Broken Glass

By Suzie Marcum Cecil

The trials and dangers that a desperate family endures when they are forced to leave their beloved land are inexpressible. The hopes and dreams they left behind in the drought laden land of Oklahoma, is replaced with fantasies of riches they will find on the deserts of Arizona.

The sojourn to this new land is complicated with prejudice, illness, hunger and unexpected danger. More importantly, bravery and determination were known to those who battled hardships that were brought on by World War, a failing economy and a drought that destroyed everything and most everyone unfortunate enough to have lain in its path.

The spirit of early Americans displayed by these individuals will warm your heart and bring a smile to your face.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Oct 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524642037

Suzie Marcum Cecil

Suzie Marcum Cecil is eighty-nine years old and a native of Arizona. Her family started as homesteaders on the Buckeye Desert. They made their living by “making the best whiskey in the west,” or so said the local customers as well as the railroad car imbibers. They often faced east and bowed to Carrie Nation. Her father was as good a hunter as he was a bootlegger, so when Prohibition was replaced, no one in the Marcum family went hungry during the Great Depression. A fertile imagination developed during the years her father was building roads in Arizona. The nomadic life allowed her to see a world unavailable to most. Some sand still remains in her shoes and is especially evident when she spends time in the mountains, but she is called back to the desert time after time. Other books by the Author include; A Red Sweater, published in 2014 Cover Graphics by Heather Cecil Morehart

Book preview

Chapter 1

After the Civil War, some of the Morgans had migrated from Missouri. When they reached Oklahoma Territory, they were pleased and excited to see lush green fields, lively streams, and a gently flowing river that boasted an abundance of willow trees gracing its banks.

As this Morgan pioneer scanned the scene before him, he said to his wife, Girl, this is the place we have been looking for. That dairy farm we’ve been talking about for so long can at last be ours.

Many years went by, and the dairy farm passed to the new generation. The farm and the family became a mainstay of the county.

Tom Morgan’s parents had three children: one boy and two girls. The girls were tireless workers that their daddy could depend on, but Tom was different. No one understood why he was treated so royally. This treatment led to him being one of the laziest and most difficult members of the family. Even though it was not deserved, carrying the Morgan name afforded him a great deal of respect from the townspeople.

Tom’s soft voice couldn’t hide the searing need that lay deep in his dark brown eyes. His gaze swept over Ruby’s sleeping body. The covers were pushed away in an effort to cool the long, slender legs that were barely hidden beneath the thin, cotton gown. Watching her lying there and sleeping so peacefully, he couldn’t help remembering the first time he had seen her.

Looking out across the field, he saw what he thought was a wild mustang, and then he saw her—she looked as wild as the pinto pony. She rode without a saddle, bare legs clamped tightly to the sleek, muscular sides of the horse. As she grew closer, he saw her long brown hair blowing behind her in a tumbling mass. The pony was at a full gallop, and he could see the joy in her face as she came closer. The sheer wildness of her as she encouraged the animal to run faster so fascinated him that he was transfixed as the two of them flew on by.

When Mr. Neal motioned to him to ride on down to the house, he gathered himself together and tried to look businesslike. He was here to enlarge his father’s dairy herd, and it was well known that the Neal’s raised the best dairy cows in the county.

Mr. Neal took Tom into his office, and after a short time, they had made their agreement. Mrs. Neal came in with cold, sweet tea for them. Having finished their tea, Tom thanked Mrs. Neal for her hospitality.

She said, Why Tom, you are certainly welcome, and we hope you won’t stay away so long next time.

No ma’am, I sure won’t, he answered.

As he turned to mount his horse, the girl he had seen on the wild horse came walking around the side of the house.

She looked up at Tom and, with a wide smile, said teasingly, What is the stranger on the big black horse, doing at my house?

Tom muttered, Aah, but before he managed more, Mr. Neal saw the blood moving up Tom’s neck and came to his rescue.

Say, Tom, you haven’t met our daughter, have you?

No, sir, he stammered.

Well son, said Mr. Neal, this is Ruby. I guess you saw her out riding one of those wild horses. I keep telling her we have horses in the barn that are good enough for her to ride, but she loves the wild ones. I think maybe she feels a kinship to them. She’s always been a bit hard to tame, he continued.

Ruby smiled at her father and then turned to go into the house. When she reached the porch steps, she turned, tossed her dark brown curls, and spoke to Tom in that teasing voice again.

Ruby said, Well, it was nice meeting you again, stranger. With that, she disappeared behind the heavy wooden door.

As Tom was riding away, he thought to himself, No Mrs. Neal, I sure won’t be staying away so long in the future. Tom Morgan was smitten and had no desire to fight the feeling.

The courtship was brief, even after he learned how old she was. He knew a twenty-six-year-old man had no business courting a sixteen-year-old girl, but he could never get the image of the girl on the wild horse out of his mind. He was surprised that Mr. Neal didn’t object when he asked for Ruby’s hand, but he knew that if there had been an objection it would not have mattered. Ruby was the love of his life, and nothing would have kept him from her. He thought to himself; now she is here in my home, and tomorrow we will be married. A soft sigh slipped from her lips as she struggled to open her eyes.

Good morning, pretty girl, Tom said. Did you sleep well?

Ruby was startled to see him standing at the foot of her bed. She brushed her hair aside, trying to make out who was behind the voice. She recognized it as belonging to a man, so she quickly pulled the covers up under her chin and wondered just how much of her he had seen. Tom realized his presence was embarrassing her, so he smiled and backed out of the room.

Ruby’s mind was whirling ninety miles a minute. Who was that and where am I? She thought. She wanted to run, but fear had paralyzed every muscle in her body. The breath she had been holding slowly escaped her lungs when her memories came flooding back and she realized she was in Tom’s house, probably in Tom’s bed. She then sat straight up and said out loud, Today I am going to be Tom’s wife! It had all seemed so romantic when she and Tom were riding across the fields or swimming in the old creek or just lying on the grass talking for hours. All that was pleasing to her, but it never seemed very real. Today it was real, and Ruby was scared to death.

Tom’s good looks and gentle way had done their job on her, and on top of that, he had made her feel all grown up. Oh, Lord, she thought, what have I gotten myself into? I am only sixteen years old! As she lay there, the trip she and her dad had made yesterday was playing over in her mind.

Ruby sat silently as the little buggy moved smoothly down the familiar country road. A strange sadness came over her as she realized this was the last time she would travel down this road as her father’s baby girl. Her head turned toward Mr. Neal and she saw the sadness in the usually pleasant and teasing face. The look startled her and for a moment she wanted to take it all back; the promise to Tom, plans for her future, the farewell to her child life, and all the decisions she had made for her future. All she wanted now was to be her Daddy’s little girl. She fought those desperate feelings and put her mind to her life ahead. Thoughts of Tom and his gentle ways led her back to what she really wanted.

Mr. Neal felt the warm gaze of his daughter and knew her thoughts. He smiled at her and without a word sent a message to his little girl that eased her mind and calmed her spirit.

Ordinarily this old road was filled with the ruts of many wagons having passed this way, but on this day Ruby was amazed at the smoothness of it and the absence of the everlasting dust. She watched the cows grazing in the lean pastures and the antics of the young ponies as they challenged one another in mock battles. The sun had dropped below the horizon, but it was still too early for the windows in the farm houses to be lighted, but soon the women would light the lamps in their kitchens and supper would be laid out on the large tables.

Mr. Neal waved a salute to Mr. Fillmore as the little buggy rolled on by. Ruby knew these folks and had spent many hours playing with their children. As she rode past the dry creek bed she remembered; The hot days they would jump into the rushing water or just stand by the bank and let the cool wetness of it splash their muddy feet. Mr. Fillmore was just a speck in the distance when Ruby brought her mind back to the little buggy and this pleasant ride toward her future. As the buggy came to a stop in front of the Morgan house, Ruby could see Tom’s mother on the porch holding a lamp.

You folks are getting here awful late, Mrs. Morgan said.

Mr. Neal said, Yes ma’am, and I’m sorry.

Tom’s mother told him not to worry. She said, You two come on in. I’ll warm up some supper for you. You must be hungry.

Mr. Neal answered, Yes, we sure are and mighty grateful for your kindness.

When they had finished their supper, Tom’s mother took them to their bedrooms where they wasted no time climbing into the soft feather beds. Ruby was remembering how wonderful the bed had felt after that long ride. The more she thought of Tom and the more she thought of her reason for being here, the calmer she became. Then a warm feeling of excitement ran through her body and any doubts she might have had vanished.

Ruby was relieved to see her mother arrive along with Grandma Neal and Ruby’s brother, Ed. The grandmother had come to America from Spain. She still wore her country’s native dress and had never gone anywhere without her black lace scarf on her head. Today was no exception. She had worn nothing but black since her husband had died years ago. It did not matter that today was the wedding, her husband was still dead. The black scarf remained.

The delicious smells drifting out of the kitchen let it be known that something special was happening today. Tom and his Dad had built an arched trellis for the bride and groom to march under. Now Tom’s sisters were busy covering it with flowers they had picked from Mrs. Morgan’s garden.

Ruby’s mother had brought with her the very wedding dress that she had worn the day she had married Joseph Neal. Ruby had seen the dress when she was only four years old and had insisted it would be the dress she would wear on her wedding day. She had never wavered in her determination, and Mrs. Neal had made sure it stayed in the same condition it had been in when she had worn it.

Baby girl, her father said when he saw her. It looks to me like you have been tamed! He still was bothered by a nagging doubt that he had let her go too soon.

When the wedding was over and all the rituals had been taken care of, the new couple climbed into the little buggy that the girls had covered in more flowers and drove away among the happy sounds of the guests wishing them well.

Tom’s sisters had tidied up one of the cabins that was normally used to house hired hands, and now it was going to be the newlyweds’ home. The floors had been scrubbed clean and fresh curtains put on the windows. A cook stove stood in the corner and a nice table with two chairs stood by one of the walls. A few dishes were placed on the shelf behind the stove, and a pot or two hung on the wall. A bed, just big enough for two, claimed the rest of the room. For many years after that wedding day, things remained the same—Tom was happy—Ruby was puzzled.

Their days came and went without much change. As Ruby sat watching Tom make his way to the breakfast table, a sense of sadness washed through Ruby. The tall, handsome man that had held her close, while promising a love that would forever be hers was now just a memory. She barely recognized this unkempt stranger sitting at her table. The once, coal black, mustache was just a jumble of straggling, tobacco stained whiskers.

The odor that drifted across the table was indefinable and just as objectionable. As he moved the fork toward his mouth he was oblivious to any discomfort he was causing Ruby. The food that was placed before him aroused no interest in Tom, but he had learned he had to force down some of Ruby’s food if he was going to entertain his troops that evening.

When Tom Morgan was ready to leave his little house and head for his beloved lounge there was no hint of the Tom that graced Ruby’s table in the morning. This Tom preened before the mirror, delighting in what he was seeing; clear, blue eyes, soft, pink cheeks, and a mustache groomed to perfection.

Ruby’s sad iron had put the finishing touches to the bleached, white shirt that she had managed to scrub away most of the mysterious stains. One more glance toward the mirror and a quick check of the creases in his trousers then, with a jaunty step, he was out the door and resumed his ride on the merry go round.

Tom often rode off in the morning and wouldn’t come home until late at night. Ruby spent her days cleaning, cooking and feeling the baby grow inside her.

Little Jesse was born on a beautiful spring day and met her Daddy late that night. He was quite sober the next morning and had to make that acquaintance again since he remembered nothing from the night before. Ruby soon learned that Tom was not a contributing member of his family. It seemed as if everyone thought of Tom as the king. The only one that thought the situation was strange was Tom’s wife.

Of the many emotional scars that embedded Ruby’s soul, one particular morning remains very vivid.

Ruby’s day started like it always did, cooking Tom’s breakfast, then sitting by the table until he made it out of bed.

Little Jesse was toddling now and getting into whatever happened to be in her path. She loved to run and started to dash across the floor when she stumbled and fell. Ruby caught her just in time to save her from falling on the hot stove. The baby was scared and let out a screech that, of course, woke Tom up. When he came stumbling out of the bedroom, he was wearing a face that told Ruby all hell was going to break loose. He had never hit her, but she felt he had come close a time or two, so she stepped aside and waited for him to explode. The last thing she saw was his arm going up and then everything went black. When she came to, little Jesse was sitting on the floor beside her and stroking her cheek with those little, fat hands.

The cold water on her face made it feel better, but didn’t make it look any better. Her eye was swollen nearly shut and a dark blue color was invading her face. Ruby realized the baby was screaming and trying to climb onto her lap, so she picked Jesse up from the floor. Ruby was in a state of shock. She had no warning that Tom was capable of this behavior. Where is my sweet gentle husband, she thought. Her next thought was, What did I do to cause him to act this way? She sat at the table holding Jesse for a long time and tried making a plan to avoid upsetting Tom again. She had to discover just what the worst offenders were and avoid them in the future. Ruby recognized that no matter how she tried, she never found the magic words or actions to keep from setting Tom off. Finally her plan became, stay clear of him as much as possible and be grateful for the time he spent away from the house, carousing with his friends. Her happiness at watching him ride out of the yard would cause her guilt, but she soon mastered that feeling and learned to enjoy her freedom and peace of mind.

When Tom came home that evening, he avoided looking at his wife and went to bed soon after he had eaten the supper she had laid out on the table for him. The cruel behavior she had endured that night became routine. Ruby’s sleepless night had not been unproductive. She had reached a decision. It certainly was not an easy one, but one long over due. One that she had never thought she would have to