But, I thought, what could she do?
And maybe she was trying to keep the affair within bounds as far as possible.

A good woman is easily deceived, too.
Perhaps she knew best, after all; and maybe she was going on and on with Rucker from one misery to another in the hope that I, her only son, and the only relative she had on earth, might follow and overtake her, and help her out of the terrible situation in which, even I, as young and immature as I was, could see that she must find herself.

I had seen too much of the under side of life not to understand the probable meaning of this new and horrible thing.

I remembered how insulted my mother was that time so long ago when Rucker proposed that they join the Free-Lovers at Oneida; and how she had refused to ride home with him, at first, and had walked back on that trail through the woods, leading me by the hand, until she was exhausted, and how Rucker had tantalized her by driving by us, and sneering at us when mother and I finally climbed into the democrat wagon, and rode on with him toward Tempe.

I could partly see, after I had thought over it for a day or so, just what this new torture might mean to her.
I was about to start on foot for Madison, and looked up my stage-driver acquaintance to ask him about the road.
"Why don't you go on the railroad ?" he asked.