New Britain herald., 1926-08-18
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I course, and takes a job in Lillie Dale's little beauty shop. At that time she is having the one real love affair of her life. The man in the case is Anthony Gaines, a young | lawyer who wants to marry her. Their engagement ends when Merry. in a fit of jealousy, tells Tony that 1 her.
 She hears that he Is going to Montana to open law office in Billings. Then letter comes from him, but before Merry has aSchance to read it, 1t mysteriously>vani from the hall table. Jimmy her youngest sister, says she saw Cassie, her other sister. reading it. But Cas- sic denies even seeing the letter. Cassie disikes Tony Gaines and does all she can to encourage the friend l ship between Merry and Bill Erskine a wealthy bachelor.
 Cassie's employer is Morley Kauf- man. He and Bill Erskine are great | friends and when Cassie marries Morley she. tries to make a match between Bill and Merry. Finally Merry becomes engaged to him. Mons, her widowed mother, takes LiIIie Dale and MT. Hefflinger into | the house as boarders. A year later she marries MT. Hefflinger. Shortly afterward Jimmy elopes with Derrick l Jones.
 | Bill Erskine keeps putting off the wedding day, and when Merry gets herself tangled up in the divorce l case of her old sweetheart, Les Pur- cell. and his wife, Bill drops her like ', hot cake and marries another girl.
 Then one man after another comes into Merry's life, but she loses them all and at 2S she has only one admirer, George Leet. She hears that Tony Gaines has married Kath' | crime Zimmerman in Montana, and 1 she tries not to care. Then one day, she finds Tonys lost love letter be- hind the mop-board in the hall of the house. Cassie admits putting 1t 1 there, long ago.
 Tony breaks into print, when & woman in a famous murder mys- l tery, engages him as her lawyer. l Merry sees his picture on the front page of paper, and is filled with such longing and loneliness as she has never known before.
 ! NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY CHAPTER LIX. Merry stopped her work in the beauty shop a dozen times that afternoon 10 pick up Tony Gaines l picture, and look at it.
 But when she looked at 1t she saw much more than just the black and-white. newspaper portrait of him. She could see Tony, himself, in her minds eye. Tony just as he looked the first time she ever set eyes on him, eight years ago. His dark deep eyes, his boyish loveable smile, and the cleft chin below it.
 And the memory of him made her want to cry, so that her throat ached. and she had to keep blinking back the tears that stung her eyes. She would put the picture back into her handbag, and go about her work of putting the little shop in order, for few minutes. Then she would open the bang once more and look again at the photograph of Tony, as if she never could look at it lon genough to satisfy the hunger in her heart, At four o'clock every bottle and jar and curling iron in the place was in its proper place, and she put on her hat to go home.
 As she was locking the street door from the outside. a shadow suddenly fell across it-the shadow of man.
 Merry wheeled about. There, with his hat in his hand and a broad grin on his good looking face, stood Les Purcell. Les Purcell, of all people!
 Hello, Merry he greeted her as casually as if he had just seen her yesterday, instead of six years ago. Didn't expect to see me here, did you?"
 She shook her head. Her eyes were wide with surprise, and she did a bad job of trying to laugh.
 "Why-no," she answered, T knew you weren't even living here. No. I didn't expect to see you" She hated herself for the way she was stammering and blushing.
 "Been living up in Toronto for years-ever since Nonie and l split" Les informed her airily. Pm selling clothes. Women's clothes. For big New York wholesale house. It's their Canadian branch and I'm in charge of it. Slick job"
 That's just fine. I'm mighty glad to hear it, Les" Merry an- swered as warmly as she could.
 I'm taking my vacation now" he went on. This is the first time I've been in this town for more than five years. never expected to find you shere, though. I thought sure you'd been married long ago to that Erwin or Erskine-I can't remem- Der his name."
 Merry winced. Even now the memory of the blow that Bill Frs Kline had dealt her vanity, hurt a little.
 But since we're both as free as air. let's go out and celebrate Sat- day night together" Les proposed cheerfully. "A hot bird and a cold bottle, as they say, wouldn't be So bad. Will you go?"
 Merry shook her head, No, thanks, Les. never eat any more," she said, and held out her hand to him. Its been awfully nice to see you. Goodby."
 She left him standing there open mouthed with amazement, and went swinging off into the sunshine.
 Nov, what do you suppose I've done to herr" he asked himself, as he stood there. And then. because he was the kind of a man who cares most for the women who care