Show kathleen norris says Retz returning inting husband flus band brings tragedy bell syndicate IV features A 17 ajr I 1 fill F fit she has loved peter all her tile life lie he is her ideal ol of a husband hus ond and father jle totes little bob as if he nere the child chilita s oun lather father and he idolizes idolises baby mollie by KATHLEEN NORRIS ERE is a real puzzler and H HERE a sad tragedy too I 1 am at a loss what to advise rosamond kay who writes me a charming letter from east st louis hers is one of those problems that can be solved only in her own heart she must weigh the claims of the two men in her life one against the other and decide which is the real claim rosamond was married seven years to robert she was then 20 she loved him very truly and when he was numbered officially among the dead in tunisia she grieved for many months then she married peter by robert she had a son now five years old by peter she has a daughter just one year old rosamond is 31 she writes me that her heart aches for robert coming home tired and sad after a long and agonizing imprisonment and illness but she says she has loved peter all her life ile he is her ideal of a husband and father he loves little bob as it if he were the childs own father and he idolizes baby mollie rosamond has to meet robert in a week or two and she know what to do for robert is hav living g and coming home to rejoin his wife and child petes finer in every way he has my letter now explaining the situation writes rosamond it was a terrible letter to write I 1 was prostrated with the shock of knowing that the man who was actually a ghost to rae me was coming back these years with peter have been heaven he is the more successful man the more popular the finer in every way robert is of a moody jealous nature ile he was always unhappy if I 1 took bob to visit my mother he disliked my having guests in the house he made enemies in his business we had not been married long before I 1 spent many hours in tears and doubt and realized the extreme difficulty of the path I 1 had chosen to emerge from all this into the security and joy of peters companionship his enthusiasms and plans was to come out into the sunlight after a time of shadows I 1 really had mourned robert I 1 was genuinely shocked by his reported death but after that I 1 learned what true married felicity can be now as to the children bob is is a shy affectionate little fellow who clings to me he has all but recovered physically from a bad session with infantile paralysis but it has left him dependent and nervous he dearly loves mollie who is a fat riotous laughing little tyrant already I 1 cannot bear to separate them and yet it is inconceivable that I 1 should take mollie to roberts house robert as a matter of fact has no house no job and not a single living relative also I 1 must say that he always was devoted devote d to bobby and bobby to him although naturally the small boy hardly remembers him now still roberts wife 1 I know the letter concludes that peter and I 1 are not legally married I 1 am still roberts wife shall I 1 return to him or shall I 1 ask him for a divorce and turn him over to lonesomeness and perhaps s heartbreak in my letter I 1 said come home and we will adjust all A pel P 1 e bob is u shy hy affectionate clinging ENOCH ARDEN DILE DILEMMA fortunately only a feta wives elves ever have to make the decision that rosamond must it is the enoch arden plot the supposedly dead husband ret returns 11 arns to find his ilife remarried and happier than she had ever been with hint him robert was teas reported dead b by y the war fear department during the tunisian campaign many months later rosamond married peter a fine man she had known knoll n all her life she already had a son five years old now she has a baby daughter mollie who resembles her father peter r this little family is quite happy to gether gettier get lier peter is successful jolly and affectionate robert has a moody and jealous disposition rosamond nevertheless realizes that robert is really her husband and that he lias has every right to her the shock of losing her after the bitter years of fighting and the misery of life in a german prison camp is almost unbearable to robert ile he is coming home soon and rosamond will have to face him site she doesn doean t know to do the thought of giving up the delightful life she is now leading b to return to a war ivar weary jobless man aitho at best was teas inferior to her present husband is almost maddening yet she kroics knoils her duty and can see sec no decent way ira y ou out t these matters you will see your adorable boy and believe me you are welcome despite these strange circumstances I 1 hardly could say less he has been fighting to protect these same babies from the hell that was nazi europe his answering letter takes it for granted that I 1 still love him perhaps in a pil pitying ty sorrowful way I 1 do peter will only say to me we must do what is right what in your opinion is right poor rosamond this is a heartbreaking situation to return to robert is more than can be expected of poor human flesh and blood she might make the effort but t to 0 be peor poor again hardworking hard working again separated from her laughing baby missing peter there is a daily hourly immolation that would call for supernatural per natural graces of an unusual kind roberts jealousy and moodiness add one more difficult note to a difficult position robert is not apt to 9 give ive up his place generously when he sees rosa Ro monds happiness or suspects it he will not subside into the amiable family friend willing to accept the overflow from the completely felicitous household so I 1 only can recommend prayer to rosamond gods ways are not our ways there are unexpected twists and turns and changes in any d domestic or crisis that can remove from it all the bitterness and rancor there is a certain mysterious rightness and smoothness about the curing of those ills that are taken to god in pr prayer ayer that is the one unfailing answer |