New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1926-07-23
THE PETER s ss, s g.: ;; s ;:";
- ~ HER MAN"
by n eurean Bradwa New

the snort, crisp little note over and
over in her hands. He said he
was going to send a ring, | know"
They had even talked it over, and
she had told him she wanted a
square diamond set in platinum.
She did not hear from him again
for ten days, and then he did not
write. He sent her a five pound
box of dried fruits, with his card
in it.
Merry turned up her dainty little
nose at them, but Mons and Lille
enjoyed them enormously, and
Lille gained two more pounds be-
fore the box was empty.
whats the matter with you,
Lydia Languish?" jimmy asked
Merry one Sunday afternoon in
late August. you look as blue as
the bay of Naples"
They We're sitting behind the cur
rant bushes in the back yard so
that jimmy could smoke without
Mons seeing her. She took a eli
Saret, from her little leather case
now, tossed it into the air and
caught it between her lips.
well, 1 am blue, too" Merry
confessed with a long, unhappy
sigh. Here it is the last week in
August and I haven't heard from
Bill for two weeks. We We're going
to be married the first of Septem-
Der - but I'm afraid TO go ahead
and buy NV wedding dress and
make plans for wedding. He
acts as if we weren't even en-
gagged. lately"
Her lovely, apple-blossom face
was dark with disconfent and she
kicked the grass with her sbarp
little French heels, as she talked
Sometimes L think that men
don't ever want TO be married" she
went on irritabIy. Just think how
hard Cassie worked for wears to
get Morley Kaufman to the point
where he'd marry her"
ooh, banana oil" JIMMY broke
n, in her quick. sudden little wav.
VI course men want 10 gel mar
ricd Just the same as girls do,
The trouble with Cassie and Nor
ley Kaufman was that Morley
wasn't crazy about her. He didn't
want to marry Cassie, but Cassie
Just wore him down - and now
look at EN-! They fight like cats
and dogs all the time, If this
Erskine doesn't want TO marry Won
for Pete's sake. let him go, You
don't want to live the way Cassie
does. do you?"
Merry shrugged her shoulders.
and bit a long blade of grass in
two.
"Oh, ] don't know" she an
swered with a yawn. 81 know Pm
terribly sick - of That beauty shop
and Lilies chit-chat all dav long.
I wish I'd never gone into that
place"
1t had seemed 2. good thing to
go into a year ago.
But YOU can get too much of
even a good thing, when YOU have
it day in and day out. Too much
of the insistent telephone. Too
much of the vain. foolish middle
aged women customers who wanted
to be bobbed and massaged and
cold-creamed into a semblance of
their lost youth,
Merry was sick of the shop, to
the point of nausea.
What she wanted now was to get
married and live the way Cassie
lived. She wanted to dress the
way Cassie and Muriel Kaufman
dressed. She wanted to give little
parties in her own home. She
wanted to spend her mornings
shopping and her afternoons play
ing bridge - as Cassie and Muriel
spent them.
In short. she had reached that
dangerous time when a girl wants
to marry and settle down. That
time when nothing looks so good
to her as a plain platinum wedding
ring. and the word Mrs. engraved
on her calling cards.
And all she had was the beauty
y
shop. the gloomy house. Lille and
Mons. and an occasional letter
from Bill Erskine.
at wonder what he thinks he's
doing to mel" she thought. with a
sudden flare-up of anger. 81 Won
der if he thinks he can ask me to
marry him and then forget all
about it! I'll show hin!"
She scrambled up from the
grass, where she was lying flat on
her stomach and ran into the
house for paper and fountain pen.
write to Bill Erskine
that very afternoon! She would
ask him for list of people to
whom he'd like to send wedding an
nouncements!
That" she said to herself, biting
the end of her pen, fought to get
some sign of life out of him, GER
tainly!"
CHAPTER XXI
Merry thought that the letter was
a work of art.
Dearest Bill" it began. eff
we are going to be married in
cor+o,,ber &c vva MANNED o,1oht