Show kathleen norris says jealousy proves costly sin bell W features Fei turf shame and ami grief shut her somewhat into herself bersel lf taft ani aa she devoted herself to her violin practice by KATHLEEN NORRIS HEN alice kent married WHEN V she had a secret she wed at 27 married a distinguished professional man some years her senior the secret had to do with something alice had done at 20 at that age she was deeply in love and willing to sacrifice everything for it the young man who was her lover had no money no job no prospects he was like herself being supported by his parents who lived a thousand miles away from the college both alice and dean attended alice and dean carried on their unhappy secret affair for some months then the death of deans father called him suddenly home to support an invalid mother and two younger brothers alice grieved and waited waited a year another year and then received the announcement of deans marriage shame and grief shut her somewhat into herself after that and she devoted herself to her violin practice john kent Is an amateur musician too their piano and violin work first drew them together drew them to an ideally happy marriage they have one daughter verity who shows musical talent even now at 6 shadow impends Im our life together has been ideal writes alice 1 I have been the happiest woman in the world for nine years now comes a real shadow john recently has been fretting me with questions as to my past life I 1 must either lie ile or tell him the truth one of these days I 1 deeply resent the necessity of doing either he idolizes me he idolizes ae our wonderful musical life together yet he be wants assurance over ever and over ever again that he comes first with me that there Is nobody else that there never was anyone else not seriously that hat Is just kid affairs eh al lie uee you yon never really loved any man inan but me eh 1 I feel as it if he would drive me crazy with his hints and his curiosity writes alice 1 I already have put him off more than once with a half amused reference to the fact that I 1 was three years old when we met he be then in high school and that of course I 1 instantly tell fell for his charms he comes back and back to the subject and has managed to get me into a nervous state that drives me to you tor for help dean never has returned to our town whether he is living or dead I 1 dont know and am not apt to find out the past seems dead but to john it may seem very much alive what would you do absurd concern the absurdity of johns sudden concern alice evidently impress him and therefore has to be taken seriously to be fortunate enough to have a devoted wife and lovely child his home filled with music and his financial affairs unusually satisfactory enough lor for john he must dig into the past excavate something that will make him and alice miserable and then probably go to extreme pains to wipe it an all out again understand be generous forgive and forget certain types ot of men and women really seem to enjoy torturing themselves this way jealousy surely the most cost peter is an enthusiastic guest a ly of all the cardinal sins knows no law it must be satisfied that it has something on which to teed feed after which the wretched victim of his own jealousy never will be quite happy again inasmuch as dean alices old lo 10 lover ver is living and not too far distant it is extremely likely that some hint bint of the old affair has reached john even if it at any moment it may in her place I 1 would seize the next good opportunity to go drean dreamily adly into the whole story half sad halt half sympathetic over the frustrated love of her year when john asks the crucial question answer it honestly oh yes john it seems strange looking back but we were very much in love it if john is smug as impeccable himself as he sounds he will be deeply and dramatically pained he will grieve he will express his amazement that his own alice should not have told him this before he will say that he must have time to digest this and perhaps to go sleep in the spare room tables reversed it if I 1 could reach john I 1 would tell him the story of 0 peter and paula paula a handsome clever sort of girl made this sort of revelation some 10 years after their marriage when their beautiful girls were 4 and 5 peter went into the astounded husband act and decided that they must part paula wept went into banishment on a small hillside farm she and the girls have made this farm so delightful a place that inevitably evit ably among other enthusiastic weekend guests is peter lonely homeless ashamed what the outcome will be those of us in ohp sa cret know to the rest of the world all that is known is that lovely amusing mrs peter lives in the country and peter gets chere whenever he can when he comes back it will be paula who makes the terms and they wont be too easy I 1 think it serves him right |