In view of the grievances he'd been nursing, his wife's sudden rebellion seemed almost too unreasonable to be credited. She'd joined his enemies! She was making common cause with her notorious brother and the squatters! Very well, he'd use her the same as he would them.
"You think rather well of me, don't you Mrs. Waldstricker?" he rasped. "Nice names you call me. Brute! Home destroyer! Procurer of perjury! Liar! Crazy!" His voice grew louder as he hurled the epithets at her and broke into a shriek upon the last one. "Get out of here before I teach you the same lesson I taught Tess Skinner!" He lifted his arm above his head; the great fist was clenched, and the cruel mouth was drawn at both corners. "Get out of here before I hit you!"
Helen stood petrified. The blow had fallen. Mother Moll was right! She retreated before his menacing gestures, but stopped near the door and held up her hand in entreaty. She'd make one more effort.
"But, Ebenezer," she began, "where shall I go?"
Advancing toward her, he fairly shouted:
"I don't know and I don't care. Go down and help your brother take care of his squatter baggage!"
He seemed fairly beside himself. Helen realized the hopelessness of further resistance.
"Then I'll go and take my baby," she cried. "Perhaps when we're gone—"
Her words only added fuel to the flame of his wrath.
"You'll not touch my daughter," he interrupted. "She'll stay with me."