The Courage of Sarah Noble

Sarah and the children she calls “Small John” and “Mary” do not speak the same language but learn to play together and understand each other. Though Sarah longs for her own family, she enjoys the break from cooking and the food “Tall John’s” wife makes. There are no plates and the family eats with their hands, which is new to her. “Small John” and “Mary” watch Sarah prepare for bed, especially as she combs her soft hair, and she lets them touch it. She prays for her family and her horse, Thomas, though she’s unsure if it is “right” to pray for a horse. She wonders, also, if “the Lord take[s] care of Indians” (41). She asks God to bless “Tall John’s” family, too, prompting him to explain to his children that Sarah is talking to her own Great Spirit. This pleases “Small John.”

It is October. “Tall John’s” wife teaches Sarah to weave a basket and makes Sarah deerskin clothes and moccasins. Sarah likes the way her feet feel in these new shoes. She thinks about her family but realizes there is nothing to be afraid of with “Tall John’s” family. However, she senses fear in the air and sees that more men keep watch on Guarding Hill than before, and she worries that Indigenous people from the north are coming.