Always Forward

by Ginny Dye

  “The farm is gone,” Hobbs said shortly, anger flaring in his eyes.

  “I’m so sorry,” Abby said gently. “What happened?”

  Hobbs took a deep breath. “When I got home things were in terrible condition. It turns out mama lied just as much to me in her letters during the war as I did in the ones I wrote to her. They barely survived the war because troops kept coming through and taking what they needed. Didn’t seem to matter much what side it was. They just took it. Being so close to the border weren’t the best place to be. Both of them were skin and bones when I got there.” His frown deepened. “So was Bridger, my old coonhound. He had hung on waiting for me, but he just didn’t have nothing left. He died about a month after I got home.”

  Thomas ached at the grief in Hobbs’ eyes. He knew how much the young man, not even twenty after four years of war, had dreamed of going back to the hills of West Virginia to go hunting and camping again with his dog. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly, knowing there was more. “Your parents?”

  Hobbs took a deep breath. “They died a few months back. Mama died first. The pneumonia took her. Daddy followed her a few weeks later. I figured he was only living for her. With mama gone…” His voice trailed away as he lifted his shoulders in a shrug.

  Abby reached forward and took his hand.

  Hobbs smiled slightly, and then forged ahead, obviously anxious to get it all said. “I tried to work the farm on my own, but this leg of mine makes it impossible to do it all.” His face twisted with bitter helplessness. “I finally realized I was gonna starve and die up there just like my folks did, so I left. I heard it’s real hard to get a job in Richmond, but I decided I would try.” He lowered his eyes with embarrassment. “I planned on sleeping outside till I found a job, but…” His voice thickened with shame as he looked at them with a mute appeal in his eyes. “It’s just real cold out there.”

  “You did the right thing, Hobbs,” Thomas said firmly, thinking of the months Hobbs had survived in the trenches around Richmond during the last siege. “You saved my daughter’s life, and you saved Robert’s life, as well. You always have a place with us.”

  Hobbs lifted his eyes with gratitude. “Thank you. It’s just until I find a job,” he added quickly.

  “Oh, you already have a job,” Thomas said easily, “but you’re going to stay here until you get back on your feet.” He smiled at Hobbs’ confused look. “Abby and I own a clothing factory here in Richmond now. We always have a place for someone like you.”

  Hobbs’ eyes took on a shine. “I’ll work hard, Mr. Cromwell. I’ll learn whatever I have to learn.”

  “I’m sure you will,” Thomas responded. “We have wonderful employees. I’m sure you will fit in well. Not everyone can.”

  Hobbs looked confused. “Why not?”

  Thomas smiled, remembering the young man who had protected Carrie on her trips back and forth to the black hospital after he had injured his leg in battle, conspiring to keep it a secret from her father. “Cromwell Factory has an equal number of black and white employees,” he explained, surprised by the sudden flash of anger in Hobbs’ eyes.

  “I see,” Hobbs said tightly.

  Thomas watched the flood of emotions on his face, wondering at the bitterness he saw there. He remained silent, exchanging a look with Abby.

  “I guess beggars can’t be choosers,” Hobbs finally muttered.

  “You have a problem with black employees?” Thomas asked evenly, not willing to just let the comment remain unchallenged.

  Hobbs hesitated, but then answered. “I figure the jobs should go to the white men who fought to protect the South,” he said flatly. “The niggers shouldn’t be getting the jobs.”

  “We don’t use that word in our house,” Abby said firmly.

  Hobbs flushed, but he didn’t back down. “All the problems in the South are because of the black people.”

  “Is that right?” Thomas asked, deeply concerned with the changes he saw in the young man. “How did you come to that conclusion?”

  “I fought four years for the South. I thought I was protecting my home, but now I realize I wasn’t doing nothing but handing it over to the slaves. I ain’t got nothing, but the slaves are getting white people’s jobs. They’re getting education. They got that Freedmen’s Bureau to fight their battles for them. Me? I ain’t got nothing but myself. How is that fair? The South is being forced to take care of all them slaves, but they ain’t taking care of the ones who fought for it.”

  “So you think it is fair for millions of people that had their lives stolen by slavery for more than a hundred and fifty years to not get any help at all?” Abby asked.

  Hobbs shrugged. “Seems things would be a whole lot better if they just went back to being slaves. Oh, I reckon that ain’t gonna happen, but it means it’s going to be up to us to keep things under control,” he added harshly.

  “Us?” Thomas asked, struggling to keep his temper under control. Only the knowledge that Hobbs had saved both Carrie’s and Robert’s lives kept him from throwing him out into the cold. He knew the war had changed everyone, but he never would have expected this cold bitterness from Hobbs.

  “Why don’t we just eat?” Abby asked, her voice breaking the tension. “I know Hobbs must be starving. We can finish this conversation after dinner.”

  Thomas wanted the answer to his question, but he knew his wife was right to interrupt. Surely Hobbs would be in a better place after he warmed up and had a hot meal. He tried to enjoy May’s chicken, but all he could think about was that he had invited someone into his home who was a racist, and might actually be worse – a vigilante. His thoughts turned to Jeremy. He must be warned.

  ********

  Dinner had ended up being mostly silent. Thomas could tell Abby didn’t know what to say at this point any more than he did. Hobbs just seemed eager to eat everything he could – probably wondering if they would tell him to leave once he had finished.

  A blast of cold air said Jeremy and Marietta had arrived home. Jeremy always left the factory, and then picked up his wife down at the school to make sure she was never alone on the dark Richmond streets. A whirl of frigid air rushed into the dining room when they strode in with bright eyes and rosy cheeks.

  “It is cold out there!” Marietta exclaimed. “We could barely keep the school warm today.” She stopped short when she saw Hobbs, and then gave him a welcoming smile. “Hello. I didn’t know we were having company tonight.”

  “Hobbs was a surprise,” Thomas replied, trying to keep his tone enthusiastic, though a quick glance from Jeremy told him he had failed. “Marietta, you have never met Hobbs. I owe Carrie’s life to him. Robert’s, as well.”

  Marietta grinned broadly. “Of course! Your reputation precedes you, Hobbs. I’ve heard many stories about you.” She settled down in her chair just as May arrived with more hot chicken. “You live in West Virginia don’t you? What brings you to Richmond?”

  “Before he answers I get to tell him hello,” Jeremy said cheerfully. He shook Hobbs’ hand, and thumped him on the back. “It’s good to see you. Be warned - my wife always has loads of questions.”

  Marietta tossed her head. “Curiosity is what makes me a great teacher,” she retorted. Then she turned back to Hobbs.

  Hobbs smiled at Jeremy. “Your wife? Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” Jeremy replied with a proud smile. “She’s the most beautiful woman I know. The smartest, too.”

  “I think I heard you say that to Rose,” Marietta said teasingly.

  “Of course I did,” Jeremy said easily. “She’s my twin sister. But that was before you were smart enough to fall in love with me. Then you went to the top of the list.”

  Thomas stiffened when he saw Hobbs frown. He exchanged a glance with Abby. There was no hiding the truth, and he wouldn’t want to anyway, but he didn’t want trouble for his half-brother.

  “You have a twin sister?” Hobbs asked. />
  “Yes,” Jeremy answered. “Rose Samuels.” He waited, seeming to realize from Hobbs’ expression that more was coming.

  Hobbs stared at him. “Carrie used to talk about a Rose. They didn’t see each other again until after the war.”

  “Yes,” Jeremy said cheerfully. “They are one in the same.”

  You could see the wheels turning in Hobbs’ head. Finally he said, “Rose is black.”

  Jeremy continued to smile, though it was a little more forced now. “Well, half-black.”

  “She’s black,” Hobbs said flatly, and then continued with disbelief in his voice. “You’re black?”

  Jeremy quit smiling. “You have a problem with that?”

  Everyone waited quietly while Hobbs stared at him, obviously searching for words. He opened his mouth, and then closed it again. His eyes darted around the room as if he were trying to find a way to escape.

  Thomas tried to come up with a way to undo the invitation for Hobbs to live in their home. Everyone was already living with enough risk. They didn’t need to invite more trouble. His mind raced to find the words that would send Hobbs on his way, yet still honor all he had done for Carrie and Robert.

  Hobbs finally heaved a sigh. “I don’t know what to think.” He shook his head. “I know that everyone who has anything to do with this family are fine people, but there are a lot of folks who don’t agree with me.”

  “That’s true,” Abby said quietly. “But the only thing that is important right now is what you think. Everyone else will not be living in our home.” Her voice was gentle, but firm.

  “Who is the everyone else?” Jeremy asked, sitting down at the table across from Hobbs.

  The platter of chicken remained untouched. May stood in the corner of the room, her defiant eyes fixed on Hobbs. A brisk wind rattled the window panes, while a roaring fire fought to keep the cold at bay.

  “I can’t tell you that,” Hobbs muttered; his face a mixture of embarrassment and anger.

  “You came from West Virginia,” Jeremy continued, his eyes locked on Hobbs’ face. “I know there are vigilante groups everywhere, but I received word today that the Ku Klux Klan is spreading into that area.”

  Hobbs stiffened, and his face grew more rigid, but he didn’t say anything.

  Thomas decided to take the most direct route. “Hobbs, I invited you to stay here in our home. Are you going to put anyone here in danger?” he asked bluntly.

  Hobbs shook his head immediately. “I wouldn’t do that, sir.”

  “Why not?” Jeremy demanded. “The very fact you didn’t deny association with the Ku Klux Klan tells me you have become part of them. I know what they are doing, Hobbs. They wouldn’t take kindly to your living in a home where black and whites live equally, and especially to the fact that one is a mulatto.”

  Hobbs was already shaking his head. “I ain’t part of the Klan,” he said emphatically. “They…” He broke off abruptly.

  Abby finished his thought. “They’ve been in your area talking to people, trying to recruit for the Klan.”

  Hobbs hesitated, but then nodded slowly. “That’s true, but I ain’t joined up with them.”

  “But you believe the way they do,” Jeremy said angrily.

  Hobbs shook his head again. “Truth be told, I ain’t sure what I believe anymore.” His eyes were desperate. “This country ain’t nothing but a mess since the war ended. I don’t see nothing good that came out of all those years of fighting. There’s a whole lot of desperate people just trying to survive.”

  “It’s hard for everyone to make sense of all the changes,” Abby said calmly.

  Jeremy was still angry. “It’s only because the Congress let President Johnson have his way for too long. That’s all changing now. Senator George Julian gave a brilliant speech last month that resulted in a bill being approved to impose military rule on the South. I believe it will become law, and then be put into action sometime in March. That’s what it is going to take to change things.”

  Hobbs scowled defiantly, his supposed confusion evaporating into sudden renewed anger. “Oh, it will change things alright. They ain’t gonna allow for that.”

  Thomas held his hand up to stop Jeremy from responding. Two angry men never really achieved more than flaming the fires that fueled their rage. Obtaining information was far more important at this point. “Who won’t allow for it?” he probed.

  Hobbs hesitated, but then obviously decided he had already said too much to retreat now. “The Ku Klux Klan. But it ain’t just them. There are vigilante groups all over the South that are going to make sure that don’t happen.”

  Jeremy opened his mouth again, but Thomas silenced him with a quelling look. “They are willing to go to war again?”

  Hobbs met his eyes squarely. “Most of them don’t reckon the war is over,” he revealed. “General Lee may have given up, but they figure they just got to keep fighting. They’re just gonna do it in a different way.”

  “A different way?” Thomas asked, trying to keep the hard anger out of his voice when Hobbs all but revealed the Ku Klux Klan members were Confederate veterans. He knew he had failed, when Hobbs’ eyes took on a shuttered appearance.

  “It don’t matter,” Hobbs said. “Desperate men do what they have to do.” He pushed back his chair and stood. “I’ll be leaving now.”

  Thomas nodded, relieved beyond words that he didn’t have to actually tell Hobbs to leave. He was dismayed when Abby reached out a hand, and put it on Hobbs’ rigid arm.

  “You’re not going anywhere,” Abby said firmly.

  “I think it’s best if he does,” Jeremy said coldly, his eyes flashing anger and contempt.

  Hobbs glanced down. “It’s best, Mrs. Cromwell.”

  “Well, it would certainly be easier,” Abby agreed, “but I don’t think it would be best. If all any of us do is turn our backs on the people we disagree with, we’re never going to create any real change.” She smiled gently at Thomas and Jeremy. “I hate what you are talking about as much as my husband and Jeremy do, but I would think four years of war taught us the value of finding common ground and trying to work through issues.”

  “That may be,” Hobbs said gruffly, “but thinking something, and actually doing it, are two different things.” He met Abby’s eyes squarely. “Just because you want me to stay here don’t mean I’m gonna change what I believe.”

  “I know that,” Abby said evenly. “But if we put you out on a cold night because you believe differently than we do, than we are no different than the Ku Klux Klan. Hate and intolerance are just that – no matter what side it is coming from.”

  Thomas, in spite of how much he wanted Hobbs to leave, knew Abby was right. His anger melted beneath the appreciation of her logic. “My wife is right, Hobbs. But,” he added in a firm voice, “I need your word on something.”

  Hobbs met his eyes. “What would that be?”

  “I have to know you are not going to bring trouble to this house. If you want to live here and work to rebuild your life, then you are welcome. If you are planning on alerting vigilantes to send them here, then you go now.”

  “And you would just believe my word?” Hobbs asked skeptically.

  “Yes.” Thomas took a deep breath, hoping with every fiber of his being that he was right. “You may be confused about what you believe, but I don’t think the same young man who saved Carrie’s life, and also kept Robert from dying, would do anything deliberately to hurt this family. If you give me your word, I will trust you.”

  Hobbs nodded quickly. “You have my word, Mr. Cromwell.”

  Thomas reached out his hand, relieved when Hobbs took it without hesitation. “Then you are welcome to stay here.” Out of respect for Jeremy, he decided to not put Hobbs in the guest wing of the house where Jeremy and Marietta had their room. “May will prepare the green room two doors down from us.” When he looked up at May, she gazed back at him with a stoic expression, but he knew the emotions bubbling beneath the surface. He
had more than his fair share of them, so he certainly couldn’t judge her for that.

  Hobbs had come to them. Now they would just have to see what would develop.

  Jeremy didn’t argue the decision, but he obviously wanted Hobbs to have a clearer understanding of the situation. “I got a letter from Matthew today,” he announced. He reached in his pocket and pulled it out. “He wrote to tell me more about Senator Julian’s speech to Congress.” He scanned the thick letter, and then began to read.

  He told Congress that what the South needed was not President Johnson’s “hasty restoration” or oaths that invited men to commit perjury, but government, the strong arm of power, outstretched from the central authority here in Washington. Only a prolonged period of federal control would enable loyal public opinion to sink deep roots and permit “Northern capital and labor… Northern energy and enterprise” to venture south to establish a Christian civilization and a living democracy. He believes the South should be governed directly from Washington and readmitted only at some indefinite future time when its political and social elements have been thoroughly transformed.

  Hobbs snorted, but didn’t add anything to what Jeremy had read.

  “You disagree?” Abby asked him calmly.

  Hobbs stared at her, and then nodded his head curtly. “Why should the South want to become like the North?” he demanded. “We may have lost the war, but we didn’t lose who we are.”

  “Until the war you were a farmer,” Thomas reminded him. “Isn’t that the same, no matter where you are?”

  Hobbs shook his head. “President Davis made that clear.”

  “President Davis is still in prison at Fort Monroe,” Abby reminded him.

  “That may be,” Hobbs said stubbornly, “but what he said was right.”

  “And what did he say?” Marietta asked curiously, her bright blue eyes glittering beneath her red hair.

  Thomas knew how hard it must have been for her to remain silent until now. He could only imagine the thoughts and questions swirling through her mind, and blazing out through her eyes.