Abner Barclays, is the opposite of Will. The servants hate him and they hate what he is doing to his daughter. She always seems to have bruises or a split lip or tears in her eyes. Very early in the story, Will wins her devotion by helping her bury her kitten. As time passes, Sadie spends time visiting with Will. She enjoys his kindness and slowly discovers she can ask him questions. She learns about the Black Hawk who is like Robin Hood in their neighborhood.

Will protected Sadie from Abner as much as he could. When Abner fired him, all of the other servants slowed all their work until Abner rehired Will. When Abner used a whip on her, Will stopped him and sent for a doctor. Abner arranged a marriage between his daughter and local man with a great potential for wealth for him. But Sadie did not like the prospective groom. She began to have dreams of Will that disturbed her. Intimate dreams. Sadie felt guilty because of these dreams. Just after her 18th birthday, Sadie tries to commit suicide, but Will stops her. They end up spending the night together. When Sadie returned home, her father beat her so severely, she was blinded...and he died of a stroke. At the reading of the will of Abner Barclays, Sadie is left with nothing and goes to live with Will Cartwright.

There is more because we don't know who the Black Hawk is and we don't know what finally happens to Will and Sadie. This is a beautifully crafted short story, amazingly full of detail in spite of the length.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Mildly sensual

Reviewer: Yvonne
March 4, 2006