| Show Sonnet ettal MAl LN r tr r VT AUTHOR OF SAMUEL HOPKINS ADAMS By IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT e o SAMUEL Minna HOPKINS ADAMS WHO somes SERna SYNOPSIS r I Kelsey Hare Hire young Dun architect cony from a breakdown meeta Mir Mar tin ua Holmes author In a storm stormon on a laka lak near Moldavia N. N Y Caught in fn a downpour the they seek leek shelter at t Holmes Holmes' estate which b by its Ita sir air of oi deep decay drca gives fives evidence of its Ita owners owner financial embarrassment Kelsay Kelsey Kel Kel- say sey suggests renting a room and letU settles 1 down there CHAPTER I Continued Z 2 For answer Holmes snatched up a magazine and hurled burled it at his Interrupters interrupters interrupter's interrupters interrupter's in in- head It was neatly caught Read the inside cover The Th advertisement indicated set forth that Purity Pi Pictures tures Inc was seeking Undeveloped Genius to match the Undiscovered Beauty which another of its ita Wide Nation Contests was expected to reveal The two when found would be united unit ed in one of Purity Picture Pictures Unparalleled Unparalleled Un paralleled Productions To this end end I A. A Leon President of Purity Pictures Inc would pay for the best novel suitable to by a hitherto unpublished un tin published author and the prospective prospective tive Queen of American Beauty would be starred in it one of the Undiscovered Beauties snarled Holmes She wins I lose Meaning that you entered that mug of yours in the contest No you fishcake I sent in a astory astory astory story for the prize It was my magnum opus rewritten to suit movie requirements And what happens happens hap hap- pens Back it comes and socks me meIn mein mein in the Jaw law He made a furious gesture gesture ture toward an envelope bulging on the mantel Kelsey's glance followed But you haven't opened It itI It ItI I can smell a rejection slip sUp through a stone wall Open it yourself yourself your your- self if you dont don't believe me Kelsey did so A pink paper fell to out The reading Jury regrets report report he began began- What did I tell you youl grunted the author His companion read the title Love Beyond Sin by Templeton Sayles Is Ie that your pseudonym Its the one I was saving for the magnum opus was the sullen re reo ply So this is Maggie the Ope is isit isit it In It is not Its It's Maggie the Ope's slightly illegitimate offspring Flossie Flossic Flossie Flos Flos- sie sic the Flop Its a swell title anyway Kelsey Kelsey Kelsey Kel Kel- sey opined It Love Beyond Sin What does it mean mean It doesn't mean m mean an anything said the theauthor author drearily Its U a movie title I The other dropped into a chair and began to read Youve got plenty of action here Action mystery threat suspense suspense sus sus- sus pense sex local color blood surprise surprise surprise sur sur- prise sentiment mother-love mother bunk tripe and You certainly can ladle it out commented his admiring reader How about this this' Featherston fixed axed her with his coolest stare I 1 know all about women said he and his voice rang like a bugle bearing challenge and reproof Say Mart how do you get reproof out of a bugle Dont read that tooth to me me yelled its author All right Ill I'll read It to myself I think Ill I'll read all of it it Then youre you're a hog for punishment punish punish- ment Better chuck it into the fire Arent you going to sell it somewhere some where else Where Id I'd take a plugged nickel for it this minute got one on me at the moment But Ill I'll consider your prop prop- Consider it out in the barn will you Kelse He adjusted his ma ma- chine Bearing his burden through the rain the guest settled down to serious serious serious se se- rious perusal It was pretty awful he be decided Yet through the murk and fume of verbiage there thrust the structure of an authentic and lively if somewhat threadbare plot It was mid afternoon when Kelsey I trotted back to the house with Flossie Flossie Flos Flos- sie the Flop beneath his arm Loud cries of Author Author said he Have I at last found my Public demanded Holmes satirically Ive read it alt all And I really think youve you've got something The author regarded him with affectionate affectionate af at pity Then all I have to say is that as 81 an editorial reader youre you're a rising young architect Nuts to architecture I Im I'm of off It for a couple of months by orders As my naturally active intellect has hasto hasto hasto to have something to bite on Ive I've decided to go In for literary lation lIe He tapped the manuscript Im buying Youve You've bought Hand over the nickel No Im I'm serious Im I'm buying for five hundred dollars Youre crazy All right Im I'm crazy But my check Isn't You offer to pay me five bun hun dred dollars for this thing Say it again Five hun hun bun Never mind Im I'm convinced What's in your mind to do now now Well Wen I can see quite a little work to be done on It it Rewrite me huh The author laughed shortly You cant can't hurt my feelings Theres another point Most of the action is local Correct Laid right here in the Finger Lakes district I feel that I can work better right here on the spot spot reasonable So Ill I'll give you another hundred for the rent of the house But I In his fresh absorption the newborn newborn new new- born Templeton Sayles Sales forgot her heras heras heras as completely as be he had the night letter which she now completely concealed CHAPTER U n Elsewhere on the map that same picture was making plenty of trouble trouble trou trou- ble for three tree people Above the breakfast table where sat the trio brooded the silence of overnight dissension It wasa mistake to let her go boomed Mr Robert Van It was agreed his wife She gloomed Bloomed at their niece with eyes as faded as the hangings in the still stiff and shabby old room of what had P y V xV t. t V S 'S ri r r J X- X tA r- r rire 1 ire i 3 M Mt i W N K J ri k 5 S a gF A i 1 J f q f U. U t. oY 1 it m t a aS r N s 33 S y R a r y at 4 t p. p rid e y 3 K a a 54 t m m e I k r as r S nom a ti a x a dk I t f y i i H Y Yd d h r sen II 11 i p 2 3 I c t Peak S Si Sz i z i g ems I r 4 t- t ratte- ratte Its natural enough that the papers paper should like t to ret get te her e picture ct ranted granted Mr Van a I dont don't want you around Youre You're too noisy And too nervous Holmes cackled AU All right old bean Rub it in n I can stand it You couldn't hold me with a log log- chain anyway Im I'm of off for the deep blue sea and way stations by the first boat which ought to be about tomorrow Mind you about that story youre you're buying a I Imay Imay Imay may never again be able to look you square in your TOur sweet and simple simpleminded sim sim- minded pie minded face but Im I'm Just too tired to resist your subtle bons Youve You've bought something I think so answered Kelsey I contentedly Youve bought a whole bag of tricks Not only severs several pounds of typewritten but a name and personality to go with it itt Templeton Temple Temple- ton Sayles seignior of the magnificent cent estate of That's you my lad till un further notice Exit Mr Kelsey Hare rich and once respectable young Toung architect Enter Templeton Sayles and believe belleve me hes he's some personage to live up to Wait Walt a minute I got up a charac charac- character ter sketch of my other self to go with the manuscript in case it was accepted That was a condition of the contest I made Templeton out outa a a. a devil of a feller feUer It ought to be beIn bein bein in the manuscript somewhere No Too bad It might have helped you to a fuller realization of who you are Maybe you modeled Sayles on the hero of your story Malden Maiden Featherston Feather Feather- ston Theres There's a chap I can fairly see him in a noble pose bugling forth his cry battle I 1 know all about women women That flu attack left me with a sort of low and melancholic melan cholie opinion of myself I need a anew anew anew new character to build up my self self- esteem and Featherston's Featherston the lad for me O 0 K It Youve You've bought him too Mr Templeton Sayles About Sayles now You haven't left any loose ends of him dangling around have you Any secret commitments commitments com com- of lovelorn ex maidens ex-maidens Hes He's got to come before this court with clean hands And Ive I've got to have full control of him from now on Hes all yours I resign an any right title or claim on him My word is my bond that Ill I'll never admit ad mit to any connection with such a person Too bad we cant can't find that autobiographical skit of mine though Very spirited Ive I've got gotto gotto to pack Hi Ill You Youl Responsive to this summons a creature swarthy squat and hairy appeared Martin Holmes' Holmes combination combination combi nation cook valet maid gardener and work of had been acquired acquired ac from a bread line His name was approximately Clunk Glunk His Ills nationality nationality na na- na was conjectured to be Patagonian Pat Pat- because as his employer pointed out nothing less was compatible com com- compatible with the essential imp Improbability oba of ot his personality Listen you Holmes addressee addressed him I leave tomorrow for a coupie couple couple cou cou- pie of months Understand Good lad Mr Hare Hare I I mean Mr Mt Templeton Sales Sayles here is your boss till WI I come back Get it Correct Pack my things Just a second expostulated the tenant How am I going to know what he means means means' easy eBlY Whatever he says always means yes yes' until he says something else You'll be a couple of pals in no time Im I'm off b by the late train Heaven send you luck with Flossie the Flop And dont don't do anything that Templeton Sayles would be ashamed of Thus began Kelsey Hares Hare's new life as an all author All adult persons per sons with enough education to read and write cherish the Ineradicable belief that they can write fiction Contemplating the manuscript of Love Beyond Sin the new Templeton Tem Tern Sayles decided that he might as well carry carty out the bluff he had made to the real author and have a crack at it The first reminder of his altered personality came on the morning following his friends friend's departure inthe Inthe in inthe the form of a night-letter night addressed Templeton Sayles Esq Moldavia N. N Y Hoping to hear bear from Holmes in New York and get some address to which he could forward the message rites mes sage he stuck it upon the mantel unopened When no such information information tion arrived he ha forgot all about it itAn An envelope similarly addressed which arrived on the second mornIng morning morn morn- Ing be he did open since it was in Martin Holmes Holmes' own handwriting Within was the newspaper photograph photograph photo photo- photograph graph of the girl whom they had discussed with a typed inscription across it Miss Adeline Ashcan K It M M. the Park Avenue For inspiration in your monumental work I dont don't need her any longer M. M. M HP HP H. H P S. S In case of visitors of which you are likely to have some dont don't let them scare you out of your character The new fledged Templeton Sayles dropped the pictured girl into the waste basket Thence on his cleaning cleanIng cleaning clean clean- ing rounds Glunk Clunk rescued her and andset andset andset set her on the mantel His new boss caught him hun at it Do you like that picture Glunk Clunk Why Nice gaL M My information points in quite another direction However leave her She can sta stay there as long longas as she doesn't interfere with m my work once been most famous mansion I l had a grand erand time said the girl girlAnd And spent all your money added added add add- ed Mrs Van And what have you got to show for it In argued Mr Van severely A lot ot of clothes of the kind Ive I've been dying for And your name in the New York papers I should think you might at least try to keep seep out of print after that disgraceful college episode episode epi sode last year Cheap and vulgar exhibitionism exhibition ism mumbled the husband TheVan The TheVan TheVan Van Straitens cherished a profound aversion to all publicity It wasn't my fault And now you wish to adopt the most vulgar and public of ot all professions pro pro- professions the stage said her aunt Only as a costume designer Ive I've got to do something to support ray ray- self We are not exactly paupers stated her uncle stiffly o No But I know youre you're hard hardup hardup up Uncle Rob It isn't fair for me meto meto meto to be living on you ou Since we are your legal guardians guardi i ans it is perfectly proper that you should be living with us We ask only that you behave with reasonable reasonable reason reason- able discretion and abstain from in involving In involving our name in distasteful publicity pub such as last weeks week's One hardly harly supposes that you were forced to have your picture in the group of typical deb beauties endorsing endorsing en en- dorsing a new kind of digestive tablet tablet tab tab- let Typical deb beauties Mrs Van repeated the injurious newspaper phrase with a snort And in a New York paper As AsIf Asif Asif if that magnified ed the offense Oh well my dear Its It's natural enough that the papers should like to get her picture granted Mr Van The child isn't bad bad- looking after all all TO BE DE CONTINUED |
