Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1932-08-26
Crossed Wires
By JOHN SAUNDERS
70 by Mcclure Newspaper syndicate.1
(wNU Service)


IL the gates which gave entrance to
the grounds surrounding her fathers
country house and waved her hand at
Tom Collingwood as he went by in his
f1ivver. Lillian was dressed as became
the daughter of q ''magnate." She
smiled bewitching, careless smile at
Tom as she waved her little hand in
his direction; one would have thought
her the most carefree young beauty in
all the world. But her whole express
sion 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
q polite, but formal, bow and had
looked at her in a manner which was
neither one of reproach nor of indif-
ference, but compound of the two.
And withal there had been something
like defiance in his look and manner
as If he said: "No, thank you; once
bitten twice shy. All your pretty ways
cannot lure me back again. am
quite satisfied to have learned my les
SON." And Lillian felt it; felt it as
distinctly as If she had heard him say
1t in so many words.
For there was no denying that Lii
Ian 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 that venerable saying did not
seem to fill the bill. What she wanted
out of the past was not a wise
proverb but Tom.
1t was not because her parents had
objected to her marrying Tom that
Lillian had rejected him. He was
not wealthy, to be sure, but he came
of a good family, was an exemplary
and rising young man holding down a
responsible job. Mr.. and Mrs. Jaf-
freys 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 1t go at that,
If there had been a little opposition
to the marrying, had their love-making
not run along in such quiet lines, so
much of taking everything for grant
ed, it is likely that Lillian would
have uttered yes as emphatic as her
no when Tom asked her to be his
wife.
= 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 In all this world.
When she first realized. this she
had thought !: "Oh, well: he Is In love
with me and all I have rot 10 do 4
Just show him really did not mean II
when I said NO" I can whistle him
back all right" But now she was be-
ginning to realize that Tom could not
be whistled back as easily as she had
thought.
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 unresponsiye
manner. Lillian. after a fit. of deep
despondency, resolved upon drastic
measures. She would write a letter
to Tom in which she would acknowl-
edge her mistake. tell him how much
she really loved him, beg his pardon
for her. Eighty conduct and offer him
n yes II he would take 1t. OF course,
ii It were true that he had ceased to
love her. this would place her In n
most humiliating 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
n letter upon lines indicated and sent
n to the most Office.
Tom wou,d NOT 60, n until IN. nav,
morning she tboupht-she knew he
seldom went to tbe most nf5,ce ,r ths
littla ra;yhhoripv v,,iaoe for the avv,
nine mail And she nassad , mos,
c,gserabln r,obt Tben tbe thoush,
vccnrred "a her that nerboue vro,,