Show kathleen norris says that sweetheart in uniform bell syndicate features feature d r 0 I 1 aft 1 I met a junior lieutenant in the navy a darling boy we became engaged bill went away to sea by KATHLEEN NORRIS A FEATURE of these war A years to me is a mail 1 bag full of letters f from rom girls who have fallen in love with marines sailors and soldiers ive answered severa several hundred of them that I 1 believe it is a mistake for a girl to marry a man from some other town or state a man she has known only a few weeks or months and a man who is off for the war areas it is of course romantic and beautiful a sudden ma marriage ariage between a soldier and the girl he has just met the girl with whom he has been dancing and picnicking for or taut but after all they know nothing of each other and when the he glamour of war dies away when the boy comes home a me man n and when the question of a job a home a new kind of life arises it seems to me that their chances of being still in love with each other are very slim well if not marriage how about engagements then but engagements can be almost as troublesome as the actual vows of marriage are here is the case of alma typical ot of other hundreds of cases alma Is an indiana girl she writes from fort wayne regrets hasty engagement last september says her let ter 1 I went to visit cousins in new york and there I 1 met a junior lieutenant in the navy a darling boy from macon ga who was just 24 1 I am 19 we became engaged both of my cousins were also en to servicemen ano and one of them Is already married to hers bill went away to sea but I 1 wore his ring until christmas day then a young lawyer in my fathers office talked to me very seriously about it and I 1 began to realize that perhaps I 1 was not still feeling to bill what I 1 had felt at arst this man who Is 32 is in every way the finest man I 1 ever knew in my life I 1 had always thought him in love with another girl and was completely surprised when he told me that there had never been anyone else in the he world for him but me he suggested 9 ested that we go out together occasionally sio alo nally and my mother and lather agreed that it was foolish tor for me to refuse all invitations because of an affair that baj only lasted three weeks the result was that my love turned entirely to fred and I 1 would be the happiest woman in the world it we could be married as he hopes sometime time this spring he is also in the service and may be called but on our last day in new york together bill bought me a ring that I 1 loved all the more because it was not expensive or showy and when I 1 kissed him goodby good by I 1 solemnly promised to wait tor for him will you advise me as to the right way out I 1 would not marry bill now in any ease case as my fe feelings ellings lor for fred are tar for deeper and more adult than any bill ever roused in me in every way this Is a more suitable match for or I 1 know nothing of bills family nor home bome town and he always talked as if after the war he would want to return home whereas rny my father and mother are devoted to fred and his whole family loves me I 1 shall be waiting your answer and shall bide abide by your advice go slowly with fred my advice my dear alma comes too late it Is advice all the girls who are losing their hearts to our servicemen ervi cemen might well take promise to write it if you like promise to met him at the dock when he comes k BINDING TIES being engaged to a service serviceman you y ou have just met 4 t is t s as unwise as being married to him kathleen norris thinks for the ties in either case are binding and rarely aarel lead to anat anything hing but grief for both of you you may meet someone else arid and so may he and each of you if you are at all honorable will hesitate to hurt the others feelings so dance with your y our sailor soldier or marine marine I 1 meet his train when he comes home for a visit write to him but dont prom ise ise to marry himl him back but dont promise to marry him dont get engaged g I 1 the war may not and please god will not last very long but however short the time it lasts it will change him and change you he will go to 0 other the r dances meet other girls and nine afrie times out of ten you will have t to 0 write him the hard letter that tells him you have forgotten him or he will be racking his brains t to 0 think up just the right phrases to break to you the humiliating news that you are jilted so why give yourselves all this misery why not dance with him and go about with him and write him letters but when you must part w why hy not say now remember I 1 like you tremendously and if we like each other this much when you mma hp be married hut but were not eng enga a gedl and in your letters be sure to tell him that you are going about pretty much as before with this boy and that and sign yourself your loving but not engaged alma that will let him know that he bri breaking aking your heart if he writes you that he wants to be tree free and will let you know that the news of your engagement to another man wont tall fall upon him uke like an enemy bomb some weeks ago I 1 had in this column a heartbreaking heart breaking letter from a serious much ln in earnest deeply loving bride whose young sailor husband wrote her from central america that she must not announce their marriage because none of his friends knew of it that he thought they would both be happier tree free and that he had bad come to the conclusion that five weeks acquaintance was not enough time upon which to hase base a lasting affection and it if this letter Is hard reading tor for a girl at home it is ever harder reading to a lonely boy tar far away from everyone and everything he loves honorable course Is hard the honorable course for alma is a hard one she should wait until bill comes home from the war and then tell him the truth he may come home indifferent but he may be one of the faithful kind who cant wait to get back to the girl and renew the delights of their early love to have fred the older admirer with everything ever thing to recommend him deliberately attempt to wean her affections away from bill does not say much for freds generosity of espirit but much has to be forgiven a man who loves and who may be sent away at any time nor does almat almas fickleness particularly reflect dig ruty upon her character but tor for almas consolation ie be it said the chances are bill going to break his heart the chances are that those three delirious weeks in new York make a much deeper impression upon him than upon her |