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Show Kathleen Norris Says: When His Wife and Mother Live Together Bell Syndicate. WNU Features. "Mom evidently doesn't want Nan to have too good a time, criticizes her buying dresses and wants the radio turned off at half past ten." By KATHLEEN NORRIS IT IS always a great worry to a soldier when his mother moth-er doesn't like his girl. The girl may be only a sweetheart, :r a promised wife, or an actual ac-tual wife; it doesn't matter, he wants them to like each other. When these two women take the trouble to write to the distant dis-tant battlefronts all sorts of catty little remarks about each other, it has a bad effect Dn any man's morale. This is especially true if he has left a brand-new wife behind him, perhaps in his mother's neighborhood, neigh-borhood, or in her actual nome. He doesn't realize that they are really getting on pretty well together, the older jvoman glad to have company, the younger one feeling her- I self protected and safe. In sudden moods of irritation they write him, and he believes be-lieves that every moment they spend together is torture to them both. "Which should have the say of it In the house, Mother or Nan?" writes a distracted marine from Guadalcanal. "They keep writing to ask me, and I'm darned If I know. Mom evidently doesn't want Nan to have too good a time, criticizes criti-cizes her buying dresses and wants the radio turned off at half-past ten If some of the crowd comes in to dance or play games. Nan says Mom Is too sharp with her; Mom works ten hours a day In a valve works and sometimes she gets home tired and unreasonable. Marine's Wife Good Cook. "My little sweetheart," this letter goes on fondly, "is really a good cook and does her share in the kitchen kitch-en and with housekeeping, but she is only 19; she belongs to a nice little crowd, and of course I want her to have a good time. "After I left, Nan thought she might be going to have a baby, and it seems Mom nearly went crazy over the idea of the expense and the work. However, there is no baby in the immediate prospect now, though we both would love to have one. I am 20 years old, and before the war worked in a box factory. After the war I hope to complete a course in engineering, when Nan and I will have a little home of our own. My mother" has enough to live on. but she is making good .money now in war work. Please tell me who, in this case, ought to be boss. I'm crazy about them both and I know there ought to be some way to work it out and deeply oblige, Harris B." My dear Harris, the troubles of these women don't sound very serious. se-rious. Evidently your mother doesn't suspect Nan of anything but a sort of youthful love of pleasure, and Nan's help with housework and her pleasure at the thought of motherhood mother-hood speak well for her. Your mother's moth-er's feeling about the child was natural nat-ural enough, or rather it was natural to express these fears In war time, with Nan so young and you ordered away. In her heart of hearts she would rejoice in the grandchild. Flatter them both when you write home. Tell them what a delight It is to you to think of them together, how amused you are that they can't find anything more basic to quarrel about than an occasional new dress or late radio program; say that lots of men say that their wives and their mothers simply won't live to- "The loneliness of two establishments, establish-ments, . . . gether, which makes you very proud. Remind your mother that she is the finest, gentlest, most generous gen-erous woman you ever knew, and say that Nan loves her. And write Nan that you know this arrangement arrange-ment isn't what your dear courageous coura-geous little wife expected married life to be, but that wars end, and you'll be back one of these days, and make it up to her with all the rest of your life. One Type of War Service. The real answer to your letter ought to go to your mother and Nan. They probably only need a word oi advice to make this arranRcnienl work, because of their love for you. It is a real type of war-service for a man's wife and his family to make a harmonious adjustment of this sort for the duration; it is easier, less expensive, more practical foi both. Whatever news comes from the man they both love they can share; and it gives him a greal sense of stability and security tc have them together. He worrie! much less about his young wife, about his babies if there are chil dren, to know that the older womar is with them, sharing the work and the responsibility. If both women will weigh the alternative; al-ternative; the difficulties and th loneliness of two establishments; th doubled cost; the solitary and uninteresting unin-teresting meals, they may muluallj reach the conclusion that the natura' and the dignified thing Is for thcrr to put up with the inevitable litll difficulties that arise because thej are of different ages, and In un essential trifles are of diflerem tastes, interests, ambitions, too Nan will find a mother a mlhtj convenient thing to have behind he) in these troubled days, and as foi Harris' mother why, the one tiling for which she prays in this world ii that her son's wife will love her |