Show Kathleen Norris Says Should SIze She Marry l I cn iy Him Hin laii- laii Bell Dell Syndicate Service a 1171 c l 4 I 1 s c cc cp T cc c iT i 4 p i Lien Even if i Hugh turns turn out to be a scamp he will hardly be able to do anything crueller to Sally than did the weak mother who let a 19 year old year old girl go out to night nightclub nightclubs nightclubs clubs club dancing l with men she hardly knew and to be brought home when her olmI own olm I escort failed her by a drunken stranger I By KATHLEEN NORRIS MET I M E second con d SO SOMETIMES LD thoughts are so curiously different from first ones that one finds oneself somewhat shamefacedly completely reversing reversing reversing re re- re- re the original position That's what happened to me after I read this letter which presents a strange and unusual problem My dear Mrs Norris writes a Pittsburgh woman who signs herself only Troubled Mother I 1 am a widow with two daughters Sally and Betsey Sally now 23 was injured in- in injured injured in in- four years ago when returning returning returning return return- ing from an evening party Her father father father fa fa- fa- fa ther had refused to let her go but buther buther buther her escort was a boy we had known for some time and I finally yielded and said yes Unfortunately the boy became affected by drink on this occasion occasion occasion oc oc- oc- oc casion and Sally came home with another group There was a terrible terrible terrible terri terri- ble accident one of the girls and the driver were killed and something something something some some- thing happened to Sallys Sally's spine so that she never can walk I have always always always al al- al- al ways felt that grief over this tragedy shortened my husbands husband's life He died of flu the following winter Confined to Wheel Chair Fortunately we were left well weIl provided for and although unfortunate unfortunate unfortunate nate investments have somewhat lessened our holdings I have been able to provide my girls with a charming home garden music education education education ed ed- hospitality My Sally is a beautiful creature wheeling herself about from porch to garden refusing refusing refusing refus refus- ing to be invalided They tell me there is no reason why she should not be a wife and even a mother That is the problem About a year ago she met a doctor who was born and whose family lives in this city He is romantically look good ing steady ambitious and successful successful successful success success- ful and my poor little girl fell fen madly madly madly mad mad- ly in love with him at once and can think of nothing but Hugh He liked her and was always I gentle and brotherly and sympathetic I ic with her They talked books music music music mu mu- I sic played games but Hugh never made love to Sally even when V visibly vis visibly vis- vis Sibly S- S she grew almost frantic with the emotions that were too much for her Finally I told Hugh of the situa situa- tion He was much amazed and very thoughtful saying that at 34 he had been once or twice in love but that he had never thought of Sally in that connection had indeed made madea a sort of petted little sister of her He said he would think about it Wants Entire Estate When he brought me his answer it was this That he really loved Sally without being in love with her herand herand herand and was very fond of Betsey too Betsey is 19 He said he would marry Sally if I would make over overto overto overto to him my home and my properties properties properties proper proper- ties and all an the girls' girls properties and give him the complete management of the esta estate z That on no other terms would he consider the arrangement arrangement arrangement ar ar- ar- ar as Sally must always have an attendant near her and he felt the responsibility too much oth oth- Sally and Betsey will inherit inherit inherit in in- herit their share when Betsey is 25 I told him I felt dee deco ply ly ashamed that I had betrayed my child by making him the original suggestion He was called away at just this time tune for a three months stay in a Chicago hospital and Sally drooped almost into illness She grew thin and pale lost all her animation and became a shadow of herself Nothing Nothing Nothing Noth Noth- ing we could do roused her but when Hugh returned 10 days ago she suddenly blossomed into radiance radiance radiance radi radi- ance again and sent for him at once After a long talk he told me that he was still willing to accept my proposition but on his his' own terms I temporized feeling that Sallys Sally's whole future is at stake and am sending you an mail air-mail envelope with lith an assumed name so that I WHAT TO DO Sally is 13 a cripple she's in love lore with Hugh and Sallys Sally's mother wonders whether to meet Hugh's Hughs terns terms or sacrifice her daughters daughter's u wishes he Its It's a hard question especially since Sallys Sally's inactivity s is due to a tragic event that would never have hale occurred had her mother been wiser four our years ears before be Dont Don't fail to read Kathleen Norr Norris Norris' minded broadminded resealing answer to this thi Troubled Mother may have your answer within a few days Not a Fortune That's the gist of the letter and andas as I 1 say my first impulse was quite different from my second as to answering answering answering an an- it I 1 felt that Hugh was a fortune hunter who would sacrifice honor for money get possession of the entire worldly wealth of a widow widow widow wid wid- ow with two young daughters and then perhaps treat ill-treat his wife to the point where she would pass out o of the picture entirely But on second thought I realized that this letter from Sallys Sally's mother reveals more than she probably sus sus- For one thing Sallys Sally's father father father fa fa- ther didn't want her to go on that fatal night party that ended her young gay dancing days so tragically ly and for another Sallys Sally's mother hasn't been any too successful in her management of the estate since her widowhood Arrangement Could Be e Happy One It is highly possible that Hugh sees that if she is allowed to go on making foolish investments there will soon be nothing left for anyone anyone anyone any any- one whereas if he handles it wisely and sensibly they will all be better off At 34 a doctor has reached an anage anage anage age to think of marriage and fatherhood fatherhood fatherhood fa fa- fa- fa and although Sally Sany can never go with him to movies or dances or banquets it is highly possible possible possible pos pos- sible that with her intelligence devotion devotion de de- de- de sweetness she can make a ahome ahome ahome home for him that will rival all these amusements If he is a charlatan he certainly hasn't betrayed it in his past his his- tory He has a fine position and has already made himself a distinguished distinguished distinguished dis dis- dis- dis figure in his own field He will give Sally a very ecstasy of happiness and it seems to me meher meher meher her chances of successful wifehood are as good or possibly better than those of girls who have had everything everything everything every every- thing their own way who think of nothing but themselves and who never have had the stern discipline discipline discipline pline that Sally Sany has had A Good Risk So I sent in Troubled Mothers envelope my advice that the risk was a good one All marriages are risks and Sallys Sally's own opinion of the theman theman theman man she loves might be considered some indication of his worthiness When Sallys Sally's troubled mother dies be it few or many years from now it will surely be a satisfaction to her herto herto herto to know that Sally is in safe hands that there is a man who loves her and who is into the bargain a good doctor close beside her The small amount of pride the troubled mother will have to swallow is insignificant compared with the happiness which Sally will receive by marrying the man she loves Even if Hugh turns out to be a scamp he will hardly be able to do anything crueller to Sally than did the weak mother who let a year 19 old girl go out to night clubs dancing dancing dancing ing with men she hardly knew and to be brought home when her own escort failed her by a drunken stranger Two-thirds Two of our traffic accidents happen at night thousands thousands thousands thou thou- sands of them happen when dazed sleepy youngsters stumble out of road houses stupid with poor food bad drink bad air smoke and noise The problem of Sallys Sally's life never would have to be solved today if a wiser mother had solved it four years ago J |