New Britain herald., 1927-11-30
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 Lily Lexington is the spoiled and only daughter of the Cyrus LeXing. tons, who have always lived far be- yond their means. She realizes her highest ambition when she becomes engaged to Staley Drummond, a rich bachelor oleer than herself. On the day after she promises 10 marry him she goes downtown to meet her chum. Sue Cain. and sees a man watching her through the crowd She feels oddly attracted by him be. fore she sees that he is taxi driver. She jumps into the cab and asks him to drive her home. On the way she learns that he owns the cab is ''hipped" on automobiles, and is cab driving to raise money to finance a new kind of piston ring he has in- vented. Lily takes the identification card. bearing his picture and name, Pat France, as she gets out. That night he comes for 1t, and Staley overhears his talk with Lily, and asks her if she's been carrying on 8 HIT ltdllOll Nllll d IdD tllN cl. LIlS III dignantly says she hasn't-but she has.
 Next day she hunts Pat up and asks him to drive to Ann Barney $ for lunch. Ann is a nice. sensible girl. who's in love with Staley, but she takes the news of the engage ment stolidly. Lily drives home with Sue and tells her how infatuated she Is with an almost unknown man, and next day she points out Pat, on his cab. to Sue, who's mortified at her schoolgirl. infatuation and the shameless way Lily begs Pat 10 drive her home. However. he re- fuses to, grimly-whS. Lily doesn't { know. He tells her that he is selling the cab to raise money for the pis- ton ring, and she miserably Won- ders how she'll see him after that. She keeps his card, telling him she has it.
 In the meantime MrsA Lexington plans a big dinner party to an- nounce the engagem ent and on the night of 1t Staley comes to the house early to see Lily alone. He tells her the age-difference be- tween them doesn't matter. and tenderly kisses her. Lily realizes that she hates his love making.
 NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
 CHAPTER VII
 'I ought to tell him don't love him." Lily thought. with Staley's arms around her. holding her close to him. Its not late even now but it will be al our from now, when all these people that are com- ing have been told that we're en- gagged. If I'm going to do anything if I'm going to be honest-I ought to tell him now"
 She braced herself to do it, as q swimmer braces himself for a dive into icy waters. And she would have done it then and there, too. except ! for one of those clever little tricks that Fate sometimes plays on all of us.
 It played one now on Lily. The door of the small library at the end of the hall opened, and out walked MT. Lexington in the dinner jacket and high stiff collar that he hated to wear. He came straight down 1 the hall, his face beaming with pleasure all around the cigar he was smoking. He laid one hand on the shoulder of Staley's beautifully tail ored coat.
 Well, my boy" he said. heartily. this is a great day for us-when we welcome you into the family
 Then he laid his other hand on the round, white arm of his daugh- ter and looked at her with pride and love in his eyes. "Lily's mother and l feel that shes in good hands when she goes to you," he added. and Lily could see that he meant it. Then the doorbell rang. and Sue Cain came with Jack Eastman. The evening had begun.
 AS Lily led Sue upstairs to her room, she felt baffled and down.
 
 -anything. . Down i'll the hall Jack Eastman was skipping Staley on the back and saying something that Lily could not hear. but she knew that he was congratulating Stalcy already.
 The trap had sprung. She was in it now-Caught.
 Well. l breathe q sigh of relief because you've made up your mind that you want Staley after all," Sue said when she and Lily were to- gether in the big luxurious guest room upstairs. She took q tiny gold comb from her gold -brocaded eve. ming bag and began to work with her hair before the glass as she talked.
 Far be it from me to advise you to marry q man you don't car. about" she went on. holding at Lily in the glass, but you've been going around with Staley for such a long time that you must be crazy about him or you couldn't have stood him for so long"
 She looked up at Lily, turning her dark little face, with its vivid red lips and eyes that were like two spot of black velvet in it's artificial whiteness. But Lily kept perfectly still. No use 10 say anything now, she kept thinking. The time to say that she wasn't "crazy" about Staley had gone by.
 Besides. there's lots more to mar riage than just love-" Sue spoke again. There's Companionship- and Staley is your kind of person. 1 He talks your language, and knows