The Birthright by T. Davis Bunn

Author:T. Davis Bunn [Bunn, T. Davis]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 0100-12-31T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

On the trip back to Georgetown from the new French settlement, Catherine found herself sitting next to an Acadian farmer and marveling at how good life had been to her. At an age when many women began thinking about settling back and taking one’s ease, she was filled with a fresh sense of purpose and joy.

And the season matched her mood—vibrant and humming with the powerful south wind. It was the warmest autumn she could remember, where the sun turned fleeting showers into golden curtains. Rainbows appeared nearly every afternoon, sweeping bands of color that often spanned the entire sky.

They crested the final rise before Georgetown, and then the farmer halted the horses, granting the weary animals a breather. The wagon creaked under the weight of the summer’s final produce and the first jugs of fresh cider. A taciturn man, the farmer had spoken but a few sentences during the whole journey. But Catherine did not mind at all. After two long days of dealing with seventeen children, a little quiet was a welcome change.

The wind was strong enough to buffet their wagon and have her holding tight to her bonnet’s strings. Yet it was such a warm and cloudless afternoon, she could sit and watch the world below in comfort. Between them and the steeple of Andrew’s church, everything seemed to toss and shiver with a hundred shades of fall colors. The wind stripped the trees and sent their leaves swirling in such impatient haste, she could see little else. At the hill’s summit, all around was sunlight and blue sky and whistling wind. Below them rushed an autumn tide of russet and gold.

The farmer clicked to the horses and snapped the reins. Slowly they descended the bumpy road that gradually led them into the maelstrom below. Catherine shielded her eyes against the debris. Once they were within the shelter of the towering trees, she looked up in wonder. Now the sun flickered and danced through the waving branches and flying leaves as if throwing off sparks from a heavenly fire.

As they approached Georgetown, Catherine pulled from her shoulder bag the list she’d been working on and checked it once more. Everything seemed to be in order. She handed it to the farmer and said in French, “You will please buy these things and take them to the new family?”

“It will be as you ask, madame.”

Then she gave him a leather pouch. “This should take care of the cost, but if not, then I will pay you the rest when we meet next week.”

Charles had continued to send them money, and Andrew no longer objected. This was good for many reasons. Andrew’s joints persisted in bothering him, which resulted in his having to quit leatherworking. Also, the parish had been growing quite rapidly along with the demands on Andrew’s time. But the chief reason they were so thankful for the extra money was that it had meant they could assist the newcomers with their making a fresh start.

Colonists loyal to the Crown were pouring into the Canadian provinces at a prodigious rate.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.