Show Kathleen Norris Says When You Y OIl Call C ll the Tune Bell Syndicate Features i jl I I ij J d 4 1 i t 5 I 1 2 c U t tU 21 I y I Iwo I i 4 JI J r r Helen begged him to help her get a divorce from Harry and legitimize her present pres ent position Dick newly y made a lieutenant commander would not hear of it It might break into a scandal that would injure his hiJ career By KATHLEEN NORRIS NORRISE HE E story of Helen van vanDyne vanDyne vanDyne THE T Dyne is a most unusual one Like all the rest of ofus ofus ofus us she has carefully made her own troubles built herself the cross she has to carry But in her case it wasn't the ignorance stupidity or mere laziness that some of us can claim as an excuse excuse excuse ex ex- ex- ex cuse Helen deliberately broke the law and now she has to pay for it Eighteen years ago she was wasa a beautiful woman of 22 married married mar mar- ried ned to the wrong man There wasn't any question of his being the wrong man he did not provide for her he drank he annoyed and humiliated humiliated humiliated hu hu- hu- hu her with what seemed actual actual ac ac- actual ac- ac i pleasure and he openly said he didn't like her She had been married married mar mar- ried ned three years when she met the theman theman theman man who under happier circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances would have been the ideal husband for her I Dick had everything Charm gentleness gentleness gentleness gen gen- manner intelligence suc suc- cess He had been a young naval officer in the last war but had afterward afterward afterward after after- ward resumed law studies and ond was wasa a judge in a remarkably short time Helen suffered all the agonies of frustrated love for a while and then she and Dick left town established themselves in a western state and I prospered They now have a boy of 16 and a girl two years younger When an occasional old friend encountered encountered encountered en en- countered her Helen always said that she had divorced Harry and married Dick but as a matter of fact there was no marriage When she asked for it Harry flatly refused refused refused re re- re- re fused to consent to a divorce and andas andas as Helen had already left him and gone to place herself under Dicks Dick's protection she couldn't with any dignity insist upon it Happy Home a and d Children Dick and Helen have a lovely home friends a prominent position in the small town where they live The children go to high school andare andare and andare are preparing for college Richard Junior happens to be a proud and dignified d boy he has literary ambitions ambitions ambi ambi- and likes to refer to his ancestry ancestry ancestry an an- his good blood his Ameri Amen Pamela is frail fine sensitive sensitive sensitive sen sen- and both are devoted passionately passionately passionately passion passion- to their parents Last February Dick quite suddenly sudden sudden- ly rejoined the navy and was sent overseas Helen had little time to argue the situation with him before he left but she did beg him to help her get a divorce from Harry and legitimize her present position Dick newly made a lieutenant commander command command- er would not hear of it It might I break into a scandal that would injure injure in injure jure his career Rumors would reach their own town and above all it would hurt the children The only thing to do was to go on as they were until some day daj Harry died when they could quietly be married Helen has not heard from Dick since early in September He is mis missing ing perhaps dead and if he doesn't come back her affairs willbe will willbe willbe be hopelessly complicated For there is a rich old grandmother as proud as Richard Junior who is presently going to leave a good deal of money to Dicks Dick's children But Helen is still Harrys Harry's wife under the law Should Harry turn up he could wreck their lives Helen knows it and agonizes over itI it itI itI I have not had one moments moment's peace of mind for months she writes We had drifted along comfortably comfortably com corn for so long without ever suspecting that anything would bring up this old trouble no man PAYING THE PIPER The Thc Helen van Dyne of this letter called the thc tune tunc 18 years ago and now she is protesting against time the terrible price she site must pay the time piper For he will collect whether site she likes it or not not Its It's easy to say you are arc willing to take talLe the time consequences of an unconventional act Its It's not quite so simple as all that because be be- because cause you cant can't decide what the thc consequences arc are to be and when en enyou you are to be confronted with them Sometimes they threaten the thc very happiness for which you once risked all and woman ever felt themselves so truly man and w wife e as we did We never thought of the irregularity of our relationship we had decided once and for all that ours was a truer marriage than hundreds that are approved every day I suppose we always intended to straighten it out but the years went so fast and were so happy that nothing seemed to be be missing Divorce Too Late Now to go back to the old town hunt up Harry and make arrangements arrangements arrangements arrange arrange- ments for a divorce without the children children children chil chil- dren suspecting that something extraordinary extraordinary extraordinary ex ex- ex- ex was going on is utterly out of the question And even if I Idid Idid Idid did what would it accomplish since Dick is not within reach The slightest slight slight- est suspicion of it would break Pam's heart and shame my proud handsome handsome handsome hand hand- some confident boy They would lose faith in their mother forever When Dick and I first decided to take this step 18 years ago the letter goes on we faced the consequences consequences consequences con con- sequences or thought we did squarely We even spoke of a possible possible possible ble child and I remember saying that if we had one he or she would be a little gipsy who wouldn't worry about conventional oversights We Ve felt that we were strong enough to torise torise torise rise above the law and to us both it seemed preposterous that an irresponsible irresponsible irresponsible irre irre- idle impecunious and improvident im- im improvident improvident im im- provident man like Harry should have any power over our lives But Dick Junior is NOT an Unconventional unconventional unconventional un un- conventional gipsy type of boy and my little Pamela is the clinging gentie gentle gentle gen gen- tle tie type and I dont don't dare think of what the truth would mean to them What is the right way out one that I will save us all Im I'm not answering this letter because because because be be- cause as far as I can see there is is' is no answer When and if Dick Senion Senior Senior Sen Sen- ion comes home after months it might be possible for Helen to persuade persuade per per- suade sunde him to make things as right as they can be made now If he doesn't come back perhaps Helen could confide in her mother law ask the old lady to make the children children chil chil- dren of her son her heirs Husband Always a Threat To find Harry now wouldn't do much good because Helen even if divorced couldn't be married to Dick until Dick returns and unless Harry has somewhat improved he might seriously threaten her peace of mind and betray her to her chil chil- dren So that the only thing to do is go goon goon goon on this way for the present and hope that time time time-time time that brings about so many unexpected solutions to our human mistakes and problems lems will lems-will will offer an opportunity sooner sooner sooner soon soon- er or later to straighten out all this It is one thing to call the tune at 22 and feel quite willing to face the consequences and it is another to pay the piper when he comes around with his bill Real consequences have a maddening way of lacing being I much more 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