The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1925-05-04
The Tangle
LETTER FROM LESLIE PRES
COTT TO THE LITTLE MAR
QUISE, CARE OF THE
SECRET DRAWER

Well, it's all over and the mem
cries of 1t are put away in the
safety deposit vault, little Marqrise
don't know when l shall take it
out again. I have closed the first
book Of my life, which has been
passed in Albany. All that l have
written to you, all my thoughts, all
my problems, all my hopes and
fears, all my joys and sorrows; in
fact, all the first years of my mar
ried life, am putting away. l am
starting on a new path which prom
ises to be one very different from
the last.
Have l learned anything from the
last four years? l don't know 1t
almost seems TO me that / am just
as much a creature Of moods and
impulses, of little jealousies and
trivial prejudices as l always have
been.
There is, however. one thing that
| have learned, little Marquise, and
learned thoroughly. Love does not
change character. Character is
something of slow growth. Character
can be changed no more by love
than it can be changed by religion.
l think, perhaps, that l am grow
ing more tolerant. and l am almost
sure that Jack Is growing more
thoughtful but neither of us have
reached anything near the tolerance
or thoughtfulness that we have been
taught to believe would come to us
Immediately through a great love.
am an olo married woman now
with two children. l have passed
out of the romance of marriage long
ago. In fact, my romance was
shattered early and / have found
that life is very different from that
of which 1 dreamed. l am leaving
this place where the beginning of
my married life was spent, seeking
not thrills, not passionate love, not
even a great love, but contentment.
I want to be contented with con-
ditions.' l know that one should
never be contented with attainment,
and 1 am still seeking something
which, perhaps will come to me
sometime when l am old and pas
sionless and cold and sensible.
Four years ago. when I married
Jack. I did not have much Of an
idea Of what lay before me. l only
knew that when he was with me l
felt the thrill of his presence all
through my being. I wanted to be
with him always. begrudged
every moment that he had to be
away from me. Although I did not
know it. think | was jealous Of his
time. I liked to raise my eyes to
his and find admiration there. l
liked to nestle in his arms and find
tenderness there. I liked to hear
him speak, and find a caress in each
word. Until one morning when I
found tat I was not my husbands
first love | had not had room in my
heart for a jealous thought. Until
woke up after the motor accident
and found little Jack in my arms.
had not the slightest conception
of what a woman must feel toward
a helpless little human mite that
has been given into her care.
Until then all my world had been
in Jacks love for me. Since then I
found that world one of great illu-
sions and they faded out and then
came back and faded out again until
do not know whether the illusion
which is In my brain and soul is in
reality or that the material things
which are about me every day are
only real.
Copyright, 1925 NEA Service. Inc.)
TOMORROW - This letter con-
tinued.