Show 1 Norris Says One a to Lose Your Man Bell Syndicate Syndicate Features o L v vy y y r y J Y 1 r I rI I I t 1 i 5 1 Paul got into th the e h habit abt of stop stopping t in n at t Lisa lira McBreen's aft after office hours bours Lisa Usa supplied the h sandwiches he the b liquid refreshment They ey sat and md chatted challed for a half hour our It was restful By KATHLEEN NORRIS I Ic c CT is a small word T I and to many good JL wives it seems a small thing But atom Hatom is a small word too Yet weve we've a all l learned in the last t tt tremendous emen- emen do dous us years that an atom can smash a great city to pieces in three minutes flat and change the history of the world Tact has changed the married history history history his his- tory of thousands of women women women-or or rather the lack of tact has It changed Emily Rogers' Rogers life and she never knew it and doesn't know it to this day And I doubt if ii Paul Rogers her husband realizes it either realizes that if Emily had had any tact at all they'd still be together a happily married m man lD and wife The Rogers had been married 11 years and their boy was nine years old eld ld when the break came cume Paul met Lisa McBreen Lisa was three years older alder than Paul widowed not nearly nearly nearly near near- ly as pretty as Emily not living in ina ina a 3 charming room eight-room house as Emily was No Lisa was close to 40 and she had a two-room two apart apart- ment But she had tact When Paul went home to Emily he be was often tired and depressed Emily never saw it Often she wasn't there when he got home al always always always al- al ways a discouraging thing for a husband Paul used his latch key and lighted the hall lights and waited waitEd waited wait wait- ed for her When she did come in it was to say that she was dead tired to ask if that was his new suit it looked terrible to say that Bill was taking Marion with him to New York to praise enthusiastically ly y the headmaster at Juniors Junior's school a school a man and a school Paul didn't like like and and to observe that she would go to the Billings au auction tion if she thought she could afford a couple of chairs for the rumpus room Loom but that as she couldn't she would stay home And from the top 0 oj the stairs she might call Did you telephone Stella 1 and if Paul hadn't Emily would go into la lamentations lamentations lamentations la- la that lasted well through the dinner hour A well-cooked well nice nice- served ly-served dinner but it would taste like ashes to Paul I Lisa was Soothing So Paul got into the habit of stopping stopping stopping stop stop- ping in at Lisa McBreen's after office office of- of fice hours he supplied the liquid refreshment Lisa supplied sandwiches sand sand- they sat and chatted for perhaps perhaps per per- haps half hall an hour It was restful Lisa was affectionate responsive socking so ing She didn't make a sup superman super super- r- r man an of Paul but she liked him ter a while he began telephoning r f ans Jn varent excuses to Emily he heu 3 delayed downtown he had to go gou u u u Ito q Stockton for a business din din- ner Emily suffered She reminded her friends that she had always been beena a faithful wife to Paul done her own work since the depression struck given him a n son given him the best years of her life She scorned Lisa of ot course What Paul could see in that middle-aged middle woman woman wom wom- an an who had a daughter married and who was plain dressed so badly badly bad bad- ly Iy Emily simply couldn't understand under under- stand Her friends sympathized with her but that didn't keep them indue la in ladue due time from liking the new Mrs Rogers ti But of ol course the situation Isn't entirely satisfactory to anyone I Emily's young son lion is miserably divided divided divided di di- vided between loyalties His IDs mother 1 Postpone on the bad news newl is patiently complaining and Injured injured injured in In- his father buoyantly happy and assured he is ill at ease with both And Paul has two households to support now which means I money stringency besides the fact I that old friends are continually put in the uncomfortable position of choosing which family to ask to weddings and parties Kindly Interest Sympathy Tact would have saved this situation situation situation situ situ- as it could save a thousand i imore more divorces this year Tact does not mean flattery or fawning or ly ly- I ing It doesn't mean acting a part It does mean extending to your I partner in life just that kindly Interest interest interest in In- terest that sympathy that you I would give to a perfectly strange man met casually at a luncheon or cocktail party I It does mean that if your husband is worrying about money or bills I you dont don't fret him with ambitious i schemes for doing over the whole lower floor It does mean that if he says his head aches you dont don't Instantly instantly instantly in in- respond that i if he and Jim Stewart wouldn't sit up all night talking business his head wouldn't ache It means that you refrain retrain from telling him bad news or humiliating ing news or worrying news until he has his slippers on until his good hot soup is inside him until he is somewhat fortified alter after what was perhaps a long and lonely day And when you do tell it it means that you dont don't interlard it with I 1 you told and why dont don't the Stewarts ever get into these jams Yes tact sounds a small thing But it It is based In something something something some some- thing far deeper than just the gift gilt of saying pleasant things and suppressing suppressing suppressing sup sup- pressing unpleasant things of look looking ing lag on the happier side of life For tact is tenderness tact is sympathy and love Men leave beautiful women women wom wom- en and rich women and smart women women women wom wom- en and successful women But women with tact hold their men right through to the golden wedding weddin and 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