Read Online Around the River's Bend by Aaron McCarver - Free Book Online

was full of worthless things destined for the fire.
    She picked up the next item, which was a rather large envelope, and pulled two pieces from it. One proved to be a map. When she unfolded it, she did not recognize any of the places on the map, but a section of it was traced out with a heavy black line. She saw the names Holston and Cumberland . She knew that Cumberland was in England, but she had never heard of Holston.
    She wondered at the significance of the map for some time before turning to the other smaller sheet of paper that had been in the same envelope. She started reading it and realized that it was a deed. She was not, of course, an expert in law, but the deed plainly said that the property in question had been sold to Roger Fairfax, and it included the legal description. It seemed to be a rather large tract of land—some two thousand acres!
    A sudden hope came to Sabrina. “Two thousand acres! That must be worth something . And since the deed’s here, the lawyers and the creditors didn’t get it.”
    She read the deed more excitedly, and she saw that it had been signed in North Carolina. The name sounded familiar, but she could not place it. For a long time Sabrina sat there studying the map. There didn’t seem to be any large cities on it, but there were many rivers with strange names. Finally she realized with a shock that this land was not in England at all but in another country.
    But what other country? She could not tell, but she would go tomorrow to Mr. Franks. “He’ll know where it is,” she whispered. “Maybe it’ll sell for enough money so I can get out of here and start a new life.”
    ****
    The wind was chilled as Sabrina walked along the shore of the River Thames. Fishing boats were bobbing up and down, for the river was rough. The clouds rolled dirty and dark over the horizon, and the wind came ashore, making a keening noise.
    Sabrina drew her coat tighter around her throat as she went over her conversation with Mr. Franks once more in her mind. When she had shown the map and the deed to Mr. Franks, he had taken one look and said, “Why, this is in the Colonies, Miss Sabrina.”
    â€œThe Colonies!” Sabrina had thought little about the Colonies.
    â€œThe deed is clear, Miss Fairfax, as much as I can tell from this far away. But, of course, things have been in a flux in that part of the world for some time. Especially the land west of the original Colonies. One would simply have to go there to find out. The land may be very valuable, or it may be worth nothing—or the deed may even be questionable. Impossible to say from this distance.”
    Sabrina stopped and stood there looking out at the river. She tried to imagine that it was the Atlantic Ocean and she was looking across at the new nation that had been borne out of the Revolution. She knew so little about that land. There were wild Indians there, she knew that much. She had heard there were large cities along the seaboard, but Franks had told her that this land lay far away, a rough land. She had never thought of leaving England, but now there was nothing here for her.
    I could sell the diamonds to get enough money for my fare to go to America. The land may be worth a great deal . The thought took her by surprise and disturbed her greatly. She couldn’t leave London! This was the only home she had ever known. She turned and walked quickly away from the river and tried to put the alien thought out of her mind. She was afraid, and she knew it. The idea of going to a strange land, knowing no one, with no profession, no friends, no relatives. Who wouldn’t be frightened?
    Suddenly she realized she was passing by the barge where she had seen the fight and thought of the man who had been beaten down. He had fought until he could not fight any longer. She stopped and stared at the barge. All signs of the fight were gone, but she remembered his courage and his strange