Mockingbird's Call Read Free Page B

is longer.”
    Amelia laughed and reached out a hand to pull Sadie into the saddle behind her. “I’ve got a surprise for you today.”
    â€œA surprise?” Excitement made Sadie twist and turn behind her. “Where is it?”
    â€œI left it in my saddlebag. To see it properly you and I are going to have to go to the creek.”
    Sadie wrapped her hands around Amelia’s waist. “Is it a fishing line? I likes fish, Miss Amelia.”
    â€œNo, it’s not a fishing line. But I’m not going to tell you any thing else until we get to the creek.” She clucked to her horse.
    It only took them a couple of minutes to reach the shady banks of the trickling stream. Sadie slid off the horse first, and Amelia dismounted right after her. Having secured the reins on a nearby branch, she went to her saddlebag and made a production of pulling out a little reed boat she and Tabitha had woven the day before.
    Sadie’s mouth opened in an O. “What is it?”
    â€œIt’s a boat just like a reed boat that once hid a little baby boy in Egypt a long time ago.”
    â€œWho would hide a baby in a boat?”
    Amelia pulled off her shoes and stockings and sat on the bank of the creek. “A long time ago, a big king reigned in Egypt, and he was a very bad man. He had lots of Hebrew slaves, so many that he decided to kill all the little boy slaves so he wouldn’t lose his power over them.”
    Sadie sat down beside her and dangled her feet in the water.
    Amelia handed her the little boat to play with. “One day, a Hebrew woman had a baby boy. She loved him so much that she hid him in a boat to keep the bad king from killing him.”
    â€œWas he in the boat a long time?”
    â€œNo.” Amelia shook her head. “The king’s daughter found him, and she loved him like her own little boy. She brought him back to her home and named him Moses. When he was a grown man, he used his power to free his people.”
    â€œThat’s a nice story, Miss Amelia.” Sadie moved the little boat back and forth in the water. “I wish I had a Moses to free my family.”
    â€œAmelia Montgomery!” Her father’s angry voice startled Amelia. How had he managed to find them, and how long had he been listening?
    She turned to face his wrath, praying that he would not take his anger out on the little girl beside her.
    Her father’s face reminded her of a thundercloud. His eyes blazed, and his teeth were gritted. He pulled his hat off and slapped it against his leg. She watched the dust billow from his pants leg and swirl around in the dry air. Next to him stood one of the overseers, a heavy-jowled man with mean little eyes and a hard mouth.
    â€œPapa, I’m sorry.”
    â€œI don’t want to hear a word from you, Amelia. Get back home and await me in my study.” He turned to the overseer. “Obviously, this slave has too much time on her hands. Take her out to the fields. She can start to earn her keep.”
    â€œPapa, no.” Amelia put her hand out and stepped toward him. “Please don’t.”
    â€œThis time you’ve gone too far, Amelia, sowing discordwith your tales of slave uprisings.” He grabbed her arm and dragged her to her mare, tossing Amelia in the saddle and slapping her mount’s flank. As she grabbed for the reins to keep from tumbling to the ground, Amelia heard Sadie screaming behind her.
    All the way home, Amelia prayed for God to intervene. She’d never meant to encourage rebellion. It had only been a Bible story. Tears of remorse made hot tracks down her cheeks as she reached the house. She dismounted and handed her horse to a stable boy before dragging her reluctant feet to Papa’s study.
    Inside the stuffy room, time slowed to a crawl. The bright afternoon faded to dusk, and still Papa did not come. Just when she thought he’d forgotten her, the door opened, and he stomped in.
    Amelia