Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1915-10-23
CROSSED WIRES
BY ELLIS TOWER.


1T was a long, long letter, and 1t be
| gan:
Il Dear Jack.
Your note came today. II made me
feel anew how much I miss you.
Dearest one in all the world. when you
know that I love you why should ! not
speak Of my lover Why should let con-
| ventionallty hold me back when I am
starving with my heart hunger7
can say II without even asking that
/ you love me as I love you. or praying
/ that the future may In some miraculous
| way bring US together. 1 only pray that
my love for you may carry with II come
| blessing. Good-by JILL.
Miss Curzon finished this letter and
read 1t carefully through. Then she
laid both arms on the table, dropped
her head between them and sobbed
heavily The telephone rang and the
sudden noise startled her. She an
swered in weak, trembling voice.
The operator apologized. 1t was an
error; the wires were crossed. and
somebody else was wanted.
"Ah, yes" she moaned, ut is some
one else who is wanted all the time.
Love does not call me; success does
not call me-"
Just then she remembered that sue
cess had that day signaled her in the
form of letter from her literary
agent asking whether she could sup
ply a serial for publication to be
started soon. But how could she
write of love, when own hopeless
love was crushing her heart? She
sat down and wrote a curt note to the
agent stating that it would be impos-
sible to send the story for several
weeks.
The telephone rang again. Another
| apology-the wires were crossed
again. She hung up the receiver with
jerk and burst into nervous sobbing.
| Hearing her sisters voice in the hall,
she hurried the two letters into en-
velopes and concealed them. After
| good-nights had been said and she
was alone again she dropped the let
ters down the chute and went to her
room to sit by the open window until
far into the night
During the night a storm came and
the next day was so cold and rainy
that all the hotel guests were kept
indoors Miss Curzon was the nest
restless person there, Her sisters
health was not improving. In fact,
this damp morning showed her color
less and frail.
"Oh, I've been blind to everything
butts my own hopeless lovel' Miss
Curzcn left her breakfast untasted, as
remorseless thoughts rushed into
her mind. I've been selfish and idle
when it was so necessary for me to
be busy. should never have sent
! either of those letters last night. Jack
will oespise me for a foolish forward
woman, and Barnalr win use some
other writer's serial. VIII l never
learn to be rationale" To crowd these
thoughts from her mind she plunged
| into work.
For the next few days she worked
| hard, but all that she wrote was I'M
! satisfactory. Fighting remorse and
/ sElothering regret did not aid in good
4 work. The letters from New York
came to her on the fourth day. One
was II Jacks irregular, boyish hand
writing and the other had Barnaby's
address in the upper ecrner. She tried
to igaore her trembling hands ana
pounding heart ss she opened Jacks
letter On che page of perfectly cor
rect crested notopaper she read just
this;~
NV Dear Jill;
First let me consrat-l1'a YOU upon hav-
iHg arrived IN yo-r ".U' boring where !
ycu can held ofs F't,1hcrs while t'-T
clamor for serials. I opened this letter, |
6xp-ciiug - Crl 4 nice, chummy letter |
like the talks we used TO have at the |
lake. Instead. found this brief note TO
Mr.. 9 Barnaby evidently some publisher. !
I'm returning it. as the street address is |
not given and I failed to find him in the |
city directory.
The wires must be crossed. and the |
publisher got my message. So send me
another one, won't you? I shall not for |
get our good times together and shall |
hope to hear from you often.
Sincerely,
The letter dropped at Miss Curzon's |
feet. She was chalky white and her |
voice was a hoarse whisper
What have I done? How can I
ever explain to Barnaby?" Almost
holding her breath, she resolutely |
opened his letter. AS she read it she |
dropped into a chair spent with re- |
lief. This was his letter:
My Dear Miss Curzon:
You failed to inclose a letter OF expla-
nation, and think you also failed TO in |
close part of the manuscript for the first |
installment OF your Jack and jill" story |
l take IL that you want my opinion, |
though. so here II is: Your plot will have
to be a corking good one II you make a
serial In the form OF letters. Let me |
know Just what your idea is about this
l remember that you told me typewrt-
ers were an unknown quantity up there
where you've been resting, but am re-
turning your manuscript herewith and