Show re COMES a MOMENT by ELINOR MAXWELL 0 ARCADIA HOUSE publications SERVICE I 1 sy SYNOPSIS R 14 mary ary lin lorang g and d he her r 1 father 1 jim I an I 1 ine ineffectual effect u 1 at attorney toine y m meet e e t a tr train in which ch brings bri n 9 his wealthy sister in law unmarried dg Linnie corswell Cot swell and her friend alend irie leila ormsby divorcee for or a christmas visit waiting at home for them ar are marys mother her younger sister E ellen her fathers nagging maiden at sister aunt mamie and peter theraby the baby a b ot of the amaly family at the depot dr chri christopher tg cragg helps the guests with their luggage mary Is secretly in love with doctor cragg in leaving her aunt urges mary to visit her in new york but mary refuses mary works in a rental library where she spends her spare time writing sh short ort stories marys father I 1 la let out as fall road attorney the tees fees of which were e almost the sole support of his family to earn money she decides to begin writing in earnest mary feels sure that her newest story at sea would please the editors ot of national weekly after finishing it she caus calls doctor cragg who comes to the book store tor for a current novel falling failing from a ladder while i getting his book she regains con consciousness clous ness to find his arms around he her r he tells her he loves her and en tails her he Is to be married the ming month to a girl he ha hag known 0 11 ll I 1 1 his life despondent mary decides 0 o acce accept her r aunt linnies invitation in ne new w york r her r aun aunt 1 laughs at her for her N plans ans to write and insists that she meet as a many eligible men as possible the new week brings two letters one from the national weekly with a check tor for her story makes her deliriously happy the other from her sister tells her that financial conditions at home are getting betting worse the next day at a party given by her aunt mary meets distinguished jerome taylor wealthy middle aged man about town and effusive count umberto ballanca Ball Bal ancl lanci the counts oily manner nauseates her CHAPTER V continued 5 the mulatto woman consulted the names on the envelopes with madi dening precision finally extending a letter towards mary just one honey looks like a mans writing too mary caught the letter from the long olive tinted hand 1 I hope its from my father she said almost as if to herself dad had not written to her since her arrival in new kand she was hungry to hear in his own words how bow he was getting on it was from her father just one age of his small scholarly handwriting neat modest suppressed like the man himself she read with affectionate eagerness what he be had to say my own little girl your money order for eighty five dollars came today and it Is with inexpressible embarrassment and deep gratitude j that I 1 am accepting this loan from rom you there Is no use trying to conceal from you that I 1 am terribly hard pressed and that your generous offering has arrived as something of a godsend god send but mary I 1 shall pay you back I 1 am doing everything I 1 can to make a contact and hope tor for something good t to obrea break k this week dont ibea I 1 beg of 0 you ever mention to your aunt the straiten straitened d circumstances in which I 1 through my inadequacy have thrown my family I 1 could nt not bear the chagrin of having your dear mothers mother a sister ister know the true state of our financial affairs let alone suffer the embarrassment ut an offer ot of help from her aad try not to worry about us dear have a good time while you mav something 11 I 1 am sure will work out for me soon V mary placed her unfinished piece of toast on the blue butter dish she could not eat any more her ravenous young appetite had deserted her poor dad trying to make a contact at his agel hoping for something good to break this week begging her never to divulge to aunt linnie who could so very easily spare a thousand or two thousand dollars to relieve at least temporarily the devastating worry that gnawed at his heart and mindl mind no she would not let on by word or act how desperate the Haw hawkinsville kinsville situation was she would never betray dads confidence or do anything to hurt his pride hastily she picked up the tray with its powder blue dishes and silver coffee pot and carried it to addle who forthwith rei rated with her for doln doin my work then returning to the sunlit living room she placed the typewriter on the table inserted a sheet of white paper and put on the glasses which ellen said made her look typically librarian she had an idea for a plot a simple idea but so had been the idea for at sea mr buchanan had liked that well enough to accept it her story was to concern a little boy whose mother and father were on the brink of a sensational divorce just as things were reaching a crisis he was hit but only slightly injured by an automobile and this near tragedy brought the parents together again the tale concluding in a sane and happy manner for all concerned fifteen minute later she was still waiting tor for an introductory line that would inspire within mr buchanan Bue hanan an avid interest to read the rest of the story but the portentous words were tearfully fearfully slow in coming at last her fingers fell upon thi the keys and sharply topped tapped out a sentence a sentence that did not please her in the least but which would simply have todo to do for the time being she would have to get on she sit there all day waiting to begin paragraph after paragraph slowly but surely stretched sti etched themselves over the rages pages but the story unrolled with painful effort ive waited tooling too long since the last one MyAh my thoughts simply c cant nt get down to business too many a things have happened to me since I 1 wrote at pea ea if only id begun another story the very day after I 1 finished thail I 1 suppose your minds just like any other kind of machinery youve got to keep it working all the time or the wheels get rusty and are hard to start up again mary worked on their son aga again in the next morning rewriting whole sentences transcribing phrases deleting words that appeared unnecessary but the conformation remained the same and she could see no way in which to improve it she was not satisfied with what she had done the story lacked something at one she put it aside telling hersell herself grimly im so saturated with the thing that I 1 can no longer look at it from an unbiased standpoint ill go out for a walk maybe the fresh air will drive the cobwebs out of my brain and I 1 can get to work on it again tonight with a fresh outlook then she suddenly remembered that aunt linnie had made an engagement tor for the evening with umberto ballanca Ball ancl and with a sigh she resigned herself to I 1 A V she settled herself in an rm arm chair and began to read waiting until the following morning to work on the script again ballanca Bali Bal ancl lanci called for them at t seven just shortly after lelia D had ensconced herself comfortably in bed with somerset Maug hams hew new book at her side and a tray of delectable food over her knees well thank heavens im not going out with you and linnie tonight she said with a mischievous grin aunt linnie said to wear a street dress mary remarked lena lelia yawned dawned luxuriously oh of couise course with ballanca Bali Ball ancl footing the bill bild he will no doubt treat you to an eighty five cent table chote in some wretched place in the village age and smugly feel that you and linnie are in his debt for the rest of the winter hes so accustomed to having somebody else pay the check that when he does come across with an invitation he damn well sees to it that his output of cash is of the smallest possible denomination hes a sponger darling looking for a rich wife and nobody on earth can make me believe anything to the contrary mary pulled on her lapin coat and caught her gloves up from the dressing table able you do look cozy lelia leila she said and heaven knows ibish I 1 were staying at home tonight instead of going out into that horrid raw weather id have liked to work on my story the afternoon paper says well have a regular blizzard by morning lelia leila announced crunching a julienne potato with tantalizing enjoyment joy ment thanks be to allah for or my bed and boardl board see you later my dear unless you get lost in a snowdrift I 1 doubt if Ball ballanca ancl has the price ot of a ballanca Bali Ball ancl had the price of a taxi or else had decided to spread himself for the evening tor for upon descending to the street he ordered the doorman to whistle for a cab cor alanis anis li he told the driver in the village A startled look sprang into linnies eyes but was quickly diplomatically mati cally succeeded by a smile Corlia his ballanca Bali Ball ancl she inquired brightly Is that a new place ballanca Balt Ball anci ancl plumped himself down on one of the small side seats and lighted a cigarette it is a place I 1 have but recently discovered miss corswell Cot swell and the food is most excellent cooked as only the chefs of rhy my country can cook I 1 thought perhaps miss loring would like a bit ot of atmosphere something different from what she has been accustomed to seeing and doing doina since she has been in new york Corli Corl ants ianis was crowded garish and shabby and the bare wooden tables were set so closely together that ahat it was almost impossible to wedge a way through them sputtering candles set in wine bottles furnished the only illumination and the air afe was heavy with the stale accumulated smell of garlic and cigarette smoke mary wondered during the long spasmodic serving ot of y V meal it if they were going some face ce later on but her speculations as to that were soon brought to an end by ils saying a tentative tone in his voice the weather it is execrable ec should we not be happier to remain here for the evening miss mis 1 dowswell dot corswell Cot swell who had scarcely touch touched e d her food replied that perhaps they would lit a cigarette and sat back resignedly in her chair after which ballanco Bal lanci lanel divided his attention and his eyes equally between the tawdry floor show and mary once during the evening he put his hand over marys as it lay on the table caught it to his lips and murmured A hand so beautiful it needs no jewels mary hastily withdrew her hand and the corners of her mouth twitched with amusement as she thought just as well since I 1 you are so right beautiful lady callanel Bali Bal ancl lanel continued his voice reminding mary of the purr ot of a large maltese eat cat the lily should never bs be gilded miss corswell Cot swell caught Bal laneis eye at this moment and neatly conveyed to him by her expression that his remarks were not altogether to her liking eventually at eleven she rose we must be getting home she said tersely ballanca Bali Ball ancl managed to squeeze into the same seat with the women on the homeward trip in the taxi a and nd to take advantage of the closeness of the quarters by pressing his bis shoulder rather too tenderly against marys he cant be doing it on purpose mary told herself its simply that this seat Is so narrow miss corswell Cot swell turned abruptly just as they reached the elevator in her apartment house and extended her hand to ballanca Bal Ball lanci ancl in an undeniable farewell later in the privacy of her apartment she said to her niece umberto was loping right along with us into the lift no doubt he intended to come up for a nightcap but I 1 stand another moment of his company dreadful evening it mary warming her chilled fingers before the dying fire on the hearth smiled maybe it was for you aunt linnie youre so accustomed to nightingales knees on toast that I 1 can imagine how low life you consider a place like Corl ianis As for me however it was rather fun remember hot chocolate and salted crackers at bowens drug store have been the high points in my night life for id never tasted real italian food before and I 1 was even intrigued with some sonie of the rather strange looking creatures that practically sat in our laps for some inexplicable reason mary woke at six the next morning lelia iella and miss corswell Cot swell were of course coarse still asleep and even addle could not be heard stirring about the script of their son which she had tucked away in the bottom drawer of her bureau the day before sprang to her mind and with a sudden spurt of energy she decided that now in the early hours of this cold morning with not one sign of life to disturb the calm was the time to read it over she could look at it from i a fresh viewpoint and no doubt discern in its structure glaring flaws which she had been too weary to notice the day before A second later she settled herself in an armchair before the living room window and began to read their son it really went rather smoothly she told herself the phraseology was perfect h her ker choice of words beyond criticism 1 I sha shant nt do another thing to it it she he decided its as good as ever be and it may be far better than I 1 think im going to submit t it to mr buchanan today and its got to sink or swim with ca eager ger fingers she slipped it into a large manila envelope and securing aunt linnies fountain pen from the tray of 0 odds and ends on the desk wrote across its front in large letters mr phillip buchanan the national weekly ill take it to him myself she thought and it if hes not there just leave it with his secretary I 1 wish it were later I 1 dont suppose these editors ever think of rolling into their offices until at least ten well ill just have to take a long bath eat a long breakfast and spend spead an hour getting dressed maybe consume the time between now and therill CHAPTER VI it was half past ten and mary sat with flushed face and icy hands in the reception room 0 of f the national weekly she had arrived exactly at the stroke of ten and after giving her name to the efficient receptionist had been told that mr buchanan was in that lie he was occupied at the moment and to sit down please two other persons had bad now entered the reception room a good loo looking ing young man with an intense air a swarthy girl of twenty five or so but ill be next mary told herself excitedly her hands like blocks of ice beneath their tan suede gloves the other callers had disappeared through mysterious doors and miss the secretary was now speaking through one of the telephones in response to a buzz that had re sounded throughout the ra reception room all right miss loring she said your turn now mary jumped to her feet dropping her purse as she did so miss raised a supercilious eyebrow your purse miss loring she said coldly and better take your coat with you hateful mary thought her face suffusing with a deep red she probably knows im excited to the right please miss en was saying office at the end of the corridor thank you mary said coldly and elevating her chin ever so slightly stepped through the door that led tato into the working quarters of the national weekly offices opened off to the right and left of the long narrow hall but with eyes straight ahead she rn made de tor for the one at the end le the sanctus sanctus sanctorum of the lot the office of at phillip buchanan she stood in the doorway an instant before the man at the desk became aware of her presence he was scanning a typed letter and a deep frown made a furrow between betwee n his eyebrows he looked austere and mary none too assured at best felt increasingly nervous he was younger than she had expected to find him perhaps thirty five and his hair looked sunburned as if he had just returned from a fishing trip in florida which indeed he had suddenly he be glanced up and seeing her standing there rose hastily from his chair a puzzled expression on his face he was taller than one would have judged budged seeing him sitting down glaring at that |