New Britain herald., 1926-07-13

\ 'ii '''@ 'ithi~ 'L'flt hh' v IL lltTi dilf 1 clean, and 1t as sales~ oman fol 1 the cosmetics that filled the glas, ! case at one end Of the room. Its easy york; said the wom. l an. especially in the summer 1 months when evcrybodv's out of town. Tn the winter always hire I another girl 10 help out" J Merry wonderrd if Madame Dale l that was her business name . called herself a girl
 "She looks as old as the hills
 to me, shc said to herself, "and her skins like white leather. I wonder if that's what SO much pain. and DOW. doea 10 compIeNions,
 In thr mirror on the opposite } wall. her own reflection struck her
 IS heinz wonderfully soft and sat
 inv and fresh compared 10 Mad ar nalos mas, Of cosmetics. She took inc iob,
 Never aftorNard could she cN-
 plain 10 herself just hoW she hap paHcd 10 take it. Sometimes she thought that il was because the
 day was so hot and she hated the thought of going on in the broil-
 ing heat to hunt some other kind
 of work.
 II was cool in the little shop.
 with the rcd and white awning
 flappinS up and down outside in
 the sutry bre sze that travelled up
 land down Cover street.
 You got a lovely skin Of your ioWn," Madame Dale told her in her cheerful un@r:nmatical way but
 as long as you're working in
 beauty shop, l think you might as well fix up d little bit. ltn help seI Ithis stuff' She waved q fat
 sell this stuff" She waved d fat ,vari-colorod bottles and boxes in inc glass case.
 Ii was no trick for Merry 10 sell Eb'~uty aids-not with skin and hair like hers.
 And when Madame Dale had i Idqrkcncd her eyelashes just the least bit with brown mascara, and Ireddened her Cupid's bow month. and touched her smooth cheeks with rouge, Merry looked like a masterpiece of makeup. "I can tell we're going fo get Ialons real good-you and me" she said, suiling all around her fat nose when they were closing up Ithn shop at half past five, Tt takes 1 looks like yours to get by in q beauty parlor and I don't mean yesterday"
 She was cheerful and apprecia- five. And in spite of her slang and her bad grammar and her wild I0ppoarunce Merry liked her.
 "Wherc did you find q position 2" Cassie asked that night when she and Merry were upstairs freshcn- ing themselves for supper, "Ifs not a position. it's only 4 ioh. and not much Of 9 job at that Merry told her, "I's in q beauty shor I answer the teJerhono and do little odd jobs like that around tho place"
 Cassie's eyes widonod. "So that evplains why you're all painted ur like a circus poster!" sho said. Just wait until your friend Gaines. sees you! Hell have a c0nnipfion fit."
 Merry knew that hn world,
 Something that he had said about i paint and powder the other night 1 flashed through her mind now. Ny mothers sure 10 like you be- i cause you don't paint or drink or | snoke,' was what lie had said.
 Well. I'm painted now!" Merry | thought rcbelliousIy. as she started | downstairs. 50 if she doesn't like | it she's out of luck.'
 Before she reached the bottom of the stairs the telephone in the l lower hall began to ring. She an- sVcred it.
 Hello. How's my swectheart?' Tony's voice came 10 her. and she caught her breath. It seemed to bring him close 10 Ter. somehow
 "All right she answered in a dull tone. T started work today, so I'm a little tired.'
 "Id like to come over and see you tonight, anyway" he said after a pause, unless you're too tired"
 She answered that she wasn't too tired to see him, and hung up.
 Cassie. wrapped in a thin white breakfast coat, was coming down the stairs.
 "Who was that - your friend Gaines?" she asked, with q sar- castle curl to her red mouth.
 Merry nodded, Hes coming over"
 Cassie's eyebrows went up in mock surprise. Did he say any thing about bringing his mother with bim-or about taking you to see her?" she asked, and Merry silently shook her fluffy head.
 No. ] guess not" Cassie went on. He hasn't shown any signs of giving you an engagement ring. either, Merry, this Gaines doesn't mean business! He's just having 7 good time with you! If he in- tended to marry you he'd have bought you ring ages ago. He has oodles and scads of money so Morley Kaufman says"
 All during the silent meal, NTer- ry kept turning what Cassie had said, over and over in her troubled mind.
 Until then she hadn't even bought of an engagement ring, But now she wondered why Tony hadn't given her one. She won- lered why Tony hadn't told his mother about her. too.
 "rn have it all out with him to- light!" she made up her mind, itubbornly. "Ill tell him that he $ ,an marry me right now or he loosn't need to marry me at all, m not going to spend the summer ( II a broiling beauty shop waiting ( or him to shop for q marriage [ iCpnseI"