The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1941-06-26
By r
w 7HEN a man, after
w twenty years of mar
rage gets tired Of his

Nv twenty years of mar
W rage, gets tired of his
wife, neglects her, hurts and
insults her, and openly ad-
mits that he wants to be freed
to marry another woman,
what is the wife to do?
This isn't a new problem,
but the shock and helpless
ness of it make it seem eter-
nally new to every woman to
whom it comes. Sometimes this
shock. coming to her at a bad phys
ical moment, almost upsets her rea-
son for a time.
Such a danger seems to ma very
close to Emily Baker, who writes
me from . big Massachusetts, man.
ufacturing town. Emily will be
fortunate if she can hold to her rea-
son and keep her balance in the
months ahead. IF she can, I think
I can promise her happiness and
serenity when this time has gone by.
A Quarter Century of Work.
Emily is so; she has been mar.
ried q years. She has a married
daughter living in the West: a mar
ried son living near her. and a
young daughter and son still at
home. She married for love, worked
hard as a young wife and mother.
never had a servant until a few
years ago. For a whole quarter
century she washed. cooked. busted,
made beds. dressed babies. served
meals. helped school-children with
their lessons, packed picnic has.
kets. trimmed Christmas trees.
Tom always came first with me-"
says her tear-stained letter. Din
ner every night included something
that Daddy especially liked. the
children must be respectful, consid-
crate of him when he was tired.
they must remember his birthday.
They all love him dearly, as indeed
I door did.
My younger son, now called by
the draft. is closely devoted to his
mother. But my unmarried daugh-
ter. Aida. thinks her father can do
no wrong. And he is doing wrong
now. my good, patient, generous
husband of a few years ago. Aida
works in his office. and also working
there is a woman some 10 years
older than she. divorced, with a boy
Of five, very beautiful and unscrupu-
lous. She has my husband COM
pletely bewitched.
Feels Old-Useless.
He began by being irritable ant
unreasonable with me, and i'm
patient because l was so often nerv.
GUS. tired. and sensitive. l feel my.
self to be old. gray, useless and
homely these days. and what / see
in my mirror only confirms the i'm
pressions. But I need tenderness so,
and the security of my home! And
those r just the things he proposes
to take away. He is handsome. rosy,
strong and young at SO. and seems
years younger than l..
Tom wants a divorce. He wants
to bring his young wife here and
have her keep house for him and
Aida when Don goes to camp in
June and l go west to visit my
daughter when her baby comes. He
says l am to 60 to Reno. stay with
Betty as long as I like, visit
anywhere l choose. l cannot ex-
press to you the forlornness of this
prospect without him and without
any one of the children, who have
been all my world for so many
years! l am not a baby. I am not
plying myself, but under no cir
cumstances could I compete in beau
ty and charm with a fresh girl of
%. WHO is fiattering Tom to the point
when he is a complete fool over
aer.
Aida is the sensible. practical,
Mtspoken type. Her attitude is that