New Britain herald., 1926-07-31
By Beatrice Burton

pouring whisky rom It into glass. Then he added the sparkling ginger ale, stirred 1t and passed it across the table to Merry.
 A year before she would have re- fused the drink, as promptly and sensibly as she would have refused deadly poison.
 But now she took 1t without a murmur, and drank a third of 1t before she gave 1t back to Bill.
 Shall I pour you some coffee?" he asked, when he had drained the glass.
 Merry shook her head. Give me a cigaret," she said, sullenly, and Erskine lit one and gave it to her.
 Presently he made himself an- other highball.
 "Sweeten it for me?" he asked, showing it across the cloth to the girl.
 But once more she shook her head.
 NO more" was all she said. She always knew when she had had enough" She had had enough to drink now, in her own judgment. A warm and pleasant thrill ran through her veins. It seemed to fill her with sunshine, and when she looked in her vanity case mirror, all her color had returned to her face.
 Through a haze of gold she saw Bill leaning across the table. His face seemed to rock a little as he leaned.
 You and I are fools to row like this-when we have such good time together" he was saying, and his voice sounded far off Do you know that?"
 0 She heard herself laughing - lazy. drowsy laugh. T suppose so." she answered.
 The highban glass was right un- der her nose again, and she picked it up and took another drink.
 You taught me to do this, Bill she said. looking at him dreamily. You taught me to drink, and you taught me to smoke. You cert'ny ought to marry me, if anybody does. because-because- She could not remember what she wanted to say.
 "Because why?" asked Bill. He was sitting beside her now, one arm across the back of her chair. You tell Bill why, Little Sister,"
 Well. because you taught me to drink, and you taught me to smoke" she finished, with an enormous eff fort.
 "Yes, but I didn't teach you to pet" Bill told her, but she scarcely heard him. Her head was swim ming now, and she felt weak and dizzy. "Who taught you to pet?"
 She tried to remember who had. Then she wondered vaguely if she ought to tell Bill who had first taught her what 1t is like to be kissed by a man. Then she heard herself telling him. anyway.
 'Les Purcell" Her voice was soft and thick. Les Purcell, years an years an years ago."
 When she came to she was lying down on a hard leather sofa in a little dark room.
 She opened her eyes, and looked around her. Beside her rose a wall covered with brown wall paper.
 She seemed to remember that wall paper - that brown ugly paper patterned with tan roses.
 Then all at once she knew where she was. She was in the little sit ting room behind Lillie Dale's beau- ty shop!
 But how has she come there, she wondered. Surely not more than minute ago she had been at the Blue Admiral Inn, sharing a highball with Bill Erskine. ...
 "Lillie!" she called taintly, "Lillie are you here?"
 Almost at once the tap-tap of high-heeled slippers came across the floor outside. Then the door swung open, and Lillie came into the room.
 "Better?" she asked, looking down at her solemnly.
 Better? Was I sick?" Merry wanted to know. How did l get here?"
 Your noble friend, Erskine, brought you here and dumped vou.v Lillie told her bluntly. He said you'd been taken sick, but knew what was the matter with you of course. I've been all day trying to get you strengthened out! And he's never so much as telephoned to ask how you were!"
 He did not telephone on the fol- lowing day, either. On the second day Merry called up the Towers Hotel and asked for him.
 The clerk told her he had checked out on the day before!
 A month dragged by. A dull when nothing happened.
 Then on the first day of Novem- Der two things happened with the >of clap of thunder and the after-clap.
 Merry went out for long drive with Les Purcell - and Les Fur cells wife tried to kill herself by taking poison.
 (TO BE CONTINUED)
 Les Purcell shocks Merry with the news that she is to be named CO., respondent in his divorce case in