Around the River's Bend

by Aaron McCarver

  “We may be a long time,” Josh warned. “You know how busy Andy gets at times.”

  “That’s all right. We’ll wait.” Hannah waited until the two had started on their way and said, “Now, Sion, let me show you the town.”

  “That will be my pleasure, Miss Spencer.”

  “We don’t stand on titles much around here. Hannah is fine.”

  “I’m not sure about that. Indentured servants are supposed to show respect.”

  “I don’t think calling anyone by their first name shows a lack of respect. Come along.”

  For the next two hours Hannah and Sion roamed the streets of Nashville. In truth, there was little enough to see, and Hannah remarked once, “After London this must seem like a wilderness to you.”

  “I like it,” Sion responded. “It’s a big country. A man can get some air into his lungs and not be crowded in by buildings.”

  “When you get out on Sabrina’s property, you’ll be longing for the sight of a building or two.” Hannah smiled. She found herself liking Sion Kenyon a great deal. After she had shown him the town, the two of them went back to the inn where they took a table, and she ordered tea.

  “Do Americans drink a great deal of tea?” Sion asked as he sipped from his cup.

  “That and coffee. Tell me about yourself, Sion.”

  “About myself? Well, indeed, there’s little to know, Miss Hannah.”

  “I don’t believe that. Sabrina tells me you were a farmer and a coal miner and a pugilist.”

  Sion laughed and shook his head. “I hope I never again am either a miner or a pugilist.”

  “Well, tell me about it. I want to hear.”

  Hannah sat there listening as Sion began to talk. She did love the musical sound of his voice, and she drew the story from him. Finally she exclaimed, “So, you rescued Sabrina and nearly went to prison for it, and then she rescued you from prison!”

  “You make it sound like a fairy tale or a storybook of some kind.” Sion smiled. “It didn’t seem quite that romantic at the time.”

  Hannah laughed. “It does sound almost like a novel, doesn’t it?”

  “What about you, Miss Hannah? Tell me about your family and about yourself.”

  “Well, my father and mother are the finest people I know. My father has been called Hawk Spencer for a long time. That’s his Indian name. My mother’s name is Elizabeth. She’s very beautiful, and my father’s very handsome. My father married when he was very young, but his first wife died. He has a son named Jacob, who is now married to a fine young woman named Amanda.”

  Sion listened, sipping his tea from time to time, and then finally he said, “It sounds like you’re very close to your parents and your brothers.”

  “Yes, I am. As a matter of fact, out here on the frontier we have to be very close. We depend on one another.”

  “I’m surprised you’ve not married.”

  Hannah suddenly colored. “Why should you be surprised?”

  “Well, not to be forward, but you’re such an attractive young lady. Back in Wales you would have been snapped up before you were seventeen years old. I’ll warrant you’ve had many gentlemen callers, though.”

  Hannah hesitated, and Sion did not miss it. “There must be a young man you’re interested in.” He laughed and said, “I don’t mean to pry.”

  “It’s all right. There is one young man I’ve gotten close to. His name is Nathanael Carter, but his Indian name is Fox. He’s half Cherokee.”

  “Do you tell me that!” Sion exclaimed. “I’m surprised.”

  Hannah shook her head. “I know you’ve heard stories about how terrible the Indians are, but they are not all that way. You’ll meet a man named Sequatchie when you get to our house. He’s Fox’s uncle. He’s married to a fine lady named Iris Taylor. You will like him a great deal. He’s my father’s closest friend. Sequatchie taught my father how to live in the woods when he was a young man.”

  ———

  As Sion listened to Hannah, he became more aware of how attractive she was. Her lips curved in an attractive line, and her green eyes were pools of emotion. Her honey brown hair was piled on top of her head with feminine ringlets framing her face. He admired the smooth roundness of her shoulders and the womanly lines of her body. Her face was a mirror that changed as her feelings changed. She was a woman, he had learned, capable of robust emotion, and when she smiled a small dimple appeared at the left of her mouth, and the light danced in her eyes. He wanted to ask more about the man that she was interested in, but he felt it would be out of place.

  He said, “Tell me about the land where we’ll be going.”

  For a long time she talked about the land, and then a troubled look crossed her face as she said, “It’s so rough I’m afraid Sabrina will be out of her element.”

  “Maybe at first, but she has no other choice. Is there a church near our land?”

  “We have a fine church. The pastor’s name is Paul Anderson. I hope you’ll come.”

  “That I will.”

  Sabrina and Josh stepped into the inn at that moment, and Sabrina stopped abruptly. Her eyes fell on the two, and a frown came to her forehead. As the two advanced to the table, Sion stood up, and there was a moment’s awkwardness. Sion understood it at once for what it was. Back in Sabrina’s old world she would never sit at a table with a servant, but this new land was making the old ways difficult.

  ****

  Sabrina had come outside for one last look at the night sky before she went to bed. Josh and Hannah had already gone, and now she went to the stable, where she found Sion rubbing the soft nose of one of the horses. He turned and said in surprise, “I thought you’d be tired and in bed, miss.”

  “I am tired.”

  “God blessed us by bringing the Spencers our way. It would have been a hard thing without them. Do you really think the title is good?”

  “I hope so, Sion. Mr. Jackson wouldn’t say definitely. He says things are too upside down right now.”

  Sion left the horse, patting the animal on the shoulder, and the two walked outside. “Sion, I must warn you about something.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I don’t mean that anything’s wrong, but when I came in I saw you and Hannah talking. . . .”

  “She’s a fine young lady.”

  Sabrina blurted, “I don’t think you should get too friendly with her, Sion.”

  Sion turned to face her. The moonlight was full, and he saw the marks of strain on her. “I had no idea of doing anything unseemly.”

  Sabrina felt she had made a fool of herself, but she said, “You’re my servant for five years, Sion. It would be difficult if you . . .”

  “I think you need not worry about that, miss.”

  Sabrina bit her lip. She felt she had handled the matter badly. Her whole world had changed, and what was appropriate in England was completely out of place in this new land. She knew there had always been a basic selfishness in her, and she did not want to share Sion Kenyon with anyone else. He was her security. She wanted to express these feelings but wasn’t sure how to go about it.

  “I suppose I sound like a fool.”

  “No you don’t. Not in the least. We have a hard way to go to carve a home out of the wilderness. I understand that very well.”

  Sabrina turned to face him and saw again the lean strength that was in him and the honesty in his eyes and felt a surge of gratitude that this man was here. “You always know how to lift me up, Sion.”

  He put out his hand, and Sabrina took it. She felt the strength of it, and he said, “As long as this hand has strength, I’ll use it for you, Miss Fairfax.”

  Sabrina was moved by his words and the touch of his hand. His hand was strong and warm, and it gave her a comfort.

  Sion released her hand and gave her a good smile. “God has brought you here, Miss Sabrina Fairfax—He won’t abandon you.”

  Part IV

  The Earth Breakers

  April-October 17
92

  Chapter Thirteen

  Learning New Ways

  The sun was high in the sky as Josh pointed forward and said, “Well, there it is. There’s our home, Sabrina.”

  Sabrina had been riding beside Josh in the front seat of the wagon. Sion and Hannah had preferred to ride the extra horses they had bought and had trailed behind for most of the way through the winding trail that made a serpentine pathway between the towering trees. Sabrina followed the direction of Josh’s gesture and exclaimed, “Why, it’s so pretty, Josh!”

  “It is, isn’t it? My folks have put a lot of work into this place.”

  The cabin that Sabrina looked at was much more attractive than most she had seen on her journey. For one thing it had been painted rather recently, it seemed, and the white gleamed against the background of the fields and the green trees. It was situated high on a rise of ground that overlooked its surroundings, and there was an air of serenity and permanence about it. As Josh urged the team forward, Sabrina said, “That’s the prettiest cabin I’ve seen since we left Nashville.”

  “Be sure you mention that to my folks. As I say, they worked hard on it.”

  A pack of dogs came boiling out as they approached, and Sabrina smiled. “Every house we’ve passed has had dogs. I believe you Americans have more dogs than anyone I’ve ever heard of.”

  “Dogs are good companions, and they make good watchers for keeping track of the Indians too.”

  Sabrina turned with wide eyes. “Were you ever attacked by Indians?”

  “No, there’s been trouble enough, but it’s passed over us for the most part. Of course, we have to go out when the militia’s called to fight them, but that war is pretty well over now.”

  “That’s good. I’d hate to think of being attacked by Indians.”

  “It could happen even now,” Josh said. “A lot of the Cherokee and the other tribes, too, are pretty angry at the way they’ve been treated. They feel like white men have robbed them of their land.”

  “Have they?”

  “I guess they have. I’m not proud of it. One of my best friends is half Cherokee; his name is Fox Carter—his real name’s Nathanael. His uncle Sequatchie is Pa’s best friend.”

  The conversation ended when Josh pulled the wagon up near the front porch. He leaped down as Hannah and Sion rode up and lifted his hand to help Sabrina to the ground. As he did, the door opened, and he turned to smile. “Folks, this is Miss Sabrina Fairfax. She’s coming to settle on that tract of land over to the north of us.”

  “Why, how nice!” Elizabeth said as she crossed the porch.

  Sabrina was not surprised to find Josh and Hannah’s mother an attractive woman. She was in her midfifties, Sabrina guessed, with blond hair and green eyes. “Your son and daughter have been such a help to us. I don’t think I could have made it here at all if it hadn’t been for them.”

  “Well, now, I’m glad to learn that those young’uns of mine have learned a little manners.”

  “Welcome to the territory, Miss Fairfax.”

  Mr. Spencer’s hand was hard and strong, and she could see where Josh got his good looks. Hawk Spencer was tall and broad-shouldered with black hair showing streaks of gray, and he looked about the same age as his wife. He had the darkest blue eyes she had ever seen—so dark they were almost black.

  “Come into the house,” he invited. “We want to hear all about this.”

  Hannah and Sion, by that time, had approached and waited until the introductions were over. “This is Sion Kenyon. These are my parents, Sion.”

  “It’s happy I am to meet you,” Sion said. He bowed slightly toward Elizabeth, then took the hand that Hawk extended.

  “Come inside.” Elizabeth said. “You must be worn out, Miss Fairfax.”

  Sabrina entered the house and noted that the floor was made of a beautiful wood. She had learned that many cabins in the area had dirt floors, but the home of the Spencers was much more ornate. It was built of logs, but the room she entered was wide, and overhead peeled logs made girders that held up the attic. A ladder went up at one end of the room, and two doors led to other rooms.

  “Here, won’t you sit down, Miss Fairfax?” Elizabeth said.

  “Oh, I think it would be nice if you called me Sabrina—and I believe I’d rather stand. Sitting in a wagon isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world.”

  “That’s a nice name—Sabrina. I don’t believe I’ve heard it before,” Hawk said. “How is it that an Englishwoman such as yourself comes to settle in the Colonies?”

  Hannah explained how she had found the deed after her father died and described their journey on the ship.

  “You know the tract, Pa,” Josh cut in. “It’s over the side of Cain Ridge, where the big bluff is on the river.”

  “Yes, I know it well. I’m afraid I shot quite a few deer over on your land, Miss Fairfax.”

  “There’s some sort of question about the title,” Josh said, “but I’ve got Andy Jackson looking into it. He’ll get it straight in no time.”

  Elizabeth and Hannah were bringing water to a boil as Hawk talked with the visitors. The two started to serve the tea, and Sabrina was impressed at the Spencer family. They were all fine looking, and Elizabeth Spencer had something of an aristocrat in her. She moved and spoke with such assurance and yet such grace that Sabrina took to her at once.

  “As soon as you get rested up,” Josh said, “we’ll take you over to see the land.”

  “Oh, could we go today?” Sabrina asked quickly.

  “I think it would be a little much for you. It’s not too far from here, but I know you’re tired,” Josh said. “Why don’t we go first thing in the morning.”

  Sabrina agreed, for she was tired. “All right. First thing in the morning, then.”

  ****

  The next morning Josh and Hannah waited only long enough for breakfast to be served before they offered to take Sabrina to see the land. She was happy to go, and they left as soon as the meal was over. Once again Sion and Hannah rode the horses while Josh and Sabrina rode in the wagon.

  As Hannah rode beside Sion, she found herself asking him all sorts of questions about his native land. She found he was better spoken than most of the young men she knew. There was a quickness about him and a sense of humor, she discovered. After a time she asked him, “What has impressed you most about America, Sion?”

  Sion’s eyes danced with mischief. “I expect,” he said without hesitation, “it’s the spitting.”

  “The spitting!” Hannah stared at him. “Whatever do you mean?”

  “I mean Americans spit a lot. Almost everyone chews tobacco. I noticed that on the ship coming over with some Americans we met. And ever since we’ve been here it’s been something I’ve paid attention to.” He glanced slyly at her and smiled. “It’s a good thing spit evaporates or America would be flooded.”

  Hannah laughed aloud and moved her horse closer to his. “You’re teasing me. Tell me, what really has impressed you?”

  “I suppose two things. Everything is so big. You have to remember, Miss Spencer, that in England and in Wales everything is much smaller.” He gestured toward the west and said, “That seems to go on forever. I’ve never seen such huge tracts of land and forest. It numbs the eye, almost, and the spirit to think of it. The other thing is how free people are.”

  “Free? What do you mean, free?”

  “I mean the English are a fairly reserved nation. They take a long time to get acquainted with each other, but Americans seem to be born to be close together.”

  Hannah thought about Sion’s words, then said, “I suppose that’s true. Here people have to learn to serve one another.” She was thoughtful and did not speak for a time as her mind toyed with this idea. “Out here we live on credit, balances of little favors that we have to give and ask to have returned. In a country with as few people as we have, ‘Love thy neighbor’ is less a pious injunction than a rule for survival. If you meet someone in trouble, you stop,
because another time you may need him to stop for you.”

  She continued to press him, wanting to know more about what he was really like. Finally she said, “Does it trouble you to leave your old home and come to a new place where everything is different?”

  “Not at all. I’m very excited about being in America. Life is like a tree. It gets new branches, and some of the old dead branches have to go. Old things pass away and new things come.”

  “I think Sabrina’s worried about the title of the land.”

  “Aye, she is.”

  “But you’re not?”

  “No, I think God will take care of her and of me, of course. Sometimes my heart counts all the moments that come like a bank teller. It’s more than the rustling of paper and the ringing of gold. Life is more than that, I think.”

  Hannah liked his poetic way of speaking, and she drew him out as they made their way around the twisting road.

  ———

  Josh drew up the wagon beside a bluff, and the two on horseback moved close to the wagon and stopped.

  “Well, you’re right in the middle of your own land, Sabrina.”

  Sabrina looked around. Below the bluff she could see clear water running in a creek, and overhead the sky was blue. She took a deep breath of the glorious April air. “You know what I notice most about this country, Josh?”

  “What’s that?”

  “It smells so clean. You can’t imagine how bad London smells. Nearly a million people burning coal fires, and then the fog comes in, and you’re breathing air that’s loaded down with evil-smelling things. But here it’s so clear and pure and beautiful.”

  “I think so too. I’d hate to live anywhere else.”

  “Isn’t there a house anywhere on this place? Didn’t the former owner build something?”

  “He did build a small cabin, but it burned down. Some say the Indians set it on fire.”

  Sabrina felt a touch of apprehension. “Are there still Indians around?”

  “Oh yes, they come and go. They don’t view land like we do.”

  “How’s that, Josh?”

  “They see land as belonging to the whole tribe, not to an individual. It’s hard to get into their heads that once they sell a place they can’t come back. It’s a sad situation, Sabrina. I feel sorry for the Indians.”