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Chapter 2—Families Nuley and Daddy Alb had grown up together, but it wasn’t until they were teenagers when they began training mules that they became close friends. The mule barn was located about half way between the main Sutton house and the cabin where Nuley lived with his parents. The barn was a structure of hewn three-feet- thick square logs. Inside was a hallway where plows, rakes and other equipment was housed. On either side of the hallway were harness rooms and stalls for mules. The...

Prologue—Daddy Alb The funeral parlor was crowded with friends and family.It was the summer of 1935. Old women and young women alike waved their funeral fans as the men wiped their sweat with clean white handkerchiefs. The doctor said the blow killed him when he hit his head on the potbellied stove—an apparent heart attack.He was only 51 years old.The solemn gathering gazed at Albert Mac Sutton dressed in a sparkling white shirt and new pressed overalls. Some cried while others stood talking,...

CHAPTER 1 Nuley and Sadie “Being as I was only four years old when my mother, Sadie, died and since my given name was Nuley, I always thought Nuley was my daddy. As I was growing up, Daddy Alb constantly talked about Nuley and Mama. They were in almost every conversation,so I felt like I knew them. They had been with me as long as I could remember.I think Daddy Alb missed them as much as I did. The Sutton family called me ‘Nigger Joe.’I didn’t think much about that seeing as how they had alwa...

The Child Denied Not yet a woman—a child seeking love. Golden hair flowing, she runs barefoot into the arms of her lover. Joy crawls through the door of innocence. Childbirth—death—sadness too deep for expression. Silence fills her days—she escapes. Waters the flowers, listens to the canary’s song, her child plays. Joy crawls through the door of innocence. Babies tugging breast, hanging round knees, her back aches—her hands bleed. Silence fills her days—alone at last. She plays in the mist, f...