Came A Tall Kentucky Gentleman

By Charles LeRoy Hall

Perhaps the defining event of the 20th century in America was the Great Depression of 1928. Following on the heels of the Roaring 20s, the Depression smashed the dreams and hopes of many who thought the good times would never end. It impacted the lives of most Americans, destroying some, bankrupting others, but in many cases, it created men and w

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palmetto Publishing
• Release date: Aug 31, 2022
• ISBN: 9798885904414

Charles LeRoy Hall

Charles LeRoy Hall is a graduate of Concord University where he also received an honorary Doctorate in 2017. Founder and CEO of a group of seven financial service entities operating nationally, author and motivational speaker, founder of several nonprofit organizations funding scholarships to assist students of need in Appalachia, and along with his wife, founder of Friends of Lucky Chucky Valentine, a nonprofit advocating animal rights.

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Chapter 1:

FROM KENTUCKY HE CAME

R

ussel stepped down to the street from the Charleston bus and right into the biggest brown eyes, the most beautiful smile, and the prettiest face he had ever seen. The lovely, young, oval face was crowned by thick, auburn-colored curls. The girl was a youthful picture of loveliness in the late-morning sunlight.

Excuse me, Miss.

Russel managed to mutter the apology as he had briefly bumped this young woman in passing. She smiled and simply turned away. He noticed that she had a small bundle in her arms, wrapped in a pink blanket: a miniature duplicate of this young mother with big brown eyes and a smile for this tall stranger.

Let me help you with your bag, Miss, Russel said.

He moved to pick up the young woman's small brown case as she stepped forward to enter the bus on which he had just arrived, which would take her the way it came—on the journey back to Charleston. He effortlessly deposited her bag on the steps, and the driver moved it to the front seat.

Thank you, the young mother said as she colored with a blush, noting his tall, handsome, and well-dressed appearance.

Have a safe trip, he said, then smiled and stepped back to the sidewalk.

Russel stood and watched as the almost-empty bus pulled away minutes later, heading north on its round-trip journey to the capital city of West Virginia. Their eyes met one last time, and the girl smiled his way once more before looking away.

I wonder who she is and who the lucky guy is, he thought.

Not since he had lost Margaret years earlier had another woman caught his eye or caused him much more than a second thought. Russel had just said goodbye to the Margaret dream in Pittsburgh a few days earlier. Pausing for a moment on the old wooden plank sidewalk, he lit a Chesterfield cigarette and briefly surveyed the little town of Rainelle. It was located in the mountains and surrounded by the reds and yellows of the beautiful fall trees in the very near distance.

It took him but a few minutes to take in the lone paved road that was Main Street, lined for a short distance by a few stores and small homes. This was the only paved road in the entire town, marked with a sign that denoted it as US Route 60, pointing south to Virginia, and back north to Charleston, West Virginia. This relatively new two-lane highway cut through the surrounding Appalachian Mountains and right through this small, rural southern West Virginia town.

It was September 1936. It was a particularly early fall this year, and the leaves were already showing their seasonal beauty. It was a familiar and pleasing sight for the young but serious Russel Hall.

Not much different than Irvine, Kentucky, he thought. It's a typical company town where everyone works for one main energy-producing plant.

At least this small town had more architectural character and beautiful surrounding mountains.

The rest of the year of 1936 was going to be a momentous time in Russel's young life. A new chapter was beginning for him, and he felt it; he knew it. He had closed the door to a dream and a past that held no promises but a lifetime of regret. He had been forced to grow up quickly, and in very difficult circumstances, had lost the girl he thought would be his, and the future he had envisioned. It was time now to put it all behind him.

Chapter 2:

THE RAINELLE CONNECTION

R

ussel stood at the small bus stop near the center of Rainelle and leisurely finished his smoke. He was keenly aware that the townspeople on the street going about their daily activities were focused on his strange presence. It was strikingly unusual for this rural community, made up of storekeepers, farmers, and lumbermen, to see a stranger whose appearance was so striking and different. The usual assortment of small-town characters nearby seemed to pause to take in the young man's appearance, before continuing on their paths. Few strangers came to Rainelle, so naturally, native residents were wary of them. Fewer visitors came here, and none who were tall, young, and well-dressed professionals in dark-brown pinstriped Brooks Brothers suits, and crowned by a dark Stetson hat. This young man wore new Florsheim wing tips, shoes seen only in Sunday church services in country towns, and usually well-worn ones at that. A suit of any kind was rarely seen in these parts.

Several ladies nearby noticed the young man's resemblance to a popular young actor of the day. No, he had features of his own, both chiseled and strong. He removed his hat for a moment to brush back his hair with his hand, and they saw that it was thick and black. He stood tall, easily six foot and several inches more. He had an athletic build—slim and straight, broad shouldered, and handsome in his well-fitted suit, complete with a dark-red silk tie that depicted pheasants in flight. He was certainly dressed for business, it appeared.

He gave the impression of a man of means; possibly a lawyer, or perhaps an engineer, up from Charleston to visit the one single employer and industry in this rural area, the Meadow River Lumber Company. With trees in abundance in the surrounding mountains, lumber was a raw material in demand, and the market was national, bringing employment to the locals. Occasionally, a city lawyer or salesman might come to visit the main office or tour the mill, so perhaps this young stranger was there on business with Meadow River. Had those people speculating this young man's purpose bothered to look closer at his strong, rough hands, the presence might have been interpreted less than that of an office professional, and much more of a complex and highly skilled individual.

As though to confirm the speculation of those nearby, Russel turned and headed south down the walkway. He took the side road next to the corner hardware store that lead toward the mill entrance, which was not far off in the distance. There was no doubt now to the townspeople: he was a lawyer, a major buyer, a seller, or even perhaps an engineer from Charleston.

While he walked, Russel thought about the young woman and her little girl at the bus for a pleasant moment. Remembering the two smiling, beautiful faces brought on a smile of his own. She could not have been twenty yet, still just a young girl herself, if he was any judge of age.

What eyes she had, he thought.

It was a good omen for his visit and his purpose.

He continued on toward the mill offices. Having arrived on schedule by following the directions provided to him by his father, Sam, Russel was able to take the scene in without a hurry. He could smell the mill very well now, the scent of fresh-cut wood permeating the air around him. Several minutes later, he stood in the small reception office and asked to see a Mr. Lester for his appointed interview.

Send him in, Margie.

Russel heard the rough voice directing the elderly lady who had welcomed him. She led him into the cluttered office of Mr. Earl Lester.

Hello, sir; I am Russel Hall.

The two men shook hands, and Mr. Lester realized that the firm handshake was both strong and confident. The old man could tell immediately that this young man was not just another city slicker in a fine suit. After thirty-five years of handling the internal hiring of Meadow River, he knew the difference. This young man had a serious, mature look about him. His clear brown eyes looked directly at the older man. Mr. Lester was not expecting such a well-defined and tall young man, though he had been expecting Russel to arrive for his interview. The young man was a good half hour early.

Mr. Lester was easily six inches shorter than Russel, and forty pounds heavier, but he had a warm, welcoming smile for the young man before him.

You don’t look much like your daddy, young man. Come on in and sit. Russel moved to the seat in front of Mr. Lester's desk. You look the part of a Kentucky gentleman, Mr. Hall.

Thank you, sir. When Dad told me that you had something for me, I came as soon as I could get here. An office job where I can use my training and skills is hard to find these days in Kentucky. I have been working over in Ohio.

Yes, Mr. Hall. I have your letter and resume, as well as the references from Pikeville College and your Ohio employer. Your academic record is impressive. Your minister at the Presbyterian school and church there in Pikeville can’t seem to say enough to recommend you. You are certainly qualified to replace my assistant, or even me for that matter. That is clear to me.

Mr. Lester paused, moved the printed materials back into his file folder on Russel, as he took in this exceptional young man. How he wished he did not have to tell him that his hopes for this position were in vain.

Well, son, I have bad news for you. Your dad was wrong about that job, but we do have work if you want it. You see, Margie was gonna retire, but now she can’t because her husband, Jessie, was killed in a logging truck accident about a week back. I guess your daddy didn’t tell you because he is in jail for drinkin’ and fightin’ over in Rupert. You are gonna have to bail ol’ Sam out if you can, because if he don’t get back on the job by Friday, he won’t have a job Monday. That's all there is to it.

If it weren’t for bad luck, Russ thought, I would have no luck at all.

His father had failed him. He had such hope for a change; he had counted on this promise of an indoor job where he used his brain rather than his brawn. He had an abundance of both, and he had a work ethic second to none. He said as much to Mr. Lester.

Well, what work might be available for me here? I am willing to do just about any job you might have available, and you won’t regret hiring me. I give a full measure every workday and never waste valuable company time.

Young man, are you sure? I know that you came a long way, believing that this office job was open.

I was working at Ironton Steel, loading furnaces for the better part of a year before they closed, just three days back. I was doing clerical accounting work there prior to the first cutback, but then all they had was loading the furnaces, and I took it. It was harder work than cutting and loading lumber, which I used to do for Dad's old company when I was growing up. I have been working for my entire life it seems. I even worked the mines for a year while attending college.

Russ didn’t mention that he was again almost broke with most of his last pay spent traveling to this interview.

Well, you have come a long way expecting something else, but we do have a job in the yard, and I think you can do that. You are young and look to be in good shape. I know it ain’t much for a man of your cut, but it is about all we got. Otherwise, you might head back to Charleston to see what the news is there for jobs. If Sam doesn’t show next week, we might have a sales job open if you are interested. You can give things a try here come Monday if you want, startin’ at eight dollars a ten-hour shift. Up to you, son.

Russ had already stopped on his way to this interview from Pittsburgh and put in applications at the new DuPont Chemical factory near Charleston, but there was nothing available there. He didn’t mention as much. The plant had been opened for business at their new facility near Belle, on the outskirts of Charleston, and hundreds of workers had poured in, taking the jobs, and more were in line ahead of him.

I will take the yard job sir, and thank you, said Russ.

Good! You can start Monday. See Phil Walkup in the yard first thing Monday. The bell rings at seven. You better get on over to Rupert and do for Sam. His bail will cost you five dollars. Roy Walkup says that Sam is somewhat beat up, but nothing is broken. Roy was there when your dad was arrested at that honky-tonk.

Earl was still trying to figure out how this fine-looking young Russel could be Sam's boy.

Your pop is a good worker, he knows his lumber, and he knows the roads and markets to sell it for us, but his habits are hard to suffer. Drinkin’ and fightin’ will get him kilt for sure someday. Everybody likes Sam until he gets one too many. He better show up or forget about it. You better plan on wearin’ something besides that suit and tie when you show up Monday. That's all for now. Margie will get your paperwork, son.

Yes, sir, and thank you, sir.

Russel knew well how his father's liking for Kentucky whiskey and beer could change him from a likeable companion to a wild and crazy character. This would not be the first time Russel had to take bail to buy back his father following a night of fun and fight. On one occasion, Sam had ridden someone's borrowed horse through the town of Pikeville, Kentucky, missing most of his clothes, while he shot up the town with a small .38 handgun that he always carried. The bail for that incident, delivered by a teenage Russel, was considerably more than five bucks.

After thanking Margie for her help, Russel stopped and said, Mr. Lester told me of your recent loss. I wanted to express my condolences.

Margie thanked the young gentleman and was impressed enough to mention it to Mr. Lester after Russel had completed the paperwork and left the office.

He responded, That young man has manners and is about as different from his daddy as any youngster I have ever met. I guess he gets that kind of class from his mother. Her daddy was John Justice, a capable and important man in the energy industry in these parts, until the Depression took him down. Yes, Margie, now we both know what a real Kentucky gentleman looks like.

Chapter 3:

REFLECTIONS AND MEMORIES

R

ussel walked from the office and headed back toward the small downtown main street. He moved on through the town for the two-mile walk north down the old plank walkway to a small home that he knew was his parents’ current residence. Sam and Eva Hall had lived here since moving to Rainelle from Kentucky. It was a rental on the side of the hill overlooking Route 60.

He had passed by the small, white frame house on the bus coming to town, and though he saw no activity, Russel knew that his mother was probably there. She would be bitter and hard to deal with when her husband was out on the town drinking up his small income. He also knew that his younger brother Sammy was somewhere around…probably in school this time of day. Young Sammy was fifteen going on twenty or so physically, too handsome and too tall and already a lady's man, with little or no interest in school. Russel loved his personable little brother, who idolized him much the same as Russel had idolized his older deceased brother, Lacy. He was more father to young Sammy than was the older Sam, and a much better role model for the boy.

On the walk to the small house on the hill, Russel saw a small place on Main Street where he might get a coffee. He stepped inside, walked up to the counter, and ordered a black cup of coffee, no sugar or cream. He was the lone customer, so he chose a table near the window, looking out at the kind of traffic to be expected around these parts; mostly trucks just passing through, and a few cars heading down to Charleston, or south to Roanoke, and beyond. He lit a Chesterfield and sat back to relax.

Sitting there for the moment, Russel reflected on his life and the difficult turn it had taken when he was just a young boy. A lot had happened during those early years, and right up to this latest revelation. It had started well, for the most part, but things had taken a difficult turn when he was only a teen. Russel was forced to grow up fast because he had a father who never really grew up.

Born in 1912, in Pikeville, Kentucky, to Eva and Sam Hall, and the second of four sons, Russel had lived through the first World War, of which he had only a vague memory. It hardly touched his world, or the small mountain community in Pikeville. He was just a small boy when he watched his father go off to the navy, after Sam had joined primarily to get away from the bitter wife that drove him to drink even more than usual. In 1917, at just the age of five, Russel only knew that one day the father was there, and the next he was gone. Sam had marched off to war, but he was not gone for long.

Sam had initially passed the navy's physical, but during training they learned that he had suffered from a serious case of scarlet fever as a young boy. It had greatly affected his health and physical abilities in many ways. Added to this issue, the navy tired quickly of his drinking and discharged him when he was badly injured in a bar fight in San Diego before his training was complete. He returned home slightly crippled but soon healed.

Russel didn’t know it at that time, but his parents were not exactly the picture of marital bliss. The physical attraction of two young people had not survived the test of time, not even the short time they were together before Russel came along. Eva Justice had married Sam Hall against the wishes of her father, John Justice, and even against his threat to disown her. Sam was nothing but a good timer, a sidewinder, a drinker, and a brawler in the opinion of her father.

Eva, that boy will amount to nothing. He is too old for you. He will for sure take you down a sorry road. You are not to see him. He is after you for two things: your body and my money. I won’t have him in this family.

John was giving Sam too much credit. He wasn’t after Eva for the old man's money; that hadn’t even crossed his mind. He saw her, and he wanted her; it was that simple. She was a slim, long-legged, well-put-together young girl. He hardly cared that she was also very bright and a talented musician. Her fun-loving brothers, Virgil and Charles, knew Sam to be one of their best drinking buddies but agreed that he was anything but a good catch for a handsome girl. They too tried to tell Eva to forget about Sam and look elsewhere for a suitable boyfriend.

Virgil said, Eva, how many times have you seen Sam at church? He has a girl in every town. He likes to get physical when he's had a few too many, and he thinks he is ten feet tall when he is only about half that, give or take a few inches. Daddy wants him gone. He wants you to go on to school and teach music. You are so talented.

Eva was the daughter of the well-to-do farmer and business owner, with a nice home and nice clothes, but with expectations for her to marry well and have a good solid future. Others were interested in her, and she had several suitors, but she wanted Sam Hall, and she got him. It was easy. Sam was around often, as a friend of her brothers. He didn’t care that the old man didn’t like him much, and he knew that his attentions were not welcome. Eva was a class act—very pretty, easily as tall as Sam, and she had gorgeous legs. Even in the long dresses of the day, he could see as much. Eva also had eyes that told Sam he was welcome and wanted.

Meet me down by the mill, Eva. See you there anytime you can sneak away this evening after John hits the sack. She nodded her head to confirm and showed up around midnight.

John sure doesn’t like me much, Eva. I may have burned a few bridges with him, but I’m going to make something of myself and prove him wrong. I have tried to get him to try me in sales over at the mill. I could do that well. Daddy taught me the lumber business, and I know it as well as John or Virgil.

She believed him. She welcomed him into her arms. They were a handsome couple, Eva thought.

Dad will come around, Sam. He's no angel himself.

She managed more than once to slip away to meet with Sam secretly. Each time they kissed, Eva gave him reason to think he could expect more. The old mill road led to their secret meeting place. The older man quickly compromised the pretty young girl, who was a willing participant and a happy one.

John, we have a problem, Elmina said, breaking the news to her husband. He was to be a grandpappy.

I am going to kill Sam Hall. He headed for his gun cabinet and rifle.

No, you aren’t. It is too late for that, said his wife.

Their firstborn, Lacy, was already on the way when the hastily arranged, small family wedding bought Sam into the Justice family and put Eva on a lifelong course to bitterness and disillusion. Her father hated to do so, but he had no choice but to accept the hard truth—that he was to be a grandfather—and he had to agree to the marriage. It was either that or kill Sam.

John gave Sam a job in his coal mine when he realized his daughter's mistake and allowed Eva's mother to give her a quick wedding. He even provided a small home in town for the couple as a wedding present and pretended to be happy about it. He wanted to strangle Sam every time he laid eyes on him. Admittedly, John had a checkered past himself. While he married Almina, the mother of Eva, in Kentucky, and the marriage produced five children, it is a fact that he had a second family, if not a legal wife, across the state line that produced six more children.

The marriage to Almina provided John with a large farm, and the coal mines were a product of his efforts elsewhere in an adjoining state, as was his lumber mill in another Kentucky county. John was also a lady's man who got around in three or four states and was suspected to also be involved in moonshining. Most of the men of means in his culture knew how to make shine, and some sold it. He knew something about being a bit of a rounder like Sam Hall, and he unhappily saw some of himself in his new son-in-law.

Eva's father gave Sam a job in his mining company, but Sam hated it from the first day. That job was hard work, and it lasted until Sam decided that he was meant for better things, but old man Justice didn’t agree and offered him nothing but a job.

Sam tried to make his case. John, I love Eva. I want us to have a good life. I just need to know that I won’t be down in that mine for the rest of my life. Let me show you what I can do out in the field, dealing with your lumber business. I know that business. Dad taught it to me. I can move product. Just give me a chance.

Sam, you will get out of sight, and Eva won’t know where you are, or what you are doing. You aren’t going to waste my money chasing around the state, glad-handing. Prove yourself in the mines. I need you there.

John simply didn’t trust his son-in-law as far as he could throw him.

Sam's father had a small lumber mill. It wasn’t much and couldn’t support his family, so he worked a small