Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1947-09-19
By KATHLEEN NORRIS

4AS&SS~~~
was a man of honor, and
L would keep the solemn
promises he made before we
were married." writes Norma
Elson from South Carolina.
Frank was absolutely honest
with me. He told me he had a
bad record, when we first met.
Or rather, he didn't have to tell
me, as everyone knew about it.
He was e great figure in our
town, good deal older than my
crowd of sophomores in college,
a gambler, drinker, fast driver,
but fascinating, or we thought
so then. Any girl in town would
have been f1attered to go out
with him.
when he took me out it was to
the smartest and most exciting
places, and when he asked me to
marry him it was with the solemn
promise that he would stop drink
ing, betting, and going with the
worst element in town.
"But he did everything with great
dash, and he was handsome then;
anyway, we were married, against
my parents desperate protest.
was 10, Frank said he was 36, he
was really almost five years older.
"Well, of course, once we were
married he completely gave up all
efforts to reform. He hadn't gotten
very far with them, and he never
tried again. At the slightest sugges-
ton of Improvement or self-control
he grew furious, and soon learned
to avoid occasions of criticism. He
came and went, gambled, drank,
wasted money as he pleased. From
my expectation of excitement,
drama, change I sank to a quiet,
long-suffering wifehood that asked
only for peace. Frank was jailed
for house-breaking when our boy
was two years old, and served
seven years.
Had Same Old Vices.
when he came out his life was
over, although he lived for eleven
more. He drifted about my board
ing-house, gray-headed, a sad shad-
ow of his old self, borrowing money
where he could, still the same rest
less, wasteful, Incorporate man. I
stuck to my bargain, from sheer
pride, and perhaps because it was
the line of least resistance, but my
heart was broken over and over
again. My only comfort is that dur
ing the long years of keeping board
erS have now and then come
across girls who were on the brink
Of making the mistake I did, and
whom I have been able to influence.
Some times girls will listen to
stranger when their own mothers
cannot guide them; if I have saved
a few of these, I am repaid. But I
hate to look back across these thirty
wasted years, and remember the
confidence and ignorance with
which I threw my life away"
This letter came to me some
months ago, but I was reminded of
it lately when I read of the young
wife of man whose criminal rec
ord she knew perfectly well when
she married him few years ago.
While she was still in her bridal
year his petty thefts went on, so
that her life was one of continual
terror of the law. Finally he COM
mitted a more serious robbery,
rushed into crowd, and while the
Mortified bystanders took to fight,
was shot down like a dog by a po-
iceman's gun. More fortunate than
Norma Elson, whose letter is quoted
above, this young wife is freed from
her mistake already, and can with
draw to get over the shock of her
marriage, and perhaps make a
wiser choice sometime.
Norma had 27 years of wretched
marriage, and when she emerged
from them her youth, energy, hope,
ambition were all dead.