Show L Kathleen TT Norris S Says ay c S. S e Look Lao 1 Before You Yon Elope Bell Dell Syndicate Syndicate le WN U Features if ly I h U Ut t 1 ti 1 J It 1 Cu f e 1 k 11 11 r a S 1 N 1 r l N DO G Ry RyN i I I t Many girls are hating romantic experiences far beyond anything they hoped or dreamed would happen Sudden marriages cram the social columns of o othe the newspapers pers ITH the he ex exciting influx W WITH of d dozens zens of young so soldiers soldiers sol sol- diers into so many of our quiet small towns many girls girl are having romantic experiences ex- ex peri far beyond anything anything any- any thing hing they ever hoped or dreamed would happen and strange strang com complications are arising in consequence Sudden Sudden Sudden Sud Sud- den marriages cram the social social social so so- cial columns of the pers Only this morning a i marriage is announced between between be- be tween a charming California girl and a young lieutenant whom she had known exactly 22 days In another 22 days he willbe will willbe be DC off for ports unknown and the wife widow will have months of loneliness to face If she mopes and grieves at home she loses a great deal of natural young pleasure and amusement and if she goes out with other men she will quickly forget even what David looks like Either way such a marriage is a mistake and foredoomed to trouble of one sort or another Another angle on this hasty- hasty service-marriage service situation is presented presented presented pre pre- to me in a letter from Alicia K who lives in Tucson Alicia had hada a soldier-beau soldier last June and al although although although al- al though she is barely 20 and the theman theman theman man only a few years older and although although although al al- al- al though they had known each other only a few weeks they were eager to be married before he sailed away Alicia's stepmother prevented them and Alicia says she will never forgive her The stepmother prevailed prevailed prevailed pre pre- upon Alicia's father and grandfather to forbid the match and the young man resenting their attitude attitude attitude atti atti- tude went off ofT without saying good- good by Tragedy of Sweethearts Last week he was reported missing missing missing miss miss- ing in action in the Solomons and Alicia feels worse than ever Oh why couldn't they have had at least leasta a few weeks as man and wife she wails By this time a baby might have been on the way way way-Steve's Steve's Steves child to comfort her and take his fathers father's place Yes that's true Alicia To be a ayoung ayoung ayoung young widow expecting a heros hero's posthumous child is a role very appealing appealing appealing ap ap- ap- ap pealing to your 20 years and you quite naturally feel cheated out of it But if you had married your Steve you might find yourself with another sort of role to play play one one not half as romantic and easy For Steve might have come home early in the peace to turn out to be quite different from the man you ber Indeed you might hardly know Steve by sight much less be willing willingto to spend your whole life lice with him Or you might have met the man you liked far more than you ever liked Steve you might while Steve was away have discovered your true mate and have had in honesty to meet Steve with the bitter news that you and little Steve weren't ever going back to him That happened in the last war many nany times Girls who after a few dances a few thrilling visits to the big camp had jumped into hasty marriages found the tie extremely burdensome when the men came home Another variation of this problem comes to me in a letter from a girl girlin in Miami Vera didn't marry her young man but their engagement was announced and they plan planned ed a wedding for March of this year when he expects to get back with his bomber and will have a few weeks leave Joey writes his Vera faithfully faithfully faithfully faith faith- fully and tells her that the thought of her is like a guardian angel al al- al- al ways beside him His mother writes her too and thanks her for her wonderful goodness to her boy Joey hasn't had much happiness in his lif life because of responsibility for me and for his sister the mother moth moth- er writes But now Margaret is married and I am so much better and it rejoices all aU our hearts to think of the joy that has come to the best son and brother in the world Girl Meets Preferred Boy The trouble ms is that Vera has met David and David is everything that thata a young girl dreams He is 32 to Joey's 24 he is in uniform stationed in Washington marked for a distinguished distinguished distinguished dis dis- dis- dis career I went up to stay with my cousin cousinin in Baltimore writes Vera and Hand at ata a service dance met David He is everything everything EVERYTHING Handsome Handsome Handsome Hand Hand- some quiet authoritative with a wonderful social position and rich When I told him about Joey and my engagement I couldn't make things quite as definite as they were and as a result David talks of Joey's feeling for me as if it were not very serious and of mine toward Joey as asif asif asif I if it were all a girls girl's kindness in a time that is emotional for us all So that I am really in a bad predicament ment for naturally I am afraid of losing David if things hang fire too long and I cannot think now of marrying marrying marrying mar mar- Joey without a shudder For what I feel for him now I see is merely affection and sympathy Sometimes of late lying awake and worrying for the first time in my y life I have felt teat t at it would be al almost almost almost al- al most the best solution to 10 hear that something had happened to Joey for anything is better than breaking his heart and yet I feel that I have to tobe tobe tobe be honest with myself and David too It is perhaps quite obvious that Vera is a shallow little creature quite carried away by the excitement excitement excitement excite excite- ment of having two handsome uniformed uniformed uniformed uni uni- formed beaus in a few short months And it is also obvious that Joey is isto isto isto to be congratulated if he faces th the humiliation and disappointment that Veras Vera's treatment will cause him and waits to find a worthier woman Girl Unsure of Feelings I 1 But at the same time young girls are often carried by war time changes and thrills into what seems a very real feeling and it is not their fault that the feeling does not last Years ago it used to be against the gallant sailors and soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers who loved and kissed and went away that girls were warned But now the warning should go both ways and the youngsters who indulge indulge indulge in in- in these flirtations ought tobe tobe to tobe be willing to leave them at flirtation status My advice to Vera which she will not follow is ms to wait until Joey comes back again and then have a talk with him give him back the plain little ring that cost him a months month's pay and explain that she was too young to be cure of her feelings feelings feelings feel feel- ings last June and wants to wait for awhile before she marries any any- one |