San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-07

Always when / think Of young Rol-
~ Thorne as be YVES at twenty-five,
It'll his cynical outlook upon lite and
! distrust and suspicion of the FEM
inc sex. | am constrained to remeIn-
r his mother with her dyed hair, her
wells. and the selfishness which was
CHI an essential part of her, and his
Their with his evasive eyes, his weak
outh. and his surplus of wealth.
Then / fall to thinking of the Thorne
randall. and / cannot for the life oil
e be harsh in my judgment of young
horne himself, he is so obviously the
ctim of his parentage. And l am
lied with a vast impotence that the
ery people who couple young Thorne's
ime in their thoughts with the
horne scandal for purposes OF addci
proach fail TO realize that Rodney
horne himself is only the logical re-
lit of that very scandal.
The case of Thorne VS.. Thorne for
yorce was tried ten years ago. In
rose days divorce cases of exceptional
u1lSness were not so common as to-
hy, and the spectacle of a man aud
woman animated by a mutual hate
vengefully besmirching each other
He'd crowded courtroom day after
by with a gloating curious public
stening avidly to q recital OF the
eakness of two people utterly with
BIT dignity, self-control, or decency.
to the rights of the case, there was
ttle to choose from, one side being
guilty as the other, which may have
ZEN why the case was unduly pro-
nged. Day after day a handsomely
-essed woman with speciously golden
Dir, her eyes hard and bitter, faced
stout, gray-haired sullen man and
Stoned with much composure while
er reputation shaded to blacklist hue.
lay after day the stout choleric man
Stoned in turn while the searchlight
justice sought for and found various
npleasant incidents in his own life and
ragged them forth relentlessly. Day
fter day the case occupied headlines
the daily papers.
To the fifteen-year-old Rodney the
kperience was torment. Too young
achieve the refuge of youthful
fnicism, too old mercifully to fail of
Understanding, he suffered intensely
eneath the battery of curious glances
!, on the witness stand, his unwill-
* lips reluctantly contributed fur
her confirmatory details against first
ne parent and then the other.
Long afterward he told me that Of
bose horrible days in court he car
ed away a confused memory OF a
lrd-faced woman with brilliant eyes
that was his mother; of a sulky
poplectic man whose tongue stumbled
yer his words-that was his father;
a bald-headed man who listened
it'll weary impartiality and OCCASION
y glanced at him with something of
ty-that was the judge; and of
oman in black who seemed filled with
shuddering disgust of the whole bust
ess-he never knew who she was.
And at last it was over. At least
r the others il was over, but not
r young Rodney Thorne. Faith in
e woman who has mothered him is
ss-Iisat which serves to light a boy
trough the spiritual darkness which
ust sooner or later surround him.
Id of this Rodney Thorne had been
bbed. He himself realized in some
m way that he had been cheated,
hd on that last day of the trial he
God there scowling. "LiesI" he nut.
red to himself rebelliously, thinking
the pretty tales in his books which
spired reverence for motherhood.
ust pretty lies they feed us upon. |
mt believe she ever wanted me any
az"
And his mother didn't want him.
ie made that very clear during the
lief meeting TO decide his fate which.
lowed in the judges room after the
ial.
Il won't take him. :" she burst out
his father. "a great overgrOwn boy
ie that" Complacently she had
heightened her hat and touched her
H. Il don't look old enough to have
boy his age"
There followed a pause during which
odney realized miserably that dis
Their did not want him either. Both
rents were equally anxious to be
ut of enc evidence of their union
hich represented a growing respon-
bility.
Then, looking at the white face OF
e boy, his fathers eyes softened into
netting like conjunction.
"I'll take him." he said briefly. "Poor
tie kid. he's had n rough deal. I'll
we to do something to make it up 20
m"
- Like father, like son y" His
fe's artificial laugh flicked the still
like a whiplash.
"He might do worse than be like
-" Thorne pointed the meaning
me with steady glance at her. "But
N hoping he won't be like either of us
not much to choose from. III do my
st by him. / owe him something for
wing him you for a mother."
YOU" Her face flushed with TEN
r. There followed one of the sordid
~ young Rodney was so YEARLY
customed TO. And finally his mother
ETCHED out. her skirts shedding a
rong. ovcrsweet perfume behind her.
And Thorne ST., turned to his son