Show i Kathleen N Norris orris Says Say Is It Love or Restlessness Bell Syndicate Feature i 5 J i o if v r rHe brood He gate gave abstracted sympathetic attention to Helen and the needs of o ohis his hiJ forlorn By KATHLEEN NORRIS HE Millers have one son THE Quentin aged 22 When Quentin was drafted into the army the Millers' Millers hearts broke they wept they told the their r agonized fears to everyone they might have been the only parents of the only boy who ever was drawn into a war Quentin was sent to Maine presently had two weeks leave The Millers went to Boston from Cal California ornia at a cost of about a thousand dollars and Quentin came down there and they had ten days together They saw l shows and movies and went to restaurant dinners Quentin was bored of course for he knew no girls of his own age and had no friends in Boston The Miller parents parents parents par par- were bored too they couldn't talk camp all the time prices staggered staggered staggered stag stag- them they missed the comfortableness comfortableness com corn of home and the nearness nearness nearness near near- ness of friends On the train coming home they had a section ih in a packed car The chairs in the lounge and club car were rented to weary soldiers The dressing rooms were cluttered with women filling nursing bottles and setting their hair and even sleeping sleeping sleeping sleep sleep- ing ingon on the floor Two meals a day were served but not to the Millers for they couldn't get near the dining dining dining din din- ing room On Once e they bought some sandwiches and once a box of f crack crack- ers At Omaha they managed to get some coffee Traveling with them were many soldiers and many women The soldiers soldiers soldiers sol sol- sol sol- diers had some reason to be there the women none No the women had neither reason nor right to be bethere I there any more than the Millers had t Crowds of Sentimental Travelers Most of these women were bound bounda a on sentimental journ journeys ys as the Millers Millers Millers Mil Mil- lers were Spurred by the unanswerable able thought ht I may not see him again they were trailing their warriors warriors warriors war war- to the camps air fields docks railway centers They were making making making mak mak- ing of their emotional crises an excuse excuse ex ex- ex- ex cuse cure to clutter up the travel resources resources re re- sources of the entire nation Prevent prevent pre Pre- vent service men from making necessary necessary 1 essar essary journeys complicate everything everything every every- i thing for every official along the thel l t. t 1 whole way I One of these traveling wives landed landed landed land land- ed in a western town a few days ago I talked to her She was a weak pretty creature of about 30 she had come from a town in Iowa rowa to Ct see Harry arry Hes He's es e's going overseas I haven haven't t seen him since June and this is September and of course 1 the children and I may not ever see him again she said The children were small pale boys of five and three and a baby girl of seven months All AU three were dirty bewildered bewildered bewildered be be- hungry hot uncomfortable ble beyond be any dream of child tor tor- tor- tor ture They had sat up nights ni they had gone without food they hadn't hadn had baths or quiet beds for a week They had seen their mother crying and frightened and lost more than once They had no place to go anything like provision for her visit or arrangements or reservations hadn't ever entered Helens Helen's head She didn't know how they were to get back to Iowa she was running out of money Well Wen Harry did come up from San Diego and she saw sa saw him for 24 hours He was absorbed l in his great adventure interested in nothing but his fellow soldiers his orders his regiment his trip But he gave abstracted sympathetic attention to Helen and the needs of his forlorn little brood Charity was called in VISITING SOLDIERS AT BUSY CAMPS Wives who travel via crowded trains to busy army camps to visit their soldier husbands are not displaying true devotion according according ac ac- ac cording to Kathleen Norris It is not fair to children to carry them themon on stuffy overloaded trains that are needed for military men Meals will not be regular sleep is lost and after a a along long dusty trip only the dingiest o of f lodging f facilities facilities ties are usually available Also visiting wives and children complicate complicate complicate com com- plicate matters for a busy soldier He probably would appreciate a along along along long letter much more Helen dirty tired all but penniless smiled appealingly at charity's chanty's agent I 1 had to see Harry she said simply He mightn't come home Trouble for Busy Soldier Harry was embarrassed and apol apol- After all an he wasn't in the begging class and here were four human beings belonging to him asking for food beds baths shel shel- ter Crowded temporary quarters were found somehow for the children children children chil chil- dren although soldiers at t that time tune were sleeping on the marble floors of hotels and Helen sat up all night in an armchair Harry sailed the next day anxious ashamed and annoyed Yes annoyed He knew that women and babies have no right to be on trains in wartime and his last impression of his family family family fam fam- ily was that of an exhausted wife who had barely enough money to get home even if all train and bus connections were made promptly and of three crying draggled miserable miserable miserable mis mis- erable children Now the railways make other regulations regulations regulations reg reg- to which we all have to bow Why dont don't they make one more Why dont don't they prohibit the conveyance of small children for forthe forthe forthe the duration except of course in incases incases incases cases where families are moving to other jobs or making permanent changes Thousands of wives bored by the lone s lonesomeness m-eness m and dullness of wartime living get the sudden notion to take the boys and go to Bills Bill's camp and just see him It isn't devotion for it gives Bill only an anxious self-conscious self and uncomfortable uncomfortable un comfortable sort of pleasure at best if indeed it gives him pleasure at i all Visiting wives and parents complicate complicate complicate com com- plicate matters terribly theres there's a war on Bill is involved in it and the things of home seem very far away Nine times out of ten Bill would much more appreciate a long cheerful letter accompanied by cigarettes cigarettes cigarettes cig cig- cig- cig books snap shots or candy Family at Camp a Problem Hello darling Buster and I had to come to see our Daddy I says Mabel all freshened up in a comfort comfort comfort com com- fort station suddenly appearing in all the excitement of camp She is fascinated by everything but Bill shouldering Buster doesn't see it all allin allin in the he same glamorous light Where are you staying dear Well Vell we dont don't know We thought wed we'd have lunch in the cafeteria and then find some nice quiet place for Busters Buster's nap Hes He's fretful because the train was v so hot Bill reflects that the majors major's wife after a three weeks' weeks hunt hurit has just found four rooms over a garage and andis andis andis is thankfully paying two hundred a month for them Dont you think youve you've got a smart little wife to come 17 hundred miles in this heat to see you Mabel Mabel Mabel Ma Ma- bel n asks ks happily walking along beside beside beside be be- side him nd what Bill but i And can say yes |