Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1947-05-16
By KATHLEEN NORRIS

\ FEW years ago there was
II in our town a young wom-
L \ an, healthy, IS, well-mar-
ried to a faithful, good man and
the mother of sons of II and 9.
Yet she fell a victim to despair.
She didn't know 1t was despair;
she was not a weak or self-pitying
woman. She only knew that, by
slow degrees, her life fell into
state Of vague Darkness, Of frus-
tration, Of doubts and dissatisfac-
tons that were entirely new to her
own normal nature.
It wasn't the war, although that
did cast a shadow over everything
and she felt it. It was far more per-
sonal than that. It was that Peter
and the boys, while really needing
her-no doubt Of that-still seemed
to be escaping her more and more.
Peter had his weekly poker, his
golf, his business lunches, his bust
ness trips. The boys were absorbed
completely in their own school and
club life, gym and skating. Satur-
day movies, scout activities, comic
papers. She could win Peter occa-
sionally to an affectionate and COM
panionable mood; she could snatch
kisses from the boys when she per-
sonally superintendent their baths,
but that was about all.
Molly Pemberton began to have
a dreadful feeling of the futility and
waste Of life. Time was rushing too
fast and bringing too little. "Oh,
what does it matter and what's the
use?" her thoughts began drearily
to reirerate.
She fought on as well as she
could. concentrating on good meals,
fresh rooms, homework, Peters
magazines, the boys boots and
sweaters. She went conscientiously
four afternoons week to the Red
Cross and, of course, there we're
friendships, talks with other women
about ways to cook broccoli and what
color to paint the sitting room walls.
Went to Psychoanalyst.
But the fright, the sense of moth
ingness went on, and finally Molly
sought the advice Of a psyche
analyst. She cried so violently dur
ing the first sessions that she
couldn't get anywhere at all, but she
went again. In all, she went three
times. Then the Stiffness of lying
on leather couch, trying to remem-
Der whether or not her mother ever
was unjust to her, overcame Molly
and she went home. But the crying
went on and she could not seem
to pull herself together.
The doctor said that change
would help her; she must 60 away
to a sanitarium for few months.
A few months! Molly laughed in
his face. Peter couldn't afford the
money, she couldn't afford the time
and there was no one to care for
the boys, anyway.
1t was then Molly met tired
busy nurse from the children's
home. They were overworked and
understaffed at the home. Molly ad-
mitted that she had free time in the
middle of the day and she went to
work that very afternoon.
She climbed stairs with armsful
of linen; she folded great heaps of
didies; she made up cribs. She sat
for hours with one willful baby after
another on her lap and spooned tons
of cereal into rebellious little
mouths. She held one lovely year.
ling in her arms, while life and
light went out of the blue eyes; she
gave his first bath to one husky
youngster who, had been found a few
hours earlier in garbage can, with
no covering but paper bag.
Molly saw many girl weeping in
despair because a baby was COM
ing; she saw many woman agon-