The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-02-15
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ANN and CECILY FENwICK have for years supported them- selves, their younger sister MARY FRANCES, and their grandparents known as "Rosalic" and "Grand." Because of this financial rcsponsi- bility, Ann, who is 28, is unable to marry PHIL ECROYD, young lawyer to whom she has been enc gagged for eight years. Cecily, 22, loves BARRY McKEEL, an en- gineer, but when he proposes she refuses to name their wedding date for the same reason.
 Mary-Franccs, 15, and still in school, believes herself in love with EARL DE ARMOUNT vaude- vile actor whom she has met without the knowledge of her sis- tcrs. He urges her to leave ohmc and become his stage partner.
 Ann and Phil quarrel when she hears LEFTY KING, who works in Phil's office building, addresses him with cndearments. Ann tries to forget Phil by going about with KENNETH SMITH, rich and at- tentivc.
 Mary Frances agrees to go away with Dc ArmOunt. The same day CeciIy quarrels with her grand father and drives away with Harry in his car.
 Kcnnets Smith asks Ann to marry him and she refuses.
 NOW GO ON WITH THE STORY
 CHAPTER XL.
 Opportunities for Mary Frances. for Cissy could marry, conscience clear, and be happy. What right did Ann have to refuse all this simply because she did not desire it for herself? Or did she, per haps, desire 1t? She had never before thought of it seriously. She did not love her-but he thought that he did. He loved himself so dearly that he could not bear to deny himself anything.
 The trouble was that marrying this funny boy was just one of those things that could not be done-not for money. nor for any reason. Sup pose Grand were i'll again this win ter? Suppose Cecily might be mar ried, right now. They had not bought their fuel for the coming winter. They had paid only half of the taxes last March. How soon could she find another position. with times as they were right now? People did do mad things. People did do things like saying sudden ly, "Very well. Drive to the City Hall and get license and we'll be married right away" There was a phrase-"within the hour" Sup pose she were to say that? Suppose she simply opened her mouth and .l ,Ia Ao ut Then what would happen? The and obey"
 She looked furtively at Kenneth. She looked longer, and drew in deep breath and released 1t with a giggle. clear and antiseptic. She had been having a melodramatic dream, bad dream. and she had come suddenly awake.
 What's the joker" Kenny de- manded.
 Nothing. just thought of something amusing"
 "Well. Headache better?" he asked, but with no Holicitude.
 "Much better" she said, and thought, "1t would tell like dream. Cissy, dreamed last night that was going to marry Kenny smith. It seemed as IT nad 10, 10 get fur coat for Mary Frances, and the winters wood. But when we stood before the minister, and I was just ready to promise to honor and obey why. Kenny turned into that puppy Mary-Frances used to have. You remember--we called him 'Scowls.' He was yellow and pouty, and Grand thought he gave him asthma. I said to the minister, I can't marr yhim.' And the minister said, one, two, three. I knew all the time you couldn't. Out goes she And Phil, who had been sort of in the background, corrected carefully. Phil and Let ty," and forgot about the dream.
 At two o'clock on this same Wednesday afternoon Mary Fran ces and Earl DeArmount met, ac- cording to previously made arr engagements, at the corner of Spruce street and Fenwick ave- nue. There they held converse. earnest but brief, and there they parted. Earl made his way alone to the suburbs business center, and Mary Frances, though she longed to go home. returned, discretion's victim, to Ermintrude Hills house.
 Ermintrude. sitting on the front porch. gloomily and slowly smelling