Show iW diki I Y I 1 I Cathleen Norris Say Says w the Family Trouble Maker Trouble Maker i J lieU Ban h r I It Ie t e f fi i may It probably of the t soy have toll hits tb truth long go By KATHLEEN KATHLEEN NORRIS O 0 WOMAN is more an- an anI annoying annoying No N I and less popular popular J lar lat than the smug and virtuous super woman who feels that she must break up other women's lives and destroy de de- de destroy stroy other persons happi happi- happiness happiness ness to salve saIe her own conscience con con- conscience science Its It's It a peculiar sort of conscience that forces force its owner to interfere In hi everybody everybody's business and make trouble for tor which she has haa neither solution ablution nor pity pit nor cure Such a conscience Is evidently pos pos- essed by b Mrs lira Alvin S of Philadel Philadel- Philadelphia Philadelphia phia who writes me that she feels feel In duty dut bound to destroy her sons son's on confidence In hi his hll young wife and very possibly break up their mar mar- For the first four pages of her let let- letter ter she he tells me how carefully she abe he herself was brought up how admire admirable able her home end and her parents were bow how blameless her own young life We True she divorced Duncans Duncan's Duncan tether father because he became when drunk completely Impossible but her friends s all agreed that ah she he was waa en en- en timely right about this and she he went wenton wenton on her complacent way making a lovely home hOrDe for tor and Duncan her daughter and son on Is II ma mar sled lied and his has two hw little Duncan and hi his wife wile Margaret waited 10 years yean for their first baby bab and after the war adopted a little boy bO who is Ia now four our and adored by b byboth both parents Since then a baby girl has been born to them this child almost cost coot Margaret her life and there can be no more children Up Vp to this thin point all aU has haa gone well Duncan had a fin fine ane record In the navy and is remaining in the ice Even his mother was waa pleased with th the state ot of affairs with the pretty wife wide though from a rather bumble humble background ahe he writes write the successful son ion on the beautiful adopted child and now the small daughter Shameful News Newt for Son San But an agony agon of shame awaits await my poor dear boy bo writes write the older woman Margaret was waa a nurse during the tho war and for some ome months month was away a way from home in n a hospital we all Imagined Fancy my consternation upon learning from a chance remark dropped by b a quite unsuspicious outsider that the child Margaret and Duncan hav have adopted Is Margarets Margaret's own the fa ther then a young officer of who was killed in the very last weeks wew of the war That his dear bereaved mother is Isan isan an old family friend and that he hewan was wan my boys boy's close doe friend makes make it all the more terrible Margaret and this man carried on OD their af af- af affair fair tair under our very eyes without arousing suspicion anywhere and when the time lime came she simply went away on an excuse that we all aU accepted without question had hed hedber ber her baby left it and came home to talk Duncan Into consenting to an adoption and has lived this hideous Ue tie ever since I did not nut take the word of a amere amere mere acquaintance on this thI I went secretly to the town where when It was said to have taken place and veri yen fled fied ed every detail Since then every word and glance elance from my m boy has bas cut cuI me mo like a knife I cannot con con- continue to 10 join his wife in this thia tissue of deceptions How Row best beat can I break this news to 10 him and should I 1 talk to 10 her I have never been party parly to 10 an untruth in my m life We I 1 cannot begin now At any cost coat costI coatA A yam J 1 Tb adopted Joi tf thill J is r I must muot clear the sky ky of this dreadful cloud praying with all my m heart that In the end only good can com come of It o Smug Jealous Woman That the self satisfied ed little writer of this tale letter was smacking her lips over It It and over the situation is so eo obvious that I f will not answer her herat herat at all aU Whatever I said eald she he would not be deterred from her smug and steady course Deep at the root of her position is I Jealousy Jealousy of the sons son's happiness that depends so little on her and of the young er or woman who has managed to bring her life We into line Margaret Marearet perhaps has paid bitterly already for tor her sin aim against Duncan perhaps her relationship with the other man was wan the result of only one reckless lonely mood Or perhaps because he ho was wai Duncans Duncan's friend it was easy for or her to love him for or a while Whatever it tt was WU she paid when she bore in pain and loneliness that child who Is I not Duncans Duncan's when she part part- parted ed with her ber baby she baby she who had so long been hungry for or a baby That she the could arrange to adopt this baby doesn't entirely relieve the burden of fear and nd shame on her heart He HeIs Heis Is not the loved little son of the theman theman man he calls Daddy and some some- someday day he will have to know It it Why such a woman should feel teel eel It her sacred duty to wreck Dun Dun- Duncan cans can's can and Margarets Margaret's and the chil chil- children's drens dren's lives must always be a mys mys- mystery tery to any really generous really line floe woman There Is ts no real love loveIn lovein In the tho heart o of a mother so ao cheer cheer- cheerfully fully tully resignedly bent upon doing her ber duty duly There The Is no sincerity In her ber whole attitude altitude No I wont won't advise her But what I suspect is that Duncan Is i perfectly perfect aware ware of the situation that Mar Mar- Margaret garet caret has bas long lonc ago told him the truth and that when his hia mother breaks the sad tad tidings all she will get Is a sharp snub Anyway I 1 hope so 0 |