New Britain herald., 1926-10-11
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10.
 Grumpy" hired Honey Lou, nc
 only because she is clever but be
 cause she is nice to have around
 Everyone else at the mills like
 Honey Lou, too, from Ann Ludlow
 the office vamp, to Joe Meadows
 the shipping clerk. But Honey Lo
 is half afraid Of Meadows withou quite knowing why.
 Young Jack Wallack comes t
 work in his fathers factory t,
 learn the business, He falls In low
 with Honey Lou's beauty the frs
 time he sees her, and later witt
 her prim, old-fashioned ways ant
 her sweetness, Brought up by he,
 unworthy widowed mother, Hone, Lou is queer mixture of moderr flapper and clinging vine. She ha!
 never "petted' in her life, ant
 never taken a drink. But she ha. smoked three or four cigarets, anc ! does rouge her lips.
 1 At party given by Jacks neigh.
 bor. Angela Allen, Honey Lou drinks
 two cocktails, thinking they are fruit punch. and passes out" She makes love to Jack on the way home, too, not realizing how she is ] disillusioning him. Neither does she know that, while she was uncon- scious, Angela Allen called her hard boiled" and told Jack she had not two but seven cocktails.
 Tim Donegal. a friend of Jacks becomes attentive to Honey Lou, and takes her on many night drives to a neighboring town, where he seems to have some mysterious busi- ness. But when Jack begins 10 see Honey Lou once more. Donegal drops out Of the picture.
 Angela "rushes" Honey Lou - takes her to tea and to lunch, drives her home from the office and warns her against taking Jack seriously She hints to Honey Lou that Jack once was deeply in love with her, just as he is now with Honey Lou. And she breeds in Honey Lou the beginnings of a love of luxury and fine clothes.
 One night while Margret Moody. Honey Lou's half-sister, Is out of town on her summer vacation. her friend, Dr. Steve Mayhew, comes to the house. While Honey Lou is showing Dr. Steve. some snapshots of Margret, he begins to make love to her in a timid sort of way. Honey Lou is astounded.
 NOW GO WITH THE STORY
 CHAPTER XIV
 'Don't-Please. stevuns, Don't" Honey Lou begged. using Margret's nickname for him.
 She pulled her strong little hands away from him with a jerk that up- set the checkers and the board on the floor.
 For a second her face went white in the warm glow of the yellow lamp. Then the wild-rose color came flowing back into her lips and checks. And she laughed.
 Sentimental stevie!" She cflaf- fed him as lightly as she could. The only thing to do was to treat ! his thing lightly. she made up her mind. Pass 1t off as a joke. Laugh | t off.
 But stephen Mayhews face did not change. He was looking at her IS intently as he had when he took her hands Her mouth was set in fine thin line. Suddenly his eyes larkened moodily. and he put one land over them, resting his elbow on the edge of the handicapped able beside him.
 Honey Lou did not know what o do or 10 say next. She wished 'ervently that Mrs. Huntley would come upstairs from the flat below. But through the thin floors of the building she could hear the murmur ,f her voice and Miss MacCom- ,ers as they chatted together.
 But the room where she and Steve sat was perfectly quiet. So luiet that the silence seemed to peat like great heart-thud- hud-thud-
 Now and then the curtains at the yes. windows would sway into the oom as the breeze filled them. hey floated toward her like filmy wedding wells, she thought. as she at them. Behind them the ky was violet-blue and filled with tars.
 4 bowlful of daisies on the win low sill shook a little, too in the tight wind. Steve had brought hem 10 her from the country yes 
 Honey Lou looked at his dark, ,ent head and then back at the lowers,
 Now that she stopped to think bout 1t, Steve was always bring ng her something, Flowers andy, a magazine with particu- arly good story in 1t.
 "But he's Margret's friend. real y," she told herself, sitting there n the pulsing stiffness. He's been oming to see her for more than a
 |. ear"
 He had. At least, he had been oming 10 the flat for more than q car. And Honey Lou knew that targret, In her own mind, expected i'm to ask her to marry him. But there had never been any hing lover-like in their attitude iargret's and his. MarGret had lways shared him with her fam- 7 V, and he had come to seem al- lost like a member of the family. ! On Saturday nights he often rove them to market in his car. ometimes he bought a couple of C ucks for their Sunday dinner. omctimcs he would send them a I .eezer of ice cream for their Sum- | ay night supper. Or a basket of ot house fruit or a cake from abine's glittering tea shop.
 He had a way of dropping in on T lem at odd times with theater f ckets or the offer of an automo- IIa dri,e ua brought them his