Old Josh, In: Josh's Idea (Civil War Days, 1862)
Old Josh, in:
Josh’s Idea
(Summer of 1862)
Josh Jefferson worked on the Hightower Plantation throughout the duration of the Civil War, and beyond, so he got used to seeing Confederate soldiers either marching through the woods, the plantation fields, up and down the road, camping out along side of he roads, in the city of Ozark, in Shantytown, everywhere, for the war’s duration.
They often looked like bums, he thought, more or less, ragged looking, they fought for the love of the South, more than money, it was obvious, by their apparel, Josh didn’t really take note of it until 1862, when the plantation lost its first crop to bad weather, and insects in over ten years. Also, there were only a few slaves on the plantation now, to work it, many had left the pat ten-months; many were taken for the Confederate Army, to fight in their war (throughout the south, perhaps 90,000).
It was one morning in the summer of 1862; Josh brought an idea up to Mr. Hightower, standing near the barn, with a worried look on his face, Josh knowing the farm was not paying for itself this year.
Hightower was kind of checking out how much feed was left for the hogs, mules, horses, chickens, cows, and so forth,
“Mr. Hightower,” said Josh, “I got an idea, ‘bout how youall can git out of this here bind, I means, hard times I see is comin’!”
Charles looked at Josh strangly as one might to idiocy, and started to brush Josh off, but Josh kept talking, “you see boss, ef’in we can git all the soldiers to bring their uniforms, and cloths to your plantation, me and my boys and Granny Mae, and so forth can sew those missin’ buttons on their uniforms, and fix their shoes, with some of those horseshoe nails—pound them flat through the soles, and wash their cloths, and fix their holes in their pants, and all that, and wes git some money, or feed or somethin’ in return to help planting again!”
Pessimistically he, Charles Hightgower looked at Josh, “Good luck,” said Hightower, “We’re not in Montgomery (meaning a bigger city)” and laughed as he walked away.
That night, while Charles was in bed with his wife, he couldn’t sleep well, said to his wife, “I was thinking today, while down at the barn, about all those gray uniforms that need fixing for our boys in Gray, maybe we can get Josh, and Granny Mae, and Amos, perhaps even Josh’s boys, and even us, we all can pitch in, and do some sewing of buttons, and holes and all that kind of stuff, make some money for the plantation, so we can buy more seed and do some more planting.”
Said Charles’s wife, “Yes, I reckon so, it sounds workable, we’ll look at it closer in the morning, if that’s ok with you.” And Charles nodded his head yes.
Josh now in his shanty, talking to his boy Silas, telling him he may be doing some sewing of Confederate uniforms soon, telling him he talked to Mr. Hightower about it, and he brushed it off, but that was how all rich folks act, that he’ll think about it, and perhaps change his mind down the road, when he gets hungry, because rich folks don’t like to get hungry because they are different than poor folks.
Said Silas,
“Why you say rich folks deferent pa?”
Said old Josh to his boy, Silas, kicking his feet up upon the table that was really just an old large wooded crate (box) used for a table in the middle of his shanty:
"I is goin’ to tell you somethin’ ‘bout rich folk, they is unlike us poor folk, they knows how to play when they is a day old out of their mama, and when they gits old, they never forgit—this here makes them all soft liken’ to that there wool on a sheep; when we is hard like stone. They is suspicious of their own mama and papa, dont trust anyone, not even the Lord Jesus, that why they is unless without us poor black, youall cant understand this, I knowen that, cus deep in their hearts they done thinkin’ they is better than we is cuz we is born with a cane, ef’in you knows what I mean, and they dont need any. And now he dont knows what to do, cuz he always rich, but you and I, wes got to overlook that, and help, gives him advise, even if he dont wants to think it comes from us.”
No.# 71/ 8-17-2008
Josh’s Idea
(Summer of 1862)
Josh Jefferson worked on the Hightower Plantation throughout the duration of the Civil War, and beyond, so he got used to seeing Confederate soldiers either marching through the woods, the plantation fields, up and down the road, camping out along side of he roads, in the city of Ozark, in Shantytown, everywhere, for the war’s duration.
They often looked like bums, he thought, more or less, ragged looking, they fought for the love of the South, more than money, it was obvious, by their apparel, Josh didn’t really take note of it until 1862, when the plantation lost its first crop to bad weather, and insects in over ten years. Also, there were only a few slaves on the plantation now, to work it, many had left the pat ten-months; many were taken for the Confederate Army, to fight in their war (throughout the south, perhaps 90,000).
It was one morning in the summer of 1862; Josh brought an idea up to Mr. Hightower, standing near the barn, with a worried look on his face, Josh knowing the farm was not paying for itself this year.
Hightower was kind of checking out how much feed was left for the hogs, mules, horses, chickens, cows, and so forth,
“Mr. Hightower,” said Josh, “I got an idea, ‘bout how youall can git out of this here bind, I means, hard times I see is comin’!”
Charles looked at Josh strangly as one might to idiocy, and started to brush Josh off, but Josh kept talking, “you see boss, ef’in we can git all the soldiers to bring their uniforms, and cloths to your plantation, me and my boys and Granny Mae, and so forth can sew those missin’ buttons on their uniforms, and fix their shoes, with some of those horseshoe nails—pound them flat through the soles, and wash their cloths, and fix their holes in their pants, and all that, and wes git some money, or feed or somethin’ in return to help planting again!”
Pessimistically he, Charles Hightgower looked at Josh, “Good luck,” said Hightower, “We’re not in Montgomery (meaning a bigger city)” and laughed as he walked away.
That night, while Charles was in bed with his wife, he couldn’t sleep well, said to his wife, “I was thinking today, while down at the barn, about all those gray uniforms that need fixing for our boys in Gray, maybe we can get Josh, and Granny Mae, and Amos, perhaps even Josh’s boys, and even us, we all can pitch in, and do some sewing of buttons, and holes and all that kind of stuff, make some money for the plantation, so we can buy more seed and do some more planting.”
Said Charles’s wife, “Yes, I reckon so, it sounds workable, we’ll look at it closer in the morning, if that’s ok with you.” And Charles nodded his head yes.
Josh now in his shanty, talking to his boy Silas, telling him he may be doing some sewing of Confederate uniforms soon, telling him he talked to Mr. Hightower about it, and he brushed it off, but that was how all rich folks act, that he’ll think about it, and perhaps change his mind down the road, when he gets hungry, because rich folks don’t like to get hungry because they are different than poor folks.
Said Silas,
“Why you say rich folks deferent pa?”
Said old Josh to his boy, Silas, kicking his feet up upon the table that was really just an old large wooded crate (box) used for a table in the middle of his shanty:
"I is goin’ to tell you somethin’ ‘bout rich folk, they is unlike us poor folk, they knows how to play when they is a day old out of their mama, and when they gits old, they never forgit—this here makes them all soft liken’ to that there wool on a sheep; when we is hard like stone. They is suspicious of their own mama and papa, dont trust anyone, not even the Lord Jesus, that why they is unless without us poor black, youall cant understand this, I knowen that, cus deep in their hearts they done thinkin’ they is better than we is cuz we is born with a cane, ef’in you knows what I mean, and they dont need any. And now he dont knows what to do, cuz he always rich, but you and I, wes got to overlook that, and help, gives him advise, even if he dont wants to think it comes from us.”
No.# 71/ 8-17-2008
posted by Dennis and Rosa Siluk at 9:13 PM
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