by D M Barrett
“The same person that named me Lucifer named him Michael,” Lucifer said pointing to Michael.
“Oh, I get it. You’re the Devil and he’s the Archangel,” the preacher said with a slight chuckle.
“You’re quite perceptive,” Lucifer said.
“I get it now. This is a dream,” Preacher Mann said.
“No, this is real. In fact, it’s as real as it gets,” the Archangel replied.
“I’m not sure I understand what you mean,” the preacher responded.
“We’re simply doing what’s been done before,” Lucifer said.
“He’s referring to Zechariah 3:1. You’re like Joshua, the high priest, ‘standing before the angel of the Lord and Satan is standing at his right hand to accuse him,’” Michael replied.
“That’s a very strained interpretation of that passage of scripture. His interpretation is too literal. Actually, I am here to help you exercise your free agency and make an important choice.” Lucifer said.
“Michael, what kind of choice is he speaking of?” Preacher Mann inquired.
“The choice to continue in this life or move to the next one,” the Archangel explained.
“What’s your function is this endeavor?” the preacher queried.
“It’s basically the same as his. I’m also here to help you exercise your free agency and make a choice,” Michael responded.
“Pick one of us to start the discussion. We’ll go back and forth until you make a decision,” Lucifer said.
“I need to think about this and rest a while. I’m very tired,” the preacher said as everything turned dark.
* **
“What’s his condition?” Nurse Bilbrey asked tearfully as she looked at the preacher lying in the clinic bed.
“It’s unchanged. He’s clinging to life,” Dr. Marcus Whitman replied.
“When will you know something?” Nurse Bilbrey inquired.
“When he regains consciousness or expires,” Dr. Whitman responded with a shrug.
Sheriff Hankins walked into the clinic with a stern look on his face. He looked at the preacher, Nurse Bilbrey, and Dr. Whitman before speaking.
“Any leads on who killed Lee Bell and assaulted Tom?” the county nurse inquired.
“We got no witnesses who heard or saw anything. However, we’ve got a footprint in the mud beside where the preacher was attacked,” Sheriff Hankins reported.
“What does that do?” Dr. Whitman said.
“It appears to be the type of shoes that Jack Wright sells at his store. He’s reviewing his records to see who bought those shoes in a size 10 ½. So we may have a match and a suspect,” the sheriff replied.
“That’s good work,” Nurse Bilbrey explained.
“I’ve got one murder case. Don’t let it turn into two, Dr. Whitman,” Sheriff Hankins encouraged.
“It’s in the hands of the Great Physician. But the black community is praying 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We’ve got two bodyguards on the outside bench at all times,” Dr. Whitman said.
“I’d say that all of Ferguson is on their knees for the preacher. Those bodyguards out there are freeing up my deputies to work on these cases,” the sheriff said.
Louis Barrett, the editor of The Mountain Gazette, walked into the clinic area with a pencil and paper in hand. He was there to get as much accurate information as possible.
“How is the investigation going, Sheriff? Do you have any leads? Do you have any suspects? Have you made any arrests?” the newspaper editor asked.
“No comment,” Sheriff Hankins responded.
“Come on, Sheriff Hankins. Give me something,” Louis Barrett implored.
“We have some leads that we’re tracking down. Lee Bell’s body has been taken the state medical examiner’s office for an autopsy. I’ve got every deputy and myself working feverishly on this case. That’s all I can say,” the sheriff said.
“Fair enough,” Louis Barrett replied.
“Have you printed anything yet?” Nurse Bilbrey asked.
“No, I learned my lesson on printing that extra edition when the preacher got shot during the Cherokee burial ground incident. I’m getting hard, complete facts before I issue an extra edition about this,” the newspaper editor promised.
“I can report that Preacher Mann is in grave condition. He has suffered a concussion caused by a blow to the back of his head. He is in a coma,” Dr. Whitman said.
“Have you told anyone about this attack?” Nurse Bilbrey inquired.
“I called Henry and Lucy Wooden. Mr. Wooden authorized me to print in The Mountain Gazette that he’s offering a $1000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for Lee Bell’s murder and Preacher Mann’s brutal attack,” Louis Barrett replied.
“That’ll shake the bushes,” Sheriff Hankins remarked.
“He told me to print handbills and plenty of copies of the Extra Edition of The Mountain Gazette. The Woodens are on their way from Lebanon. They are both distraught,” Louis Barrett said.
* **
The preacher was still in somewhat of a stupor when he opened his eyes again in on the mountain sitting near the stream. But he was interested in concluding the planned proceedings of Michael and Lucifer.
“I choose Lucifer to begin these proceedings,” the preacher said.
“Why did you choose me instead of Michael?” Lucifer asked.
“If you are Satan or even an imaginary Satan created by my mind, you’ll have a harder time convincing me of anything than the Archangel will,” Preacher Mann replied.
“I’ll convince you by clear and convincing evidence. It’ll be more than a feather dropping on the scale, Lawyer Mann,” Lucifer announced.
“Say on,” the preacher urged.
“You are here today because you stuck your nose where it didn’t belong. The crop pricing model didn’t affect you or Community Church. This kind of thing has happened before and it will happen again,” Lucifer explained.
“What do you mean by it has happened before and it will happen again?” Preacher Mann asked perplexed.
“Louis Barrett dragged you into that dispute between the Cherokees and the government. It wasn’t anything that affected you. Those Cherokees weren’t members of your church or citizens of Ferguson. You barely escaped with your life,” Lucifer replied.
“What about ‘it will happen again?’ the preacher pressed.
“Be careful Lucifer. You are treading dangerously close to affecting his free agency. If that happens, you know the penalty,” Michael warned.
“If you choose mortality over eternity, you’ll have a few more episodes of sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong. You’ll be betrayed like your boss was and you’ll suffer some serious, hurtful consequences,” Lucifer opined.
“What’s your recommendation?” the preacher asked with a chuckle.
“I hate to admit it. You’re beyond my reach. If you choose to step into that tunnel of light, it will be more than anything you have imagined. I recommend that you cross over,” the Adversary urged.
“That doesn’t make any sense. The Devil wants me to enter the pearly gates,” Preacher Mann said to the Archangel.
“He’s telling the truth. He can’t lie in this setting and under the rules of this proceeding,” Michael said.
“There’s more to it than what he’s saying. He’s trying to move me from mortality to immortality. There’s an ulterior motive to this,” the preacher reasoned.
“I want to remind you of an old gospel song that you always liked: ‘Ain’t Gonna Lay My Armor Down.’ Consider the message contained in those lyrics,” Michael responded.
“Whew! It’s been a while since I heard that one. It says: ‘I ain’t gonna lay my armor down, till he comes.’ The other part that I always liked is: ‘I ain’t gonna run when the battle gets hot,’” Preacher Mann recalled.
“Well, are you?” Michael asked.
“Am I what?” the preacher queried.
“He’s here. Your boss is at the entrance to that tunnel of light,” Lucifer announced.
“Is that true?” Preacher Mann asked of Michael.
“He’s there. If you step into the light, he will greet you with open arms,” Michael responded.
“Get to moving, son. You’re heaven-bound,” the Devil exclaimed.
“Even though you’re tasked will telling the truth in this encounter. I still think you’ve got your own agenda,” Preacher Mann said.
“What about the rest of your song?” the Archangel queried.
“It says: ‘I ain’t gonna run when the battle gets hot,” the preacher recited.
“Are you going to run when the battle gets hot?” Michael asked earnestly.
“That’s it! That’s what he wants. Lucifer wants me to go into eternity, so he will have an easier time subverting the Lord’s work and damning souls without me around,” Preacher Mann reasoned.
“Like the Apostle Paul, you’ve fought a good fight. You’ve earned that crown of glory. Somebody will take your place. Claim your eternal reward,” Lucifer urged.
“Look here, Satan! I’m not giving you a foothold in Ferguson or anywhere else the Lord chooses to send me. Like the song says, ‘I ain’t gonna run when the battle gets hot,’” Preacher Mann proclaimed.
The tunnel of light closed and Lucifer disappeared. Michael, the Archangel vanished shortly thereafter.
The preacher began to sing the words to Ain’t Gonna Lay My Armor Down. He saw the beautiful, green, evergreen covered mountain and the rippling stream disappear. He closed his eyes and kept singing.
* **
“Dr. Whitman, come quickly! Tom is trying to speak,” Nurse Bilbrey exclaimed.
“What’s he saying?” Ruth Bell asked as she entered the clinic.
“I can’t make it out,” Dr. Whitman replied.
“He’s singing an old gospel song called, Ain’t Gonna Lay My Armor Down! Praise the Lord. He’s come back to us!” Ruth Bell exclaimed as she raised her hands toward heaven.
Nurse Bilbrey put her head near the preacher’s lips to try to hear more of what he was saying. The preacher opened his eyes and stared directly at her.
“You’ll have to give this kiss on credit. I spent my last $5 bill at the Bluebird Café,” Preacher Mann remarked.
Nurse Bilbrey wrapped her arms around Preacher Mann and gave him a kiss that would rival one for their wedding day. It actually made the next edition of The Mountain Gazette.
“How do you feel?” Dr. Whitman asked.
“I’ve got a terrible headache but other than that, I’m OK,” the preacher reported.
Dr. Whitman checked the preacher’s pupils, took his temperature, checked his blood pressure, and listened to his heart and lungs. Except for the hard lump of the back of his head, the preacher seemed to be back to normal.
Ruth Bell was unable to contain herself and she ran over and hugged the preacher. He returned the embrace.
* **
Jack Wright’s investigatory work on the shoe print led the sheriff to Amos Anderson as Preacher Mann’s assailant. He was the farmer who’d been assaulted outside his barn. Amos confessed to attacking the preacher.
In exchange for a lesser sentence, Mr. Anderson identified John Driver, the crop broker, and two thugs from Lebanon, as the murderers of Lee Bell.
Within three days, Lee Bell’s body was returned from the state medical examiner’s office for burial. Preacher Mann was tasked with performing a graveside service for him.
Because Lee Bell was lynched on church property, the preacher insisted that he be interred near the meetinghouse. A tall, granite memorial was placed on his grave. It read: ‘Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.’
15.
Hobo Jungle
Doris Smith led the preacher to his regular table at the Bluebird Café. Nurse Bilbrey was already seated. Preacher Mann bent down and kissed her lightly on her right cheek before proceeding to take his seat.
“That’s not much of a greeting, lover,” the county nurse opined.
“It’s sufficient for your needs,” Preacher Mann remarked.
“What led you to that conclusion?” the Nurse Bilbrey queried with a cute smile.
“First, you are in a public place with several watchful eyes. Secondly, you’ve chosen a preacher for a future husband,” the preacher responded.
“It’s tough being a preacher’s fiancé,” she responded.
“It’s tougher being a preacher with a beautiful, red-hot girlfriend,” Preacher Mann opined.
Doris Smith appeared with her order book in hand. She looked directly at the preacher awaiting his instructions.
“Two Tuesday breakfast specials,” Preacher Mann said.
“That will be two orders of country ham, scrambled eggs, grits, and biscuits. How many biscuits can you eat?” Doris said loudly.
“Forty-nine and a ham of meat!” the entire café replied loudly.
“White Lily Flour should be sending you a commission on every bag sold,” Nurse Bilbrey opined.
“I’ll never live down that commercial the day Smith Brothers took the stage at WNOX-AM’s Mid-day Merry-Go-Round Show, Preacher Mann lamented.
“Cecil and Randall get weekly requests for your honkytonk song, I Won’t Hang Around,” Doris responded as she turned and made her way toward the kitchen.
“Indeed,” the preacher said with a sigh.
“How is Ruth Bell doing?” Nurse Bilbrey queried.
“She’s doing well financially. She is back at work. Also, Henry Wooden bought her a cabin and gave her the deed.
He said that the circumstances that led to Lee Bell’s death resulted from how he had conducted his brokerage business in the past,” Preacher Mann said.
“Henry Wooden just followed seventy years of tradition. He was not responsible,” the nurse offered.
“He is no more responsible than the bulk of the members of American society generally. No black person can get a room or eat a meal in the dining room at Miss Rosie’s. No black person can eat a meal in the dining room at the Bluebird Café. There are white seats and black seats on the Mountain Excursion. There are white restrooms and colored restrooms at the train station,” he stated.
“How is Ruth Bell doing emotionally?” Nurse Bilbrey asked.
“I talked to her a few days ago when she visited Lee’s grave in the churchyard. Once again I expressed my sorrow to her. She reminded me of a portion of the old gospel song, ‘Farther Along,’ the preacher replied.
“I’m not familiar with that song. What did she say?” the nurse inquired.
“She alluded to the chorus:
‘Farther along we’ll know all about it
Farther along we’ll understand why
Cheer up my brother live in the sunshine
We’ll understand it all by and by,’”
Preacher Mann replied solemnly.
“Do you believe that?” Nurse Bilbrey questioned.
“I absolutely do. I just hope it’s in my lifetime or at least in our children’s lifetimes,” the preacher said.
Josh Sullivan appeared in the Bluebird Café dining room and made his way to the table occupied by Preacher Mann and Nurse Bilbrey. He had a serious look on his face.
“Sheriff Hankins came by the church and told me that he needed you to meet him at Dr. Marcus Whitman’s office as soon as you have finished breakfast,” Josh reported.
“Did he say what he wanted? Nurse Bilbrey inquired.
“No, ma’am. But he said you needed to come, too,” he replied.
“I thought you were in class on Tuesdays. Why aren’t you in school today?” Preacher Mann asked sternly.
“I’m out of school for spring break. I don’t return to school for two weeks,” the young preacher reported.
“Excellent! You can preach the first service on Sunday morning,�
�� Preacher Mann instructed.
“What . . . I . . . er . . . uh,” the young man stammered.
“Preach on I Corinthians Chapter 13 about the requirements of pure love, or agape,” Preacher Mann offered.
“I can do that! It’s a piece of cake,” Josh Sullivan replied.
“Make two sermons from the chapter and you can preach the Sunday evening service,” Preacher Mann said.
“What about the second Sunday morning service?” Josh Sullivan asked with a puzzled look.
“Preach the first sermon for both services and the second sermon for the Sunday evening service,” Preacher Mann offered.
“Are you going to be critiquing me on Sunday?” Josh Sullivan inquired.
“No, you’ll have an audience of about 120 people doing that. I’m eloping with Nurse Bilbrey,” the preacher announced.
“What about the Sunday School class?” Josh Sullivan asked.
“Make your first assignment as a preacher to a deacon. Tell Louis Barrett that it is his debut,” Preacher Mann urged.
“I’ll head down to the newspaper office and give him plenty of notice,” the young preacher replied.
“First, go to Dr. Whitman’s office and tell him that you’ve found us at the Bluebird Café and we’ll be there in about half an hour,” the preacher instructed.
“You told me that you were getting married in late May. Why are you eloping in mid-April?” Josh Sullivan asked.
“I Corinthian 7:9,” the preacher responded.
Josh Sullivan nodded affirmatively before saying, “Congratulations, ma’am” to Nurse Bilbrey.
“That’s confidential. I mean not a word to anyone,” Nurse Bilbrey ordered.
“Yes, ma’am,” Josh said as he headed toward the door.
Doris Smith returned with two heaping Tuesday specials. She placed the larger of the two plates before the Preacher.
After Doris left the table, Nurse Bilbrey asked, “What does that scripture verse say?”
“But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn,” the preacher replied.