Old Josh, in: Burning Fence (#63)

(1865)


The Fence at the Hightower Plantation, during the Civil War days


The war was almost lost, Granny Mae kept to her kitchen work, and Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hightower, went on as usual with their lives, planted and harvested the best they could, in a way, both the Smiley and Hightower plantations were glad the war was descending, coming to an end, a kind of quiet dust fell over the atmosphere, although the graveyards were being filled up with the dead, a lot of folks on their knees weekly in the church, the sheriff in town and Mr. Ritt, the bank owner felt those negroes weren’t worth fighting for, not to the death anyhow, ‘…forbid it that our southern brothers have to die for it…’ they told one another in private. And Mr. Smiley said many of times, like Hightower did, “I reckon I won’t,” meaning, they’d not die for it, the same feelings Mr. Ritt had from the bank, but nobody ever heard him say that, they heard only Smiley and Hightower say that, forgetting Mr. Hightower was in his 70s, and had fought his war, in 1812. “Yes,” he told folks, “I was there, I saw it, and we were there. I’m not afraid to fight, I’m just tired of it,” he said. But there is always more to it I suppose, he had a wife and land, crops and live stock, a whole plantation to take care of and people to feed.
He, Hightower had built a new fence, a corral for his horses, made out of very dry wood, which would burn easily, especially if someone was to throw kerosene on it. And this was a concern at hand, if he didn’t take sides he had gotten in the past some notes saying, and remaining him being neutral was not safe—the Civil War in particular made men more aggressive and less sensitive to death, for some it was a way of life, and the truth of the matter was, he didn’t take sides for the Gray or Blue, meaning the North or South, and that continued to irritate the Confederates, and… especially now that they were losing the war.

It was a cool night, Old Josh stood near the new fence, Mr. Hightower just had put in, matter of fact, Silas, and Josh and several other works dug the holes, bought the dry timber from a far-off neighbor beyond the woods. And no sooner had they put it up, they saw smoke coming from the Smiley Plantation, Mr. and Mrs. Hightower watched it from their window, and Josh by the fence, and Hightower got a letter, it said,
“You can’t remain neutral forever…” and it implied he was next on the list. Someone had burnt down the hog bin at the Smile’s; it housed some several big hogs, and a few small ones, and had a fence around it; Charles went over to see if he could help put out the fire, as Josh stood watch over the new fence, and Silas by the front of the house, and Jordon by the barn, all anticipating.
As Josh looked out among the yellow fields, he saw nothing, but nearby was a luring shadow, he saw it from the corner of his eye, pretended not to notice it, thought about what he should do, and did nothing.
The smoke now had gotten down to his location from the Smiley plantation, he could taste it, then Mrs. Hightower yelled, “Go around the house, check it out,” she was thinking that Silas could only see what he could see, and if there was someone with bad intentions, he needed only stay in front of Silas, far enough around one corner, and he’d never be seen—but Josh walking one way, in one direction as Silas walked in the other, you might catch the culprit. But in doing so, Josh left the fence unguarded.
By the time Josh had made his walk around the house, the fence was on fire, burning to kingdom come, no horses were in the corral, and as Josh got back, Mrs. Hightower with a shotgun in hand, was running toward the fence, Josh saw a shadow again, with a gray hat on,
“Who you are?” said Josh, someone behind a drinking bin for the horses.
Then the shadow was gone, and Josh just turn about, looking at Mrs. Hightower running, tears in her eyes.
“Did you see who it was Josh?” she asked in desperation.
“No maim, jes’ a shadow, and it gone like the birds!”

As Josh rushed to get some buckets of water and Silas, Jordon and Mrs. Hightower did the same, Silas overheard his father mumbling:
‘If-in you git too much Lord, you gots to worry too much, the truth is, a man sell his soul for things and the robber he done takes them away, so he can go git some more, so he can take more away, and the devil he laugh cuz he keeping youall busy over things, that man dont rest, and if-in he dont rest, he got no time for his family, he jes’ got things, and more things!’
Josh grabbed the bucked of water, looked at Silas, said,
“Come on son, wes got to save the Hightower things!”

8-11-2008