Around the River's Bend (28 page)

“I wish you'd take some of it home with you, Hannah. Sion and I can't possibly eat it all.”

“I could take some of it for the Herrington family. With all those children they need all the help they can get.”

“That's fine. Let's pick an assortment for them.”

The two women talked as they moved through the garden picking vegetables for the Herringtons. After a time Sabrina asked cautiously, “Have you seen Fox since the fight?”

“No,” Hannah said shortly. “He hasn't been around.”

“I was sorry to see it.”

Hannah had been embarrassed by the scene, and now she turned to Sabrina and shook her head. “It was all foolishness.”

“Everybody thought it was because Fox was jealous of Sion.”

Hannah did not answer, and for a time the two women were silent. Finally Hannah looked at Sabrina and said, “He had no cause to pick a fight with Sion.”

“Are you sure about that?” Sabrina said, and her voice was sharper than she intended. “Everyone knows you favor Sion.”

“Do you think that?”

“Yes, I do. You two get together every chance you have, and you're always laughing and having fun together.”

“Everyone likes Sion.”

“It seems Fox doesn't—at least not anymore.”

Hannah flushed as she continued picking green beans. “I was surprised at Fox. He hardly ever gets angry.”

“A man in love is likely to be angry when someone tries to steal his woman.”

“I'm not his woman! We've never had an understanding.”

“That's not what I heard. Everyone says you favored him.”

Hannah could not answer, and finally Sabrina added, “I hate when people give advice unasked, but if I were you, I'd talk to Fox.”

“Talk to him! He won't even come around.”

“You can find him if you want to.”

“And what would I say to him?” Hannah was disturbed.

Sabrina said, “Just tell him you're not interested in Sion—and you shouldn't be.”

Hannah straightened up. “What do you mean by that?” she said, her voice sharper than it had been.

Sabrina knew she had touched a nerve. “I mean he's a bound servant for four and a half more years. He can't be thinking about marriage.”

“He's got a right to get married if he wants to!”

“Hannah, don't even think of it. What kind of a life would you have? He'd be working for me full time. He wouldn't have time to build his own cabin.”

Hannah stared at Sabrina. “You know what I think? You're a jealous woman!”

Both women had said more than they intended to, and Sabrina said, “I think it's better we not talk about this anymore.”

“You're right,” Hannah said. There was a silence while Sabrina squatted to pick some squash, then she said, “I'm sorry. I didn't mean to speak so sharply.”

“I'm sorry too. You've been such a friend to me, Hannah. Let's not quarrel.”

Even though the two women had apologized, there was still an awkwardness between them, and Sabrina was relieved when Hannah went home. She continued working with the vegetables for a good part of the day and was nearly finished when Sion came in for a midafternoon snack.

“Did Hannah stop by?” Sion said. “I thought I saw her horse.”

“Yes, she was here.”

“Why did she leave early? She usually stays all day.”

“I suppose she had things to do.”

———

Sion was sensitive to the moods of his employer. He watched her covertly as he ate a big hunk of bread, and when she said nothing else about Hannah, he went outside to enjoy the fresh air and began whittling on a stick. Ulysses came up and gave him a curious look. “You're a curious cat, Ulysses. Don't you know curiosity killed the cat?”

“Yeow!” Ulysses said and rubbed against his leg. Sion picked up the big cat. “You're getting fat,” he said. He stroked the animal and enjoyed listening to the purr. “You're a spoiled fellow. I wish someone would spoil me that way.”

After a time Sabrina came out and threw the dishwater out on the ground. “Don't spoil that cat,” she said. “There are rats in the house.”

“They're not rats. They're mice. I think they're rather cute. There'll be even more coming in as it gets colder. You ought to feel sorry for them. They're harmless fellows.”

“I hate mice.”

“One comes to my lean-to every night, and I feed him crumbs. Or
her
, rather. She's a mother. I haven't seen any of her pups yet.”

“I don't like mice or rats. Now put that cat down.”

Surprised at her tone, Sion put the cat down and then stood up. “Something bothering you?”

“I don't like it that you're courting Hannah Spencer.”

“Me? I'm not courting anyone!”

“You're giving a pretty good imitation of it. Enough that you and Fox had a fight over her.”

“That was all his doing,” Sion said defensively. “I hate it worse than anyone. He's a good friend of mine. He just got tangled up in his own harness.”

“Well, I think you should stay away from Hannah.”

Sion Kenyon was an easygoing man, but her words rubbed against him. “Miss, I'll do the work, but I'll see whomever I like.”

It was the first time Sion had ever spoken to her sharply, and Sabrina seemed surprised. She put her hands on her waist and said, “Don't forget you're working for me for the next four and a half years!”

“No question about that. If you find fault with my work, let me know.”

“You know I don't find fault with that. You've been a hard worker, and I'm pleased. But you're going to hurt Hannah.”

“That's between her and me.”

“And Fox. He's a fine man and he loves Hannah. Do you?”

Sion stared at her. “Miss Fairfax,” he said formally, “have I asked you if you love Drake Hammond?”

“No, and you'd better not.”

Sion couldn't help himself from laughing. “I think you're as mixed up as Fox is. Everyone says you're going to marry him.”

“I probably will.”

“You'd better not,” Sion said quietly.

“Why not?” she said with a challenging look flashing in her eyes.

“Because you don't love him.”

The simple statement seemed to catch Sabrina off guard and anger her. “How would you know about a thing like that? Are you an expert in love?”

Sion knew he had gone too far. He was silent for a moment and looked down at the ground studying Ulysses. Then he lifted his head and said quietly, “It's all written in your eyes, miss,” then turned and walked away.

****

The conversation with Sabrina had troubled Sion greatly. He knew that both of them had spoken out of turn, and he was sorry for his own part in it. “You talk like a fool, man,” he said aloud as he walked down to the creek where he knew deer sometimes came to water. He had taken his rifle and used hunting as an excuse to get away from the cabin. “What business is it of yours if she marries Drake Hammond? But on the other hand, what business is it of hers if I find Hannah Spencer attractive?”

He shook his head in disgust and tried to push the matter out of his mind. He examined the sand along the creek for signs of deer but found no fresh tracks. His stomach told him it was close to suppertime, so he headed back toward the cabin. He was still preoccupied with the confrontation with Sabrina and went back over their conversation in his head.

Just then he felt something strike him in the back and thought it must have been a rock, for he felt no pain. He looked down and saw with a sudden cold shock that an arrowhead had penetrated his body and was sticking out of his chest. He stood in disbelief for a moment, and then the pain struck. He turned to see where the arrow had come from and saw an Indian laughing and crying out in his own tongue. Sion raised his musket and squeezed off one shot, which hit the Indian in the shoulder.

Sion saw the Indian turn and run just before Sion fell to the ground on his side. The pain was worse now, and he looked down to study the arrow. It was stuck high in his chest, and the end of the arrow was covered with blood. There was more rich blood leaking out of his shirt around the arrow. The pain grew worse, but he knew he had to get help. He slowly got up, feeling the blood running down his back, and began walking unsteadily toward the cabin. He had gone no more than a hundred feet when he grew dizzy, and he felt himself falling. He was able to direct his fall sideways, trying to avoid striking the arrow. A red curtain fell across his eyes, but he couldn't stop now. He pulled himself to his knees and began to crawl to the cabin.

Got to get—to the cabin
.

The red curtain was blinding him, and he was conscious only of the terrible pain and the weakness that was draining the life out of him.

Chapter Nineteen

A Horrifying Injury

Sabrina put the bowls on the table and went over to the fire, where she tested the meat with a fork, finding it tender. She was making stew, and the odor of the meal filled the cabin. She placed the fresh bread on a plate and covered it with a cloth to keep it warm.

Going to the window, she scanned the area, but Sion was nowhere in sight. She had gone out twice to call him, but he had not come in nor had he answered her call. She knew his musket was gone and assumed he had gone hunting as he often did late in the afternoon. She poured herself a cup of hot coffee and sat down at the table wondering if she should go ahead and eat without him. Darkness was falling quickly, and the lamp threw its amber glow over the cabin. After peering out the window once more, she sat in the chair Sion had made and covered with a deer hide cushion stuffed with grass. She picked up her book and tried to read but could not concentrate. Ever since the Indians had come to trouble her she had been nervous about being alone, and now she wished Sion would come back. She thought of the quarrel they had had and muttered, “I shouldn't have spoken to him like that. It was none of my business.”

She tried again to read, forcing herself to move her lips, but the words meant little. Finally she straightened, for she thought she had heard something. “Sion?” she said nervously. She picked her musket off of the pegs and moved cautiously to the door. She opened the door slowly and stepped outside, whispering, “Sion—?” There was no answer for a moment, and then she heard a tiny noise—unmistakably a voice. She moved forward, puzzled, and said, “Who's there?” She waited again and this time the voice whispered her name.

Sabrina moved forward in the dark and almost stumbled over Sion. She cried out and laid the rifle down. “Sion, what's wrong?” He was lying on his side, and when she tried to turn him over, her hand encountered something unrecognizable at first. As she realized what it was, she stifled a scream. Quickly she felt his back and found the shaft and the feathered tip. Cold fear seemed to paralyze her, and she cried out, “Sion! You've got to get inside the cabin. Can you walk?”

“Don't—think so” came the faint words.

Using all of her strength and encouraging him to help, Sabrina managed to get him to his hands and knees. “Put your arm around me,” she commanded, and somehow she managed to get him into the cabin. They had gone no farther than just inside the door when he slipped and began to fall. Fearful that he would injure himself worse with the arrow, she caught him and lowered him gently to the floor. The arrow had entered his back high up on the left side and penetrated his entire body. His shirt was soaked with blood. She had no idea what to do, but she knew she had to stop the bleeding. Quickly she ran to the table and grabbed the scissors and cut his shirt off. The sight of the arrow going through his body was terrible, but she saw the blood running from the entrance and the exit wounds and said, “Sion, I've got to stop the bleeding.”

Sabrina could see that Sion was trying to speak, so she put her ear close to his lips and caught the words, “Pull the arrow out.”

Sabrina had heard Hawk talk about his fight in the Indian wars. She remembered he had told about getting pierced by an arrow in the leg once and that Sequatchie had cut off the shaft containing the arrowhead and pulled it out. She knew there was no other way. She ran across the room, picked up her sharpest knife, and began to cut at the arrow just below the head. She knew it must be terribly painful and whispered, “I'm sorry, but I've got to do it.”

The shaft of the arrow was slender and cut easily. By the time the head dropped off, her hands were wet with blood. She dried her hands on a cloth and then placed the cloth over the arrow and put her knee on Sion's back. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the arrow as hard as she could and gave a pull. The arrow came out much easier than she had expected, and she fell over backward. Scrambling to her feet, she reached under her dress to rip one of her petticoats. Tearing it into strips, then folding it quickly, she put a wad over the exit wound in front and another one on the wound at the back, both of which were bleeding freely. She held the bandages in place, wondering how to bind them. Finally she released the bloody wads long enough to tear several more strips of fabric. Working as fast as she could, she fastened long strips of fabric tightly around Sion's chest, then stuffed fresh pads of fabric under the strips to cover the wounds both front and back.

When they were firmly in place, Sabrina said, “Sion, you've got to get into the bed.” She leaned over and saw that his face was paler than she had ever seen it. His eyes were closed, and when she placed her hand on his throat, she had difficulty finding his pulse. She knew she could not lift him into the bed, so she pulled the blankets off the bed and tried to make him comfortable on the dirt floor. She sat beside him and pulled his head and shoulders into her lap. Holding his limp body as she would a child, she rocked back and forth and began to pray. “God, don't let him die—please don't let him die!”