Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1930-08-08
The Wrong
Lady
By RICHARD ROE

any trafiic-little by little the pointer
crept around on the speedometer-
Margaret felt as If she were flying
Suddenly two binding lights came
toward her and she turned out lit
tle-a crash that sounded like the end
of the wOrld-the instructive Jam
ming on of brakes-a Keeling ride In
the tield-and then the smart coupe
turned over with crash of glass.
"Are you hurt?" asked white
faced young man.
~ don't think So" she said shak-
lily; what hit me?"
"You hit me-" he replied grimly,
"Or at least my roadster, and II l
hadn't jumped you would have killed
me. AS 1t is | bet you've done five
hundred dollars worth of damages on
the car"
"Oh. really? Well, look at mine"
she retOrted holly. "You didn't have
any lights or wouldn't have run into
you"
81 did have light and you were
going entirely too fast. A car of that
make never should be driven as you
were driving-it isn't built for it,"
That was too much. To smash her
car and then defame it-her lovely
new pale gray coupe that had been
driven but once. Margaret's voice rose.
"You had no lights and am going to
have you arrested. Where's a police
MANI"
An obliging boy who loved rumpus
went off to find one and Margaret
put in the interval investigating the
wounds of the coupe. Finally wreck
er came up and hoisted the battered
car out of the mud and departed with
It forlornly trailing behind.
The bored justice of the peace hold
ing traffic court brisked up when he
saw Margaret, pretty well-dressed and
impressive. whats the charge?" he
asked solicitously.
"Parked without lights" said the
policeman YEARLY.
The justice looked shocked. "What
have you to say?" he demanded stern'
ly of the young man.
"a had lights" he replied indig
nantly, until she banged into me and
put 'em cut"
The justice, young and personahle
man. looked at Margaret, prettier than
ever in rage. ut is not true" she
said. She said more-considerably
more-but presently she became
aware that the justice seemed to be
looking rather than listening. He
reused himself from pleasant thought
and turned to the young man. "Fined
ten dollars for being parked without
lights" he said.
The young man paid under bitter
protest but the victory was all Man
garet's. John Anderson left court with
vengeance in his heart. Tomorrow he
would start suit against that hate.
full girl and punish her insurance com
pany If he could not punish her.
From the address she had given In
court he knew that he passed ner
house on his way to business and his
wrath blazed up afresh as he went
BY next morning. After he had passed
he recalled that there had been car
outside the house. and with little
jar It came to him that 1t was the ia
miliar car of doctor.
At night when he went home the
same car was there, and somehow his
anger seemed to be evapOrating. When
he got home he telephOned his lawyer
TO do nothing about the suit until he
heard from him.
The next morning the doctor was
coming out of the house and John
Anderson hurried up to catch him.
The doctor was in hurry and when
he saw the young mans inqulrinG en-
preston he replied to It. "Pretty bad
today. A shock Is serious matter
with heart like Miss Willis" And
he plunged into his car, leaving a
young man whose own heart suddenly
felt as If It had something wrong
with 1t.
"a shock" he reflected, n bad
heart-ny gosh, the girl may die. and
I'll feel like murderer" He sent
flowers on his way home and the next
day got his secretary to telephone an
inquiry. The report was dubious and
he rushed off to order flowers again.
That was surely bad week for John
Anderson.
Margaret Willis had II trying week.
too and at the end of II when the
doctor said everything was safe and
the patient well on the rOad to recOv'
cry, she decided to take walk.
"Auntie. dear. ! won't be gone long,
but promise me that you won't fall
down stairs again while Pm out" with
a gentle kiss she ran downstairs and
out into the street which seemed beau.
tlful after her confinement in her
aunt's bedroom
The trees had leafed out, tulips
were In bloom. II was II gay, fresh
May morning. A young man came to-
ward Margaret with his eyes bullying
out Of his head His face was one
great great smile MS he grasped her
reluctant hand,
"Why, you're well again" he said, |
land you look as strong as eyer--l |
never "Hs 80 happy in my life-if |
you had died would have smashed |
the ID car with an ax-the lights !
were really very dim because the bat.
terry was low"
Comprehension dawned on Margaret |
and she pulled away her hand. "There
weren't any lights at all or shouldn't
have bumped into you" she said.
Well they were both persons who
made up their minds quickly, so six
months later they were fighting over
where they would go TO spend their
honeymoon.
BURTON r. DOYLE.