New Britain herald., 1926-08-02

READ THIS FIRST: .-.
 Merry Locke, pretty and gay a
 her name, is born flirt. She know!
 no ambition beyond having a goot
 time and plenty of beaux.
 At 20 she fails in business college
 to the great disappointment oi Mons, her ambitious mother Wher fher father suddenly dies. she goes
 into Lillfe Dale's little beauty shor Fat small salary, At that time she is having the first. real love affair of her life. The man in the case
 is Tony Gaines a serious young
 lawyer who wants 10 marry her.
 Their engagement ends when Merry
 goes out with other men, and Tony
 learns about it. She sends back his
 ring, and a year later she hears that
 he is going to marry a girl in Mon-
 tana, where he has gone to live. i Helen, the oldest of the four Locke sisters, marries and settles down. Cassie, the second oldest, mar ries Morley Kaufman, her rich em- ploycr, Jimmy, the youngest, elopes with Derrick Jones, who lives next door. Even Mons. year after Dads death. begins to be interested in MT. Hefflinger, her boarder.
 Through Morley Kaufman. Merry meets Bill Erskine, a well-to-do { bachelor. She becomes engaged to him. but Bill keeps putting off the day of their wedding. Finally Mer- ry begins to go out with other men with Les Purcell, in particular. She does not know he is married until one night when he comes to tell her his wife is divorcing him. Bill drops in unexpectedly, too, and becomes jealous and angry when he finds Les there. He and Merry have row, and Merry is surprised when he telephones her the next morning and asks her to meet him down town. She goes, and Bill takes her to a jeWelry store to buy an en- gagement ring. Merry wants one that costs $4So, and when Bill tells her mot to soar above $200," she flounces out of the shop. q don't want any ring" she declares. Bill trots after her.
 NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
 CHAPTER XLV
 The first day in November was the first time in almost a month that Merry heard from Les Purcell.
 He telephoned her about four in the afternoon, and said that he had 10 see her right away-the sooner the better.
 Put on your old gray bonnet, and I'll be right around to pick you up : In my gas buggy" he said. His words came in jerks. |
 T cant go." she answered him, l. I'm sorry, but I'm too busy-cau ne up tonight. at home"
 But it was not more than ten minutes afterward that his little 'ar came dashing up in front of fhe beauty shop. Between the muslin that hung in the front Merry saw him jump out of 1t and run across the sidewalk, ..
 He wore light overcoat, for the lay was chilly and gray. But his head was bare.
 The minute he set foot in the 'ozy little shop. Merry saw that he vas laboring under some powerful ; 
 He looked quickly around for Lil- ie, who was giving a permanent ( wave to grooming flapper in one of he rear booths. 7
 Then he stepped close to Merry md spoke to her in, a rapid under one. 1,
 Come along" he said, ''and be ( Iuick about it. I've got to talk to ( -ou and no fooling. Now. This ninute!" Ie
 She saw that he was in deadly { and she got up without a { 'ord and got her hat and coat. .
 'Lillie." she called, I'm going 2 ut for about 10 minutes. I'll be s fight back" ,
 She heard Lillie give a grunt and tv
 sigh, as she closed the door be- ind her. We'll it wasn't fair to i cave Lillie alone in fhe shop on a a usy day like this, with all the work | ) do. t But Merry never let business in V erfere with her own affairs - her we affairs. Of course, her friend F nip with Les Purcell had hardly D ecome a full-fledged love affair, as il at. if But, anyway, she figured that it h as much more exciting to be here C | his little ear with him, under tt le scudding gray clouds, than back
 the shop helping Lillie soak the Il annels for the permanent" q "Well, what's on your mind, Les?" a