Show IA KATHLEEN NORRIS MORRIS Adultery Awful Word To Face u T AM in a very serious dilemma I I writes Ethel Wilsey from Roanoke Time which you so often say heals all wounds may solve this for me but meanwhile I II I would be glad of your opinion Would you ever advise a woman to o divorce her husband for no particular particular par- par reason and marry another man I dont don't think you would But Butet let et me explain the rather unusual circumstances My social and club circle is large but I cant can't consult anyone here I am 29 Ten years ago I married married married mar mar- ried a man 12 years my senior I liked Hart I loved my new name and my house and we really had some good times Then my two children were born and things quieted down Hart had a small salary my father died and that source of hospitality ended and I began to feel that life lie was a pretty steady drudge Hart began to travel a good deal three years ago and then hen my days were duller than ever even though there was more money World Upside Down Then I met Roger Just a quiet fine ine man at a card party at first Then Then fireworks Neither one of us had ever really been in love before and it turned the whole world upside upside upside up up- side down During Harts Hart's absences when my mother was with the children children children chil chil- dren I was free to come and go and in the first radiant happiness of our finding each other we were Y 1 ir r t. t l J with affair Roger both deeply truly heart Roger and his wife had meant nothing to each other for years his only daughter was away at school No one was hurt and everyone everyone everyone every every- one at home happier for the change In me for I seemed suddenly alive after so many years of slipping deeper and deeper into a rut But six weeks ago Rogers Roger's wife died It was only two days after her funeral that tha t in a talk with him himI I realized that he expects me to divorce Hart and marry him He takes the situation for granted and wants to talk to Hart about it Now the absolute truth is that I never stopped loving my husband husband husband hus hus- band and I adore my children My affair with Roger may have been foolish but I cannot see sec that it was wrong Nobody was hurt by it for forno forno forno no hint of it ever reached Hart his mother my mother or the chil chil- dren It would be simply impossible impossible impose sible no matter how much I wanted wanted want want- ed to do so to tear my life apart now and go with Roger to another town for he has just changed his job Hart lIart and I have been doing over my fa fathers father's ther- ther s old home arranging arranging arranging ar ar- ar- ar ranging rooms for the children and changing things about and all our friends are looking forward to a housewarming there It would completely completely completely com com- disrupt five lives not counting count ing my own to have me agree to Rogers Roger's proposals he takes it all as settled he feels as he says that it will win justify our love affair I am worried almost distracted by it In fact I cant can't eat cat or sleep for nervousness Roger wants my immediate consent and talks as if our love were still in m the stage it was two years ago I dont don't mean it isn't exactly but these things do grow less and one does not see them in the beginning as one does later on I have argued that my love for my children my home responsibilities and my position position position tion in the community are all against my making any such change but Roger regards all this as only one more evidence of my unselfishness and perfection and sweeps it away as nonsense I am quite confident that there will be no real trouble about this Ethels Ethel's letter concludes but I would be glad of your opinion If It Ethel is really confident that there is no real trouble here I can only marvel at her obtuseness I If ever there was real trouble in store store for a woman who quite obviously wants to hold on to home and husband husband husband hus hus- band and children this is it Between Between Between Be Be- tween the lines I can read a certain uneasiness Ethel may begin dimly dimly dimly dim dim- ly to suspect that home husband children position and very likely likely likely like like- ly material comfort have all been jeopardized by her sin |