The River's Edge by J G Jakes

Author:J G Jakes [Jakes, J G]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781647343002
Publisher: CKN Christian Publishing
Published: 2020-01-28T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

REDEMPTION’S CROSSROADS

The gears ground. Jackson Buford’s rusty old pickup came to a stop at the end of the street. Ida Mae shifted the vehicle into first gear. Bumping along the dusty dirt road, hitting every pothole, Jax’s wife turned toward McAllister’s Lane. Katie sat quietly in the seat next to her.

Ida Mae was the first to speak. “You know, Katie, life is a little like this bumpy old road. Once you get over the bumps, the ridin’ goes pretty smooth.”

Katie remained motionless and speechless.

Ida Mae continued, “I want to thank you for helping Doc put Jax to sleep. I don’t think that I would have been strong enough to do such as that.”

Still, Katie remained silent and unyielding.

Further down the road, Ida Mae unrelentingly continued her conversation even though it appeared to be one-sided. “Katie, Jax is not a bad man. In my heart, I know that he is decent. Or at least halfway.”

Ida Mae cast an indecipherable look towards Katie. Unconcerned, Katie’s eyes remained fixed on the dusty road ahead.

“Jax was not himself that night they took Son,” Ida Mae continued. “That stranger, the Western man, had him and all the others so liquored up, they would have followed him through a fire and then some.”

The Western man? Suddenly, Katie’s interest was spurred. Finally, she joined in the conversation with but one motive—to find out all she could about this stranger, the man who had incited the hanging. “Tell me what you know about this man.”

“If I tell you all about it, will you promise not to say anything?” Ida Mae asked. “I’m not supposed to talk about it. Those were strict instructions from Jax.”

Katie nodded. At this point, she would have agreed to anything to learn more about this mysterious stranger.

Ida Mae went on to say, “I don’t know his name. Jax never would tell me that. But this man is part of the Ku Klux Klan.”

Katie gasped. Ida Mae’s words cut straight to her heart. She had heard about the Ku Klux Klan. This small but insidious growing group whose purpose was to instill a hatred of African-Americans and Jews used murder and violence to evoke the intimidation of minorities. With the onset of the Depression, the group found an excuse to kindle its fires. The Klan used these vulnerable times as a perfect opportunity to further their cause. By blaming Blacks and Jews for the lack of jobs, family hardships, or any other adversities brought on by unemployment and a derailed economy, this notorious group threw the blame in the direction of minorities. The time was ripe for racial strife. They believed a white ‘revolution’ was the only ‘solution.’

Ida Mae continued, “This man travels up and down the railroad tracks, from town to town. He stays for a while in a town that doesn’t have an active organization of the Klan going on. From what I understand, his job is to organize chapters and find disgruntled Southern men to follow his cause of white supremacy.”

The front wheels hit a washout in the middle of the road.

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