Show i I II I f Kathleen Norris Says I That Sweetheart in irL Uniform Bell Syndicate Features L t. t r f- f fF v 1 l F J t v 1 t ai 11 c J Y I o i t r to r t I jt i d' d 1 1 t too r I met a junior lieutenant in the navy a darling boy We became engaged Bill went an away ay to sea By KATHLEEN NORRIS NORRISA A FEATURE of these war warL L years to me is a mail bag L full of letters from girls who have fallen in love with marines marines marines ma ma- rines sailors and soldiers Ive I've answered several hundred of them that I believe it is a mistake mistake mistake mis mis- take for a girl to marry a man manfrom manfrom from some other t town wn or state a man she has known only a few weeks or months and a man who is off for the war areas It is of course romantic and beautiful a sudden marriage between a soldier and the girl he has just met the girl with whom he has been dancing and picnicking for fora a few exciting weeks But after all an anthey they know nothing of each other and I when the glamour of war dies away when the boy comes home a man and when the question of a job a ahome ahome ahome home a new kind of life arises it seems to me that their chances of being still in love with each other are very slim Well if not marriage how about engagements then But engagements engagements engagements engage engage- ments can be almost as troublesome as the actual vows of marriage are Here is the case of Alma typical of other hundreds of cases Alma is isan isan isan an Indiana girl she writes from Fort Wayne t Regrets Hasty Engagement Last September says her letter letter letter let let- ter I went to visit cousins in New NewYork NewYork NewYork York and there I met a junior- junior lieutenant in the navy a darling boy from Macon Ga who was just 24 I am 19 We Ve became engaged Both of my cousins were also engaged engaged engaged en en- to servicemen and one of them is already married to hers Bill went away to sea but I wore his ring until Christmas day Then Thena a young lawyer in my fathers father's office of of- fi flee fice e talked ked to me very s seriously about it and I began to realize that perhaps I was not still feeling to Bill what I had felt at first This man who is 32 is in every way the finest man I ever knew in my life I had always thought him in love with another girl and was completely complete complete- ly surprised when he told me that there had never been anyone else in inthe inthe inthe the world for him but me He suggested suggested suggested sug sug- that we go out together occasionally occasionally occasionally occa occa- and my mother and father agreed that it was foolish for me to refuse all invitations because of an affair that had only lasted three weeks The result was that my love lovee e turned entirely to Fred and I would be the happiest woman in the world if we could be married as he hopes sometime this spring He is also in inthe j I the service and may be called But on our last day in New York r together Bill bought me a ring that I h loved all the more because it wast was t not expensive or showy and when I kissed him good-by good I solemnly promised promised promised prom prom- to wait for him Will you adt advise ad ad- advise t vise me as to the right way out ut I would not marry marry Bill now in any case as my feelings for Fred are far deeper and more adult than any t H Bill ever roused in me in every way lY y this is suitable a more match for I know mow nothing of B Bills Bill's ll's family nor home town and he always talked as if after the war he would want to return home Whereas my father and mother are devoted to Fred and his whole family loves me I shall be waiting your answer and shall Ih hu i It abide n b un our advice Y J Y YGo Go Slowly With Fred My advice my dear Alma comes too late It is advice all the girls who are losing their hearts to our ur servicemen might well take Promise Prom Prom- ise to write if you like promise to meet him at the dock when he comes back but dont don't promise to marry him dont don't get engaged again The I war may not and please God will I not last very long but however short the time it lasts it will change him and change you He will go to other dances meet other girls And nine times out of ten you will have to write him the hard letter that tells him you have forgotten him or he will be racking his brains to think up just the right phrases to break to you the humiliating news that you are jilted So 50 why give yourselves all this misery Why not dance with him and go about with him and write I him letters but when you must part why not say Now remember I like you tremendously and if we I like each other this much when you yeu come home well we'll be married but butI I were we're not engaged And in your letters be sure to tell him that you are going about pretty much as before before before be be- fore with this boy and that and sign yourself your loving but not- not engaged Alma That will let him himl himI l I know that he isn't breaking your heart if he writes you that he he- wants to be free and will let you know that the news of your engagement to another man wont won't fall upon him like an enemy bomb Some weeks ago I had in this column column column col col- a heart breaking letter from a serious much-in-earnest much deeply loving loving loving lov lov- ing bride whose young sailor husband husband husband hus hus- band wrote her from Central America America America Amer Amer- ica that she must not announce their marriage because none of his friends knew of it that he thought they would b both th be happier free and that he Had h-ad come to the conclusion that five weeks' weeks acquaintance was not enough time upon which to base a lasting affection And if this letter letteris is hard reading for a girl at home it is ever harder reading to a lonely boy far away from everyone and everything he loves Honorable Course Is Hard The honorable course for Alma is isa isa isa a hard one She should wait until Bill comes home from the war and then tell him the truth He may come home indifferent but he may be one of the faithful kind who cant can't wait to get back to his girl and renew renew renew re re- re- re new the delights of their early love To have Fred the older admirer with everything to recommend him hum deliberately attempt to wean her affections affections affections af af- af- af away from Bill does not say much for Freds Fred's generosity of spirit but much has to be forgiven n a man who loves and who may be sent away at any time Nor does Almas Alma's fickleness particularly reflect dig- dig u u nay nuy upon her ner character But for Almas Alma's consolation be it said the chances are Bill ISN'T going going going go go- ing to break his heart The chances are that those three delirious weeks in New York didn't make a much deeper impression upon him than upon her |