Leppard, Lois Gladys - [Mandie 03] by Mandie, the Ghost Bandits (v1.0) [html]

not read English, he gave him the details.
    “Must go at once,” Uncle Wirt said.
    Joe sprang into action. “I’ll wake the girls and Dimar and Tsa’ni.”
    Racing up the stairs, he pounded on the door where the four girls were sleeping. Then he burst into the room where the other boys were.
    “Hey, everybody, get up! We gotta go! Uncle Ned knows where the bandits are!” Joe yelled.
    Dimar and Tsa’ni, already dressed, rushed downstairs.
    Mandie stuck her head out of the room. “We’ll be right down!” she called.
    Hearing the noise, Joe’s mother came out of her room and hurried to investigate. Joe followed her down the steps.
    Mandie pulled her dress over her head. “Just think, we’ve almost caught up with them. It won’t be long now,” she said.
    “I wonder how my grandfather knew where they are,” Sallie said.
    “Yo’ grandfather know everything, Miss Sallie,” Liza told her. “He got eyes in de back of his haid.”
    The four girls laughed, and hurriedly finished dressing.
    “This is getting exciting,” Polly squealed. She turned her back for Liza to button her dress. “Let’s hurry.”
    “Bring your bags,” Mandie told them. “Joe said we had to go.” She snatched Snowball from the bed, grabbed her bag and rushed out of the room. The others followed.
    Mandie led the way as the girls raced down the stairs. Then suddenly there was a scream and Polly tumbled down on top of the others. Mandie, Sallie, and Liza managed to catch themselves, but Polly fell several steps before she could stop.
    The pain showed on her face. “Oh, I must’ve broken something!” she wailed, rubbing her ankle.
    Dr. Woodard rushed to the stairway and examined the girl’s foot.
    He shook his head. “It looks like you’ve got a nasty sprain in that ankle,” he said.
    “Oh, no!” Polly moaned.
    The doctor picked her up, carried her down the steps, past the anxious faces below, and set her on a chair by Morning Star.
    “Sprained ankle,” he said to John. “Let me get my bag.”
    The doctor quickly bathed Polly’s foot in a strong-smellingliniment. As he began to bandage her ankle, the girl winced with pain.
    “You won’t be able to walk on that for a few days,” he told her.
    “Of all the luck! What will I do?” Polly asked.
    Morning Star patted her hand and said, “I take home.”
    “Home? But I don’t want to go home. I want to see those bandits when we catch them!” Polly protested.
    “I’m afraid you’ll have to go home, or else stay here a few days ’till it heals,” the doctor told her. “It will be a miserable trip back over the mountain.”
    “I am sorry, Polly,” Sallie told her. “My grandmother will help you to get home.”
    “But I don’t want to go home,” Polly argued. She turned to Uncle John and asked, “Can’t I go on with y’all?”
    “Polly, I’m sorry but I don’t think that would be a good idea. Your ankle will be painful for a few days, and we may be going into a rough part of the woods,” he answered. “Morning Star will be going back to my house and you can go with her. I’ll send Liza back with you, if you like.”
    When Liza heard this, her mouth dropped open. Here they were, getting near the bandits, and now she would have to give up the excitement to go home with Miss Sweet Thing. Like Miss Amanda said, why did they ever bring her in the first place?
    After a quick breakfast, Mandie and Liza talked out in the yard.
    “I jest don’t like dat girl,” Liza grumbled, throwing her blanket over the pony. “And now here she breaks up my tea party.”
    Mandie grinned at her friend. “I’m glad she has to go home. You’ll be doing me a favor, getting her out of my way,” she said.
    Liza tossed her head and laughed. “Yeh, I guess you be right, Missy. I’ll take dat Miss Sweet Thing right back home so she can’t chase yo’ Mister Joe no mo’. But she oughta not acome in the first place. She ain’t nothin’ but trouble.”
    Mandie avoided Polly until