New Britain herald., 1926-07-21

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/ was not only heart-broken, bu
stunned.
All that gloomy New. Years da
she went around the house with
dazed look on her long, fresh-col
ored face.
She would tiptoe upstairs to tn
door of the darkened room wher
jimmy lay sleeping 1t off, shak
her head and turn away crying.
Merry was dreadfully sorry TO
her.
She hated to leave her when BIZ
Erskine called for her to take he
to Castles open house. at fou
that afternoon.
Jimmy celebrated the New Yea
with wine and song last night, anc
Mons Just can't get over It," sh,
told Bill, as they started alont
toward Cortelyou street, under tn,
gray wintry sky. 81 guess jimmy,
like me not much of a drinker
She's still dead to the world, up
stairs in bed"
Bill shot her a sidewise glance.
You do look pretty seedy," he
said.
1t was the first time he had seer
her since Christmas Eve. Unde,
the wide brim of her black lace
hat her face was almost as white
as the gardenias pinned on heI
coat, fresh white gardenias that
Bill had brought to her.
81 feel shaky, too" she answered
THAT drink you gave me the other
night was the first one I ever had
and it's going to be my last one,
too"
AS she spoke she held up her
right hand as if she were taking
her solemn oath.
But Bill only laughed - a rather
nasty laugh.
Don't pull that you-made-me-
what Lam today line on me, Little
Sister," he said, twirling his cane
briskly THAT wasn't anything
like your first drink. and you know
it. Why, you tossed it down like
an old hand at the camel"
Merry flushed angrily, and her
green eyes flashed between the
thick black lashes.
mo matter what you say, Bill,
that was my first taste of whislzey,"
she told him sharply, ''the very
first taste I've ever had! And
that's the truth"
She knew that he knew it was,
too, but for some deep, hidden rea-
son of his own he wasn't going to
admit it.
They walked on in silence.
But Merry never could be silent
for very long. 1t was as natural for
her to chatter as it is for brook
to chatter between its grassy banks.
And by the time they reached
the corner of Cortelyou street she
was telling Bill about Lille Dale
and the thousand dollar check.
she has it now, and l own part
of the beauty shop!" she said, hap
PLY. Il had to se1rd for her one
day this week because I was sick
in bed, you know. And you should
have seen Mons face when she
saw her! Of course, Lille is pref
ty wild looking with that sky-blue-
pink hair of hers - and the way
she paints! She just smears her
face with rouge and powder and
eyebrow pencil -" She broke off,
for all at once she saw that he was
not listening to her.
There was a crooked little smile
on his florid face, and he was star
ing down at the point of his twirl-
ing cane.
"You know, Little Sister, you
have the wrong slant on this bust
ness of taking a drink" he said,
thoughtfully. "You think it makes
an awful hit with man to pre-
tend that you're just out of kinder
garten, but 1t doesn't"
'Is that SOP" Merry asked.
Her eyes were grave and ques-
tioning as they met his -- she felt
that she could take Bills advice In
matters like this. He was such a
man of the world. AS he often said
himself, he knew his onions"
"Why, sure, it's So" he replied
in that hearty way of his. Look
around and you'll see that 1t isn't
the prettiest girl who wins out with
the men, nowadays. It's the pep
piest one-the jolly good-fellow girl
who's never bum sport!"
He made Merry feel, somehow,
that she had been what he called
"a bum sport" the other night when
his liquor had made her sick and
dizzy.
But she didn't know what to
think an hour later when some
thing happened that filled her with
puzzlement and wonder.
She was sitting on a sofa of flow
cred damask in Cassie's crowded
living room, talking to Muriel
Kaufman.
IT wonder if I'll ever be able to
look the way she does?" Merry
was thinking to herself about
Muriel as she chartered along.
Everything about Muriel was so
finished. Her ivory skin was flaw
less under its coating of cream
colored powder. Her lips looked
like red Chinese lacquer. Her hair,
with Its thick dark waves, was as
smooth as polished ebony and her
nails were rose-colored jewels.
You had only to look at her,
from the crown of her head to the
cut-steel buckles on her slim satin
slippers to see that money had
done everything for her that money
can do-and there is little that
money cannot do.
Merry felt shabby and second
rate as she looked at Muriels SIM
pie white chiffon dress with its
narrow silver girdle and the silver
necklace that circled her soft,
slender neck.
I'm prettier than she'll ever
be-" thought, but she has the
clothes. Nobody would look at me