CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Three months after Glendon and Jack had encountered Doctor Powell inWillcox, Katherine was sitting on the porch of her home reading toDonnie. The noise of crunching wheels sounded far down the canyon longbefore a vehicle came into sight between the dense mesquite brush.
It was Doctor Powell who had returned from a trip to Willcox. Katherinewatched her husband receive his mail, but she was not aware that theeyes of the two men met with unconcealed antagonism, and theconversation was as curt as possible.
No whisper of the affair in Willcox had reached the ears of Glendon'swife. She had no knowledge that her husband had borrowed money to sendto the Judge without a word of thanks to his unknown benefactor. Themoney had been forwarded to Powell by the Judge. The other fine was sentthe Judge by Three-fingered Jack, accompanied by a badly scrawled noteof thanks addressed to the Justice of Peace and asking that the man whohad paid the fine be told that it was appreciated, and that if he everneeded any help to call on Three-fingered Jack.
Aware of Glendon's dislike, Powell's visits to the Circle Cross hadceased some time previous to the Willcox trouble, but Katherine ascribedthe doctor's aloofness to his knowledge of her husband's habits. Thoughshe missed the infrequent visits, she did not resent it. She knew thatthe two men had nothing in common to make them congenial.
The doctor, seeing Katherine and Donnie on the porch, hesitated as hewas about to drive away. He glanced at them, and with a touch of his hatin greeting, stepped into the buggy and went on his way. The happylight faded from Donnie's eyes, but without a word he slipped down againbeside his mother, his arm about Tatters' neck.
Glendon came slowly to the porch with the canvas mail-pouch on his arm.He threw off his broad-brimmed Stetson, unbuckled his spurs and sat downto read his letters without vouchsafing a word to his wife.
"Is there nothing for me?" she asked finally, hesitating to take thesack from his lap and sort its contents.
"Only papers and some of your fool magazines," he snapped. "Seems to meyou are old enough to get over reading sentimental trash."
Unmindful of his words she reached for the books he tossed angrilytoward her. Books were the only antidote for the mental atrophy shedreaded. Rising, she picked them up, but paused as Glendon glancedimpatiently from a letter in his hands.
"Wait, can't you? Or is the 'continued in our next' too important?" hedemanded.
She did not reply, but seated herself quietly. Her eyes were unusuallybright, for on a page of the magazine she held, she had seen a title. Athrill akin to that when she had first held Donnie in her arms, made herheart throb quickly.
Donnie had been flesh of her flesh, bone of her bone; but this, thefirst-born of her brain, had come through travail of her very soul. Itwas not necessary for her to read the eight lines of the poem; they wereindelibly imprinted on her memory. A mother cannot forget the face ofher child, and though it be commonplace and unattractive to all theworld, in her eyes it is beautiful.
Glendon's voice brought her back from her world of dreams.
"I wish you'd stop sitting there staring like a locoed calf, and payattention to what I have to say."
She turned her eyes on him. "I'm sorry, Jim. I didn't hear you speak."
"I didn't," he snapped. "No use talking when you have a mooning fit on."
"I am listening, dear. What is it?"
"Here's a letter from the old man. He wants Donald. You can see foryourself what he says."
Glendon handed her the letter, allowing it to drop from his fingerspurposely, watching her as she reached down and picked it up.
As she read, a grey pallor spread over her face, making it look old andhaggard.
J. M. Glendon, Jr.
Circle Cross Ranch, Arizona.
_Dear Sir:_
From reliable sources I have learned of your conduct since you went to Arizona, and understand that my ambition to see my son a man among men will never be gratified; nor will your influence or example make such a man of my grandson, Donald. The full realization of this has prompted me to break my determination never to communicate with you again on any subject.
Your wife is too egotistical and assertive, and her influence over the boy cannot fail to be detrimental. Women have no idea how to bring up a boy, especially college-bred women with their fads and theories. They have no judgment outside of flattery; they are all fools,--I do not care where you go, or who the woman may be,--and the man who tries to please a woman's whims is a fool.
My lawyer tells me that under the laws of Arizona you are absolute guardian of your child; so the decision as to my offer rests entirely with you. Your wife, legally, has no voice in the matter of selecting a school or any other arrangements you may see fit to make. It is time for you to assert yourself.
I will take Donald and educate him, provided he is given to me absolutely until he is of age, but I will not allow any interference with him or my plans for him. I will see that he does not grow up with any sickly, sentimental ideas, but to weigh his own interests first, without illusions about life or women. He will be taught that all women are inferior in intellect and reason, weak in moral force and must be treated accordingly. If he is sent to me, I will see that he is provided for during my lifetime, and at my death he will receive what you have forfeited by your own conduct.
I have selected a school for him which he can attend from my house, and where he will receive the training I consider necessary to make him the kind of man I desire. An immediate answer will oblige.
Yours truely, J. M. GLENDON, SR.
The pages fluttered to the floor of the porch, and then Donnie looked upstartled at the tone of his mother's voice, when she said, "Run away andplay with Tatters, dear."
With a hasty caress, the boy, followed by the dog, moved slowly towardthe front gate.
"Well," Glendon's irritable tones sounded in her ears, "how soon can youget him ready?"
"Let me keep him a little longer, Jim," pleaded the mother. "He's only ababy yet."
"He's going on seven," retorted Glendon. "You've always been harping onwanting him to have a good education. Now you've got your wish, I don'tsee what kick you've got coming. I'll never have money enough to sendhim away to school unless the old man helps me more than he has done thelast five years."
Curbing her inclination to remind him bitterly that other men who werenot drinking, but attending to their ranches and stock, were able toafford schools for their children, she said, "It has been my ambitionever since he was born, but there are other things more important to hischaracter that I can teach him in the next two years."
Glendon lighted a cigarette and an ugly sneer distorted his lips, "Wantto tie him to your apron-strings, the way you had me tied? Fine messyou've made of it for me! If you hadn't been so high-headed with myfolks, I never would have left home to come to this God-forsaken holeand bury myself alive!"
"I hoped it would strengthen you, help you conquer yourself if we cameaway from companions who dominated you back there; but I was wrong. Allyour better instincts are dead and there is nothing left between us incommon. Jim, if ever you had any love in your heart for me, don't sendDonnie away just now. Have you forgotten that prisoners go mad fromsolitary confinement?"
"Your dramatics are wasted on me! I intend to be master in my own home.Father shall have the boy if he wishes, and I hope he will knock some ofthose fool ideas you have been putting into Donnie's head lately.They'll mould his character into something practical."
"They do not understand children," Katherine's voice trembled, "yourfather means well, but Donnie would learn to be a hypocrite through fearof him, or it would break the child's heart. When Donnie is older, hewould understand better."
"Go ahead!" Glendon's lip lifted one side of his mouth and gave him theappearance of a dog snarling. His bloodshot eyes glared at his wife. "Isay the boy shall go
. That settles it!"
"You shall not take him from me," Katherine spoke passionately as sherose and faced her husband, who had also risen. "He is mine! For hissake I have endured the isolation of this place, the curses and abuseyou have heaped upon me, the degradation that I saw facing you. I havenot been blind to the class of men you associate with now, but Istruggled to keep you from sinking lower, just because you were thefather of my boy. The last eight years of my life have been continualmental starvation and moral crucifixion. Donnie has given me thestrength to bear it, now he will give me the strength to keep you fromrobbing me of him!"
"You may as well stop your hysterical ranting," Glendon shoutedfuriously. "The law gives the boy to me, and I say he shall go to fathernext week."
"The law gives the child to the father," her voice quivered withindignation, "No matter what that father may be; while the mother, whogoes down to death to give the child life, has no right! Oh, it isinfamous! Why, even the wild animals recognize a mother's rights. Menwho frame such a law and enforce it are worse than brutes!"
Glendon seized her arm roughly and glared into her white, defiant face,his own was livid with rage. "Nothing on God's earth can prevent Donniefrom going."
"He shall not go!" her voice became suddenly quiet and determined, andher eyes met Glendon's without flinching. "You owe him to me in returnfor the things of which you have robbed us both. He has never had afather, never dared to laugh like other children do, because he wasafraid of you. I will not never give him up to you or any one else. Heis mine!"
Glendon thrust her away from him with such violence that she staggered."I have the law back of me and I'll do what I say, if I have to walkover your dead body to do it!"
He flung himself into the house, knocking over a chair as he passed it;then a bottle clinked against a glass.
The leaves of the magazine at the woman's feet, fluttered in the breezewhile she stared with despairing eyes at the grim mountains that walledher like a prison.
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