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

the door when we get inside the house and I’ll shove him in,” she instructed.
    â€œAll right,” Celia agreed. “And we’d better be awfully quiet.”
    When they got around to the backyard, Celia pushed open the back door to the schoolhouse. Both girls quietly slipped inside, and Celia closed the door behind them and turned the key in the lock. Crossing the hall, Celia opened the kitchen door. Mandie gave Snowball a big push into the room and quickly closed the door.
    Mandie silently took the lantern from Celia and returned it to the pantry where she had found it. Then the girls softly made their way up the stairs to their room on the third floor. There wasn’t a sound in the house.
    Finally reaching their room without being seen, the girls quickly began undressing for bed.
    â€œI’m sorry you didn’t find the locket, Mandie,” Celia told her as she removed her long skirt and hung it up in the wardrobe.
    â€œI suppose I’ll never find it now,” Mandie said sadly. She also hung up the dress she had been wearing. She paused and sat on the arm of one of the chairs, holding her nightgown. “You know, Celia, I really shouldn’t have been wearing that locket everywhere I go—all the time, every day, and all. I should have kept it locked up in my jewelry box.” She slowly moved her long blond braid of hair from her shoulder.
    Celia sat on the opposite arm while she started to pull on her long, embroidered nightgown. “We do lots of things that we shouldn’t do and don’t realize it, Mandie, until something like this happens. It seems impossible to remember everything that we should do or shouldn’t do.”
    Mandie shivered suddenly. “I think it’s cold in here, don’t you? Uncle Cal must not have sent up much heat in that radiator over there tonight. I think I’ll just leave on my camisole and put my nightgown over it. It’ll be warmer that way.” She shook out the folds of the long nightgown.
    â€œMe too, Mandie,” Celia agreed, quickly sliding off the chair to straighten out her own nightgown. She became tangled in the folds and tripped, causing her to bump into Mandie. “Oh, I’m sorry,” she apologized.
    â€œThat’s all right,” Mandie replied, standing up to finish dressing for bed.
    Suddenly Celia was bumping into Mandie again, excitedly saying, “Wait, Mandie, wait!” She was pulling at Mandie’s nightgown.
    â€œCelia, what’s wrong?” Mandie quickly demanded, stepping away from Celia’s grasp.
    â€œMandie, look!” Celia was still excited as she pointed to Mandie’s camisole. “Look, there’s the chain to your locket. Look there!”
    Mandie quickly felt around her neck and the camisole. Her fingers touched the cold chain. She pulled it out from between the garments, looked at it, and then began searching again. “The locket! Here it is!” she cried, pulling it from the folds of the cloth.
    â€œOh, Mandie, I’m so glad!” Celia said, reaching forward to embrace her friend.
    â€œThanks, Celia,” Mandie said, tightly clasping the locket and the chain as she returned the hug. Then she straightened up to examine the jewelry. “The chain is broken, look.” She held it up to show the clasp was missing.
    â€œSo that tree limb did break the chain when you ran into it,” Celia noted.
    â€œOh, thank the Lord,” Mandie cried, squeezing the locket and broken chain in her hand. Then looking down at it, she immediately added, “And this gets locked up right now.” She went to her jewelry box on the dresser. Taking the key out of her scarves in the bureau drawer where she kept it hidden, she unlocked the box and put the locket and chain inside.
    â€œThat is a very wise thing to do, Mandie,” Celia said, watching her.
    After Mandie had locked the jewelry box back up and returned the key to its hiding