Joshua's Journey

By Judith A. Dempsey and James Melvin

Joshuas Journey is the story of a twelve-year-old African American boy born just after the Civil War. Joshuas carelessness results in an accident that leaves the daughter of his plantation owner unconscious. His sister shames him into finding the Swamp Woman, a mysterious local folk healer. Her decoction heals Melinda Mae. Joshua decides he too wants to become a healer. This story chronicles the tremendous difficulties he had to overcome as he confronts prejudice, segregation, an inadequate education, the loss of benefactors, and financial crises to achieve his goal of becoming a doctor. As an old man, Joshua revisits his youth in a series of flashbacks. As he shares his experiences with his family and students, he realizes that even though he is old, he can still help others triumph over some of the same struggles he experienced.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Trafford Publishing
• Release date: May 14, 2016
• ISBN: 9781490772943

Judith A. Dempsey

Judy Dempsey has worked as an educator for thirty-two years, first as a classroom teacher, then as a school counselor; she did private counseling with children, families, and couples. She also served at the state Consumer and Family Advisory committee. Now retired, she lives with an eighteen year old cat and an Australian blue heeler. Her late husband was also an author. Several years ago, she and her husband published a calendar of nature photography. She first attended in writing during a two-week workshop called Teacher Scholar in Residence in University of North Carolina sponsored by North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching—“Everybody has a story to tell and write.” That peaked her interest, and from then on, she attended several writing workshops and attended the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival at the University of Fairbanks in Alaska for three summers. She’s been involved with North Carolina Senior Olympics Silver Arts, the literary division. She received the silver medal for Understanding Your Mortality in essay writing, bronze for her poem called “Morning” in poetry, and also bronze for “My Brother’s 75th Birthday in New Orleans,” which was life-experience story. James Melvin obtained his B.S. degree in Art Education/Design from N.C. A&T State University. At age ten his desire was to become a professional artist. Perseverance, guidance and dependence upon his Heavenly Father allowed him to achieve his goal. A versatile artist, James works in oils, acrylics, pastels and colored pencils. Peace is the theme of his work. He is the illustrator for Suzanne Tate's Nature Series, other writers and the Pea Island Lifesavers Series at the N.C. Lifesavers series at the N.C. Aquarium in Manteo.

Book preview

JOSHUA'S JOURNEY

Judith A. Dempsey

©

Copyright 2016 Judith A. Dempsey.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written prior permission of the author.

ISBN

: 978-1-4907-7293-6 (sc)

ISBN

: 978-1-4907-7295-0 (hc)

ISBN

: 978-1-4907-7294-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016907082

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Trafford rev. 05/13/2016

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Contents

Chapter One, Times Remembered

Chapter Two, Beginnings

Chapter Three, the Accident

Chapter Four, The Swamp Woman

Chapter Five, Miss Emmie

Chapter Six, Just Like Dirt

Chapter Seven, The Return To Town

Chapter Eight, Baltimore Bound

Chapter Nine, Steam-boating on the Chesapeake Bay

Chapter Ten, The Big City

Chapter Eleven Meeting Dr. Applegate at Glyndon

Chapter Twelve, Gettysburg

Chapter Thirteen, Back To Glyndon

Chapter Fourteen, A Change of Plans

Chapter Fifteen, Loss of a Friend

Chapter Sixteen, Life's Downs

Chapter Seventeen, St. Aug's

Chapter, Eighteen, The Transfer

Chapter Nineteen, An Unexpected Delay

Chapter Twenty, Leonard Medical School

Chapter Twenty-One, From Student to Healer

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CHAPTER ONE, TIMES REMEMBERED

A gray mockingbird sat on the very tip of a tall white pine tree singing her heart out. With each rise in pitch, she fluttered skyward as if propelled by her own melodious song. The old man listened intently as he rocked back and forth on the porch in concert with the bird's song.

His grown daughter, Amie, who sat on the porch steps mending the huge holes in her eight-year old twins' socks, also listened to the bird, enjoying its melodious song.

Both of them were immersed in their own thoughts. Old Joshua Jordan suddenly began to speak.

That was a wonderful morning, he said aloud.

What was? his startled daughter asked.

"When I first really listened to a mockingbird sing. It was a morning much like this one. I had just caught an enormous bull frog at the old pond when I heard the prettiest song in the woods. I stopped and stood still as a statue, captivated by its beautiful voice. Even when it flew off, I stayed, savoring the sheer joy of its music.

"But soon my stillness was shattered by the sound of Uncle Levi's angry voice. I can still hear it rumbling like thunder through the woods even now.

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Joshua, Joshua Jordan, where is you? What's you doing there, boy? he demanded, his deep black eyes searching my tormented face for an immediate answer.

Guilt pangs quivered through my whole body. I knew I had to redeem myself quickly, so I held high my squirming prize, Look, Uncle, I caught this big, old bullfrog. Now we can have him for dinner.

Uncle Levi sighed deeply, That's fine, Joshua, but where is Captain Bigley's riding boots? Didn't I tell you he'd be needin' them this afternoon?

I looked at the ground and halfheartedly kicked a stone. I had forgotten my chores again.

Uncle Levi's lips tightened! His forehead furrowed. He stepped forward and grabbed me by the nape of my neck, his strong fingers digging into the flesh, then he shook me as if I were an old rag doll. Thinking perhaps, that would jar my memory.

What's the matter with you? Didn't I tell you we gotta earn our keep? Levi's voice softened a little as he said, You know they sayin' colored folk as lazy as sin since we become free. Well, the day of jubilee has come and gone and we're no better off, 'cept we got a last name and gotta earn our keep. Even Captain Bigley's caught on fast. You'd think he was from this here South, not New York like he says.

Then I heard the door to the big house squeak open. A tall man with a military bearing stepped onto the wide porch. It was Captain Bigley.

Levi, you got that carriage hooked up yet? I want to leave here by noon, the Captain hollered.

Levi frowned. No, sir, not yet, he answered.

Well hurry up, man! I don't want to be getting home after dark. No telling what I'll be running into then! the Captain bellowed.

Gonna do it right now, Levi responded. Then he whispered to me, That Captain Bigley still thinks he's commanding the cavalry.

What's that, Levi? the Captain demanded.

Nothin', sir. Am goin' to get Stormy. He need a good run, he do, Levi answered as he hurried toward the horse stalls.

Just as a colt follows a filly, I followed Uncle Levi into the barn. In one of the stalls stood a beautiful black stallion. He measured fifteen hands tall and was solid as a rock. His coat was smooth as satin and glistened as silver in the sun.

That Captain Bigley's war horse? I asked, awe-struck by the beauty of this mammoth creature.

Sure is, Uncle Levi answered. This is the very same horse he rode in the Battle of South Mills. When the Captain was made head of the Freedmen's Bureau, he took this horse to New Bern. That's where he met his first wife, Miss Mildred Louise. She was as pretty as a spring flower, but oh, so uppity. She wasn't about to marry no Yankee captain.

Then he added, It was only when Captain Bigley bought Belhaven and carried Miss Mildred out here that she agreed to marry him.

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Old Joshua stood up and stretched. He stamped his feet on the wooden porch floor. Got to get the blood moving, he said to his daughter.

Too much sittin' makes lazy bones. He laughed uproariously. The cook must have said that to me a thousand times, especially when I stopped washin' them windows at the big house.

That was some house, he mused, painted all white with a big front porch just made for rocking chairs. Those columns were two stories tall. Windows were everywhere. Lawd, how I hated washin' them windows. And the fireplaces, just keeping them filled with wood was a job. When the fire got blazin' it was like lookin' straight into hell. Took a heap of doin' just keepin' that place up.

The old man sat back down and rocked slowly back and forth, back and forth. Soon he was asleep. His daughter continued her mending while he slept, dreaming of times past.

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CHAPTER TWO, BEGINNINGS

As the first rays of the sun appeared in the sky, the birds of morning began their raucous song, waking old Joshua out of a fitful sleep. Unable to resume sleeping, Joshua decided to put this time to good use and go fishing. He rubbed his eyes, hunched his back and shook both legs to get the blood flowing again. Then he grabbed his fishing pole and bucket of bait. Still not quite awake he stumbled out the front door onto the porch... He wasn't going to let his recent retirement stop him from doing the things he most enjoyed, rising early in the morning and going fishing.

Down the wooden steps he went, careful not to make them creak and wake up the others. Today he wanted to fish alone without the twins, whose incessant chatter scared all the fish away.

He crossed the lawn and entered the dirt path that led to the creek. The pine woods were alive with the racket of singing birds. The old man grumbled to himself, Too much of a good thing. Hope they stop soon. All this noise is giving me a giant headache.

He came to a clearing beside the creek where a man and young boy were already fishing.

That your boy? Joshua asked.

Sure is, the man replied.

Lucky boy, the old man said.

Used to fish some with my daddy, but then, that was a long time ago and I was very young. His voice trailed off as if to catch a distant memory.

Old Joshua sat down on the hard ground and tossed his line into the shallow creek. As the ripples fanned out toward the distant shore, Joshua spoke to the man and young boy about his early life.

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It was my Uncle Levi who raised me. One day as he crouched beside the horse he was shoeing, he began to talk about my daddy and mama. He held the horse's hoof between his knees and perfectly positioned the shoe as he spoke.

Nephew, he said, at the end of the war Sue Anne and I went to New Bern. That's where we found Adam and Martha, your daddy and mama. We was standin' with a crowd of freed men waitin' for food and clothing. I see this familiar-looking head aways in front of us. My mouth just flew open and out popped, 'Adam, is that you?' The head turned around and sure enough, there was my brother, Adam! We hadn't seen each other for fifteen years, but a man always remembers his own brother. Adam and I just hugged and hugged, tears streaming down our faces. Your daddy had been sold to another planter, Master Oakley, when he was just bout your age, twelve years old. You look a lot like him, too, with your bright eyes, light skin and kinky black hair. You is built like him, too, big feet and broad shoulders.

Levi continued, I had given up all hope of ever seeing Adam again. I'll never forget the day he was sold off the plantation where we was livin'. Our mama was just awailin'. She pleaded with the master, 'Please don't sale my boy. You promised me you'd set him free.'

Then she grasped the master's hand. 'Times change,' he said, as he yanked his hand away.

The plantation overseer grabbed Mama and pushed her to the ground. He woulda whipped her raw 'cept the master stopped him.

Mama grieved so, Levi continued, She was never the same. Sometimes at night I'd hear her cryin'. She hardly ever smiled anymore. Times were hard then. Too hard to be talkin' about.

Uncle Levi stopped and stared off into the distance. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and cleared his throat. For a few minutes he was silent, then he began again, Joshua, did you know you was the first of our family born free?

I looked up startled by this bit of news. Me? I asked.

That's right, answered Levi. Before you, we was all slaves. Your daddy was a slave on Oakley Plantation. He worked with the plantation carpenter, who had a pretty daughter named Martha. Martha was a house slave, but whenever she saw Adam she made eyes at him. Your daddy, Adam, was surprised at this 'cause house slaves think they too good for ordinary workers, like carpenters. But they got to likin' each other and pretty soon they jump the broom. Then your sister, Sarah, come along, just before the war. They was waitin' for you when the Yankees came and burned most of Oakley Plantation. The Yankees told all the slaves they was free.

"Old Master Oakley told