SOLVED - Cable
The cable used was a traditional RJ11 phone extension cable. The ends are not the same, which created the confusion of the wires being associated with L & H.
I've switched to a twisted pair cable and all is working as designed.
Thanks for the input and time, as I worked through this speed-bump.
For reference see the pics and notice the flipping of the cable.
RJ11_ORIG.jpg
RJ11_ACT.jpg