The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1940-11-02
WHEN IN
UOUBT'
-
Ey JANE OSBO2,I
Mcclure Syndicate-WNU Service

AONAAN hCA OCH lSdlly III IONe, she
had no business to propose. Her
roommate in college had told her
she was all wrong. They had talked
the matter over before Sally had
even met Tom Drew, when she
hadn't any idea that she really
would fall in love, at least in the
unreasonable, headlong way that
she had fallen in love with Tom.
Madelaine-that was Sally's ROOM
mate-had said: ''It might happen
that girl fell in love with a GER
tain man who hadn't fallen in love
merely because he had never
thought of it. In the old days girls
often didn't fall in love until after
some admirer had made love tc
them and in a way reused their
latent feelings. After an honest-to-
goodness proposal and a few kisses
those old-fashioned girls were often
terribly in love, got married and
lived happily ever after. Well,
there's no reason why the same
thing mightn't happen with a man.
Besides, it isn't at all honest or
frank or up to date not to tell a
man you like him terribly if you
really do"
That is what Madelaine had said,
and now that Sally had fallen
really in love with Tom Drew she
remembered it. But the idea of
actually proposing to Tom or telling
him she loved struck her as utterly
preposterous.
She was turning over the situa-
ton in her mind as she sat propped
up against the lounge pillows in the
room she shared with Madelaine in
the college dormitory.
Just then she heard Helen at the
card table saying: II haven't an
idea of what to do. l am in an
ocean of doubt" Helen was, of
course, referring to the way she
should play her bridge hand, but the
remarks so exactly applied to her
own state of mind that Sally lis
tened from her vantage place among
the pillows.
"Only one thing to do" offered
Madelaine at the table. when in
doubt-lead trumps."
And so the game went on, and as
Sally sat there trying to study she
kept thinking of that advice. when
in doubt lead trumps."
The next day came a letter from
Sally's brother. He and Tom we're
passing through the college town on
their way to some sort of business
convention. They would get there
the next Saturday and have time
for luncheon and maybe a show that
afternoon with dinner and a little
dancing afterwards. Sally's brother
asked Sally to provide a good look
ing girl for him and added You'll
do for Tom, l suppose" No letter
from Tom, nothing to indicate that
he had thought much about the pro-
posed visit. Still he was coming,
and Sally was thrilled just by the
thought of his arrival.
At luncheon that Saturday-Made-
laine and Tom, Sally and Sally's
brother-the conversation CHANGED
to center about bridge.
Speaking of bridge" Sally be-
gan cautiously, what is Madelaine's
trump suit? In other words, what
should you say was Madelaine's
strongest line?" Sally turned to her
brother. "You told me to get
good-looking girl and of course she's
that, but do you think that she is
really truly vamp, or terribly clev-
er or awfully nice-or what?"
Madelaine was as much interest
ed in the discussion as the others,
and when Sally's brother concluded
that being downright thoroughbred
struck him as being her trump suit,
she was perfectly satisfied.
"And what's my trump suit?"
asked Sally.
1.-THE gift of gab," said her broth
er with extreme simplicity thrown
in"
Tom looked at Sally with a smile
that made her blush a little.
Your trump suit, should think"
Tom said, was being what I call
terribly nice-I should think So" he
added, though you have never been
especially nice to me. Besides, you
are pretty, l imagine-though I am
not much of judge of that sort of
thing"
Sally made rapid calculations.
"He doesn't think I'm terribly clev-
er, or a vamp," she observed to
herself, 'or inspiring or tantalizing
or anything like that-just nice. Be-
ing nice is my trump suit"
AS they sat beside each other in
the theater and later, at a pleasant
little country inn, Sally suppressed
any impulses she might have had
to be very clever, or flirtatious or
intriguing or mystifying. She was
just supremely pleasant and what
Tom called terribly nice"
There was time next morning for
a short call from the boys before
their train left. Tom contrived to
get Sally to show him a certain
memorial tablet on the campus-a
secluded spot on Sundays-and
standing there he told her that he
loved her.
II don't believe I'd ever thought
of it before yesterday" he said, II