THE DISGRACE OF COLONEL CAINE

OKLAHOMA INDIAN TERRITORY SETTLER Colonel George Caine, after enduring two failures in business, went on the prowl for a jump up in life. Bonnie Tiger, a naive but property-rich young Creek Indian woman, became easy prey for the crafty and intelligent Colonel, who ignored her after they married to resume his quest for success.

When Bonnie died young, she left the Colonel to raise their six children alone. His inexcusable neglect of their family to focus on growing a business had disastrous effects on every one of them, as well as on himself.

While the Colonel devoted his attention to keeping his business afloat, the everyday lives of his children went by without him. By the time he realized the error of his ways, they had no affection for him at all. His favorite son, Luther, to whom he had devoted the most time and attention, was dutiful only for as long as there was something in it for him.

Luther’s own marriage became a tragic instance of family history repeating itself; he neglected his own children, the Colonel’s grandchildren, even worse than the Colonel neglected him. Father and son were equally oblivious to the destructive impact their neglect would have on the emotional growth and sense of self-worth of their children. Unless the cycle of neglect is broken, generations tend to repeat the same mistakes and cause the same traumas. Were the Colonel’s grandchildren able to break the emotional bonds that held them captive during their formative years? Were they able to beat the odds when they played with the deck stacked against them?

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