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matter what anyone decides. I appreciate all you and the mister do for us. I sure do.”
    â€œThere is no need for that.” She extended her gaze to Sarah and then back to Lydia. “I must get to the point. I have an offer to make. Sarah is grown now. It is time to send her to work. Poor Fanny has such pain in her joints and back, she says she will not be able to work much longer. Perhaps I could indenture Sarah. I will speak to William about this when he returns and get him to draw up an agreement. Fanny works for her room and board. However, Sarah might be happy to work for wages. Two years sounds reasonable. Times are hard, but we will do what we can for her.”
    â€œThe girl is a good worker.”
    â€œYes she is. I was always fond of her.”
    Grandmother excused herself from the table and nodded to Sarah to do the same.
    â€œThere’s another bag of laundry waiting to be done by the porch door, Lydia,” Mrs. Cunningham said. “By the way, I hear Mr. Carter is here in Nova Scotia working as a slave hunter. You must always have your certificates with you. Please be careful.”
    â€œYes Ma’am.” Grandmother patted the rag purse. “I aim to be safe.”
    They took their time going back to Birchtown. Sarah poked along, understanding that work was scarce and positions hard to come by, but somehow becoming indentured was not what she had imagined for herself. While the thought made her sad, her mouth produced a smile — she had to admit she liked this little woman, though the way she treated them was so peculiar.

Nine
    S ARAH WORE HER FAVOURITE CREATION, A BUTTERY-YELLOW gown with frilled sleeves over a white petticoat, a brown wool cloak and a green bonnet. She held her head high and strutted down the path carrying a small basket of apples. It felt good to be on her way to the Methodist camp meeting in the clearing. Throughout the colony, worship services were being held in every corner. There were plenty of ministers coming to Birchtown to preach to the desperate souls. Together, they agreed to build a meeting house, but until it was completed, they met in a valley between the hills in a place they called the clearing.
    This was a day of blessings. Sarah felt it in her heart. In no other place could you feel more free or more at home than in the clearing. Steal away, Steal away to Jesus; Steal away, Steal away home; I ain’t got long to stay here . How sweet the words were! She hummed them repeatedly. It saddened her that Grandmother refused to attend the meeting. She said all the jumping and shouting wouldn’t bring her closer to the Lord, but Sarah loved the merriment. She would ask for much needed blessings for her family, especially for her Aunt Beulah, for it was three days since the visit and still the baby was holding back.
    Sarah had agonized over the need to look after her aunt. Beulah was family, and hadn’t her father insisted she look after the family, keep it strong? In Birchtown, you could easily perish without their love and support. The importance of strong ties was leading folks to marriage—one of the prizes of freedom. Sarah could not help but smile. Like many men, Uncle Prince had married as soon as they arrived. “I can’t wait to get myself a wife,” they would say, as if they were earning a medal or some kind of reward, as if getting a woman compared to bringing home a deer. She thought about Reece. There would be lots of time and besides, Beulah’s needs would have to come first.
    Sarah left the main trail. She could hear the commotion before she reached Big Mama Hagar’s shack. Sunday morning didn’t make a spot of difference to Big Mama. The cursing and screaming were flying out the windows and the open door. It wasn’t long before ol’ man Hagar came running out and sped past Sarah, with Big Mama in pursuit, cast iron skillet waving in the air. Her tongue feasted in a trough of vulgar names.