Show r kathleen norris says new wives for old bell bel syndicate features feature I 1 0 edis edie says Aun auntie st dont dons send me and ami my baby away by KATHLEEN NORRIS a variation of HERES the postwar marital situation it comes from a canadian moth mother er who feels herself faced with an insoluble problem I 1 dont think it so difficult but then I 1 dont know the persons involved I 1 dont know how strong or how weak alan stairs is nor how attractive or how inadequate is his wife edith alan and edith met in 1942 at a dance edith was a telephone oper a atory ter alan was 2000 miles away from froin home and all ready to go overseas with the army both were 19 three weeks after they danced together they were married alan had another month before sailing a friend lent them a delightful seashore cottage and they had a happy honeymoon then alan went away edith worked on tor for five months and then because she was an orphan without money wrote mother and went west to the family her daughter daphne was born and the two women lived on together edith working again mother continuing to take a few boarders and caring tor for the baby when edith was away edle Edl ewas was a weak tearful little thing wn she came here fiere writes muriel talas stairs tal rs 1 I wanted alan to marry at all at his age and welcomed her too warmly but as the months went by and especially when exquisite little daphne came I 1 began to be very fond of her and now I 1 may truly say that I 1 love her and she depends upon me three months ago a letter came fro from m alan in scotland asking ashing for a divorce edle edie was hysterical with shock and afterwards went into a real illness I 1 wrote alan that he must come home at once and he did he has grown into a different being strong brown firm we hardly know him he shows no sign of interest in daphne iho hs has not spent a night here staying at the hotel edle is crushed and continually in tears wants american nurse alan wants to marry an amerlean american girl who went to england as a nurse ile he owns the house in which I 1 live and says they will live here he wants me to influence edle edie to make these changes easy tor for him and says ho he will send her 12 pounds a month generous enough I 1 as he bd has no job now but she and the baby cannot live on that alan is splendid eager ambitious more loving with me than he has ever been he ts Is my only child and I 1 am a widow it Is hard tor for me to live with little helpless edle and take her side against my son especially as he ha arid alid his now new love rose hose wants to use this big house as a for children and are full of plans it if I 1 advise edle to divorce him what becomes of her and the baby it if I 1 advise against lt it alan may easily make it impossible tor for me to live on here 1 I 1 he and rose nose carry out their plan on the other hand I 1 could be in hi my element elemen there here for I 1 was once a nurse have kept kaptu up li with my profession and would have the one room cottage back of the house a as 3 my own homo home rose nose it appears has some money end and would bo be able to float the sanit orlum undertaking at once edle edie says auntie dont send me and my baby away 1 alan day fix it up lor for roe mother a and nd fix it up la in a hurry E edith adith and I 1 never were rightful mates lets leis save what wreck what shall we can from rom tho the I 1 do AP 2 I 1 stel i she is in aam the answer to this la is shopworn by this time alan Is one not of hundreds but of thousands of young husbands who have wanted a complete re deal upon coming home he has lived in another world for more than two years he fie comes back to the old world disillusioned and changed anaed it does nt work of course tt it would be pleasant or it seems so if a man could shift off a wife after a few weeks honeymoon disclaim all responsibility for her and her child and blandly plan a different sort of living with a more exciting mate but all sorts of civilizations have found that that work that marriage just a mitter matter of a honeymoon that girls who cheerfully discuss marrying men who are already husbands and fathers dont turn out themselves to be particularly good wives that a baby girl has her little rights too russia had easy divorce 20 years ago it was only necessary to say that it was desired and the fact was accomplished one man under tinder 30 told my brother blandly that he has been married 22 times but all changed now their there are basic values that have to be preserved not for any ephemeral ideal of honor or fairness but as a foundation for solid human happiness let alan give edith another year or two not too much at 22 lot let him take his place in his old community standing by his mother his wife and his child he cant lose by this plan when daphne is of school age edith can find work agala in these years she can prepare herself for that voik but the chances are that normal home life old friends picnics dances movies and thi the charms of daphne will work the old miracle escape will be not away from his own people but from his own weakness and tolly folly |