The Ely miner., 1943-09-30
By KATHLEEN NORRIS
Bell syndicate-wNu Features
"N ZOU have never receive,


a letter from a more de-
- spairing heart than
mine," writes Marie Porter,
from a great war industries GEN.
ter in Michigan. 81 have so COM
pletely wrecked my life, and my
chances of happiness in life, that
if we were face to face I could
not tell you my story. But I can
write it, and ask for advice, and
I know you will save me if you
can. Many times I have thought
of ending it all, but although
have not prayed for years ]
was raised in an atmosphere o1
strict religious belief and I hesitate
to kill myself-it seems to me g
grave sin. And have not actually
sinned, foolish and weak as I GER
tainly am. I was 18 in June.
"Seven months ago, working as g
riveter, met young man who was
destined to leave for the army last
July. We fell in love and were
married. I have no family, and his
is in Oregon, where they have asked
me to come and stay. Louis is q
fine man, quiet, and without any
educational or cultural advantages
his first letters were somewhat of g
shock to me, for although he is %,
he writes like boy of ten. But we
thought ourselves in love and would
not wait to try our affection by de.
lay or absence.
"After he left I met another man,
a different type. This man is vital,
amusing, successful and popular. He
is far better educated than Louis.
When I met him I did not tell him
I was married; it seemed a joke
then. It was at service dance; he
supposed me to be even younger
than I am, and as the few girls ]
knew didn't know anything of my
private life, he suspected nothing.
We went about together after that,
always, may / say, with strict pro-
priety, and presently discovered our
selves to be really in love. This was
quite different from the first affair
it caused me as much misery as joy,
and I knew no one ever would mean
to me what Jack did. He went off
to camp and Louis came home.
When we met again it was to have
the knowledge that my marriage
was a mistake grow daily stronger.
The frantic distress this caused me,
you may imagine; Louis suspected
nothing and was completely happy
we spent every hour of his leave
together. He was being sent to At
rica Immediately afterward. I did
not have the courage to tell him of
my feeling for Jack, but when Jack
in turn came home he persuaded
me to write the absolute truth to
Louis; that I had been foolish to
marry so young and so hastily, and
that I wanted him to set me free.
I wrote quite long letter, making
it as gentle and affectionate as
could, and Jack and I began to plan
our marriage.
Baby to COmplicate Situation.
Two weeks ago a dreadful suspi-
cion was confirmed by an old kind
doctor who is here at the plant;
am going to have a baby. I know
nothing of babies, I have never had
anything to do with one, and I am
sick with nervousness and horror at
the mere idea. My letter to Louis is
on its way, may not reach him for
weeks, and Jack has gone, gone
without one word of good-by, dis
gusted with me, and no wonder!
Having no home and no family
do not know which way to turn;
can 60 on working until after Christ
mas-then what? Divorced from
Louis, with a baby to support, what
can I do? / think and think, and my
head spins around, and I feel i'll and
giddy most of the time. Jacks con-
sternation when I told him left me
in no doubt of what he feels; he said
that I should have told Louis the