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

bought. We want you to know you have already won the battle, because one way or the other the house is yours. With all our hearts we love you, Uncle Ned Sweetwater, Grandmother, Uncle John Shaw, Dr. and Mrs. Woodard, and Joe.”
    Mandie’s blue eyes overflowed with tears as she tried to look at everyone. She choked up and couldn’t speak. Instead she turned to hug Uncle Ned, and then each one who had signed the letter, ending with Joe.
    Joe put both arms around Mandie and held her tight as Uncle John reached down with his handkerchief and wiped her eyes.
    â€œOh, I love you all, too,” she finally said, blinking to focus her eyes as she pulled away from Joe and went back to Uncle Ned. “Especially you, Uncle Ned. It’s because of you that all these nice things have happened to me. If you had not helped me find Uncle John, I’d probably still be over at the Brysons, tending to their baby.”
    â€œPapoose, love,” Uncle Ned said as he put his arm around her shoulders. “I promise Jim Shaw I look after Papoose. This house belongs to Papoose. He wanted Papoose to have it. So Papoose will have it.”
    Mandie suddenly wondered about the letter. “But how did the letter get in the secret hiding place?” she asked, looking around at the smiling faces.
    â€œRemember we were all up before you were, and I slipped out of the bedroom without waking you,” Mrs. Taft said. “We got together in the kitchen before you came down and decided we were going to see to it that you ended up with this house no matter what happened.”
    â€œWe made up the letter, and Joe tried to write it so you wouldn’t recognize the handwriting,” Uncle John said, smiling.
    â€œAnd we really had you puzzled, didn’t we, Miss Amanda?” Dr. Woodard asked.
    â€œJoe and Uncle Ned came over here as soon as we got it written and put it in the hiding place there,” Mrs. Woodard explained.
    â€œAnd you know all the rest,” Joe said in a loud voice teasingly. “We love you, Amanda Shaw.”
    â€œLove is such a magic thing. It can make you feel like you’re floating in the clouds without a trouble in the world,” Mandie told them as she folded the letter, put it in the envelope, and held it with both hands. “I’ll treasure this letter the rest of my life. And when we finally get everything settled about this house, I’m going to put it back in the hiding place where it will always be safe.”
    â€œWe’d better go now and get started back home, Amanda,” Uncle John told her. “You do still want to search for the will, don’t you?” He smiled at her.
    â€œOf course, Uncle John,” Mandie replied quickly. “That is important to me. I want to know what happened to it.”
    â€œThen come on and let’s get going,” Joe said as he closed the hiding place in the floor.
    When they got back to the Woodards’ house, they quickly packed their things and were ready to go. Uncle Ned rode his horse along with them as John Shaw drove his rig home, carrying Mrs. Taft, Mandie, and Joe.
    â€œI’ll be coming to Franklin in a day or two,” Dr. Woodard told Joe. “We’ll see then about when you need to come back home.”
    â€œThank you, Dad,” Joe replied as John Shaw drove the rig down the driveway to the main road and everyone waved.
    Elizabeth was waiting up for them even though it was late when they arrived at John Shaw’s house. Everyone settled down in the parlor before the huge fireplace and related the events that had taken place on their journey. And Mandie showed her mother the letter everyone had written to her.
    â€œYes, dear, you will have your father’s house, no matter how we get it,” Elizabeth promised her. “Your uncle John and I discussed the possibilities before you left here yesterday. I know you treasure this letter.”
    â€œAlways, Mother,” Mandie