The Bairn of Brianag

"And little wonder it is," he said.

I had no servant; our hostess at the inn sent a maid to help me undress. I slept briefly and woke long before anything in the house stirred. I was wildly impatient and wanted to be on the road at once; but I curbed myself and knelt on the cold floor, praying quietly for Robbie's recovery.

At last I heard the maid downstairs making the fire; I put my head out the door and called to her. As I dressed, I heard the men coming in; and I waited for breakfast to be served them. I could not eat, but only drank a little tea.

The wind had abated and the cold was greatly lessened. Not far out of Ft.

Christopher we left the road and took a trail through the mountains. The trees had shed their leaves, and cushioned the path. The sky was lightly covered by thin clouds, and as the day progressed, the temperature rose.

I grew so weary at times I felt that I must get down and rest; but I thought of Robbie, ill and calling my name, and this thought spurred me forward. The McDonald boys laughed and joked together with Kevin. The Creek boys went ahead and behind, watchful and quiet.

As the sun was setting, we reached the village. The people came forward to greet us; an old woman with gray hair and linsey-woolsey clothes, with odd ornaments adorning her neck, stood at the forefront.

At last memory rang true; a thrill of shock thrummed through me. I remembered her now. I had been frightened of her when I had awakened at last from my illness; I remembered her blue eyes, and I stared at her with confusion. She was not an Indian. Why did she live at the Creek village, and why was she called Old Creek Woman, when she was clearly a white woman?

Kevin lifted me down; my knees gave way beneath me. He held me up on one side; Bobby held me on the other. My feet and legs tingled painfully as the blood returned.

"Robbie-Jessie," said the old woman, and I remembered that she had addressed me thusly before.

I tried to curtsey to her with the men holding onto my arms. "Madam," I said.

"Come," she said, and I followed her, stumbling.

She lifted the curtain on one of the houses and ducked beneath it. I bent down and followed her. At first I could see only the fire; but then my eyes adjusted and I looked where she pointed. I stumbled forward and fell to my knees.