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Show Iathleen Kathleen ( Norris Says : Take It and Like It ItBell Bell : Synd Syndeate SyndeateWNU rate rateWNU -WNU WNU - Featur Features . . 1 , . , \ . ' ) . * - i 1 1a 1I 1My u ui e I a My father in law u a fine old oldman man but so close that a ligl t left burning or a faucet left runmrg will gyve him a clance to scold for hours i iuse use too much muchsoap soap to the baby's babys ' both I leave good gravy and potatoes on my plate " By KATHLEEN NORRISTHE NORRIS NORRISHHE trouble with Helen HelenJohnson HelenJohnson HelenJohnson HHE THE Johnson is that she won'taccept won'taccept won't wont won'taccept ' accept the mevitable inevitable mevitableShe inevitableShe inevitableShe She hates the conditions of ofher ofher ofher her life hfe , and yet she can't cant can'tseem can'tseem can'tseem cantseem ' seem to find any way of es escape escape escape cape So many women are In Inher inher inher her position now that it seems seemsworth seemsworth seemsworth worth while wlule to quote her let letter letter letter letterI ter terI I married at 20 six Sut years ago agow1'ltes agowrites agoWrites w1'ltes w1ltes writes ' Helen Lewis my husband husbandU husbandIs Is two years older he is now with withthe withthe withthe the army ! In n France but before the thewar thewar thewar war he made a good living as a con contractor contractor contractor tractor and builder bUllder He worked with withhis withhis hIs father and now that he Is away awayI I live five with my two little children childrenwith childrenwith childrenwith with his father and mother'Lew mother'Lew mother Lew 'Lew ' ' was happy that I should shouldcome shouldcome shouldcome come to them when he be went away awayalmost awayalmost awayalmost almost a year ago The lease on our ourapartment ourapartment ourapartment apartment had expired we could couldtlnd couldfind couldfind tlnd find no other place and this roomy roomycountry roomycountry roomycountry country house seemed ideal Domes Domestic Domestic Domestic tic help simply doesn t exist in thIS thISneighborhood thisneighborhood thisneighborhood neighborhood I was worn out when whenwe whenwe whenwe we came here and expected a restInstead restInstead rest restInstead Instead nothing is right My Myfather Myfather Myfather father in law is a fine old man but butso but10 10 so close that a light hght left burning or ora ora ora a faucet left running runnmg will give him hima a chance cbance to scold tor for hours bours I use usetoo usetoo usetoo too much soap in the baby s bath bathI I leave good gravy and potato on onmy onmy onmy my plate I think thmk my children have haveto haveto haveto to have fresh clothes every day dayWhat dayWhat dayWhat What Way Out ? As for my mother in m law she sheworks sheworks sheworks works all day cooking cleaning cleaninggardemng cleaninggardening cleaninggardening gardemng gardening She adores the chlIdren children chlIdrenloves childrenloves childrenloves loves to have them with her but buther buther buther her attitude toward me Is quietly quietlycrttlcal quietlycritical quietlycritical crttlcal critical Wouldn t I rather buy an another another another other bond tor for Lewis Jr than buy buya a dress ? What are my plans when whenLew whenLew whenLew Lew comes home7 home ' Isn t it better for forlittle forlittle torlittle little people not to talk at all at atmeals atmeals atmeals7 meals ' This means Sonia for I1ttle little I1ttleLew littleLew littleLew Lew doesn t talk yetI yet yetI I drive myself almost crazy all allday allday allday day trying to think of a way out outand outand outand and lie awake at night planning It ItBut itBut itBut But it seems impossible L Living Livingspace Livingspace Vmg Vmgspace space is at a premium It would wouldmean wouldmean wouldmean mean that I get a job and what of ofmy ofmy my children7 children cbildren ' Here I have no ex expenses expenses penses whatsoever my husband s sparents sparents sparents parents even buying buymg the children s sclothes sclothes sclothes clothes and paying doctor's doctors ' ' bills Do Doyou Doyou Doyou you suppose there isa Is a nursery m in mthe inthe inthe the city where I could put the baby babyif babyit babyIf if it I tried to keep Sonia with me me7 ' . _ - _ - It is a pity Helen , , that a minis ministering ministeing ministering tering teing angel can t appear to you youand youand youand and say to you that your destiny destmy Is Isto Isto isto to remain remam where you are and that thatdire thatdire thatdire dire misfortune and evil days will willfollow willfollow willfollow follow upon your being bemg anywhere anywhereelse anywhereelse anywhereelse else Such a visitation would Impress Impressyou impressyou Impressyou you . , , you would awaken from a adream adream adream dream face facts settle down into intothe intothe intothe the life ille you are living and find In it itnot itnot Itnot not only content and usefulness but buta buta buta a deeper happiness happmess than you have haveever haveever haveever ever knownYour knownYour known knownYour Your husband Is enduring far farharder farharder tarharder harder conditions than you are and andhe andhe andhe he has bas no way of escape MIlllons Millions MIlllonsof Millionsof Millionsof of other men and women in the theworld theworld theworld world are facing situations that they theythought theythought theythought thought a few years ago utterly utterlyInsufferable utterlyinsufferable utterlyinsufferable utterlyinsufferableChange Insufferable InsufferableChange Change Would Barm Harm AllNo AllNo All AllNo No conditions remain insufferable insufferablethe insufferablethe the minute we decide to accept acceptthem acceptthem acceptthem them make the best of them 1m Im 1mprove Improve 1mprove prove upon them Your husband s speople speople speople people have made you welcome welcomethey welcomethey welcomethey they pay your bills they love your yourchUdren yourchildren yourchildren chUdren children That the old man Is thrifty thriftyIs is perhaps a good food training tor for you youthese youthese youthese these aren arch t the daYI days day * to waste soap soapwaste soapwaste soapwaste waste grivy gravy and potato waste wasteerrort wasteeffort wasteeffort errort effort washing and Ironing As for foryour foryour foryour your mother In law the she sounds like likea likek a tine fine fln and useful and generous wornlr1 worn lr-1 lr 1 lr1r - 1 1i i 1 1"She r ' \ & "She She " 'Shf Shf ' u II ouie(2y ouie2y Ilwelly auetlr ( critical mtlCllI . . . . " - ENDURING CRITICISM CRITICISlII CRITICISMSometimes CRITICISMSometimes Sometlm Sometimes little nagging naggmg naggmgan naggingan an annoyances annoyances annoyances noyances loom like Idee grave hard hardships hardships hardships ships It depends dependsa a lot on the thevlewpomt theviewpoint theviewpoint vlewpomt viewpoint Helen for instancecan Instance , can scarcely bear her lot She SheIS Sheis IS a soldier's soldiers ' wife with two twosmall twosmall twosmall small smallchildren children They Theyare are IIV ltv ltving IIVmg living mg ing Uiith nlth with his parents in a bigcountry bIg bIgcountry bigcountry country house The old folks folkspay folkspay folkspay pay payall gooddeal all the bills bdls and do a good deal dealof of the work Helen has hasonly hasonly hasonly only to take care of herself herselfand herselfand herselfand and the children clllldren , , , and to help helpa a little with the general house housework housework housework houseworkBut work workBut But what wears nears on Helen's Helens Helen'snerv Helen'snerves Helen'snerves Helensnerves ' ' nerv nerves is the constant cntlclSm criticism cntlclSmfrom criticismf criticismrom criticismfrom f from rom her parents in law Theyare They Theyare Theyare are thrifty thnfty to a fault hard hardwor1.mg hardworking hardworking wor1.mg wor1mg working . andold and old fashIOned fashIOnedHer fashionedHer fashionedHer Her father in-law in law - - - raises a fuss fussabout fussabout fussabout about waste-ltghts waste ltghts waste-lights lights waste - - lights left burn burnmg burnmg burning mg soap usedIn wed used in excess food foodthrown foodthrown foodthrown thrown away awayand away-and away and - and keeps nagging nag naggmg naggrog gmg grog for hours Her lIer motherin mother In law makes ma1.es ma1es . pOintedsugges pointed sugges suggestlons suggestions suggestions tlons tions about rearing rearmg the chll chil chlldren children children dren saving savmg money for the f fcure fu future future u ture cure dressing plainly plamly plamlyand plainlyand andso and so soforth soforth soforth forth This is dayIn day in and day dayout dayout dayout out There is nowhere Helen Helencan Helencan Helencan can go as she is dependent dependenthaving dependenthaving dependenthaving having no means excepting exceptmg her hergovernment hergovernment hergovernment government allotment It Itttould Itttould Itwould ttould be diffciilt dlffcult dts'cult dtscult ' for her toget to toget toget get a Jobor lobor job lob or findan find an apartment apart apartment apartrnent ment rnent She would have to place placethe placethe placethe the babies in a nursery tooan too tooan an who helps endure the burmng burnmg burmnganxiety burnmganxiety burninganxiety anxiety she must feel tor for her son sonin sonIn sonIn in practical hard work . . . Now just for fun begin to tell tellyourseU tellyourself tellyourself yourseU yourself that you would be 'un un 'nn nn ' 'nnlucky ' 'unlucky unlucky lucky if you tried to make a achange achange achange change That it would be harmful harmfulfor harmfulfor harmfultor for Lew Sonia httle little Lew and your yourself yourself yourself self This isn t as sup superst erst tious or orfanciful orfanciful orfanciful fanciful as it sounds for I can tell tellyou tellyou tellyou you from my older experience that thatit thatit thatit it would be unlucky any such suchcourse suchcourse suchcourse course would certainly certamIy bring upon uponyou uponyou uponyou you the evil eye - the evil eye of ofdoubt ofdoubt ofdoubt doubt responsibility responslbllity discontent discontentfa discontentfatigue discontentfatigue fa fatigue tlgue bills anx ety ely beyond bear bearing beartog bearing ing tog It would deeply hurt Lew spar sparents s par parents parents ents hurt Lew hurt the chIldren chIldrenand childrenand childrenand and perhaps lessen his affection for forand forand torand and confidence in youMake youMake you youMake Make yourself yourseU the angel of the thewartlffie thewartime thewartime wartlffie wartime household Win Wm the older oldercouple oldercouple oldercouple couple with a truly daughterly co cooperation cooperation cooperation operation and affection Turn out outlights outlights outlights lights turn off faucets serve your yourself yourself yourself self to only what food you want wantwe wantWe wantwe we re all learning learmng lessons In that thatsort thatsort thatsort sort of niceness mceness And-Just And Just And - just betweel between betweelourselves betweenourselves betweenI ! ourselves take the children of off ? for fora fora fora a fortnight in the mountains thIS thISsummer thissummer thissummer summer and make that little breall brea breaicthe : c cthe the time of a break In your whole wholeattltldue wholeattitidue wholeattitldue attltldue attitidue Who so loseth his ille life illeshall lifeshall lifeshall shall find End it Is just as true today todayas todayas as it was 2 000 years ago |