The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1928-05-31
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The Wires Were
Crossed
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(Copyright1
T lillian JAFFREYs came out of
By JOHN SAUNDERS

L
~ the gates which gave entrance to
the grounds surrounding her fathers
country house and waved her hand at
Tom Colingwood as he went by in his
| fivver. Lillian was dressed as be-
came the daughter of a "magnate."
She smiled a bewitching, careless
smile at Tom as she waved her little
| hand in his direction. But her whole
expression changed when the fiivver
! had passed. A perpleXed look wrinkled
her brow and her eyes took on a pen
sive gaze.
The young man to whom she had
waved had answered her greeting
with a polite, but formal, bow. And
withal there had been something like
defiance in his look and manner as if
he said: mo, thank you; once bit
ten, twice shy. All your pretty ways
cannot lure me back again. l am
/ quite satisfied to have learned my les
son." And Lillian felt it; felt it as
distinctly as if she had heard him say
it in so many words.
For there was no denying that Lii
J liam had given every encouragement
to Tom-and had then thrown him
over. Yes, Lillian had done all this
| and now she was sorry for it. She
| tried to tell herself that there was no
use crying over split milk; but even
the venerable saying did not seem to
| fill the bill What she wanted out of
the past was not a proverb but Tom.
1t was not because her parents had
objected to her marrying Tom that
| Lillian had rejected him. He s
not wealthy, to be sure, but he
came of a good family, was an eXem-
plary and rising young man holding
down a responsible job. Mr.. and Mrs.
| Jaffreys desired only that their daugh-
ter should be happy in her marriage
and considered that Tom was the very
one to make her happy. But when
they found that Lillian had rejected
| him they took it for granted that she
| knew best, and let it go at that.
If there had been a little opposi-
ton to their marrying, had their love
making not run along in such quiet
lines, so much of taking everything
for granted, it is likely that Lillian
would have uttered a Eyes" as en-
phatic as her mo" when Tom asked
her to be his wife. 1t is always the
things around the corner that inter-
est us most, the things which are
constantly in our sight lose their in
terest after a while.
And so it had been with Lillian as
regarded Tom. But now that he was
decidedly around the corner" as far
as she was concerned, she found that
she wanted him back more than any
thing else in all this world.
When she first realized this she had
thought: ooh, well; he is in love
with me and all / have got to do is
just to show him that really did not
mean it when l said No | can
whistle him back all right" But now
she was beginning to realize that Tom
could not be whistled back as easily
as she had thought. Her heart sank
as the thought occurred to her that
perhaps he could not be whistled back
at ALL"
That day when she had strolled out
of her fathers gates to see Tom pass,
and had seen her sweetest smile an
swered by him in that unresponsive
manner, Lillian, after a fit of deep
dependency, resolved upon drastic
measures. She would write letter
to Tom in which she would acknowl-
edge her mistake, tell him how much
she really loved him, beg his pardon
for her tlighty conduct and offer him
a YES" if he would take it. OF course,
if it were true that he had ceased to
love her, this would place her in q
| most humiIiating position and expose
her to a rebuff which would break her
heart. But she didn't care; she could
| not stand things going on in this way
any longer so she went home, wrote
a letter upon the lines Indicated and
sent it to the. post office.
Tom would not get it until the next
morning, she thought-she knew he
seldom went TO the post office in the
little neighboring village for the eve
ming mail. And she passed a most
miserable night. Then the thought
occurred to her that perhaps Tom
would 60 for his evening mail and get
| her letter.
Right after breakfast next morning
she was in her little roadster, motor
ing down to the village post Office AS
| she entered the door she and Tom
almost collided.
"Did-did you get my letter." she
faltered with blush.
mo-" replied Tom, "did you get
mine?"
"Why, no! Did you write?" she
cried-and fastened to her letter box
Tom rushed around to his. In cou-
pie of minutes they had another mar
row scape from collision in front Of
the delivery window.
"Oh, Tom, am so glad" said LII
liam.
And "Oh, Lillian, what a jewel of a
girl you are" said Tom.
! You know what Lillian had writ
ten. Tom had written that he could
stand it no longer; that he had tried
10 be Indifferent and couldn't manage
it. Would not Lillian reconsider"
There is not much more to tell. You
know from your own experience, gen
| tie reader, how happy lovers are when