New Britain herald., 1926-07-10
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She had told Tony that sht would rather go riding in his cal than sit round all evening. Bu he Lad stubbornly insisted that ht wanted i meet her family.
 Merry couldn't understand him Most of the men who were in love viii her liked to take her driving or 10 thester, where they could Ihol1 her hand in the dimness.
 Or else they wanted to take her out to dinner, or some place where they could dance. That was Merry's idea of a pleasant evening, too IShe had no taste for q talk-fest lin the parlor. with Mons "listen- ling h."
 But I suppose it cant be helped" she thought with a shrug Tony will have to kno,. how poor we are sooner or later, anyway. And if he's going 10 marry me, he may as well get used to the idea of Mons as a mother-in-law, right mo
 She ran upstairs and began to dress for the evening.
 Even if the house is shabby. l look all right" she said to herself with satic 1ciion. as she stood in front of her mirror
 When she went down to supper, she had on the best dress she owned. It was rosa-color. and it was made of rows and rows of .organdy ruffling. Merry looked like a rose, herself in tt--and she knew it.
 Cassie's green eyes opened wide, as she opened the door of the din- ing room anu took her seat at the table.
 Why are you all lit up like q moving picture show?' she asked, arching her penciled eyebrows. > Cassie, l do wish you girls wouldn't use a0 much slang"' Mons said frotfully. "I suppose it's because ure arouoi a lot of men IaIl day that you do it. It doesn't seem ladylike 10 me"
 Then she turned to Merry.
 "Why have you put on that dress tonight" she asked You know Iit's the only decent thing you Iown."
 , Merry smiled her twinkling little smile. "I have a date tonight" she said. and no one could miss the mote of happiness in her voice.
 Do you mean an engagement" Mons asked, frowning. Merr5 nodded,
 Well. there's no need of dress ing like that for it." her mother said severely. Derrick has seen you your old clothes often enough. You go right upstairs and get back into your blue linen.' Merry's lips and eyes went up al the cor -l9s,
 tits not Derric' tonight" she said. with the air of letting them Ian in on a delicious secret, Its Som body Elsc,' She looked straight across the table at Cassie, and her soft green eyes met Cassics hard ones.
 "Its your friend, Anthony Gaines, who's coming to see mel" she said.
 Cassie jumped as if Merry had flung a bomb down on the table in front of her. She clapped her napkin to her mouth and stared hard at Mer from above it, for full mil ute fore she spoke.
 Then she didn't spea., to Merry. but n Mons.
 Did you Lear what she said?' she asked.
 Mons nodded mildly. Yes, I heard what she said.' she an- swered. She said some friend of yours vas coming to see her. What of it?"
 what of it?" groaned Cassie. Dent you remember about Mr. Gaines? He's the man Merry flirted with at the circus the other night"
 Mons did rc-Iember then, and her face frightened.
 q did not flirt with him." Merry said, almost at Q ""1t. He saved me from being trampled by the crowd in the tent that night! did not flirt with him, did l. Jinny?"
 Jinnv shook her head.
 "You c, rtainly did not, Merry she answered firmly. Jimmy and Merry stood by each other, through thicl; and thin. Both of them felt tl,o+ Cassia with her locked door, was their enemy.
 "An tE Is the matter with you is that you're tealous!" Merry said to Cassie. You're peeved because Morley Ka, fr1;n broke a date with you last night! You're peeved be- cause I can get any man want and you can't."
 Cassie flushed, and went on eat- ing.
 But presently she spoke again.
 "Nother," she began, "1 don't think you ought 10 let this MT. Gaines come 10 see Merry. Shes never met him properly-he just picked her up i'll circus tent What will he think of us, letting him come here when we doll eNcH know bim?"
 "Yor ] TOW himG Merry blazed out at her "and he wants to meet Mons and Dad. He said so. That's why he's coming here tonight"
 That settled the question. If Tony Gaines wanted to meet her and Dad, Mons was sure that he was the right kind of young man for Merry.
 As soon as supper was over, she went upstairs and put on the black silk dress that she had worn to church every Sunday for the last three years. She curled her black hair a. l did fl high on her head, and borrowed a little of Cassie's French perfume for her handker- chief.
 And then-Tony Gaines didn't come!
 He telephoned Merry at eight