New Britain herald., 1926-07-15

LoCke nouSenolq.
 What she wanted she got by a, almost tiendish persistency. An
 Merry knew that she would neve
 stir from her room until she ha,
 an answer to her question.
 She racked her mind for som
 sort of answer to give her.
 Oh" she said at last. with he I head to one side, Irony got peevet
 because I rode over to Helent with Derrick Jones the other night And he got peeved because I hat
 paint on my face the night after ward. He's so straight-laced Cassie"
 He looks it." Cassie answered l"Don't let him start trying to TUT
 your life for you, Merry If he doesn't like what you do, let him
 do the other thing! He's not your kind, anyway"
 Perhaps not" thought Merry when she had gone back into heI own room, but I wish I were his kind of girl, instead of the kind 1 am."
 She told herself that Tony couldn't possibly hate her the way she hated herself, these days. The very sound of Derrick Jones auto- mobile horn footing in the drive way made her half sick. She wouldn't even go out on the front porch to sit, at night, because she was afraid that he might see her and come over.
 Thursday passed. Friday and Saturday came and went.
 And still no word from Tony Gaines!
 With his ring dangling from her neck by its cord, Merry went silent ly about her work in Lillie Dale's beauty shop.
 There was always plenty of work to do in the little shop. The task of keeping it clean and making telephone appointments wasn't so easy as Lillie had described it.
 But the shop was a cheerful place with it's white chairs and curtains, it's glass shelves, and the steady drip-drip of gossip that lowed from Lilies tongue all day
 That woman." she would say to Merry. when a departing customer .losed the screen door behind her, that woman has been married and iivorced three times! Now, let me ell you about it, if I can get it traight-" and she would tell the roman's history, so far as she new it. from beginning to end, ,ith colorful details.
 Most of the time Merry only nlf listened to her. but just the ound of her voice, lifting up and own in it's cheerful way, was com orting.
 Sunday came, A wet, gloomy ay.
 The rain poured down in torrents rom daybreak until five in the fterncon. The house seemed to e wrapped in gray fog, and it was S silent as the tomb. Since Dads cath. Mons had kept the piano ,ckcd. Music, she said, gave her he "ffdgets" lately.
 I'm going to burst into bitter pars if someone around this house | oesn't start something pretty l 1on," Jimmy half shouted at Merry 1 , the middle of the morning, as lev sat in the kitchen strlnglng cans for dinner.
 Merry laughed suddenly. It was 1e first cheerful sound that had ,me from her for days. Jimmy. inn, feel the same way" she id. "I could bite plate ln two , something, just for the excite ent of it!'
 While she was speaking, the lephone in the hall rang, and she aited breathlessly while Mons an- vered it. "Yes. I'll call her." she heard oms say, and her heart gave Il ap. Surely that was Tony want z her at last.
 But it wasn't Tony. In mo- ent Mons voice called up the airs that led from the front hall; rassie Oh, Cassie! Someone TOT III on the phoneW . Then came the sound of Cassles ppered feet on the stairs. Five minutes later she walked to the kitchen. "That was Morley Kaufman" II Q said in the important voice at she always used when she ,oke of the Marvellous Morley, as S my called him.
 He wants me to drive out into ' Q country for supper tonight, ( @ went on, sitting on the edge 2
 the table and nibbling raw l ring bean. He has man friend $ re from out of town and he ,ndered if you'd like to go along
 make a foursome, Merry" z For a second Merry hesitated. t sr thoughts flew to Tony Gaines.
 he should come while she was V ne r Well, hurry up and say yes or t }! cried Cassie impatiently. "l I nit stand here all day! Morley's |
 the wire" V I'll go," Merry heard herself an- CT breathlessly. t she wondered if she a ,uld have gone if Cassie hadn't s rried her the way she did. She had no particular wish to F
 with Cassie and the two men. f
 best it was something to do-- f to break the gray mo- II tony Of the day. b It was three o'clock by the time e } dishes were washed and put h ay. Half past three by the time il } Sunday paper was folded on , living room table, and the sofa \ shions pumped up, and the house il { into it's usual order. W Then Merry went upstairs to get assed. That was something to h
 too. Something to keep her t, nd fr' Tony Gaines to keep fself from wondering what he it s doing, and what he was think d