Show I KA KATHLEEN NORRIS NORRIS Some Husbands Like Dreary Jobs LIFE HARD IlAnD enough and confusing enough without having having hav ing to do the work you hate asks Linda Curtis from Albany My life Is full of excitement and interest she goes on and I see to it Jt that our four children have a wonderful time But my husband patient and good and everything that is satisfactory satisfactory satis satis- satisfactory factory plods a along ong day after day and year after year in the dullest imaginable business selling business selling mens men's suits You see weve we've always been poor hardworking people and if It Martin ever had any dreams of starting out for himself and breaking breaking breaking break break- ing away from the rut he is in hes he's never been free to realize reaUze them The children are mixed twins of 7 girl 5 baby 3 and they keep me busy and happy and laughing and scolding all day long My life has variety enough in it and I try to share that variety with Mart on week ends and during his brief summer vacations We have eight weeks in a mountain cabin he has two Same Old Round Were always picnicking and having roasts and treasure hunts his life is the same old round Office at 9 0 stock arranging doors open at 10 fussy men and fussy women criticizing lunch sandwIch sandwich sand sand- with at the drugstore next door four more hours of it H and home on ona ona ona I a crowded bus Every day with him Is the same Every hour with me is different The twins hang over me dictating what they want packed for lunch Madeleine leaves me with a big hug at the nursery school door butch Butchy-butch and I do the marketing marketIng market- market Ing and stop atop to gossip and leave I 1 o v r. r p e 1 t w l lJ Jr J r ff r with a b big bug hug to my watch to be mended and pick pickup pickup pIckup up my over made-over hat and go home fur lunch and naps and quiet mending at my room dining room window until the scholars come shouting and weeping home at 3 Then we all aU have tea and perhaps go over overto overto overto to the park for another hour of Cf games and gossip and it is all so Interesting But Mart comes quietly quiet quiet- ly in during the supper scramble and takes his paper and turns on his radio and looks on at our riots I try the letter goes on to bring him into everything I sug gest he take butch Butchy-butch upstairs or carry earry the twins off olf for a country Sunday Sundy if It I am kept home by one of Madeleine Madeleine's bad tImes tunes with her ears but he seems too way tired tired way deep down in too tired to rouse himself to much interest in it Hell He'll ask me what beach shall I take them to toT What'll I do when we get there I Make lake Ills Life Ufe Fun Can you suggest finishes this this' generous hearted generous hearted wife wile some way in which I can shake the best man in the world out of his groove and make life Ufe as much fun for tor him as for tor me The children I 1 can always handle bandle they are obedient angels all aU four faun and are all aU prom promis ing to take jobs someday and help Mother and Dad anc and I believe the they will But Mart Wart Is 44 U now he is II n years yeara older than I am am and if he be goes plugging on much longer hell he'll be too old to make a dash any where l Should we pull up and go 10 to South America and anet take tab a chance Would you advise my taking I a job Im I'm almost a professional photo and anet sending hUn him aWl away Tbs other night h he e was reading me mean mean mean an article on th the South Seas Seu and a few months ago he cut out a picture of a whaling boat being tossed about in the ocean and it makes my heart ache for him It isn't fair that a man should be tied down by a dependent wife and four husky kids when at heart hes he's besa a boy longing for adventure It doesn't seem to me this is a problem at all aU Linda Martin MartJn is is what millIon t f man mn I u u to d do Reporting at the office putting putting putting put put- ting in eight hours with hours with time out for lunch on rather drab and routine work If U Martin in his heart didn't like this work didn't find It satisfying believe me he would have worked his way out of it long ago and into something that gave his energy and imagination more scope The truth is that he is a quiet unimaginative fine man who quite possibly likes his work Many Manya a man would infinitely prefer selling selling sell seU- ing other men their overcoats recommending recommending recommending rec rec- the cheviot discussing the tweed than handling four lively children for 14 4 hours out of the 24 You are born with a joyous courageous generous nature It speaks through every word of your letter Most women want to take you are that rare woman who wants to give If It Martin works works hard hard eight hours a day you work twice ashard as hard bard nearly twice as long Go on your glorious way Linda and dont don't worry about Martin As long as you all love iove him and his dinner is good and hot hell he'll be beall beall beall all right t. t |