The year is 1868. The South's economy was in ruins. Massive war costs took a grave toll on its financial framework. With the Civil War primarily fought in the South, many of the major cities were either destroyed or severely damaged. Their courthouses had burned to the ground along with documents for the various legal relationships in the communities. And, beyond the obvious physical destruction, losses in human capital, such as knowledge, useful social attributes, and desire, had reduced the ability to perform the required labor to produce economic value. Furthermore, slaves were now free under Federal mandate; however, white planters lacked necessary capital to pay the freedmen workers to bring in the crops.

Farms were in disrepair. The prewar stock of horses, mules, and cattle was much depleted. In fact, 40 percent of the South's livestock had been killed.

After Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, Vice President Andrew Johnson became president. The new president shared Lincoln's belief concerning reintroduction of the Confederacy back into the Union. Because of his lenient approach in handling the rebels, Johnson became an opponent of the radicals in Congress. The Republicans won the critical mid-term election of 1866 and overcame Andrew Johnson's vetoes.

In 1867, with a two-thirds majority in both houses, Congress removed the civilian governments in the South and put into effect the Radical Republican's Reconstruction plan under the supervision of the U.S. Army. In part, it allowed for an immoderate coalition of freed slaves, scalawags (local whites), and carpetbaggers (recent arrivals) to take control of the Southern States' governments. Many were unqualified for positions of authority and ill prepared for the important task ahead.

Now, with full control of both houses of Congress, the Radical Republicans impeached President Johnson and almost removed him from office in 1868, were it not for a single vote.

Considering the prevailing political climate, there was no way Andrew Johnson would run for reelection. His parting gesture was to give a presidential pardon to the Confederate soldiers. While this act infuriated the Republicans, it was a time for celebration in the south. Up 'til now, Confederate veterans were prevented from receiving many rights of citizenship. Thanks to the "Tennessee Tailor" the majority of their rights are returned.

* * *

In spite of the ravages of the Reconstruction, Jack Leffingwell has managed to improve the farm to the point of profitability. He and Melvin Kaufman overcame odious restrictions; and, with the hard work of both families, not only produced adequate crops but increased the animal herds as well.

In Tennessee, the month of October still clings tenaciously to the passing of summer. The autumnal deception is betrayed by the brilliant colors of the dying tree leaves. This most pleasant visual phenomenon is due to the presence of accessory leaf pigments that normally assist the plants during photosynthesis by capturing specific wavelengths of sunlight. These pigments become visible when the leaf dies in the fall, giving an array of beautiful red, orange, and yellow coloration.

With the harvest completed, the children, as well as Abigail and Hope, sense a mounting excitement in anticipation of fall visitors. Within the week, Horace and Grace Waterman will arrive by train from Richmond, Virginia, along with Hope's 12-year-old sister, Susan, and plan to stay for three weeks. Their visits occur at least twice each year. The Watermans look forward to spending time with their daughter and perhaps more so with their two-year-old granddaughter, Rebecca. Susan loves her sister but is also looking forward to being with her sidekick Sarah Jane. The young girls are the same age and share the inquisitive nature of preteens.

Jack and Melvin anticipate seeing their Civil War companion, Abel Strawn and his wife Amanda. The Strawns also have a two-year-old daughter whom they christened, Abigail and call Abby. The twenty-mile trip will be covered in a chaise carriage borrowed from one of the Methodist Church parishioners. Of late, Abel has been troubled with an irksome dilemma and needs to discuss it with Jack before making any decision. Jack Leffingwell has the innate ability to see beneath the surface of most problems and Abel won't take on a venture of this magnitude without first seeking Jack's counsel.

By now, Grace Waterman has become more used to her daughter's house. The unadorned cabin came as a shocking surprise upon her first visit. After witnessing how much her daughter loved it and the manner in which Horace made himself at home, she accepted the rustic dwelling but could never get accustomed to not having better oil lamps. Her Richmond fixtures were more elaborate than the common lamps found on the farm. The fumes from Hope's lighting devices made her eyes burn. Grace failed to realize that it would be more than seventy years before such instruments were no longer being used. While fuel, wicks, and mantles will improve, many rural areas will not have electric power until after the Second World War.

Horace Waterman, on the other hand, took delight with the farm, especially in the misty autumn mornings. He loved to take his coffee on the front porch and listen to Hope's roosters, announcing the sunrise by dueling each other in a reveille contest. There appeared to be more poultry than when he and Grace last stayed. Strolling over to the henhouse, he observed newly hatched chicks in close formation round their mother. In addition, several bantams were pecking the ground for bits of overlooked grain. They were joined by a few guinea fowl with the same idea. Finally, Horace took another sip from his coffee mug and smiled to himself when a large turkey made his appearance in the fenced in coop. Clipped wing feathers told him the bird's destiny awaited a certain Thursday in November.

Hope's chicken venture had turned into a dependable source of revenue. It provided enough hard cash to allow for purchasing the occasional notion item plus, putting a little away for the proverbial rainy day. After being chased by one of the roosters, she became an old hand at sexing newborn chicks.

Returning to his favorite chair on the porch, Horace was joined by his son-in-law, Melvin Kaufman. The two men sat in silence for a minute or so when Horace said, "Your poultry livestock has increased appreciably from when we were here last."

"Hope gets all the credit for that," Melvin replied proudly. "She has taken to the rural life like a duck takes to water. Did you notice we put chicken wire on top the fence?"

"As a matter of fact, I did," Horace confessed. "It seemed odd until I saw the turkey."

"That turkey isn't the main reason. We have all kinds of owls around the farm and, with Hope raising chickens for eggs and such, the hatchlings presented an easy meal for the hooters."

"I never gave the owls any thought. With so much natural timber around the farm, baby chicks would be a habitual source of prey for them," Horace agreed, while swirling the remainder of lukewarm coffee before taking his final swig.

"Can I get you a hot refill?" asked Melvin.

"No thanks son, I can smell bacon frying. So it won't be long before we eat breakfast," Horace answered frankly as he stood facing the kitchen screen door. At that moment the image of Hope was viewed behind the meshwork and she asserted, "Breakfast is on the...