Evening star., 1923-01-07
Some Day He WIN Come Back
to Ma BE HIS Own Free VIII,
Said Eu7abe When He Left.

sex, I am constrained to remember
his mother, with her dyed hair, her
Jewels and the selfishness which was
such an essential part OF her, and his
father, with his evasive eyes. his
weak mouth and his surplus of
wealth.
Then r fail to thinking of the
Thorne scandal. and I cannot for the
life of me be harsh in my judgment
OF young Thorne himself. He is so
obviously the victim of his parertage.
and l am filed with a vast impa-
thence that the very people who
couple young Thorne's name in their
thoughts with the Thorne scandal for
purposes of added reproach fail TO
realize that Rodney Thorne himself
is only the logical result of that very
scandal.
The case OF Thorne vs. Thorne for
divorce was tried ten years ago. In
those days divorce cases OF excep-
tionaI sordidness were not so COM
mon as today, and the spectacle of a
man and woman animated by a
mutual hate revengefully besmirch-
ing each other filled crowded court
finsly curious public listening avidly
to a recital of the weaknesses OF two
people utterly without dignity, self
control or decency.
AS to the rights of the case. there
was little to choose from. one side
being as guilty as the other, which
may have been why the case was
unduly prolonged. Day after day a
handsomely dressed woman with spe-
ciously golden hair her eyes hard
and bitter. faced a stout. gray -haired,
sullen man and listened with much
composure while her reputation was
shaded to blacklist hue. Day after
day the stout, choleric man listened
in turn while the searchlight of JUS
tice sought for and found various
unpleasant incidents in his own life
and dragged them forth relentlessly.
Day after day the case occupied head
lines in the papers.
To the fifteen-year- Rodney the
experience was torment. Too young
to achieve the refuge of youthful
cynicism, too old mercifully to fail
to understand, he suffered in
tensely beneath the battery of curious
glances as, on the witness stand, his
unwilling lips reluctantly contributed
further confirmatory details against
first one parent and then the other.
* +
. ONG afterward he told me that of
IL those horrible days in court he
carried away a confused memory OF
a hard-faced woman with brilliant
eyes-that was his mother; OF a
sulky, apoplectic man, whose tongue
stumbled over his wordS-that was
his father; of a bald-headed man who
listened with weary impartiality and
occasionally glanced at him with
something OF pity--that was the
Judge; and Of a woman in black, who
seemed filled with a shuddering dts
gust of the whole business-he never
knew who she was.
And at last it was over-at least,
for the others IL was over, but not
for young Rodney Thorne. Faith in
the woman who has mothered him
is the light which serves to light a
boy through the spiritual darkness
which must sooner or, later surround
him, and of this Rodney Thorne had
been robbed. He himself realized in
some dim way that he had been
cheated, and on that last day OF the
trial he stood there scowling. "Lies!
he muttered to himself rebelliously,
thinking of the pretty tales in his
books which inspired reverence for
motherhood. "Just pretty lies they
feed us upon. I don't believe she
ever wanted me anyway"
And his mother didn't want him.
She made that very clear during the
brief meeting to decide his fate which
followed in the judges room after
the trial.
Il won't take him. she burst out
boy like that Complacently she
had Strengthened her hat and touched
her veil. "I don't look old enough
10 have boy his age"
There followed a pause, during
which Rodney realized miserably that
hls father did not want him either.
Both parents were equally anxious to
be shut of the one evidence of their
union which represented a growing
responsibility.
Then, looking at the white face of
the boy, his fathers eyes softened
into something like compunction.
"I'll take him." he said briefly
Poor little kid! He's had a rough
deal. I'll have to do something to
make II up to him."
"Lake father, like SON." His
wife's artificial laugh fiicked the still
air like a whiplash.
He might do worse than be like
me- Thorne pointed the meaning
home with a steady glance at her.
But I'm hoping he won't be like
either of us-not much to choose
from. I'll do my best by him. owe
him something for giving him YOU
for a mother!"
"You--'' Her face flushed with
temper There followed one of the
sordid scenes young Rodney vas SO
wearily accustomed to. And finally
his mother switched out, her skirts
shedding a strong oversweet perfume
behind her.
And Thorne, sr., turned to his son.
We'll, Buddy" he said kindly,
reckon you're finding out what
women are little before your time.
It's too badr'
The kindly tone stirred his son to
passionate gratitude.
ST hate themr he said sulleniy.
"And always will"
stick TO that, Buddy, and it'll save
you lot of trouble advised his
father paternally.
~ = X n
TOR the rest of the day he was very
Il kind to the boy, SO much SO that
it was not difficult for Rodney to be-
lieYe Thorne, sr., a. much rnaligned