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Show r Kathleen ! ( athleen Norris Says : These Wartime Giddy Wives WivesBen Bell Ben S7Udlcate Syndicate S7UdlcateWNU SyndicateWNU -WNU WNU - Feature Features . 4 J4 yj 4 4y 4i 4v y ky i v / / , - 1- 1 1I - I - - . t - : - . " ( _ d ) ? rtl " ' ) t'7) t7 t'7)e t'7)Y t'7)I e Y _ - f ft I t 7 I / - . V - = I II IIfl I ' /Ifl Ifl / ! : . ( ) IflJ it it"Dora . _ _ / \J J \ \ _ ' - \ "DQrn DQrn "Dora Dora " cncd cried bllterly bitterly on the dark day I 1 Isa 1so sa so d good by ' ' 10 to her By KATHLEEN NORRISCJOME NORRIS OME E Eare of the husbands whoare who whoBare SOME CJOME ' , Bare are enduring endurmg terrIble terrIblehardshIps terriblehardships terriblehardships hardshIps in far-away far away farawayplaces farawayplaces far-awayplaces far awayplaces - places are naturally worrIed worrIedbecause worriedbecause worriedbecause because the little woman at athome athome athome home is having havmg such a hard harddull harddull harddull dull lonely tImeOther timeOther time timeOther Other husbands have the theproblem theproblem theproblem problem JtromeBlank of Capt Jtrome Jerome JeromeBlank JeromeBlank ! Blank , who writes m mfrom mfromGuadalcanal me from fromGuadalcanal fromGuadalcanal fromGuadalcanal"There Guadalcanal Guadalcanal'There GuadalcanalThere ' "There There 'There " is not a man down here heresays heresays heresays says his letter who Is not sick for forborne forhome torhome borne home Everyone Every one of us talks of It it it.dreams itdreams . . dreams of it Through heat and fa fatlgue fatigue fatigue tlgue tigue insects msects and prickly pnckly heat , . , long longMes longhikes longhikes Mes hikes through rough grass long longwalts longwaits longwaits walts waits under the simmering simmermg midday middaysun middaysun middaysun sun the men talk of trees and the theshady theshady theshady shady porch at home and Mom s scookIng scooking scooking cookIng We know we have to get getthrough getthrough getthrough through this tlus thus and we U 11 ll get through It Itbut itbut itbut but Lord ho\tf ho tf how hold \ we want the day to toarnve toarrive toarrive arnve arrive when we can start for home homes homesWell ' Well what I m writing you youabout youabout youabout about Mrs Norris is my wife wlfe Dor for Doris foris Doris is I m 42 she s 28 and extremely extremelylovely extremelylovely extremelylovely lovely Sometimes I don t dare letmyself let letmyself letmyself myself thmk thlOk think how lovely she IS ISAfter isAfter isAfter After a most unfortunate first mar marnage marriage marnage nage riage I was divorced d1vorced 11 years ago agoSIX agosix agosix SIX years later I met Dons who whohad whohad whohad had also had an unhappy young youngmarnage youngmarriage youngmarriage marnage marriage Both our former part partners partners partners ners have found other mates so sothat sothat sothat that we felt entirely free to marry marryand marryand marryand and tor for two years our love story storywas storywas storywas was unclouded and exquisite exqwsite Then Thencame Thencame Thencame came the war and I came out here hereDons hereDoris hereDons Dons Doris cried bitterly on the dark day dayI I said goodby to her and the mem mein memory meinory memory ory of her lonely little figure turning turningaway turningaway turningaway away haunted meBut meBut me meBut But now it s all different d1fferent She is islivmg isliving isliving livmg living in a group of friends who wholIke wholike wholike lIke herself hersel ! are idle with plenty of ofmoney ofmoney ofmoney money She is havin having & , a whirl wlurl of a agood agood agood good time It is all dancing dancmg drmk drink drmkmg drinking drinking mg ing card games country clubs She Shegoes Shegoes Shegoes goes to races and night mght clubs buys buysnew buysnew buysnew new frocks and hats is in Flonda Florida Flondawith Floridawith Floridawith with one friend going gomg to Santa Bar Barbara Barbare Barbara bara bare with another she visits a lux luxunous luxurious luxunous unous urious Adirondacks Aduondacks Adrondacks camp and 'Df'ver Dfver 'never never 'Df'verin 'neverin ' 'neverin neverin ' ' in her ber life 11fe had bad such a gorgeous gorgeoustime gorgeoustime gorgeoustime gorgeoustimeOne time timeOne timeOne One Man s NameOf NameOf Name NameOf Of late months the name of one oneman oneman oneman man has been m in her letters or rath rather rather rather er has bas been conspicuously dropped droppedfrom droppedfrom droppedfrom from her letters But my jealousy jealousysupplies jealousysupplies jealousysupplies supplies his rus name He is a nch rich nchand richand richand and attractive young fellow de debarred debarred debarred barred by a mild stomach stomaeb com corn complamt cornplaint cornplaint plamt plaint . , t-om t om fom Lom - active service idle idleamusmg idleamusing idleamusing amusmg amusing and unscrupulou unscrupulous * Dislike Dislikeof Dislikeof Dislikeof of him and envy of him have bave been beenburnmg beenburning beenburning burnmg burning me up tor for weeks I cannot cannotget cannotget cannotget get him hun and the thought of bis his ad admlration admfration admiration mlration mfration of my wife out of my mymind mymind mymind mymindNow mind mindNow Now comes a letter from Doris Doristhat Doristhat Donsthat that has set me on fire She is ismakIng ismaking ismaking makIng a long stay with her moth mother mother mother er a thing she never wanted to do dobefore dobefore dobefore before She says the she is a torry sorry and andashamed andashamed andashamed ashamed little girl who played too toolong toolong toolong long with fire and that when I Icome Icome Icome come home borne there is something I Imust Imust Imust must forgive her Also I am not notto notto notto to believe anything anythm : Margaret or Sal Sally Sally Sally ly write wrlle me These are my sisters sistersShe sistersShe i iShe She says she sbe is done with Tony Tonyforever Tonyforever Tonyforever forever forever'Mrs Mrs 'Mrs ' Norris the letter ends endsthis endsthis endsthis this has thrown me into inte a state "f f of "findescribable ofindescribable " ctindescribable indescribable agony I cannot eatci eat eat"His ci/ ci ci)1 ' / )1 1 )1"hiss ) "His His "hiss hiss " smugness at home . " AGONIZING SUSPICIONFar SUSPICION SUSPICIONFar Far harder to bear than thantropical thantropical thantropical tropical heat galling gallmg gallmgInsects gallinginsects insectsand Insects Insectsand insectsand and the danger from the ene ens enemy ensmy enemy my is J $ a II soldier s haunting hauntmg fear fearthat fearthat fearthat that his hu wife may be wandering wander wanderIng wandering Ing from him ham in an his hu IIbsence absence IIbsenceJf absenceiThen absenceWhen Jf iThen hen he has her veiled veiledad admission ad admiSSion admission miSSion m In writing urrtmg that she shehas shehas shehas has been unfaithful the bitterchagrin bitter bitterchagrm bitterchagrin chagrm chagrin ts u is almost maddening maddenmg maddeningIT maddenmgrr maddeningR IT rr R hat can I I do asks asl.s asls . an unfortunate un unfortunate unfortunate fortunate officer I 1 Iam 1am I am in a astate astate astate state ofIndescnbable ofindescribable of indescribable Indescnbable agony I 1 Icannot 1cannot Icannot cannot eat or sleep Ifshe If she has hasreally hasreally hasreally really betrayedme betrayed me I Ican I can neverforgive never neverforElve neverf neverorgive f forElve orgive her " or sleep My mind mmd is filled fined WIth WIthIus withhis withhis Ius his detestable triumph tnumph his smug smugness smugness smugness ness at home while I fight through throughhot throughhot throughhot hot day after day down here At one onemoment onemoment onemoment moment I want to write her a scald scalding scalding scalding ing letter at another I find mysel1 myself mysel1weakenmg myselfweakening myselfweakening weakenmg weakening into mto tears of pity and andlove andlove andlove love If she has really betrayedme betrayed me I can never forg ve ye her But Buthow Buthow Buthow how shall I know7 know ? If she has Just lust Justbeen lustbeen justbeen been foolIsh-but foolIsh but foohsh-but foohsh foolish - but no those phrases phrasesI I quote above mean more than that thatI I am miserable miserable miser miserable miserable miserable able Wha What t postson pos tion tlon shall I take take7What ? What can I do do7 ? . e . e . eYou You can do my dear Captam Captain CaptamJerome CaptainJerome CaptainJerome Jerome what thousands of other otherhusbands otherhusbands otherhusbands husbands and wives with all sorts sortsof sortsof sortsof of new problems to face must do doafter doafter doafter after the war You can come home homemeet homemeet homemeet meet your wife look your changed changedcircumstances changedcircumstances changedcircumstances circumstances m in the face decide decidewhere decidewhere decidewhere where you will live and what lme line lmeof lineof lineof of work you want to take up find a ahouse ahouse ahouse house settle down to matrimony and andforget andforget andforget forget the past If you want to be bebiiPPy1f behappyif behappy biiPPy-1f biiPPy 1f happy-if happy if - if anyone wants to be hap hap- happy happy - . py after aftcr this trus war it ft must be by a aheroIc aheroic aheroic heroIc closing closmg of doors It may be bethat bethat bethat that Dons Doris charm and beauty and andleisure andleisure andleisure leisure were not proof against agamst temp temptatlon temptalon temptation tatlon talon Well you chose her tor for those thosevery thosevery thosevery very qualities you d dn do t want a asensible asensible asensible sensible modest faithfullJttle faithful little worn wornan wornan wornan an who would keep your house and andyour andyour andyour your memory safe War develops abnormal SituatIons situationsin in which men and women act as asthey asthey asthey they would never act ordmarlly ordinarily ordmarllyThere ordinarilyThere ordinarilyThere There is going to be an enormous enormousamount enormousamount enormousamount amount of straightening and adJust adJustmg adjusting adjustmg mg ing to be done when the war is over overIt overIt overIt It is tor for every one onl ! of us to lessen lessenthe lessenthe lessenthe the grand sum total of that uncom uncomfortable uncomfortable uncomfortable fortable process as much as we wecan wecan wecan can It is tor for everyone every one of usto U5 us U5to usto to overlook forget forgive m every everyd1rect everydirect everydirect d1rect direct on not to denmnd demand explana explanations explanalions explanatlons tions lions not to rake up It U-e U e tle - e past not notto notto notto to indulge mdulge suspicion and curiosityDoris curiosityDoris curiosity curiosityDoris Doris is evidently a little fr ght gut ghtened gutened ghtened ened herself bersel ! at the length to which whichshe whichshe whichshe she has carried this thus flirtation filrtatlon But Butbemg Butbeing Butbeing bemg being beautiful young idle and rich richshe richshe richshe she will presently embark on an another another another other Steel yourself yourseif not to bother botheryour botheryour botheryour your head about thell/ thell thellWhen them then ' / When you youcome youcome youcome come back expect a welcome from froma a loving lovmg wife build your II lives ves to together together together gether as if l ! there had not been thiS thiSgrim thisgrim thisgrim grim interruption and whatever you youdo youdo youdo do after you have bave given peace peacetime peacetime peacetime time marriage a fair trial let mat matters matters matters ters go on as they are now and andsolve andsolve andsolve solve tomorrow s a problem when to tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow morrow comes |