Petey

Petey opens as Roy and Sarah Corbin arrive at the train station in Bozeman, Montana to surrender their two-year-old son Petey to the custody of the state. When he was born, Sarah was told Petey had “deficiencies,” and it was immediately apparent from her son’s physical characteristics that he was not a typical baby (2). Sarah and Roy had taken Petey to Butte to see a specialist, who declared Petey an “idiot,” and asserted there was nothing that could be done to improve either his condition or his chances for development (5). The specialist recommended the Corbins place their son in an institution. During the two years Petey lived at home with his family, Sarah gave Petey all her time and attention in the hopes she would see some improvement as he continued to develop. Eventually, she admitted she was unable to provide for her son to the degree that he would require for the rest of his life. At the close of the chapter, a heartbroken Sarah and Roy relinquish their son to the county health nurse. The nurse boards the train with Petey, and they begin their trip to the psychiatric hospital at Warm Springs. An old woman traveling in their train car takes a seat beside the nurse and happens to peer inside the bundle of blankets to look at Petey.