. I wouldn't know. My summer is promising to be very busy, but very good, and I will of course continue to update when my conscience gets the better of me.
I apologize as usual for the wait, and again for the random genealogy/timeline facts I threw in this chapter. Like I said, I spent so much time on figuring out ages and birth years and whatnot, that I felt like I should make myself feel better by adding it to the story (seriously, the ridiculous amount of effort I spend on random stuff like this is not healthy). It makes no sense and has no relevance to the story, but I couldn't bring myself to edit it out.
Megslee: I am beyond honored that you dedicated so much of your time to reading and then re-reading my first story! That's kind of amazing to me. Thank you so much for the kind words!
God's Child (guest): sorry for the wait! Enjoy chapter 4 (and 3 if you read it) :)
Jorgina (guest): thank you! Your words mean so much to me! Here is the new update; and you definitely have to read the whole series because it's beautiful, and then tell me your favorite book! I wish I was still reading them for the first time. Enjoy!
LovetheLORD: Thank you thank you thank you! As always, best compliment EVER. Mandie and the Medicine Man and Mandie and the Ghost Bandits are both great choices! It's so hard to pick a favorite...
Annefan (guest): Thank you, I'm so glad you liked it! Charleston Phantom is a great one because of all that hilarious Mandie and Joe angst. I'd give that argument in the beginning a 10/10 for drama! The Hilda one is Mandie and the Forbidden Attic, I believe (# 4). Any of the ones where Mandie and Celia are up to mischief at school are classics.
God's Child(guest): thank you for reviewing again! And OMG, you asked about their ages I LOVE YOU. So, Mandie is currently 16, but she will turn 17 on June 6 (1905), so I'll probably include that in maybe an upcoming story (I'm just assuming they get out of school in late May or something). Mandie's is the only exact birthdate that we're given, but we do know that Joe is supposed to be two years older than her. In my story, he's 18, soon to be 19. Mandie is the youngest of her friends, which makes Celia and Sallie both about 17 years old (I guess); in my storyworld, Sallie is a little older than Celia. She will turn 18 first. Jonathan is just a little younger than Joe; he'll be turning 19 soon too! I don't remember if the books ever address where he goes to college (if they do, somebody tell me!). So that's probably WAY more info than you actually wanted, but... yeah. Now you can learn about their parents' ages in the chapter :P There will definitely be more MandieXJoe to look forward to, but I'm afraid this chapter is sadly lacking in it. And those are all excellent choices for your favorite book! I LOVE Mandie and the Abandoned Mine!
Guest: of course! Adorable MandieXJoe action is basically the entire reason for reading Mandie (besides all the other perfect characters, of course). Seaside Rendezvous is the best ever! The end is beyond adorable. And the original three sooooo good!
Neon-Night-Light: thaaaaaank yooooouuu! And I'm so glad you like the subtle MandieXJoe romance! Those were always my favorite moments between them in the books- I love when it's all out arguing/drama/complete adoration between them, but I especially love when they're just being sweet with each other and caring for each other like they always have :) I'm glad I'm not the only one who though Riley was a bit of a creeper. I mean, I'm sure he's a nice guy and all but come on- a 13 year old girl? What is wrong with you?! I love ALL those choices! Buried Stranger and Missing Kin had the best Mandie/Joe scenes and The Long Goodbye is just classic Mandie/Joe. Silent Catacombs is GREAT. Probably my favorite Europe one. Angel's Secret is beautiful but depressing. Both the New York ones are such fun reads, mostly because of Jonathan. NOW UPDATE YOUR STORY.
TrooperV (guest): Thank you! That is the best and most appreciated compliment. I'm so glad you like it, even the horrible mystery part!
Mandiefan (guest): Here's the update! Thank you for continuing to review, it means the world to me!
So basically, I have too many favorite Mandie books. Thank you to everyone for sharing theirs with me! You guys are all my new best friends ;)
It was not yet supper time by the time Mandie and her friends made it back to Uncle Ned's house. Dimar left them just before they reached the Deep Creek village.
"Won't you stay and have supper with us?" Mandie asked him, when he informed them that he planned to head back to Bird-town before evening fell.
"No, I must return to my home. My mother Jerusha will be looking for me," he answered. "But I will come back early tomorrow morning, and we will search for Tsa'ni."
"Alright," Mandie agreed. "We'll be ready bright and early." They said goodbye to Dimar, who disappeared into the woods on foot, and finished the last, short stretch to Deep Creek.
"Mother and Uncle John are here!" Mandie said, when Uncle Ned's house came into view.
"I'll bet my father's over at the hospital," Joe added, not seeing Dr. Woodard's cart. "I know he's only staying until some time tomorrow, so I guess he wanted to check in on everything right away."
"You're right," Mandie agreed, as they neared the cabin. "I would like to visit the hospital while we're here as well, but I'm not sure I'll have the time. I sure am grateful we can always count on Dr. Woodard—especially for the sake of my kinspeople. Not all doctors are as open-minded as your father, Joe."
"He is a good man," Sallie agreed. "We Cherokee greatly appreciate all the efforts he has put into the hospital."
"I'm trying to imagine what my father would think of all this," Jonathan remarked, as Joe pulled the wagon to a stop beside the barn. "He's been all over the world, but sometimes I don't think he would be all that interested in places like this. He's much more of a city person than country."
Mandie grinned, taking the leftover lunch basket from Sallie and reaching out to help Celia out of the wagon. "So is Grandmother," she said. "Just think how perfect they are for each other!"
Joe and Jonathan chuckled at her sly remark, but Celia shook her head.
"I still agree with what Mandie said back in Franklin—if she ever did choose, it would be Senator Morten. Besides," she added with a big grin, "It would make it much more interesting if Jonathan's father challenged the Senator to a duel!"
"Celia Hamilton!" Mandie admonished her, while the others laughed. "Can you even imagine that?" she added, doing her best to suppress a giggle. "A duel between Mr. Guyer and dear old Senator Morten! If they wait too long, the Senator will have to fight with his cane!"
Her friends laughed even harder at that, though Jonathan protested, "He's not that much older than my father!"
"Yes," Mandie said thoughtfully. "Your father is certainly older than Uncle John and my mother, since he was my grandmother's sweetheart. I wonder what the exact age difference between all our parents is?"
"Well, my father is near to your Uncle John's age," Joe said. "He would be between your father, Mandie, and your uncle. They were all friends, including your mother."
"Yes, but my mother is much younger than Uncle John," Mandie reminded him. "She was closer to my father's age, so at least fifteen years younger."
"My mother as well," Celia put in.
"I know my father is older than your uncle, Mandie," said Jonathan. "I don't know your uncle's exact age, but I would guess that my father is at least fifteen or twenty years older. My mother was much younger when she married him."
"Uncle John was born in 1848," Mandie said. "And I believe Grandmother Taft was born around 1830."
"My father as well," said Jonathan. "So that would make him around twenty years John Shaw's senior. Eighteen, to be precise."
"Then I guess they will both need their canes in the duel," Sallie remarked, sending them all back into laughter.
"Grandmother would probably just shoot both of them if they did anything so embarrassing," Mandie pointed out, grinning.
"Imagine the newspaper headlines!" Jonathan joked.
"We should probably go inside," Celia suggested, shaking her head as they attempted to get their laughter under control. "I'm sure they can all hear us laughing."
"I won't be able to look at any of them without immediately going through the genealogies to deduce their age," said Jonathan. "I hope they don't ask what we were talking about."
"Come on," said Mandie, suppressing another grin. "And don't say anything about spying on those men in front of Mother—she'll put a watch on us for sure."
"Good point," Joe agreed. "You girls go ahead. Jonathan and I need to take care of the horses and the wagon. We'll be in soon."
Mandie, Celia, and Sallie hurried to the cabin door and entered to find Elizabeth and John standing by the fireplace. Uncle John was talking in Cherokee with Morning Star, but Mandie didn't see Uncle Ned anywhere.
"Amanda, there you are!" said Elizabeth, opening her arms to receive Mandie's embrace.
"Hello, Mother!" Mandie replied. "When did y'all get here? Have you been here long?"
"No, not long," her mother replied, after greeting Sallie and Celia. "We left early this morning, but we went around with Dr. Woodard to visit the hospital. He's still there, but he'll be back in time for supper."
"That's what we thought," said Mandie.
"Where are Joe and Jonathan?" Elizabeth asked.
"Taking care of the horses," Celia answered. "They'll be here in a minute."
Snowball, who had been napping by the fireplace, rose and stretched, before heading over to Mandie and winding around her ankles.
"Hello, Snowball," Mandie said, picking him up and burying her face in his soft fur. "Did you miss me today?"
"Is my grandfather not back yet?" Sallie questioned.
"Yes, where is Uncle Ned?" Mandie added, looking around. Uncle John finished his conversation with Morning Star and put an arm around Mandie.
"Morning Star said he's still at Bird-town. Jessan came by earlier with a message from him, saying that he'd be back by supper time."
"Goodness," said Mandie. "Evidently, the council is having some trouble deciding what to do about those men!"
"Yes, it appears so," said Uncle John, frowning. "I don't know what to make of it myself, though I hope to know more when Ned returns."
"What did y'all do today?" Elizabeth asked, smiling at them. Mandie exchanged a look with her friends before replying.
"We visited Riley O'Neal and then went on to Bird-town to see all my kinspeople," she answered honestly. "Then Dimar found us and we spent the rest of the day with him."
"I'd like to go see Wirt and Saphronia," her mother said. "Maybe we can spend the day with them tomorrow."
"That's fine," agreed Uncle John. "I'll be as likely going there with Ned again in the morning to figure out this whole mess. Why don't you and Morning Star both come? I'm sure Aunt Saphronia would appreciate all the company."
Mandie noticed that he didn't include her and her friends in the planning, and she silently thanked God for such an astute uncle.
"What about you, Amanda?" her mother asked. "Are y'all coming as well?"
"Actually, Mother," Mandie began, "My friends and I planned to go with Dimar tomorrow morning to search for Tsa'ni. Uncle Ned said it would be a good idea."
Elizabeth nodded and squeezed Mandie's hand. "Of course, dear," she said. "I'm sure you must be worried about your cousin."
Mandie returned the pressure on her hand. "Thank you, Mother," she said gratefully. "And I'm sure none of my friends would mind heading back to Bird-town in the afternoon to spend some time with y'all. I promised Aunt Saphronia I would be back, anyway." Only after we've done some more spying on those men, she privately added.
Sallie turned to relay all the plans to Morning Star, and Joe and Jonathan entered at that moment. Joe immediately sent Mandie an inquiring look, wondering how their plans had been accepted by the adults. She smiled and nodded at him.
"Your father is probably on his way by now," Elizabeth told Joe. "He said he's planning on leaving sometime tomorrow afternoon to return home. I assume you young folks know that we'll be stopping in Charley Gap for a day or two on our way back to Franklin."
"Yes, Ma'am," said Mandie. "I spoke to Uncle John about it before we left yesterday morning. I knew we need to get to the reservation as quickly as possible, but he promised we could visit on the return journey."
Her mother joined Morning Star to help prepare supper, while Uncle John tended to the fire under Morning Star's critical eye. Mandie and her friends stayed out of their way after Morning Star sent them a warning glance, sitting on the stools and chairs near the table.
"What are our plans after that, exactly?" Jonathan put in. "Has anyone decided? My father will meet us at the Franklin train station when we return. Are you all coming to New York next?"
"That depends on Grandmother," Mandie answered. "She was hoping Celia and I—and anyone else interested—would want to go to Florida again and visit Senator Morten, but I told her we planned to go to New York as well, among other places."
"Well, I'll be staying in Charley Gap until y'all fill me in on the details of where we're going next," Joe said. "Since it's not always possible for my parents to go along on the trips because of my father's patients, I'd like to spend some time at home with them this summer."
"Of course," Mandie agreed. "I'm sure it will be the same for Celia and I. Mother will almost certainly want some downtime in Franklin with me and Uncle John." She also was hoping that she'd be able to spend at least a little part of her vacation in Charley Gap, besides the short visit they planned to make when they left the reservation. She was sure Joe and his parents wouldn't mind if she stayed with them again.
"I'm almost glad that this summer didn't include another Europe tour," Celia added. "I loved going both times, but I think I'd be too tired just thinking about it this year!"
Mandie laughed. "It was rather hectic last time, but I almost think that is because all of those people came along. There were just too many. It was far less stressful when it was only you, me, and Jonathan."
"I believe you're right, Mandie," Celia agreed. "Next time we go, I think it should just be this group—you, me, Joe, Jonathan, Sallie, and Dimar, if he would want to come."
"If we go again," said Joe.
Mandie shook her head. "Knowing my grandmother, I'm sure we will soon. Probably next summer, if she can get her way. It was so much fun, the first time, when our only chaperones were Senator Morten and Grandmother!" She grinned. "They were far too enamored with each other's company to pay us much mind!"
"If we go even in the next two years, we won't need 'chaperones' anymore," Jonathan reminded her. He paused dramatically. "We should all take a moment to savor that future freedom."
Mandie smiled and shook her head at Jonathan's antics, then got up to help her mother set the table. A sound outside drew her attention and she crossed to the window to look out.
"Uncle Ned's back!" she announced. "And there's Dr. Woodard, too!" She hurriedly set down the bowls she was holding and dashed out the door to greet them.
"Uncle Ned!" she called, rushing up to his horse.
"Papoose," Uncle Ned greeted her, smiling down at her before dismounting. He encircled her with one arm. "Must be curious," he said, his eyes twinkling. "Just saw papoose this morning."
Mandie laughed. "You're right, as always, Uncle Ned. That would account for my greeting. Oh, Uncle Ned, I'm just plain on pins and needles to know what's going on! Did y'all reach any decision?" She paused for breath, looking at him expectantly.
Uncle Ned patted her shoulder. "Inside. Eat first, then tell. Doctor tired."
Mandie turned to grasp Dr. Woodard's hand, who had come up beside them. "Of course," she said. "You must be bone-tired, Dr. Woodard! Morning Star has supper all ready."
"Thank you, Miss Amanda," Dr. Woodard replied, then added with a grin: "'Bone-tired,' is it? My, my, what would your teachers down in Charleston think to hear you use such an expression?"
Mandie returned his grin as they walked back to the cabin. "Nothing good, I know, but I'm with the Cherokee and y'all now, not with the folks at Charleston's Ladies' College or my grandmother, so we can just keep this between us."
Dr. Woodard winked at her. "Your secret is safe with me," he promised.
Morning Star ushered them all to the table as soon as they had walked through the door, indicating that the meal was ready. There was a huge kettle of hot, thick stew over the fire that she was dishing into bowls, and plates of warm biscuits and cornbread on the table top.
"Don't worry—it's regular stew, not owl," Mandie teased Joe in an undertone, as she slid into the seat beside him.
"I would very maturely eat either one," he replied, returning her grin.
"Pray," Morning Star said over the chatter around the home-hewn table. She nodded at Uncle Ned. "Eat."
Uncle Ned gave thanks for the food and then motioned to everyone to enjoy the meal.
"The plan is to leave early tomorrow morning, then?" Uncle John asked Uncle Ned.
"Yes," Uncle Ned replied. "Return to Bird-town. Braves decide if involving white people's law."
"Will we involve the law then, my grandfather?" Sallie asked, surprised.
"Not sure," Uncle Ned answered her. "Know, decide tomorrow. Many Cherokee think best to deal alone. Confront men, but do not fight. Talk."
"What do you think, Uncle Ned?" Elizabeth asked.
He shrugged. "Men not threat—yet. But must answer for using Cherokee land."
"I agree, y'all certainly have every right to know what they're doing," Mandie said, nodding. "Of course, talking didn't do any good with those other two men—or with those bootleggers who kidnapped me, Sallie, and Joe."
"I, for one, hope this whole mess is settled quickly, before those strangers prove to be dangerous," Elizabeth said.
"I think it's pretty safe to assume that they're not exactly friendly, after that whole ordeal with the strangers back in Franklin," Joe pointed out. "That Indian wasn't harmless."
"Joe's right," Celia agreed. "I doubt those men are interested in talking."
"They've got a point," said Jonathan.
"Whatever they're doing, the Indian certainly didn't want us to find out," Mandie added.
"Unfortunately, y'all are most likely right," said Uncle John. "I'm afraid those men don't want to be bothered—I know they won't like our interference. That was plain after that Indian planned to get y'all lost, to keep us from coming."
"I just can't think what they would be doing here," Dr. Woodard said, frowning.
"Dimar suggested that they might be searching for gold," Joe said. "What do y'all think?"
"It's possible," said Uncle John. "I would have to know more about the situation before being sure."
"They still don't sound like miners or anything like that to me," Mandie said, remembering their lack of tools.
"I agree with you, Mandie," said Sallie. "Something tells me that they are not looking for gold."
"I find it highly suspicious that they apparently haven't moved beyond their one spot," Jonathan put in.
Mandie silently agreed. The men's behavior was confusing, but there had to be some hidden motive. And perhaps finding Tsa'ni was the answer. Mandie was sure that if anyone knew anything about the strangers, it would be her elusive cousin.
Okay, so I know that was once again really short, and I apologize. These next couple of chapters will start to delve in the story more (well, as much of a story that it is...). There will be some Mandie and Joe moments, of course; and for all you Tsa'ni sympathizers, I stand with you, he is NOT all bad! Also, I feel like I've been ending every single update with "Mandie blah blah blaaaWHERE IS TSA'NI HE MUST KNOW SOMETHING!" so sorry about that. I'll try not to do it next time.
New question: who is your absolute favorite character? And it doesn't have to be a main character. Secondary characters and even completely random character who are only mentioned once are welcome (like how about that totally random opera singer in Mandie and the Singing Chalet, she was pretty exciting, am I right?)