Show Kathleen Norris Says Yr t About About Hasty Weddings in Wartime Bell Syndicate Syndicate Features Feature I 1 r 1 t s st t r i 1 l n nv v 1 f y 1 i O 1 i Ii J l Joe loe walked calked across the floor loor held his hiJ two big bi hands hanc out to me and said If Father here will marry us will you ou take a chance with me Julia I By KATHLEEN NORRIS I I TAST AST week I went to two wedI wed- wed IT I dings One was vas a golden J wedding and the other was vas a war wedding The bride at atthe atthe atthe the war wedding had known her herman herman herman man for something a little less than two months But those who love her and those who know him are not afraid that they are making any mistake The answer lies in the character charac charac- ter of the two The man is a fine serious affectionate home lov ing ly-ing mother-loving mother person who wears the uniform of the United States navy the girl a loving eager generous loyal little creature creature creature crea crea- ture whose longing through in her many a happy giddy time dancing and party house-party days 1 1 hus- hus has been true to one lue ideal ll a nus- nus band to love lover a home children Those are great words she said to me with tears in her smiling eyes when the exciting moment of going to the marriage license bureau bureau bu bu- bu reau arrived She looked about with radiant approval upon the couples old and young black and white and brown who were streaming into the city hall For better or worse for richer or poorer in sickness and health I MEAN those she told the to groom I 1 mean them too he added gravely And cherish she said laugh laugh- ing I 1 love that word I I am going to be the cherishing est wife you ever saw And the most cherished he told her And when the next day standing standing standing stand stand- ing in a glowing September garden garden garden gar gar- den we heard them make the solemn solemn solemn sol sol- sol sol- promises we believed them Golden Wedding Hilarious Event The golden wedding was an altogether altogether altogether alto alto- gether more hilarious affair as a golden wedding has a right to be Sons were there a daughter the sons' sons wives the daughters daughter's husband nine grandchildren and approximately approximately approximately 50 uncles aunts cousins and collaterals Also a great-grandchild great named Julia for her great grand mother aged five weeks old There were a great many kisses much blarney bursts of laughter attempted attempt attempt- ed silencing of children running up and down stairs Ma wore a plum colored silk anda and ana anda anaa a real Irish lace collar but these didn't prevent her rushing into the kitchen to see to the turkey roast ing or dashing upstairs to bubble little Julia after her two-o'clock two bot bot- tle Ma and Dad got many presents Dad has served the city of Brooklyn faithfully as a fireman for almost half-a-century half his friends came in in during the day to add their congratulations congratulations congratulations to the general uproar and the heap of golden presents grew really formidable as the hours went on rod Golden-rod and golden chrysanthemums chrysanthemums chrysanthemums chrysan chrysan- orange cakes gold cakes two gold watches two gold chains rimmed gold-rimmed plates from the grandchildren grandchildren grandchildren grand grand- children gold-framed gold photographs gold platters and boxes the gold river iu flowe n d on nn into the ni night nt u TN JIL did tJ J Where d did id I meet t Joe Ma a ato said to me when Julia bottled and bubbled bubbled bubbled bub bub- bled had fallen asleep on her experienced experienced experienced ex ex- shoulder and we had a quiet moment together upstairs Well there was a time when I wouldn't have told you but now Ill I'll tell you how it was My cousin Anna was going to marry Joe and she was playing fast and loose she would and she Id I'd never neverseen neverseen neverseen seen Joe I was to meet him at my grandfathers grandfather's house in Cork the night of the wedding I 1 was 17 Well we all got to the house end no Anna The priest was there FOR RICHER OR POORER Character is the answer to the question o of f whether or not to enter enter enter en en- ter into a hasty wartime mar mar- marriage Here is the story o of f a couple couple couple cou cou- who spent 50 ideal years together to to- gether yet they had never seen each other until 15 minutes before before before be be- fore their marriage Girls today must realize realie that their soldiers will return changed some changed some for forthe forthe forthe the better some for the worse Bills a small income and sacrifices sacrifices ces of the early days of marriage marriage mar ngar- are a sharp contrast to the light hearted days o of f honeymoon ing But strong characters can make these very difficulties a strengthening influence and the family and friends and there stood Joe sailing that week for America and America and no Anna And the thelast thelast thelast last minute when we were all as nervous as witches didn't Annas Anna's father stand up and say that to his shame hed he'd have to tell us that Anna had backed down she wouldn't marry anyone and go away from Ireland and her mother that mother that she wouldn't not for ten Joe Moores Substitute BrideWell BrideWell BrideWell Bride Well I began to cry And when the priest spoke sharply to me and asked me why I 1 would be crying I spoke up the up-the the little shy thing that I Iwas was was and and said that Joe looked like a good man and a kind one and it was a pity a girl like Anna would miss him And at that Joe walked across the floor held his two big hands out to me and said If ll Father Father Father Fa Fa- Fa- Fa ther here will marry us will you take a chance chanc with me Julia and the priest said to my mother though she looked for 20 years shed she'd do no better And Joe and I sailed away that week with everyone's blessing and me asking him on the ship did he take milk in his tea or didn't he And a good man hes he's been to tome tome tome me ended the bride of half cen tury tears again in her smiling eyes No woman ever had a better better better bet bet- ter But Id I'd never laid eyes on him until 15 minutes before I married him These two true stories are in answer answer an an- to the thousands of anxious mothers and wives who write me about the flood of wartime weddings that are engulfing the country My general advice to the girls is not to marry just before the known hardly-known groom sails away for foreign ice Ive I've even warned them against engagements for the man who comes back from Kiska or Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Guadalcanal Guadal Guadal- canal or Naples isn't going to be the theman theman theman man who went away or rather isn't going to be what she thought he was He may be nicer he may be benot benot benot not so nice Whatever he is hell he'll be different from your memory of him hun All the time hes he's gone you'll be imagining him You'll naturally build him up into something super super- human When the other girls ask if hes he's handsome generous amusing amusing amus amus- ing smart your answer will of course be a dreamy ecstatic Yes Certainly he was handsome in his new uniform of course he was generous generous generous gen gen- erous on that hurried three-day three hon He must be smart because because be be- cause he was offered a really fine job when he graduated from college college col col- col lege only of course being drafted he couldn't accept it Troubles Ahead in Marriage But when he comes back it wont won't be honeymoon Your first budget may be 20 a week Bills uncertainties uncertainties uncertainties and economies economics may complicate complicate cate your first year together Are Arc you willing to face that courageously courage |