The Mockingbird's Ballad

Pausing at the commotion in the lobby, he saw folks rushing towards the boarding platform. He guessed the 3:45 Cincinnati North train would be pretty full. Returning to his journal he turned a few pages and read: "January 14, 1866 - Mt. Carmel, O. Driving lumber company delivery wagon on the route from riverfront lumberyard to Salem, Fruit Hill, Forestville, Williamsville, Tabasco, Mt. Carmel, New Town and back to Cincinnati. Deliver to thirteen places; carpenters, feed stores, general stores, cabinet shops and small lumberyards. Make trip twice a week, full loads on freight wagon pulled by two mule teams of Tennessee Reds. Big ones, Two matched pair. Wheel horse is 'Champion' and lead is 'Hustler'. Fine animals. I take care of them at company stock barn. Sleep in upstairs loft/room. Company's daddy was from Pulaski, Tenn. Mr. Angus had brother with AOT; Cheatham's Tenn. Division killed at Murfreesboro. He pays me good money and the free room helps me to save money. Reverend is giving me Bible and Theology classes nights. I'm not sure he's ever had an older student or a slower one! I'm cleaning church as payment on Saturdays and shoveling snow in winter."

He paused a minute looking at himself in the large mirror behind the counter and reflected on the changes in his life. For nearly twenty years he'd been in uniform, on horseback, chasing Indians in the deserts of west Texas and Yankees in the hollows, pastures and mountain passes of the Tennessee Valley. He thought, "By Grace, by Grace."

Finding a notation a few pages later in his journal, "September 10, 1866 - Vevay, Indiana (Switzerland County), 50 miles down river on the Ohio from Cincinnati. Preached today for first time away from Cincinnati church. Have preached for Reverend Rexford's folks four times. Listeners seemed to appreciate my efforts. Brother Rexford was concerned when I preached at 1st Church that I was too 'light hearted'. Looks like to me that the knowledge of God's love and the faithfulness of Jesus' gospel . . . . . The restoring of all of us to salvation is something to be happy about. Let the 'hell and damnation', Bible bangers give out hell, I'm going to give out love and hope!"

After turning a score of pages or more, the journal recorded, "November 19, 1868 - Cincinnati, O., lumberyard stock barn. Been doing supply preaching at New Town, Amelia and down to Louisville when Mr. Angus lets me have a Monday off from time to time. The Montgomery Church hired me for six months first of year. They found a Buchel graduate in summer for permanent settlement. Am feeling more comfortable as a preacher. Folks seem to appreciate my twenty-thirty minute sermons - most preachers last for twice, three times that long. Wears folks out! General Grant to be president. Seymore of New York, the Democrat, didn't do badly given that so many whites in the south couldn't vote. From what I can read of the voting, the new freedman voters made the difference. Lord, I pray nearly every night when I remember my blindness about slavery and the African race. We southerners' sins of omission and commission are mighty heavy. Grace descend! The coloreds at the Angus Lumberyard are just like the whites I know - some trifling and some good people. I believe James (a 37 year-old Negro born in Batavia) could do anything or be anything if he were white. I swear he knows the Bible as well as Reverend. He told me he went to public school from time he was six to sixteen."