The Ghost of Roark Ridge: And Other Stories - Softcover

Stephenson, Rufus Franklin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 152464501X ISBN 13: 9781524645014

Verlag: AuthorHouse, 2016

Inhaltsangabe

In his third book, The Ghost of Roark Ridge, Rufus Franklin Stephenson looks back once again to his early years growing up in Mississippi in a large family on a sharecrop cotton farm. Through intermingled poetry and prose, he tells of a playful childhood too often colored by the burdens of economic hardship. Faced with the prospect of continuing in poverty into his adulthood, Rufus is driven west to seek his fortune, but years later, upon retirement, he and his wife Joyce are irresistibly drawn back to the lush and vibrant South. Settling on the beautiful Roark Ridge, Joyce and Rufus get the life of their dreams… and sometimes, more than they bargained for.

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The Ghost of Roark Ridge

And Other Stories

By Rufus Franklin Stephenson

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2016 Rufus Franklin Stephenson
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-5246-4501-4

Contents

Dedication, 7, 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, 9, 
INTRODUCTION, 11, 
LOUISE AND DAISY, 13, 
FAMILY FRIENDS, 23, 
SHINING HEAD, 27, 
A POSSUM ON THE RAILS, 39, 
BEEF TRIPE, 47, 
THE KLAN, 49, 
RUFUS AND ELMO, 51, 
Danger on the Yazoo, 58, 
Exploring Mint Springs and the Cemetery, 67, 
Moving On, 79, 
Another Night on the River, 83, 
Summer Vacation, 91, 
Problems with Elmo, 97, 
Flood Water and Alligator Gar, 111, 
Prayer Meeting and a Car Wreck, 124, 
Crossing the River Bridge from Vicksburg to Louisiana, 128, 
BOWIE, 147, 
FIRST BALE OF COTTON, 149, 
FEEDING THE CHICKENS, 153, 
AN OLD WOOD STOVE, 157, 
POOR FOLKS'FOOD, 161, 
CORNBREAD AND BEANS, 165, 
DRUNK BIRD STEW, 167, 
A GIANT TURNIP, 169, 
SQUIRREL STEW, 173, 
TATER PATCH, 175, 
A FISH STORY, 179, 
COTTON PICKER, 181, 
FROM RAGS TO RICHES, 191, 
SLOPPING HOGS, 197, 
BLACKSMITH SHOP, 199, 
RUFUS AND HIS MULE, 203, 
A TRIP TO THE GRISTMILL, 209, 
BUCKY THE BEAVER, 211, 
BILLY THE KID, 215, 
ERNIE THE PIG, 223, 
RUFUS AND JOE, 229, 
A FOX HUNT, 233, 
A NUT CASE, 241, 
THE WATERMELON MAN, 245, 
THE FUNNY FARM, 257, 
MILKING A COW, 261, 
KENNIE, ME, AND TUBBY LEE, 263, 
CARTOAD, 267, 
HOBO HOTEL, 273, 
A CHRISTMAS ANGEL, 301, 
A NEW LIFE, 303, 
THE GHOST OF ROARK RIDGE, 305, 
Head 'Em Up, Move 'Em Out, 305, 
From Branson to Springdale, Arkansas, 310, 
Looking for a Home, 312, 
Tragedy in Colorado, 318, 
Moving into Our Dream Home, 319, 
New Friends and Sycamore Log Church, 325, 
Our Friend Willard Jones, 336, 
Our Early Visits to the Ozarks, 338, 
Jammin' for Jesus and Barbara Fairchild, 342, 
Adventures, 343, 
The Ghost of Roark Ridge, 356, 
Looking Back to Our Beginning, 372, 
Temptation and Disappointments, 379, 
Our Biggest Temptation Ever, 384, 
A Change of Pace, 387, 
Singing with The Gatlin Brothers, 392, 
Clem School Reunion, 394, 
Changing Seasons, 397, 
PLAY THE SONGS, 409, 
ALL ABOARD, 411, 
FRIENDS, 413, 
RUFUS AND THE LADYBUGS, 433, 
LEON THE HERO RABBIT, 447, 

CHAPTER 1

LOUISE AND DAISY


They met back in the forties
On top of Givins Hill.
The town was north of Vicksburg
And was known as Waltersville.

They both were raising families
With babies on the way.
Louise was due in February
And was anxious for that day!

Louise had four children,
Daisy had just two,
But lost a son in forty-five;
In August she had been due.

Daisy and James felt sadness
Along with their two girls,
Losing that child in forty-five
Upset their entire world.

Faith, they had in Jesus
And they knew it was God's will.
Their tiny son would return to God
Because of Calvary's hill!

Time would pass by slowly
But soon the day would come:
On Valentine's Day of forty-six
Louise gave birth to a son.

Daisy had waited patiently
But when the day arrived,
Happy, she was, to see this child
Who was so much alive!

Losing a baby had broken her heart
But Daisy spent some time
With Louise and her newborn son
And soon she took a shine.

This tiny boy named Joseph
Was watched over day and night.
Louise and Daisy cared for him
And he was never out of sight.

Together, they worshipped God each week
A short way down the hill,
At a missionary bible Baptist church
In the town of Waltersville.

Close, they were, like sisters,
Their friendship grew each day.
On many Sundays after church
These families ate and played.

Their friendship never wavered
They helped in every way,
For each other's their doors were open
Twenty-four hours a day!

Daisy was called Ms. Henley,
Louise was Ms. Louise,
James was Mr. Henley
And all the kids were pleased.

Their lives were filled with hope and joy,
For Jesus there was love.
For him, they lived their life each day
And built their home above!

Life for them was a struggle,
Times were often tough.
Ups and downs, there were a few
But never did they give up.

One day the Henleys moved away
Not far from Givins Hill,
To the town of Kings on sixty-one.
They knew it was God's will.

No longer were they neighbors
But their friendship never swayed.
Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights
They worshipped God and prayed.

These families would often visit,
The Sabbath was their favorite day.
Together they prepared a Sunday meal
And for the food, James would pray!

Their close friendship would continue
But hard times seemed to stay.
God was always there for them
And just a prayer away!

Together they went to church each week
As the months and years went by,
On September ninth of fifty-one
They said their first goodbye.

Louise got married and moved away
A hundred miles to the south,
With a husband now and four more kids,
She moved to a sharecrop house.

Times got worse and life would change
For Louise and her kids!
The cotton rows and long hard days
Seemed like they had no end.

They saw each other over the years;
Their visits were just a few.
They were short on time, money was scarce
And there was so much work to do!

The kids grew up and moved away
Then sharecrop life got worse.
Visits to Vicksburg rarely came
And they rarely went to church.

Help got scarce when the kids left home,
Farm life came to an end.
Louise and her husband of sixteen years
Went to work in the chicken pens.

One day they moved to Vicksburg
But their life was out of control.
Their marriage crumbled and fell apart.
The years had taken their toll.

Separation came but Louise survived
And moved close to her only daughter.
A phone call came that changed everything:
It was her five kids' father!

Cecilia, his wife, had passed away
So he called Louise the next day,
Wanting her to take him back!
She didn't know what to say.

A big decision was facing her
And she prayed to God every day,
Wanting an answer to all her prayers
And to pick the right words to say.

A decision was made that she felt was right
To her lost love, it was "yes"!
Plans were made for her special day
And she picked out a wedding dress.

For her, an airline ticket was bought,
In Jackson she boarded a plane.
Frightened, she was, on her very first flight;
She had always traveled by train.

In La Puente, California vows were said
And again they were husband and wife,
After twenty-five years of being apart
They were beginning a brand new life.

To a beautiful home, she moved that day,
Furnished with everything nice,
Life for her had turned around
But it came at an awful price.

Louise enjoyed the material things
But her family and friends were gone.
She missed them now and was lonely,
Yearning for her Vicksburg home!

Steve, her husband, was a railroad man
With two years left to go.
They settled down...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: AuthorHouse
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2016
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 152464501X
• ISBN 13: 9781524645014
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 460
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: GPSR Kontakt; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Deutschland