Feet of Clay

Georgia groaned through reconstruction after the Civil War. Her good men continued to be gentlemen, although they had lost the gentle lifestyle of the Old South. Dr. Jeffrey Addison Blair was a good man. Good men are not perfect. Simple goodness never produces the kind of self-righteous contempt that fills the mind of a man who is driven by a desire to achieve perfection. Addison believed in providence and lived from day to day, accepting the good with the bad. He knew suffering produced a greater good in the heart of a man. Through success and failure, love and betrayal, conflict and great personal tragedy he maintained his trust in God. Whoever met him encountered his kindness, sense of humor and deep love of family.

Addison's wife, Mary Blanche Reisdale, was the first daughter of a former plantation owner. The Reisdale's spoiled her but tempered their indulgence with common sense and she was a caring and happy young woman. This was evident in her graciousness toward her sister-in-law, Tutney Blair. Addison had been Tutney's whole world and she expected Blanche to measure up to his stature and prestige as a physician, and wished to be revered for the investment she had made toward her brother's success. Addison was aware and grateful for the sacrifices his sister made for him, but was deeply troubled by her obsessive concern with his life and career. He was crushed when the mystery of her pragmatism and coldness was finally revealed. Her singlemindedness eventually led to family conflict that changed their relationship forever.