New Britain herald., 1926-08-06

My dsar girl, do you think that you and l are really suited to one another, after all? I very much doubt it.
 You are barely twenty-two. l am getting dangerously, close to 45. To the time of life when man wants to settle down.
 Nothing looks so good 10 me, at my time of life, as my own fire sidet And that would never sat- isfy you, Merry. You thrive on ex- citement, the bright lights. gayety and attention, not from one man, but many men.
 If you could not settle down 10 one man during your engagement, what would you do in the dullness of married life? Take your love af- fairs with the married man whose wife tried to kill herself. If you had really cared for me, would you have had that little affair? Would you have run around with young Cabby Marsh, as Muriel tells me you have been running around with him? On the sly.
 Frankly, Merry, l do not believe you are ready for marriage. do not believe you would make the kind of wife l want my wife to be.
 When l am with you, you attract me, charm me in good many ways. You run away with my better judg- ment.
 But when I am away from you, and l have time to think things over, l feel sure you are not the woman for me. 1 have been feeling this way about you for the last sev- en or eight months. That is why l put off our marriage, last Septem' ber to tell you the plain truth.
 q do not want you to answer this letter right away.I want'you to think over what have written to you be- fore you give me your answer.
 You realize, of course, that the whole thing is up to you,
 Very sincerely yours,
 WILLIAM Ii. ERSkINE."
 When she had finished reading the letter for the second time, Mer- " carried it upstairs with her.
 She locked the door of her bed- room and sat down on the bed to read it again-with the eight pages scattered out in front of her on the snowy counterpane.
 one sentence seemed to leap out at her from them: 'If you had cared for me, would you have run around with Cabby Marsh. as Muriel says you haye been running around with him."
 Her lip curled scornfully as she looked at Muriel Kaufman's written name. It was Muriel who had done this thing 10 her, Jealous, catty little Muriel, who had told Bill about Nonie Purcell and about Cabby Marsh!
 She's been jealous Of me ever me, up at the Crows Nest, thought Merry in the bitterness of her heart jealous Of me, because I'm prettier than she is; because I can get most any man I want"
 We'll that was one comfort, any way That she could attract almost any man she cared to attract,
 And Bill Erskine isn't the only fish in the ocean!' Merry said to herself, as she put the letters away Nxh ell lSnof all the other letters that Blil had written to her. The other ones that he had signed Yours forever never, Billy" and Yours til the cows come home, Bill.'
 The next morning as soon as Merry heard her mother stirring around down stairs, she got up and went down to the kitchen in her kimona and bedroom slippers.
 We'll" Mons fairly exploded with surprise, what gets you up so early in the morning."
 This" Merry answered. and tossed Bills letter on the table.
 Mons, who was cutting bread, only looked at it from beneath raised brows.
 What did Bill have to say?" she asked, and in dull toneless voice Merry told her what he had to say.
 He doesn't want to marry me. He thinks I'm too gay for him.
 Mons snorted. ''Humph!"s said she. Its taken him good while to find it out, hasn't it?"
 She brandished her bread-knife as if it were short-sword or some other kind of battle knife.