OCR Text |
Show Kathleen Norris Says: The Case of Two Wives Released by Western Newspaper Union. B'"1"1111" ' ' "Archie and I went on a trip as so many people did when gas rationing stopped, and we were quietly remarried in a distant town.' By KATHLEEN NORRIS "TH ALL your long expert I ence of answering prob lems," writes Hilms Johnson, of Salt Lake City "I don't know that you've ever had quite this one before I've done something wrong somewhere along the line, bui I don't know just where. "I was married seven years ago to a man named Archie; we were both 23. Ours was s true love match, and it was great grief to us both that nc children were born to us. W were, I believe, unusuallj congenial and happy. "When the war came, Archie wai one of the first to go, with the en gineers. I did not see him for three years. About a year after he left h wrote a desperate letter, telling m( that he and a young Belgian girl, : nurse, had been lovers, and that sh was expecting a child. He beggec me for a divorce, and for the child': sake I agreed to it. I pretended i business trip to Elko, Nev., anc quietly obtained it there. "I closed the apartment, storec our furniture, and went back t( live with my parents. I had gotter a good job, and had told no one, no' even my mother, of the changed re-lationship re-lationship between Archie and my self. "Seven months ago Archie cam back, a broken man. He looked years older, his hearing has beer permanently but slightly fa. jured, and to reinstate himself in hi: old job seemed to him more thai he could do. Resume Old Life. "He turned to me, and as nobodj suspected what had occurred, it was quite natural that he should be taker back Into my life on the old terms; he had never been taken out of mj heart. Everyone rejoiced with me and nobody suspected the exist ence of the Belgian wife and baby, A few months ago my happy sus. picions that I was to have a chile were confirmed by our doctor, and 1 thought the secret of the divorce and marriage could be - kept forever. Archie and I went on a trip, as sc many people did when gas rationing stopped, and we were quietly re-married re-married in a distant town. "Now Marie, the Belgian wife, writes that she is going to come tc America immediately after Christ mas, that their divorce has nevei been valid in her eyes, and thai she wishes once more to be his wife. Archie, for the sake of the boy, has been sending her money regularly, regu-larly, but when she left him it was with the statement that their marriage mar-riage was not a real marriage, because be-cause of his divorce, and that be-fore be-fore she returned to Belgium she would change even her name. "This predicament finds us completely com-pletely dazed, and we don't know what to do. My employers want me to continue with them as long as possible, and to return as soon after the baby comes as I can. Archie is already making himself valuable; valu-able; we cannot tear up roots here, especially as my father has had a stroke, and I am needed to keep up my mother's spirits. What can we do?" My dear Hilma, a divorce lawyer here tells me that Archie's Belgian-born Belgian-born wife has no claim on him except ex-cept for support of the child, and I can tell you that when she mar- Hi? Adopt This Belgian Baby, . . . STAND YOUR GROUND A wife who apparently did the right thing all along finds I herself in an unfortunate mess. Her husband, Archie, met a Belgian ivoinan while he was J serving abroad in the army. Eventually he wrote to Hilma, telling her that the Belgian ' woman was going to bear him a child, and that he wanted to 1 marry her to protect her and 1 the baby. He ashed Hilma to ' obtain a divorce. ' With much misgivings, Hilma Hil-ma did get a divorce, so quietly quiet-ly that none of her friends ' knew about it. Then Archie , came back, tired and deaf ened. ; He slipped back into the old ; relationship with Hilma. A lit-1 lit-1 tie later he got a divorce from J his Belgian wife, and remar-5 remar-5 ried Hilma, very quietly. No i one knoivs about the complica-' complica-' tions and all ivould be well, ex-t ex-t cepting for the Belgian worn-J worn-J an. She threatens to come to , America, and wants Archie to t become her husband again. She is receiving support money from Archie for herself and the baby. I Miss Norris advises Hilma to i stand her ground. The Belgian woman can probably not get any satisfaction in American courts, if she should come. It is probable that all she wants , is to be rid of the responsibil-j responsibil-j ity of the child. i I 1 ried a divorced man she knew that she was doing something that in her own mind was illegal, however, the actual law stands. It seems to me that safety for you and Archie lies in facing the music and not being afraid of the consequences. Trying I to hide and pretend are the real tilings to far. ' Tell Her to Stay in Europe. ' Have Archie write her, of course, that he entirely disapproves of her coming to America, and that there 1 is no possibility of the restoration ' of conjugal rights, as the British law-courts put it. Let him tell her ' that if she remains where she is, " her allowance will continue, but that if she comes to Salt Lake City she will have to fight through the courts for her claims and may and s probably will, lose her suit and remind re-mind her of the conditions under ' which Archie and she asked you for a divorce. If this foils and she comes, have no fear of publicizing this affair Only concealment will make it in-' in-' teresting to the newspapers; to ad-1 ad-1 mit that it all occurred and is to be 1 handled openly and honestly, will be to lose all value as news. It is ' possible that it is the child who is complicating matters; if her purpose pur-pose is to Ret rid of that responsibility, responsi-bility, then it might be a magnificent 1 gesture on your part to offer to take this little half-brother of your own child, telling anyone interested that you have adopted a Belgian baby refugee. Say little, but avoid all the difficulties that secrecy engenders, and you'll find the thing will presently pres-ently blow over and be forgotten. i Bright Clothes for Children Grown-ups sometimes wear drab colors, but children like gaiety. Also there's a safety factor to consider con-sider a child's bright clothes may give the first slow signal to a motor- ist, or, in rural sections, to a hunter. hunt-er. So, when the main part of an j outfit must be of a dull, uninterest- i ing fabric, try adding bright trim j or accessories. Dress up a little girl's black or gray coat with a red collar or a plaid ascot tie. Or complete com-plete the picture with a red cap or mittens. j |