Show I Kathleen Norris Says Stick to Y Your our Bargain Bell Syndicate Features cE t i L iI I 1 i I I y yd d LJ 1 rl 1 r rG G Often my friends drift in in the late tote afternoon and stay for a cocktail and anda a cigarette By KATHLEEN NORRIS ANDRA BAKER is now SANDRA 20 Three years ago she married a man of 44 Harold was and is a great friend of her parents he has loved Sandra since she was born Harold is a B doctor who went Into the Ute service as a captain says Sandras Sandra's tear-stained tear letter All AU during the war he was at home only for short Intervals and I lived with my own people My little girl Pamela was born In my mothers mother's house and has always seem seemed d more mothers mother's baby than mine I was very happy In those years writing letters to my handsome captain and quietly enjoying the freedom from rom school and the admiring comments of my old Then Harold came home and almost Immediately I discovered that we are completely unsuited to each other oUter The difference Is our ages ages he he Is my fathers father's contemporary contempo contempo- and friend friend Is Is not the only trouble Harold cares nothing for dancing parties or good times He never goes to movies He hates the radio He likes to play bridge or poker with his friends neither r of which I play Tried to Make It Successful Dont think I haven't made a great effort to salvage my mar mar- Harold wished us to have a ahome ahome ahome home of our own so we moved to his apartment downtown where he lived with his first wife who was my mothers mother's cousin and who died some years ago I try to keep house cook and manage my baby but It ItIs itis itis Is too much for m mp me and T J leave Ip vP un n n Pamela much of the Ute time with mother Certain special dishes I cook well but to serve meals hot and on time at the right moment Is more than I can do especially If 11 I have to look rested and attractive while doing It Often my friends drift In In the late afternoon and stay for a cocktail cocktail cock- cock tail tall and a cigarette Harold objects to my having even one drink I did not drink at all before I was married mar mar- rid ried riel but as a married woman It seems to me I have a right to make that decision myself On several occasions occasions occasions oc oc- he has been distinctly rude I to the girls who naturally ask me why I put up with it Harold also accuses me of extravagance even though he will not tell me how much money he makes or take me Into his confidence as to our affairs Worst of all the letter concludes concludes concludes con con- my father and mother are shocked beyond words at my Idea of a divorce They remind me as indeed is true that they begged me not to marry Harold much as they like him because I was so young and that I Insisted upon doing go so They treat me still as a child and say dont mention such things Youre You're married and youre you're going to stay married Do your duty and you'll be happy and stop talking nonsense How to advise a wife wIle like this one Obviously if she ever was going to get any sense into her little littlehead littlehead head she never would have written this letter Sandra at 20 with a baby and a home and a husband is still sUll the adored spoiled child chUd she the wa was at 17 when she first got the intoxicating Idea of marrying a handsome officer escaping the Ute last year of at high school and startling her girl friends Into amazement and envy Tied Down to Drudgery Now the Ute other girls are going through the normal years of dane dane- t b bJ r J JI J J I Dull homework and end baby tending lending A FORTUNATE POSITION Three years ears ago it seemed so o glorious gloriot to Sandra and now it its it's almost unbearable She was teas only 17 when she sloe married a handsome doctor more than twice her age For Fora a while she enjoyed the luxuries luxuries lux lux- uries urie his hi ample income provided provided provided pro pro- vided and the prestige his position position po po- 5 tion lent her herf He was teas an army officer and was ivas home only for short hort furloughs Then he came home to stay and Sandra quickly found that he was wa unsuited to her Her tastes taste were those o of f a ayoung ayoung young oung girl his those o of f a middle aged professional man She wanted dances dance and parties parties parties par par- ties good times time and gaiety The care of the baby and the house take tahe most of Sandra's Sandras Sandras Sandra's Sandras Sandra's San San- dras dra's time When Wizen she wants to go out for an evenings evening's fun Harold objects He wont won't take her out and doesn't want her herto to go alone He is often rude to her friends who are all very young and is angered i if f Sandra takes a drink Now he is accusing her o of f being extravagant but refuses refuse to set setup setup setup up a budget for her or tell her o of f his affairs affair I I ing lag house parties movies love affairs affairs af at fairs and Sandra Is U tied d down to the dull drudgery of housework and baby tending Her choice now Is between antagonizing zing her parents harming her child breaking up her home or going on into years that stretch before her like the years in jail JalL If I could advise her at all it would be to grow up up-to up to become a areal areal areal real woman To learn leam to be a good cook and housewife surely housewife surely not too I hard an undertaking Thousands of women in her very city are managing man aging on budgets cooking delightful meals keeping small homes comfortable comfortable com com- and happy When she has accomplished this then perhaps she might have a talk with Harold After a few tew weeks of pleasantness at home he may be bemore bemore bemore more amenable to reason She might ask him to give her an evening evening evening eve eve- ning a week In which they will either r accept some Invitation that seems tempting to Sandra or go downtown Just by themselves for dinner and a theatre afterward She might persuade him to Join the Ute country club always a good connection connection con con- for a doctor to make But whatever she does it should be as BI the middle-aged middle doctors doctor's doctors doctor's doc doc- tors tor's young wife happy busy proud of his success pleased with her own position It Is a pleasant and picturesque position it will be her own fault If 11 she does not develop p its lu possibilities Mothers and fathers have a way of objecting g to year old marriages There are reasons for tor this that little Seventeen Seventeen Seven teen cant can't see sec Every girl in high school thrills to the Idea of a sudden sud sud- den marriage that will leave her schoolmates gasping But it Isn't the normal order of ot things and it has hasa a way of turning out expensive and d dull |