Show kathleen norris says just hist like a husband I 1 dell syndicate features y c VA carol squabbled wab monroe over dominoes dominges dom inoes and crosswords I 1 was delig delighted bied at this new friends congeniality with my hus husband bandl is ft relieved the th sprain for MO me by y KATHLEEN NORRIS OMET IMES a husband S SOMETIMES does something that makes his wife wild without giving her the satisfaction of either ignoring the m matter atter or changing the situation such a hus husband band evidently is monroe white whose wife edda writes me from buffalo monroe has a 0 dear woman friend the gist of the matter writes r edda that sounds in enough it not nothing hing sinister everything happily open end and above board but there it Is carol is everything he needs in gay sophisticated companionship he sees her every day or it if he misses seeing her for a day or two he gets restless last summer carol went into the mountains for a month and twe kree times in that month monroe went up to see her on ono one pretext or another once he took me and you may imagine what a lovely time I 1 had this carol Is about 30 1 I am 33 38 monroe Is 39 and we have been married 15 years we have two daughters phyllis 11 and maryann 0 monroe Is a cheerful easily pleased man not fussy about meals very popular in business and club circles he has always been a model husband tie cs far as I 1 know and a conscientious father when rn my mother was with us a 11 long pull with three years of helplessness and illness monroe was 9 generosity ene rosity itself I 1 think awa H was at that time that J I 1 began to hear a good deal of montroes monroes Mon roea roes dear old friend carol widowed and back in town carol often came to supper in those days and squabbled with monroe over dominoes dominges dom inoes and crosswords absorbed in my ni mothers others I 1 was delighted at this athla new friends congeniality with my husband it relieved the strain tor for me unconcealed unashamed it went on nothing to conceal evidently nothing of which to be Li ashamed shamed carol telephones me every day or two to say that she saw a hat downtown that would be ideal tor for me or that she is sending the girls books monroe says quite quit I 1 casually TU ill not be home homa for dini tier carol Is crazy to see that show and im taking her or he says 1 the he masons have asked carol and me up for the weekend I 1 told them we had measles at home and they said it was OK for yu you to beg oft off sometimes he says that carol is the most intellectual woman ho he ever knew if I 1 say that she Is not particularly pretty or has ra rather thera a heavy figure he says with amused authority that men find her perfectly fascinating once or twice he has said to his friends that he has a sensible wife that edda never makes any fuss about his platonic friendships with other women he puts it in the plural I 1 put it in the singular iam good looking I 1 dress well nothing sensational but quite up to the mark the matter with me that my huab husband ind to Is perfectly content to let me cook finish the ironing keep house entertain his friends drag him oi off for an occasional dinner but that tor for companionship aad he go goes lys elsewhere and tho the letter finishes desperately can a man and a woman have a platonic friendship anyway she thinks its fair play my answer to that edda Is 1 no not under these circum 1 I am good looking dress well stances no with monroe monroa at his age carol at hers and your mar ariage at this point this friendship Is not platonic platon lc i is not to say that matters have proceeded to the point tech known as infidelity more likely carol Is happy to play it along safely having all the fun of a mans admiration and attention and companionship but not sacrificing anything that would make her feel guilty of disloyalty to you it Is a fond illusion with women of her type that everything short of actual surrender to a love affair Is fair play she is holding monroe all the tighter by her refusal to enter into a serious relationship with the husband of her friend ile he probably deeply admires her strength of character and purity of motive but in truth she is as low as any other woman who comes deliberately between a m man n and his wl wife f 0 an and d throws dust in his eyes while doing so my advice to you Is to wake up arid and realize that this Is disloyalty sugared over with the claim ol of being merely an intellectual and honest friendship such a thing rarely exists between a man and a woman even when both are entirely free to marry it certainly does not exist here you will win in the end if 11 you can rise above all this keep busy have as little to do with these high minded friends as you can dont discuss it with monroe and dont see carol at all ask her quietly not to telephone dont argue dont make scenes lust just let them both know that you are perfectly aware of the tun fun they are having at your expense eapen se the shock to carol may stop the affair right there monroe will be shocked too but whether I 1 takes only days or takes months the way to end it and the only way dont forget prayer |