Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1929-05-24
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Freckles and His
Sally
@&@
BY JOHN SMITH

THAT was what 1t began wlth-the
long love affair between Perry
Hampton and Sally Preston which
later became so woefully tangled with
money matters and isolation in the
wilderness and Rev. Horace Crane.
But back to the day Of first things.
Perry Hampton, by some queer chance,
had been dumped without ceremony
into the Misses HIS Select Kinder
garten and, standing, small, shy,
brOwn-headed stranger, on the out
tended to him a little invltational
hand. Hello, Freckles |" the dearest
voice he had ever heard addressed
him. And stralghtaway In love fell
Master Perry with Miss Sarah V.
Preston who was as adorable at FIVE
as she was later at nineteen.
And yet It was when Sally was
nineteen that Perry bade her cold
good-by. Not that he meant 1t coldly.
No, indeed Only the barrier between
them-it was Perry who thought of 1t
that way-loomed to the man as In
a. lCuoI until huh
wrested a comfortable livelihood for
two from his civil engineering. For
Sarah was scheduled to inherit a con-
siderable fortune from an old and
grabbed aunt who lived in seclusiOn'
up in the country. And a stubborn
streak of Don Quixoteism in Perry
kept his mouth closed on the declara-
lions Of love which surged within him
until he could back them with offer
ings more substantial.
Their farewell conversation was
tragically restrained, its chief import
ance-and poignancy-lylng in what
was left unsaid:
Eyes, Sally, I'm off tomorrow to the
Rockies"
$50 sOon?" Sally bit an under lip
which might otherwise have quivered.
"The sooner the better" returned
Perry, almost savagely. TITS my first
big job-damning a river"
"I-I-I-wish you luck, Perry p
Midway Sally checked the impulse to
utter words which would have brought
Perry's arms about her in spite OF
himself.
"When | come back" began Perry,
when I come back-Pll-rll let you
know"
"Why, of course" said Sally In sur
prise, land well be writing back and
forth all the timel"
For while letters from Sally
reached Jerry regularly. Then, with
out warning, they stopped
Perry, at first frantic, then in depths
of gloom, plunged bitterly into his task
until Its completion was in sight and
his return home made possible.
Came the night before his depar-
ture. Sitting In the doorway of the
shanty he spied one of the boys com.
Ing up the trail, and his heart leaped
at the thought of possible mail.
But, after all, what he had hoped
would be letters proved only bundle
Of newspapers, many days old. Sud
denly, at an inconspicuous item, his
universe spun dzziIy around.
"Marrled-on the Both, Miss Sarah
v. Preston to Rev. Horace Crane"
1t couldn't bel Merciful heavens
his Sally whom he had loved since
childhood And yet, there 1t was I'm
cold black and white for every one to
read. Rev. Horace Cranei Who was
he? Wait-oh. no, surely that could
not be the man. And yet-Perry called
to mind a gaunt, elderly person who
| preached In the church to which he
had frequently accompanied Sally. But
the thought of his fresh, glrlish sweet
heart married to that man was bitter
to Perry.
rlnkle-tI nkle-tinkle-- The tele-
phone bell attached to the instrument
only just installed with great difficulty
janged in the room behind him. SO
recent had Its acquisition been that
to his recOnnectlon with the outside
world
"IIellO-hello-hellO
"HellO, Freckles"
Perry had sensation Of falntness.
"Who-who is thIsf" he managed to
say.
"Why-Sally Preston"
"Y0u mean the Mrs. Rev. Horace
Crane" said Perry sternly, with what
he considered great presence Of mind.
Was 1t a glggle or a sob or an ex-
clamatlon at the other end? Perry
was not sure. But there followed
moment Of silence which is an expen.
sive luxury In long distance CONVEX
satlon. Then, "Oh, Perry, Perry! My
aunt"
Unfortunately, at that moment oc-
Cured one OF those breaks In com
munlcatlOn which will happen on the
best regulated lines. In vain Perry
sought for response. Not even the
operator answered.
But Perry was too happy to care.
He saw 1t all now-the aunt for whom
Sally was named coming on for
visit, meeting her nlece's pastor, and
marrying him In spite Of her age.
And, happy thought, her marriage
would divert at least portion of that
troublesome legacy into other chan.
nels. He was free to ask Sally to
marry him!
A week later Perry learned from
Sally's lips that his surmises we're
substantially correct. "Only, why,
dear" he reproached her tenderly ibid
you stop writing and so give me rea-
son to believe what seemed incred-
ible"
"My dear" said his promised wife,
II had to do something to startle you.
You were so stupid dearw
Yet. after all, most men In love are
little bit stupid.