The midland journal., 1941-05-30
By KATHLEEN NORRIS
KX 7HEN Kane Smith mar
" ried Lila Brown his

InOCn0F 0tQn ike IL.
Mrs. Smith was a proud woman,
prominent in club and social
circles, her late husband had
been mayor for three terms, she
lived in a big house with her
adored son for companion, and
she suspected every girl in the
world of trying to trap Kane.
Lila Brown was a pretty, am
bilious girl who had a stenog-
rapher's position in Kane
Smiths office. Lilla's father
was-and is-a cooper, operat-
ing in a small open-fronted shed
down among the machine shops
and factories. Her mother, who
had raised five children, all mar
ried but Lila, ran a flourishing
clearinghouse. Lilla's three
sisters and her brother were all
leading far from aristocratic
lives; getting jobs, losing jobs,
having babies and motor acci-
dents, running in and out of each
others houses, laughing, cry
ing, gossiping, and kissing ma.
That her son would waste even
passing glance upon this commoner
was unthinkable to Mrs. Smith; the
fact that Kane was serious about it,
bringing bold, defiant Lila to the
house, announcing publicly that they
were going to be married, made his
mother actually ill. Lila dressed
conspicuously, she chewed gum, she
took saucy proprietary attitude
toward Kane. Worst of all she
seemed to feel that her family was
just as good as his.
Lilla's Powers Prevail.
So his mother did what so many
mothers do and Lila did what SO
many girls do. Mrs. Smith snubbed
Lila, reproached Kane, let the
whole world know that she had for
hidden the match. And Lila used
her power, her youth and beauty
and his passionate love, to ALLEVIATE
Kane from his mother.
II know just what a little brute
I was," writes Lila. my own
mother told me I was making mis-
take, but was so mad that my one
idea was revenge. For two years
Kane went to see his mother for ain
hour once a week and I never sent
her message even. When our lit
tie girl was born she sent me Kane's
christening dress and his silver mug
but ! never acknowledged them. She
had said terrible things about my
folks, and although Pop and Ma
never resented them, did.
"That was three years ago; now
Jo-Anne is three and our little boy
a year old. On Kane's birthday last
month we moved into our new house
and had real house-warming for
my family, who all adore Kane be-
cause he manages everything for
all Of them, and I asked him if he
was perfectly happy, and he said
yes, he would be, if only his mother
and I didn't hate each other. So I
made up my mind then that I would
make friends.
Efforts to Make up Snubbed.
''When I went to see her and said
that it seemed very silly to keep up
the old fight, I really felt sorry for
her. She has had to give up the
big house now and has only two
rooms. She must be very lonely
but she was very cool and said that
she certainly thought that the fault
had not been all on her side. came
away feeling very much snubbed
and Kane said when I told him that
I had done all I could do, that
the next move must come from her.
"But don't like to leave it that
way and am writing to ask you what
to do. God has been very good to
Kane and me, we have our lovely
home and our beautiful children,
and everything goes well with him
at the office NV siStnrs' husbands