Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1947-01-24
By KATHLEEN NORRIS

marina MCNEIL was not a
L new one. 1t is as old as the
story of the prince and the beg
gar-maid. But in these days, the
princes position and that of the
beggar-maid have drawn near
er together than they were; the
prince in this case was only a
handsome and popular young
man, only son of a rich family
and the beggar maid never knew
what it was to beg; she went
through grammar grades with
the rest of the boys and girls,
had her movies and chocolate
malts and her rides in the fam
lily car and tried a year or two
of high school.
But that didn't appeal, and Bev-
erly took job in the candy store.
She saw everybody, everybody
liked her, and she heard all the
school and college gossip, so she
was more in the heart of things
than ever, or it seemed so.
However, when exclusive little
dances and weekends in mountain
cabins for winter sports began, Bev-
erly was out of it, of course. The
country club gathered in the young
crowd that used to meet in the
candy store. Beverly was left to
solace herself with a different
group, and had lively fights with
her father and mother over late
hours, drinks, petting, all the usual
evils of reckless girlhood.
From that point on Lewis Nc
Neilps mother takes up the story.
when our Lew got out of the
navy last June he happened to meet
Beverly. Her name, my daughter
tells me, already had been coupled
with that of more than one other
man; she bewitched Lew. He must
have known what she was, but for
few weeks he couldn't see any,
one else. Then came awakening,
and he ended the association, but
too late. There is to be a child,
and Lew admits it may be his.
Who Has the Rights?
IF you could know the frenzy of
despair and indecision into which
this has thrown me-" the letter went
on, II know you would help me
to do what is right. Lewis three
years in the navy interrupted his
college work, but he since has grad
uated from the school of chemistry,
and soon will be his fathers right
hand in large family business.
There is no girl in town who would
not be fiattered by my sons atten-
ton. Why should he throw himself
away upon this cheap, unscrupu-
lous girl who has been all but
promiscuous, according to report?
Before this scandal breaks, and my
son alienates himself from his own
group completely, will you make
me some suggestion - any sug-
gestion that will help?"
Unfortunately, not Lew nor his
parents, not Beverly or hers, have
right of way in this case. The
baby must be the first considera-
ton. For unless we put the unborn
generations first, unless we make
sacrifices so that our children and
their children will inherit a better
world, we have only contributed to
the appalling suffering and dark
ness of this one. Martha Mcneil
owed something to her oldest
grandchild. suggested she surely
did not want the thought of that
wronged and defrauded baby to
haunt her, when later grandchildren
came along.
My advice to Martha was an i'm
mediate marriage, and that the
young pair should, if possible, start
their married life in some strange
city. This they did. 1t was a COM
plete failure. All this was a year
ago.
Lack of anything like community
of interest ruined it from the start.