New Britain herald., 1926-08-07


 luncheon than the first meal of tn
 day. And not only did he demand il
 but he demanded it on the dot.
 At eight o'clock every morning
 he appeared at the table. He start
 ed off with <ced orange juice an,
 followed it with eggs, meat an,
 fried potatoes. This he would top of
 with three or four cups of coffee.
 He explained that hotel meals
 during his years of travelling, haC
 spoiled him for the ordinary toas
 and coffee breakfasts that the Lock, family were used to.
 Ever since he had become Mons second husband the entire machin. cry of the household revolvec around MT. Hefflinger. If he was late for supper, no one sat dowr to the table until he came. No ons ever used his chair beside the sit. ting room lamp but himself. | His lightest word was law to i Mons. | There was the matter of talking at meal time, for instance .... i Mons and the two girls were ip 1 the habit of doing their best talk l ing at the table. It was their time to relax and be at their ease. They would sit, chatting and gossiping over their breakfast coffee cups, | or over their dessert at night often for a half hour or more. That is until MT. Hefflinger be- came member of the family.
 He drowned upon talking during meals. Once or twice when Merry and Lille had had some lively dis pute at the table, he had gone so far as to walk out of the room, shutting the door forceful.y as he went.
 This morning, when Merry pass ed through the dining room on her way to the mail box with Mons letter. he was at his place at the head of the table.
 He said Good morning" without glancing up from the morning paper.
 The paper did not belong to him. LilHe had been taking it for over a year and she paid for it. But she never got a look at it until he was through with it.
 Nothing, she had told Merry, got her goat" like the sight of MT, Hefflinger reading her perfectly good paper while she twiddled her thumbs.
 She was just opening the dining room door to go in when Merry came back from the letter box on the front porch.
 Hello, -Peachie" she greet ed her affectionately. "I'll bet l know what you were doing! Mailing an answer to that nice fat letter l saw on the hall table last night, eh? Is Bill Erskine still holding his mothers hand, or is he getting ready to come to see you?'
 Merry laughed half-hearted. T guess he's still holding his mothers hand, Lil," she answered.
 MT. Hefflinger cleared his throat loudly to let them know that their bothered him.
 But Lillie only winlled ,eheerfully at Merry, as she took her place at the table. -. ---
 "Where's your mother? Cooking the fatted caIf?" she asked her. and Merry nodded silently.
 Lillie turned her bright. eyes to Mir. Hefflinger. How you eat all the junk you do eat every morning, is mystery to me!' she declared, while he looked frowningly at her q wouldn't be able to do a lick of work til noon if I ate. the way you dol"
 Just then the kitchen door open- ed. Mons, looking flushed and fur ried, came in bearing her lords steak, his. eggs and his fried pota- toes, on a large tray.
 Ed, I'm a little late this morn Ing," she said apologetically. But I had a little extra work to do for Merry" She sank down into her chair and poured the coffee.
 Several minutes went by in si- Ience, broken only by the rustic of newspaper in MT. lief fingers hands.
 Then suddenly Lillie spoke. :,
 Sadie" she said, turning to Mons, q just wish you'd been in the shop yesterday! A woman about your age came in with her hair dyed every color of the rainbow. She'd been trying to do it herself and I just wish you could have seen her!