New Britain herald., 1926-08-14
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Merry Locke, pretty and gay as her nickname. is born flirt. She's the kind of a girl who has no am bition beyond having a good time and plenty of beaux. At 20, she fails at business school because she won't study. Then she takes a low-salaried job in Lillie Dale's little beauty shop.
 At that time she is having the first real love affair of her life. The man in the case ' Tony Gaines, serious young lawyer, who wants to marry her. Their engagement ends when Tony learns that Merry goes out with other men. A year later Merry hears that he is going to marry girl in T'ontana, where he has gone to live.
 Mons, Merry's widowed mother. takes Lillie Dale and a MT. Heffling- CT into the house to board. MT. Hef- finger begins to court Mons in his middle-aged way, to the digust of Merry's youngest sister. Jimmy. who elopes with Derrick Jones and goes to live next door with his parents. l her rich employer, Morley Kaufman. They quarreled constantly, but Mer- ry enyies Cassie her soft easy life.
 Through the Kaufmans' Merry meets Bill Erskine, wealthy bache- Tor. They become engaged, but Bill keeps putting off the wedding. Then Merry begins to go about with Cab by Marsh, who is the fiance of Nor ley Kaufman's sister, Muriel. And when Merry gets herself tangled up in the divorce case of her old beau. Les Purcell, and his wife, Muriel tells Bill all about it. He drops Mer- " like a hot cake and marries an- other girl, Merry feels that she never will forgive 4Iuriel so long as she lives.
 One day, a year later, Muriel drops in at the beauty shop to have Lillie give her a marcel. She tells Merry she is going to meet Cabby Marsh there, but after waiting for him an hour she decides to leave. When Merry starts home a little later, she bumps into the tardy Cabby, and they decide to go for drive inasmuch as Muriel is out of the way. Just as they are starting off, they see Muriel coming along 1 the street toward them.
 NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
 CHAPT R LVI Cassie had always said that the Kaufman family were cheap and vulgar under their gliding of money. And Merry saw all at once, that this was certainly true of Muriel Kaufman, at least.
 She came across the sidewalk to- ward Cabby's car, and as she came she screamed at him shrilly, like a 1 fish wife calling her wares.
 "so THIS is the way you wait for me, is it, Cabby Marsh?" she flung at him. Her hands were on her hips, and her face was scarlet with anger. You're a fine kind of Benny, I must say!"
 1 Two or three passersby turned their heads to look at her. But she l did not see them. Or, if she did. she did not care. She was going to make acene, and the bigger the audience the betteri
 And you!" Muriel all but shout ed, turning her blazing eyes on Mer- rvs flushed face. You! I'm not surprised at you! This is the kind of thing you've been doing all your | life! Sneaking around on the sly with some fellow who wouldn't be seen dead with you if his own crowd were around I should think you'd wake up after awhile, and realize that you've queered yourself with everybody you know. Even an old grand-daddy like Bill Erskine wouldn't have you on bet!" Merry's nose and her chin went up into the air She kept her lips tightly closed, and on them was superior little smile the kind of smile that says, How common and cheap you are!'
 It maddened Muriel, that proud aloof little smile. She opened the door of the car, and stood there be- side it, stamping one of her feet.
 "You You.-You get out of that carl" She fairly stammered with fury.
 Merry gave Cabby one swift glance from the tail of her eye, to see what he was going to do or say. But it was perfectly plain that Cabby was not going to do or say anything at all. He was sunk down behind the driving wheel, looking as | if he were wishing himself a thou sand miles away.
 There was surprise on his face, too, and fear. He was plainly afraid of Muriels anger.
 Merry was suddenly sorry for him, as any woman is sorry for any man who is coward,
 "Goodby, Cabby," she said, and put one foot on the step of the car. "See you later"
 Her heart was full of things she | longed to say to Muriel. Nasty, catty, cutting things. She wanted to pay her back for this thing she had just done to her, and for other things.
 But without a word she turned and went. The setting sun shone through the gray clouds of later afternoon, and blaZed full on her face. But she could not see. Tears of fury sprang to her eyes, and her nails cut little half-moons into her palms, as she walked along with her hands clenched at her sides.
 Mons and Lillie and MT. Heffling- CT were sitting down to supper when she got home. T don't feel very we'll" she told her mother, poking her head in at the door of the. dining room for moment. "I think I won't eat any thing. I'll just run upstairs and go to bed. Don't bring me any thing"
 She wanted to be alone. She had reached the point where she didn't