| Show U 4 c t COMES a MOMENT By ELINOR Y MAXWELL O 0 ARCADIA HOUSE PUBLICATIONS SERVICE CHAPTER IX Continued 9 Good Lord Phil Buchanan exclaimed exclaimed ex- ex claimed incredulously I YoJU Youre you youre you're re not crying My dear child please d dont don't take tM this sol H nAl thing so seriously seriously se- se After A all all The 1 Weekly's not the only mag magazine i OO in in New York Mary ary averted her face and gazed blindly out of the window No uNo she she finally managed to say The uThe N National honal Weekly's not the only magaZIne mag mag- azine zin in New York but if you say Their Son is trite and lacks conviction conviction con con- theres there's no use in my trying to market it anywhere else And what a fool you must think I am am Crying Drying because you dont don't like my my story I-I I bet Im I'm the only woman who ever bawled in your office Buchanan grinned showing those strong teeth that looked so startlingly startling startling- ly jy white compared with the tan of his face Vell Well perhaps you are but lets let's forget it Mary smiled through her t tears ars Maybe you can but Im I'm sure the memory of my making a fool of myself before an editor will haunt me to my dying dayl day Mr Buchanan Buchan Buchan- an Yes Mary Throw that script in your waste basket Why U I cant can't do that Its It's your property you know I to see it again No I wont It'll be mailed to you in proper form Now tell me what's the new tale about And do you feel that youve you've allowed yourself yourself yourself your your- self enough time on it Mary looked at him with troubled eyes Why I dont don't know I worked on it constantly for two days and anda a half half and and after all a short is only a thousand or so words in length Do you think Id I'd better take it back home No uNo Leave it here Ill I'll glance over it myself instead of submitting submitting submitting submit submit- ting it to the regular routine Then if I feel it should be improved upon Ill I'll return it to you for revision revision before putting it through the usual reading procedure Are you having that picture taken this afternoon by the way Mary glanced at her watch Yes I am and its it's time I was getting to the photographers Thank you Mr Buchanan Youve You've been nice been nice and Im I'm sorry I acted so silly Phil Buchanan followed her to the door Well VeIl theres there's something you might do to make to-ah-make ah make up for having having haying hav hay ing floored me just a bit there for fora a moment Mary Iary smiled at him obliquely And what is that Never darken your doors again To the contrary I have to drive Oscar up to Westchester this afternoon afternoon afternoon after after- noon and I wish you'd go along Oscar Dont tell me youve you've forgotten s-i s t TI TIr if w r 3 3 1 A u tr 1 tv u u. u I I Oscar lug yuu ju working up an attack of something or other and I want to get him to the veterinary's before he breaks out with distemper or the rickets or whatever Great Danes have We could call for you at the photographers photographer's photographers photographer's pher's if you'll go then after getting get- get ting Ing Oscar settled drop in at Trudis Trudi's on the Boston Post Road for a beefsteak beefsteak beefsteak beef beef- steak dinner Mary 1 hesitated She had accepted accept accept- ed an invitation with Count for or dinner somewhere and one of their heir usual walks but an evening with Phil Buchanan suddenly appeared appeared ap- ap seared far more desirable than an evening with the suave Italian She could phone cancel her engagement with him Id love to go with you and Oscar Oscar Oscar Os Os- car she finally said I dont don't imagine imag- imag me ine ne the photographer will keep me more than an hour do you Not a chance Shall I call for you say at five Yes at five Good Goodby of friendly He was by the grace a policeman waiting for her in his out slung low-slung coupe when she came of the building at five minutes after five Oscar looking regal in spite of a nose that was definitely dripping dripping dripping drip drip- ping occupied the rumble seat Mary hastily slid in i beside Buchanan Buchanan Buchanan Bu Bu- Bu- Bu chanan and slammed the door I I didn't know anybody short of the mayor could park on Fifth Avenue said Hows Oscar she of decided case Oscars got a the sniffles Phil replied looking worried and Spike says you youcan youcan youcan really sort of wheeze in his hear a can country like chest an organ in a church when the organist misses a aMary an note n turned about and looked at atthe atthe Mary through the back win win win- the big dog be enjoying He seems to dow Sitting Sitting Sit Se she reported life right t now straight and regarding regard regard- ting Ung UP very with enormous interest interest inter inter- ing the traffic est Eventually they arrived at Country Retreat for Homers Horners tor cramped and cold Dogs and CIty could from the car Mary alighted through the gathering dark of discern the the March night n a rambling Phil a barn so building once frame now her a amodel amodel informed Buchanan canine pets model hospital for A united howl from the inmates had set up the moment Phils Phil's car had pulled into the driveway Oscar feeling he had been betrayed by his master and this girl who had allowed allowed al al- al- al lowed him to lean so comfortably 1 Vinn 1 t a 00 u me car carand carand carand I and for exactly ten minutes steadfastly steadfastly stead- stead lastly refused to budge I Eventually they wheedled him out Doctor Horner Homer having produced some bait in the shape of a very large hunk of round steak Finally I assured by the veterinary that Oscar Oscar Oscar Os Os- car merely had a cold and would probably be in the pink of condition condition condi condi- I tion within a few days they told the dog good-by good and followed by his accusing eyes made their way to the coupe It was nearly midnight when Mary Iary reached home Lelia had just got in and was rifling the ice-box ice while Miss propped up in bed was reading Come on in here girls she called from her bedroom and bring some cheese and crackers Where in the world have you been Mary Mary stepped into the bedroom Why CC Aunt Linnie didn't Addie not in inlove inlove Darling youre you're falling love with him are you 9 give you my message I telephoned about five but you weren't in and andI I told her to tell you I was driving to Westchester with Mr Buchanan He had to take his dog to a veterinary's veterinary's veterinary's nary's and asked me to go along Heavens How domestic and unexciting unexciting unexciting un un- un- un exciting But it was fun Aunt Linnie really really real real- ly We stopped at Trudis Trudi's on the way back and had beefsteak and German-fried German potatoes and pancakes And we sat in front of ofa ofa ofra a ra big log fire in a room that cant can't be a day less than a hundred years old No one else was there and after Trudi served our dinner he and his wife who cooked it came and sat with us and we talked Sounds cozy commented Lelia entering the room with a tray of food Phil Buchanan loves to hobnob hobnob hobnob hob hob- nob with all kinds of people Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps Per Per- haps that's why hes he's so successful he knows every phase of I life e. e Half the policemen in New York have named their first-born first son after him Miss regarded her niece with speculative eyes Darling youre you're not falling in love with him are you The butter knife e with which Mary had been spreading some cheese clattered to her plate No she said coldly Im not falling in love with him and a darned lot of good it'd do me if I were Hes He's interested interested interested inter inter- ested in me as a writer writer not not a woman And not so terribly interested interested interested inter inter- ested at that He turned down Their Son today today said said it was trite and banal Urn Um murmured Linnie and bit into her cracker Well I cant can't say my dear that I can shed any tears over that The sooner you discover you were never meant to tobe tobe tobe be an author the better it'll be for you Something will have to wake you up to the advantages of marrying marrying marrying marry marry- ing Jerome Taylor Mary placed her plate on the tray with a bang that was almost fatal Im never going to marry that silly old man Aunt Linnie and you might as well know it right now Also I wouldn't have Umberto Bal Bal- janCi with his hair and perfumed cigarettes for Cor a gift Im I'm Imsick Imsick Imsick sick to death of their fatuous glances and their silly speeches simply wonderful wonder wonder- It was wonderful wonderful simply ful to ful-to to spend this evening with a aman aman aman man who never once mentioned my so-called so beauty nor attempted to kiss me No Aunt Linnie Im I'm not notI falling in love with Phil Buchanan I And heavens knows he certainly is not falling in love with me In fact there are times when I feel quite quit sure he doesn't even like me me- me that he secretly thinks Im I'm something something something some some- thing of a fool And leaping to her feet her eyes burning with unshed tears she fled from the room CHAPTER X The script of Their Son had reached Mary the second morning after the drive t to Westchester with Phillip Philip Buchanan and the L. L H very signi 01 me toe long iong envelope in it came and the printed rejection slip that automatically had been enclosed enclosed enclosed en en- closed sent a wave of nausea over her There was a small fire burning burning burning burn burn- ing on the hearth in the living room the March morning being chill and Mary 1 seeing that Aunt Linnie was engrossed in her mail stepped to the hearth and dropped the script on the burning logs that she told herself I 1 never want to see the thing again It'll only remind me of how futile my efforts are In that same morning mail there had come a letter from Janet Loring Loring Loring Lor- Lor ing and Mary seeking what privacy privacy privacy vacy she could seated herself inthe in inthe inthe the wing-chair wing by the window and slit it open with a hairpin Mary Dear I am getting more and more worried about Dad every day He Is so terribly discouraged and as yet not one ray of hope bope has come our way concerning a position for him Also he be Is not well and has contracted a hacking cough that keeps him awake night after night Ive I've urged him to go pee Fee ee Doctor Cragg who's back from his honeymoon you know but Dad always says Oh Its It's nothing Ill I'll be better tomorrow I know however the truth of the matter is is-he's is he's hes afraid of what the doctor will tell him and also he feels he cant can't spend the money even on such a necessary necessary necessary sary thing He wont won't tell me how much money we have left In the bank but I know It must b be practically gone gone after after Petes Pete's operation two years ago and what Dads Dad's had to draw for expenses lately Morning after morning he leaves the house right after breakfast Just as hes he's done for twenty five years when there really was some work to be going to Each morning be he bathes and shaves and dresses so carefully and there actually actually actually actu actu- ally s seems ms to be some hope in his face but he always comes back to noon dinner din din- ner ncr and again for supper with no news to tell us us and a look of defeat In his eyes Ive I've come to the conclusion that we ought to tell Linnie about our affairs ask her for a loan Five hundred dollars dollars dollars dol dol- dol- dol lars would be a saver life for us right now would now would give Dad some relief until he can find a position but when I mention mention mention men men- tion this to him his face gets red and he says No Janny We haven't come cometo to that yet I dont don't mind your sisters sister's sending you valuable presents and giving giving ing Mary a lovely time in New York but I cant can't allow you to ask her for money to feed to-feed feed us People dont don't seem to like Chris Craggs Cragg's wife very much I saw her at Sullivan and the other day and she was being positively rude to poor Miss Ackley about their line of chintzes I overheard her say with a little toss of her head Ill simply have to go to Chicago to get what I want Why I cant can't even get a decent haircut haircut hair hair- cut or manicure Were We're so excited over the news that your our story will appear In The National Weekly next month Mr Chickering called up the other night to get the details and hes he's going to print a nice article about you In the evening paper To think my daughter should be a Q successful successful suc sue author I Have a good time darling and as long as Dad is so adamant on the subject sub sub- dont don't let on to Aunt Linnie in any manner shape or form that we are so frantic about finances here at home bome Mary read the letter again her heart heavy with compassion Have a good time darling Dont let on to Aunt Linnie To Linnie To think my daughter should be a successful successful suc sue author The brave pitiful sentences danced about in her tired mind Poor Dad she thought Poor Mother So gallant gallant so so defeated de de- de- de Wanting me not to tell Wanting Wanting Wanting Want Want- ing me to have a good time Thinking Thinking Thinking Think Think- ing me a successful author when At Sea is probably my one and only story that'll ever see itself in print Suddenly unable to bear her thoughts in the narrow confines of Aunt Linnies Linnie's home she jumped to her feet Aunt Linnie she began began began be be- gan and her voice was breathless Im going out for a walk Miss glanced up from the announcement of an art exhibit Why Mary So early Its It's only nine o'clock The older woman discerning the girls girl's unrest studied her lovely young profile the matter dear You haven't received bad news from home have you No N Ne everything's v s 's all ll rig right t. t I simply feel feel restless I won wont won't t be gone long Linnie sympathetic to something she could not fathom continued to search the girls girl's face All right my dear she finally said Run along but dont don't forget were we're leaving for Journeys Journey's End at elev eleven m. m Jerome's carll be here promptly on the hour I know Mary murmured as she left the room to get a hat and coat And to herself she was saying Journeys End End Oh Oh my God Godl How can I stand driving out there today filling myself with rich food food food-be- be being ing shown those thoroughbred horses and dogs talking dogs talking fool nothings nothings nothings noth noth- ings I IThe The days wore on fruitless on-fruitless fruitless sterile sterile sterile ster ster- ile days for Mary She longed with every fiber of her being to write but the words would not come It was futile to try she finally told herself until after she had learned the fate of Concerning Anne If Phillip Buchanan accepted it her belief in herself would be restored The dried well of her mind would again gush forth Until then she must go on in this helpless daze- daze eating bathing dressing bathing dressing attempting attempt attempt- ing to sleep attending farewell parties parties parties par par- ties given for Linnie and Lelia It was now the twelfth of March and they would be sailing in three days Maybe after they had gone and she and Addie were left alone in the quiet of the apartment shed she'd be able to think Maybe It was early in the afternoon of ot the twelfth that coming home from froma a dull luncheon at the Ritz with some of Linnies Linnie's friends she found a letter from The National Weekly on her dressing tablet Her heart flooded with hope when she saw that it was thin and flat that flat that it could not possibly contain a script With clumsy haste she tore o off one end of the envelope and snatched out the single sheet of paper it con con- Why H its it's in longhand she said to herself How strange Did Mr Buchanan write it himself |
