New Horizons Read Online Free

carriage pulled up and the other group rushed to get it. Mrs. Taft said, “All right, Mr. Donovan, if you wouldplease drive us down to Meeting Street, I’d like to show the girls the shopping district.”
    Mr. Donovan helped the ladies into the carriage, but Mandie knew she was in no mood to shop. She couldn’t stop thinking about the girls from the hotel and why they would have been whispering about her and Celia.
    Celia finally brought Mandie out of her thoughts when she said, “I’ll be glad when the decision about the carriage is all settled.”
    As Mr. Donovan drove the group toward Meeting Street, Mandie and Celia listened to Mrs. Taft and Mrs. Hamilton talk excitedly about the shops they would visit. All Mandie and Celia could see were old buildings.
    â€œThere seem to be a lot of antique shops,” Celia commented.
    â€œYes, and just what would we want to buy in an antique shop?” Mandie questioned, making sure her grandmother sitting on the seat in front of them could not hear the comment.
    â€œMaybe something for our room or to send back home,” Celia replied as the carriage slowed down. “There are lots of art shops. We might find a painting for our room.”
    Mr. Donovan pulled the carriage to a stop at a corner. Mrs. Taft turned back to the girls and said, “Let’s get out now and walk around awhile.” She stood up as Mr. Donovan came to assist her and Mrs. Hamilton out of the carriage. Mandie and Celia followed quickly.
    â€œMost of the buildings here in Charleston are very, very old,” Mrs. Hamilton explained.
    â€œEven the air here smells old,” Mandie said with a little laugh.
    â€œThat’s the ocean you smell, dear,” Mrs. Taft said, overhearing her remark.
    â€œAnd the ocean is old,” Celia added with a slight giggle.
    Mrs. Taft crossed the cobblestone street, and the others followed as she stopped at an antique book shop. Very old handwritten books were displayed in the narrow front window.
    â€œLook!” Mandie exclaimed, pressing against the glass to see the books. Turning to Celia she asked, “Can you read that old-fashioned handwriting?”
    â€œNot exactly,” Celia replied, squinting to see.
    â€œLet’s go inside,” Mrs. Taft suggested, leading the way through the front door of the shop.
    Inside, the room was crammed from floor to ceiling with all kinds of books. An old woman sat behind a tiny counter in the back of the shop. Mandie drew a deep breath. The place was so small and musty she felt there was no air to breathe. As she paused in front of a stack of leather-bound volumes, she saw the woman rise and walk toward the front of the store.
    â€œGood day, ladies. I am Mrs. Heyward. May I help you?”
    Mrs. Taft was leaning slightly backward and squinting to read the titles of the books high up on the shelves. She looked at the woman and said, “Thank you, but we are merely showing the young ladies the town today. They will be living at the Charleston Ladies’ College, and I am sure they will have need to visit bookstores.” She paused and then added, “I am Mrs. Norman Taft, this is my granddaughter, Amanda Shaw, and this isMrs. Jane Hamilton and her daughter, Celia.”
    Mrs. Heyward nodded her head, smiled, and said, “Welcome to Charleston. I take it you are not from here.”
    â€œNo, ma’am, I live in Asheville, North Carolina, after several years in Washington, D.C., and my granddaughter lives in Franklin, North Carolina. Mrs. Hamilton and her daughter live near Richmond, Virginia. We are quite scattered about, you see.”
    Mrs. Heyward frowned thoughtfully and said, “Mrs. Norman Taft, and you lived in Washington. Why, you must be the wife of the late Senator Norman Taft.”
    â€œYes, ma’am, that’s right,” Mrs. Taft quickly replied, and with a sad voice added, “Norman has been gone now for quite a few