Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1932-09-16
Never Too Late
for Love
By H. IRVING KING
O. By Mcclure Newspaper syudlca,.
(WNU servics)

body said, "hinging herself at n.
head" Of Howard Harrop, Howard hss
Tilted her. Had Margaret been in ,os.
with a faithless wooer? Well, no.,
a matter Of fact she had not Oh.
had, however, been rather In love with
his motor car, his yacht and his conn
try house, and she felt the blov
| keenly.
There had never been any lorna,
engagement between Margaret ana
Howard, but he had paid her marked
attention-and then gone of and mar.
ried somebody else, leaving her IA
wear the willow. Well, after all. Mar.
garet was not wholly to blame for ha,
part In the incident-she had beeo
brought up that way-drst to consider
the fortune and then the man WIN
possessed It.
/ Harrops fortune could have bal
anced him very well indeed. Her fall,
ure was due entirely to that huma.
equation which no system ever yet in.
vented has been able wholly to ellmI.
nate from the affairs of men,,
women. At first naturally, Margaret
was much chagrined.
Served me right" was Margarets
final verdict on the affair. People
talked and Margaret rose to the coca.
sion, setting afioat a rumor that sh,
had Tilted Howard and not Howard
her-a rumor which she fostered and
circulated with such tact and persist.
ency that when it came to the ears Of
Harrop he half believed 1t himseH.
But after all she felt rather "out Of
It" She saw young people making
love, getting engaged and marrying
around her and wondered If there WA
not somewhere in the world "anoths
life without which her life was incOm.
plete." And then her parents died
and left her little or nothing; and
then her great aunt died and left be,
a great fortune. And Margaret was
now thirty years old.
Together with her aunt's estate Mar.
garet took over as manager Of It the
man who had so long conducted the
financial affairs of her estimable and
deceased relative. There is no use Ia
disgusting it-strike up the band hera
comes the hero. Phillip Cumming
the financial director aforesaid, was
of about Margaret's own age-perhaps
year or two younger, though be
looked older. He was a staid, Qule.
person.
Naturally he and Margaret we1
thrown very much together in the way
Of business, and to her surprise, the
young Lady found that she. was( ingss
ing over business matters with be
secretary longer than was absolutely
required by the circumstances. Wha!
did this mean7 Could 1t be-? But
pshaw! she was thirty years old She
saw no signs that she had awakened
in Phillip Cummings sentiments which
/ she now realized had taken possession
of her own heart. Was she destined
never to be loved? What was there
uOOut ucK ludb ucOaAI cu ucA lAOu GA
periencing. once in her life. the jOV-
Gus knowledge that some one loved
herr
But there she was, debarred by the
very nature Of things. from any be
trayal Of her real feelings in the mat
ter. Suppose she should, inadvertanl'
ly, betray herself; and should meet
with no responseI The thought was
too horrible. She would see as little
as possible Of Phillip; would hold him
at a distance lest she should hold him
too near. The result was that an Icy
barrier seemed to arise between the
two who had before been on a rela-
ton as nearly "chummy" as the p'-
sitlons of employer and employed per
mitted Phillip felt the change.
Things could manifestly not go 90
this way: One day Phillip offered bis
resignation. "You will find everything
in order, I think" said he, "and nat
urally will stay until you provide
yourself with another manager"
But why do you resign, Phll-ME
Cummings?" asked Margaret. He no
tlced the slip and blushed-and Mar
garet blushed, too. Are you not sat-
isfied with your salary?-or is 1t your
employer that you are dissatisfied
within
my salary is most satisfactory" ~
piled Philip" and until lately my en-
ployer had been all kindness"
"Then you have noticed a change 10
me Of later"
II have, Miss Howard"
ITO what do you ascribe TINS
changer
ITO my presumption"
"Your presumption Pray when
have you presumedr
"0h, Miss Howard" cried Gum
mings, do not question me-pray LEI
me go-it Is best"
~Phillip," said she, using his CHRIS
tian name without hesitancy, do you
really want to leave meT
Their eyes met and for a momen!
they gazed at each other without
speaking. Then he said, 81 don't wan.
to leave you-and you must know
don't. But what else is there for
poor beggar like me to do?"