The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1930-04-24
X SIR|I4ITY-DOD(TERS By Be
Women Who
Shirk Their
Duties
BY Beatrice Fairfax
An Authority on Problems Of
Love and Marriage

Love anu NA0ENA@&C
Do you remember reading
about a queer triangle Of mar
ried life a week or two ago?
A woman with an eighteen
months-old baby discovered she
was no longer in love with her
husband! Her heart didn't
bound when she heard his step
on the stairs. His latch key
rafting in the lock declined
to speed her to the mirror or
her powder compact. His com,
monplaces of speech like pleas
ant weather we're having" or
sit looks like rain" did rot seem
worthy to be inscribed on the
tablets of bronze, or in their
more modern equivalents, cleo
trio light bulbs.
No, all these delightful thrills
were reserved for another lady's
husband. who had been married
to a devoted wife for ten years.
Now here is where that deSpiSed
Victorian word duty would have
saved one life, modest for
tune, and q good deal Of heart
break all around.
But duty is out Of fashion,
It's not modern, in fact it's too
Victorian. The lady-She hap
pened to be a miSsionary's
aughter-thought she'd like to
go away with the other lady's
husband and travel for a while,
after that, she'd make her de-
cision. if she liked her husband
better than the affinity. she'd
come back to her husband. or,
vice VerSa-wasn't she q nice
IMPARTIAL lady?
The husband didn't go gun.
ming for the affinity-they were
all terribly modern, you see
instead of pistols. daggers or
even bricks, they decided to talk
it out. It was more like a play
than real life.
All three of them talked and
talked, and the husband gave
his consent for the wife to go
away and travel with the affin-
ity. The lady packed her trunk
and departed with the other
lady's husband who borrowed
$1,000 from friend for the
trip.
Ain obliging grandmother
agreed to look after the Is,
months-old baby-modify the
milk, strain the spinach, and
see to the other wearisome de-
tails of infant life while Mamma
was away deciding which
gentleman she preferred. Duty,
obligation, responsibility did not
enter in at all-theSe are mod
ern people.
One can't help wondering if
the clipping mother banging the
door on domestic problems as
Nora banged the door in IbSen'S
DOLLS House." didn't have in
mind the manner in which one
of our leading actresses would
handle such a part on the stage.
Because ladies who bang the
door on responsibilities they
themselves have created, are
usually of theatrical turn of
mind. They visualize their
domestic vagaries as world
dramas. unconSciouSly perhaps,
they borrow a good deal from
the stars. Drop their voices a
Ia Barrimore, are fascinatingly
feline as Nazimova, or follow
after Jane Cowl-about 1000
miles.
Well after a month in those
pleasant places. outside the
twelve-mile limit. where you can
get anything you like with your
meals, and the friends $11 900
all gone but SIT, the lady de-
cided to return to her husband.
She wired him she was coming
and the affinity, perhaps feel
ing he had a raw deal, blew out
his brains.
The faithful wife sent the
following telegram to her hus-
band when she heard of the
shooting: Because Of my love
for you, fight till I get there.
Hold on for me-" But he was
dead before the message
reached him.
AS for the survivors, I'm glad
the baby has grandmother to
modify the milk, strain the
spinach. and look after the
other wearisme details of infant
life.
DADHINN ETDE