New Britain herald., 1926-08-03

course, to the great disappointment of Mons, her ambitious mother. Then, when her father dies, she takes job in Lillie Dale's beAuty shop. At that time she is having the first real love affair of her life. The man in the case is Tony Gaines, a young lawyer who wants to marry her, Their engagement is broken when Tony finds out that Merry goes out with other men on nights when he does not see her. Later Merry hears that he is going to marry girl in Montana, where he has gone to live.
 Helen, the oldest of the sisters, marries and settles down. Cassie, the second sister, marries her rich employer, Morley Kaufman. She leads a whipped d-cream- and chiffon existence, and Merry decides that wealthy husband is the only kind to have. Through Cassie she meets Bill Erskine, a bachelor. She becomes engaged to him, but he keeps put ting off the date for the wedding. | Finally, after year and half, he and Merry quarrel when she lets Les Purcell, married man, come to see her.
 | Jimmy. the youngest sister, elopes with Derrick Jones' who lives next
 door. Mons rents two of the empty bedrooms in the house-one to Lillie Dale, and the other to Mir. lief ] finger, who travels for a road show. She shows signs of being attracted by Mr. Hefflinger, as the months go I by.
 For several weeks after her quar- rel with Bill Erskine. Merry hears nothing from him. In the meantime she sees Cabby Marsh, with whom Morley's sister, Muriel Kaufman, is in love, and lunches with him. She 1 feels that she is getting even with Muriel, who had tried to 'high-hat" her. Then one afternoon Les comes to the shop, tells her that his wife has been having him ''shadowed" and is going to name her os core spondent in her divorce plea He and Merry go to her flat to try to ex- plain that Merry is not in love with him, only to find that she has just been rushed to the hospital after trying to commit suicide.
 Merry goes home to ask Mom's advice in her trouble, but Mons is full of her own affairs, I'm going to marry Mir. Hefflinger next week." she announces before Merry tN
 (SOW GO ON WITH THE STORY)
 CHAPTER XLVI
 Merry heard what Mons said. But she was too dazed to take it in.
 She stood staring at her mothers face with wide, unseeing eyes for a moment Then she half-stumbled across the room and sank down on the "body Brussels" carpet at her feet.
 "Oh. Moms!" she gasped. "Oh, Mons! The most horrible thing has happened. The most terrible thing!-" Her voice seemed to stick in her throat and she could get no further.
 Her mother gave her a keen, searching look, and put her mend ing basket and Mir. Hefflingers socks down on the table beside her. She leaned forward and took the girls cold, trembling hands in her hard ones.
 Go on, my dear" she said. more gently than Merry had ever known | her to speak. What has happen ed ?"
 Merry's teeth were chattering and | her slender body was shaking all | over as if she had a violent chill.
 It took all of Mom's urging to | get the story from her the story | of Nonie Purcell.
 She told it slowly and jerdly, as if she had to drag the words out | from the very depths of her being. | Her eyes were turned away from | her mother, and fastened on the fire that glowed in the grate few feet 1 away.
 Les has gone to the hospital" she finished, "and 1 came straight | home to ask you what to do about it. You see, I haven't done any thing wrong. I didn't try to vamp .es away from his wife. He wasn't living with her whe I met him!"
 She turned to look at her mother. But Mons face was set and her eyes were accusing.
 You played with fire - that's what you did" she said grimly. You say that Lillie told you months ago this man was married. Then why did you keep on going with him - anl letting him come her? Right here to your own house."
 She got up, brushed some threads from her dress, and kicked at the dying fire with her foot.
 Merry watched her duly. She had come home for help and sympathy that she craved and she was only in for a good scolding. instead!s
 But Mons. you don't seem to get the point" she said, pleadingly. "lf the story gets into the newspapers or even if it doesn't, and Bill Frs kline hears about it - he'll never marry me. Never!"
 Mons sniffed. She was looking into the mirror of the mantel-piece now, and batting her hair into shape with her hands.
 My goodness. I thought you'd seen the last of Bill Erskine weeks ago!" she returned. "of course. l never pry into your affairs any more since you take such pains to hide everything from me. But Lillie tells me things! She told me that YOU were on some kind of bat with Erskine the last time he was here = and that you haven't had word from him since! Not a word!"
 She turned from the mirror and faced her daughter. And let me tell you something that you don't know" she went on sternly. Tt isn't the girl who goes out on bats with man
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