The Missing Book by Lois Gladys Leppard Page B

house and tell him,” Joe offered as the three started down the road.
    Mandie stopped to look up at the tall boy. “Would you, Joe?” she asked.
    â€œSure,” Joe replied. “You girls go ahead. I’m going to take the shortcut.” He started off toward the woods.
    â€œWait!” Mandie called. She ran to catch up with him. “Joe, how about not mentioning the book? Just tell my father I went home with Faith and will come back with my mother. You see, I haven’t decided what to tell them about the book.” Her parents wouldn’t be happy to hear she had lost a schoolbook.
    â€œAll right,” Joe agreed. “See you in the morning.”
    â€œThank you, Joe,” Mandie called back to him as she went to join Faith.
    â€œIt is strange about your book, isn’t it? It seems to have just vanished,” Faith remarked as they walked on.
    â€œYes, I can’t figure it out at all,” Mandie said, frowning. “I’ve been wondering if maybe Joe could have dropped it on the way to my house from school yesterday. Of course, I won’t say that to him because he wouldn’t like it.”
    â€œBut, Mandie, if he had dropped it I’d think someone would have found it,” Faith replied.
    â€œYes, and my name is on the first page inside the book,” Mandie said. “There is also an inkblot from it that just barely smudged a place on the top edges of the pages. You can barely see it, but I know it’s there.”
    â€œWouldn’t you think if someone found it they’d return it to you?” Faith asked.
    â€œSome animal could have found it and carried it off somewhere,” Mandie said, her eyes wide.
    Faith’s eyes widened too.
    When Mandie and Faith got to Miss Abigail’s house, they found Mandie’s mother sitting in the parlor with Miss Abigail, Mrs. Chapman, and several other ladies. All were busily doing needlework.
    Mrs. Shaw looked up at Mandie in surprise. “Is something wrong, Amanda?”
    Mandie smiled and said, “Oh, no, Mama. I decided to walk home with Faith so we could do our homework together while you are here.”
    â€œWell, then you’d better get at it,” Mrs. Shaw told her. “I don’t plan on staying much longer.”
    â€œYes, ma’am,” Mandie replied.
    â€œCome on, Mandie, let’s go up to my room,” Faith said, leading the way into the long hallway and toward the staircase.
    Once they were behind closed doors in Faith’s room, Faith handed her reading book to Mandie. “Here, do this first.”
    â€œThank you,” Mandie said, accepting the book and turning the pages to find the homework assignment.
    Before long Mandie was finished, and once again she and Faith discussed the missing-book situation.
    â€œWhat are you going to do?” Faith asked. “You are welcome to use my book anytime, but you do need your own book.”
    â€œI don’t really know what to do,” Mandie replied, sitting on the window seat overlooking the front yard. “Our books cost so much money now. I remember my mother and father talking about it back at the first of this school year. It seems the books keep going up in price every year, and I know my parents don’t have a lot of money. And they might think I was just careless and lost it.”
    â€œBut I think they would want to be sure you had the necessary books to learn your lessons,” Faith said. “I think you ought to tell them.”
    â€œI suppose I’ll have to sooner or later. We have a lot of school time left yet before we get out for the summer,” Mandie said with a big sigh. “I’d like to find my book. I thought maybe I could search for it awhile longer before I tell them it’s missing.”
    â€œI’ll help you all I can, Mandie,” Faith offered.
    â€œI just don’t know how to begin looking for it,” Mandie said. “I don’t