Show 0 n Kathleen Norris Says When WILen the Losing Woman W DInan Wins Bell Syndicate Features 1 r I r y I I 1 ti G S C r r 1 t AL- AL r rt sr iT 1 1 I 1 r. r I II I Ili r r T 1 it r It r The trouble began ulten he came home one day to report that Mummy had come cometo to school and had taken him to lunch She had promised him trips to the circus and the movies monies and given him a penknife By KATHLEEN NORRIS t JY Y problem is a madI maddening maddening mad- mad MY I dening one writes 1 V 1 Molly Bates from Syracuse New York I am 21 A year ago I fell in jn love with my employer whose married life was one long quarrel She was in love with an army airman whom she married later Lynn and his small boy of eight went to Reno I went to my sister in San Francisco and we were married there as soon as he was free A happy month followed then Lynn who is a doctor was sent to China and Junior and I came home to Syracuse where sister-in-law sister and her my baby joined us for the duration Junior is an eager normal affectionate affectionate affectionate af af- af- af little fellow and I know he loves me But the trouble began began began be be- gan when he came home one day to report that Mummy had bad come to school and had bad taken him bim to lunch She Bhe had promised him trips to the circus and the movies and given him a penknife This mother of his went to San Diego upon her second marriage and has shown no interest in Junior until now He asked me if I minded him seeing his mother Of course I said no hoping that this exhibition of interest was just a flash in the panI panI pan I uI wrote to Lynn about it and he answered with much feeling that Adele was an unbalanced and and hysterical hysterical hysterical hys hys- person bound to excite and hurt Junior that she had shown no I affection for him in his babyhood and that the understanding was that she was to have no responsibility I for him whatsoever I He writes that she agreed a year ago to this ar ar- I Law in Interferes I But a complication is that my husbands husband's mother old Mrs Bates has always sympathized with Adele who evidently flatters and amuses her and while I am working working for for forI I I still keep my hours as office nurse at the clinic they clinic they often pick him up after school and carry him off for ice-cream ice cookies stories spoiling him generally His mother does his homework for him and he comes home tired unmanageable and with no appetite for supper He wants it debated continually I have to love my own mother most dont don't dontI I Aunt Mollie My Granny says that if Daddy gets killed Ill I'll go live with my real mother I UI went to mother-in-law mother see my tried to explain how difficult all this makes things for me Her answer was that if Lynn were home it would be different as it is the childs child's mother comes first She lives in a small apartment Adele also has a avery avery avery very small place but visits and goes about continually Here we have havea a spacious backyard and a windmill and Juniors Junior's friends live all about I went to see our lawyer He tells tens me that short of court proceedings I cannot do anything while Lynn is away Adele says that she wants her child and in any court he says that has tremendous appeal I dont don't want to admit myself beaten but I Ido Ido Ido do want your advice My advice Molly is that you surrender surrender surrender sur sur- render the child at once to his moth moth- er When Lynn gets home he can canI canJar SZ Jar r Ja J a r ti t. t r i l I riff all II miss mi his fai friends 0 LET HER IlER HAVE JUNIOR Molly finds herself in a tangled situation She is the second wife of a doctor now in service Her husband Lynn left his eight- eight year-old year son in her care All went well until Lynns Lynn's first wife Adele began to take tahe a renewed interest in her son Junior She Site now takes him to the show gives him hint presents presents pres pres- and in general spoils him hint Lately Adele has been demanding demanding demanding demand demand- ing possession of her child and hinting at legal action Lynn writing from off far j China is entirely entirely entirely en en- opposed to this It all places Molly in a difficult and annoying annoying annoying an an- I position Miss Norris counsels Molly to give in gracefully to Adeles Adele's wishes When hen Adele has had lead the care and worry that an year eight-year- old entails she will ivill probably be glad enough to relinquish him after a little while Then says Miss Norris Molly can make her own terms terns about taking him back reclaim him for there will be nothing nothing nothing noth noth- ing final in such a course but just now that will 1 be le e much the wisest plan Adeles Adele's actions smack just a little of malice she is evidently trying trying try try- ing to annoy you This will completely completely completely com com- reverse the situation and call the bluff of both these women An eig year old year old boy is a great care and responsibility he is noisy demanding demanding demanding de de- de- de manding destructive he cannot be left alone in an apartment and yet he cant can't be taken to week-end week parties parties parties par par- ties and dances The care of his clothes and meals is a real burden and to be away from his friends will make him all the more restless and dissatisfied Let them try it awhile and get a good rest yourself before upon some pretext or another er they send him back to you And I when they do make your own terms I Gain Lynns Lynn's Sympathy I If Lynn rages about this rise above it Merely answer him as amiably as you can that you talked to your lawyers who assured you that you have n no authority and that you will not make a legal battle of it until Lynn comes home Go on after that with the usual chatty affectionate affection affection- ate letters as if the question was closed once and for all If I you treat it in this spirit with no ugliness or argument Lynns Lynn's sympathy will inevitably go to you his young wife being harassed by these older women And very shortly short short- ly you will begin to receive messages messages messages mes mes- sages that Junior would like Jike to come home for the week-end week that tha t perhaps it t would be better for him to finish the school year under y your ur guidance since it is so much nearer Then you can say yes or no IIno just as you feel inclined If it is yes be sure to stipulate that only occasional visits are to be permitted permit permit- ted for the childs child's own oum sake to his mother and his grandmother Often in this life the bad thing turns into the good Often by conceding conceding conceding con con- ceding a point accepting a humiliating humiliating humiliating defeat we win through to a areal areal areal real rather than a seeming victory To lose the first trick in this case actually will give you all the trumps |