Show Sann Qt Sat lol teti 0 MAIDEN EFFORT AUTHOR OF by SAMUEL HOPKINS ADAMS IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT 0 SAMUEL HOPKINS hopkind ADAMS SYNOPSIS kelsey here young architect convalescing tram from a breakdown meets martin holmes struggling gling author in a storm on a lake near moldavia N Y caught in a downpour they seek shelter at holmes estate holmes holm which by its air of decay gives evidence of i its owners ft financial ancial embarrassment K kelecy alts scy suggests renting a room and settles down there finding holmes s studying a newspaper picture of 0 a park a venue avenue debutante kelsey learns that a story by holmes has been rejected in a contest run by purity purl y pictures A leon dacher clacker president for a novel suitable for in which the winner amer A mer of 0 a mystery beauty contest will alu star kelsey buys the manuscript from holmes and rents his house one of the conditions ot of the deal Is that kelsey adopt holmes pen name templeton sayles after holmes departs on A trip a telegram arrives tor for sayles aich which kelsey leaves unopened glunk odd man tenant places the debutantes picture on the mantel meanwhile the park avenue van Str straitens Strai attens tens are arc at breakfast with their wece niece marion CHAPTER II 11 continued 3 it was for one of aunt marcias pet charities pointed out the accused what could I 1 do I 1 was visiting her 1 I cannot approve of your idea of accepting employment said the austere mrs van straiten what am I 1 expected to do stick here in cuylerville Cuyler ville what more suitable place there are advantageous marriages to be made here as elsewhere the girl reddened 1 I dont want to marry well I 1 dont want to marry at all I 1 suppose youre thinking of liggett morse why not only that hes nearly forty and grown up yet you have not lacked for other opportunities pointed out mr van had you cared to avail yourself of them the arrival of the morning paper interrupted these amenities the girl addressed herself to her coffee mr van straiten turning to the editorial page brought opposite to her eyes a sight which fixed them in amazement there was a gasp and a burble in which the coff coffee ee fi figured as subagent sub agent sorry apologized the culprit distractedly tract edly uncle robert may I 1 take the paper for a moment why demanded mrs van robert hobert give me the paper she took one look and dropped it like something venomous from the welter of print there had leapt to her scandalized recognition a gay young face only too familiar marion norman van Strat teril nl what is the meaning of this it if you would let me look at the paper perhaps I 1 could tell you more about it mrs van laid a heavy hand upon the pictorial offense have you sought out this indecent notoriety by sending your photograph to the newspaper she demanded 1 I sent any photograph to any newspaper which one is it it is an enlarged a monstrously enlarged version of the snapshot that keeler smith took of you at the riding club then I 1 pimply cant imagine A flash of realization transfigured trans figured her she cried with the word she bolted bolte dinto into the adjoining study A moment after they heard her vehemently calling for the cuylerville Cuyler ville country club resource was never lacking to mrs van upstairs there was an extension line mounting with speed she stealthily lifted the receiver in time to overhear this colloquy 1 I wish to speak to mr liggett morse liggy that you 1 I dunno wait till I 1 get awake and ill tell you who is it marne who ohl marne well hello sweetie have you seen the morning paper this mornings paper who ayou think youre talking to the night watchman why its hardly dawn daam its nearly nine while youre dressing better have one sent up to your room all the blood pressure about did harvard lose liggy I 1 want you to get into your clothes as fast as you can and come right over here sounds like international complications cat ions said the unimpressed mr morse the rest of the bad news come and get it but sweetie why not 1 I think someone is listening in in it mrs van gave an involuntary and startled snort hear her well are you coming or not ill be over in fifteen minutes he bettered his promise by a few seconds not having even paused to look at the paper A family conclave received it would be too much to say that they welcomed him mrs van in charge sit down if you please liggett he obeyed not without apprehension the charge he asked 1 I wish to put a serious question to you in regard to my niece and I 1 shall expect the fullest frankness mr morse assumed an air of 0 great if deceptive candor me he averred open as the day always ready to act the perfect fact gentleman you can cancel the order for the twelve gauge and substitute a wedding cake with frosting my intentions toward your sweet and gentle young niece are strictly honorable oh shut your silly face said the sweet and gentle young 7 niece what light can you th throw row upon this mrs van straiten cn extended the newspaper the visitor stared at it with an expression which from a smolder of surprise blazed into a flame of exultation whee ee ee hi yi yi 14 i i i 1 hooray huzzah and wow I 1 wint he vociferated kindly stop that at once and ex plain mrs van Str attens manner was peremptory its perfectly simple said he marnes in the money in the money she is in this disgusting paper and we wish to know how she got there just a little sport sporting ing proposition responded the eternally juvenile mr morse you see mrs van straiten purity pictures got up this grand national photographic competition what is purity pictures if you please hollywoods Holly woods latest you and how came marions picture in such a competition 1 I set it in answered liggy offering her his most guileless smile and you gave it to him marion knowing for what purpose he wished it 1 I never I 1 let him have the picture months ago to stop his sobbing on my shoulder I 1 never dreamed that then as I 1 understand it liggett you took the unpardonable liberty of using a private photograph in this outrageous manner oh come off mrs van straiten protested the accused you dont understand 1 I shall not come off retorted the lady with bristling dignity and I 1 do understand its more than I 1 do said marne what do you mean you win liggy what do you win fifteen hundred sweet round rou laks so far you sold my nieces picture for fifteen hundred dollars of course I 1 sell it A bunch of us at the club got gassing about movie stars and professional beauties and I 1 said we had a gal right here that could spot any of em five goals and oh do pipe down liggy so some chap said how could we prove it and some other dug up a magazine with this purity pictures crack in it and I 1 said id make book on it make book yes maam take bets you know I 1 got twenty to one that marne show and two hun dred to one that she win on the first bet I 1 clean up fifteen hundred if she comes through on the final the paper sll be so full of it that marnell have to marry me to save my fair young name 1 I should be interested to be informed as to the purpose and terms of this extraordinary enterprise this was mr van Str attens contribution trib ution to the debate sure to you sir purity pictures is looking for a new national beauty to play up the idea is this you send in a photograph with a key number and key letter anybody can enter out of the lot a jury of beauty experts or long odds pickers or house painters or something choose out ten for the finals and heres our little sweetie in the ten with her picture displayed for tom dick and harry to stare at like some vulgar public creature get an eyeful returned the unabashed experimentalist the harm anyway and look at the swell spot ashes in only nine other contestants between her and glory and ill bet she can make any of em look like one of jim thu abers drawings in the new yorker liggett morse do you lor for an instant suppose that I 1 will permit m my y niece brought up as she has been with every safeguard of refinement and care to take part in any such nauseating exhibition as this 1 I think it would be fun said the safeguarded and refined niece atta girl after a series of fishy gasps the aunt managed to recover her faculty of speech we will sail for eu A v k i r roil me A star what picture asked the dazed girl rope on the first available boat she made announcement now see what youve done you big prune said marne with a virulent look at her suitor liggy appealed to the higher 3 justice us theres gratitude for youl you I 1 give her a chance that the queen of england would jump off her throne to grab and what do I 1 get for it the boot liggett yes mrs van straiten kindly leave this house at once it what did I 1 bayl say the boot repeated the offender grievously from one and all oh very well then good morning to you arid and hardly that he marched out like a parade with muffled drums 1 I dont want to go to europe said marne with decision nevertheless you win will go and you will remain until this scandal this new scandal blows over the aunt made an impressive exit leaving the printed cause of the turmoil on the table possessing pos s essing herself of it marne withdrew her woes boes to the seclusion of a distant summer house there she spread out the paper upon her knees grin darn you she prized the picture you arent being dragged across the ocean like a tin dog on a string she considered the face you really arent so bad looking in fact youre quite pretty and what does it get you trouble curse liggy As if summoned by the tion lion that invincible spirit crawled through the hedge which guarded the privacies of the place hello sweetie still love me the answer is yes no all right the answer is no well pass that for another point are you going to be a sport As how As follows I 1 stand to win ten thousand healthy young smackers sm ackers on your lovely mug what about it well what about it you read that piece in the paper 1 I was just reading it come to A leon yet yes who is he heir to becketts Pec ketts persuasive pills hollywoods Holly woods worst headache they teu tell me hollywood what have pills got to do with pictures source of the millions he bought into the business purity pictures and has raised nothing but ned with the industry ever since purity pictures where you sent my photograph pree housely the ten chosen beauties of which you are one meet next week at the offices in new york to flaunt their competitive peti tive maps before the judges youre at least a one to ten chance and ive got the fat end of two hundred to one against you but liggy protested the girl half fascinated 1 I have a chance sa a a ay you dont half know yourself make the rest of em take to rat poison when they lamp you come on sweetie like to try it you he wheedled id love it then were set on what I 1 a cent and you heard what auntie said by next week ill be on the broad lanti cs heaving bosom thanks to you she concluded acidly sea aerts to the broad atlantic 1 ill finance the jaunt now calm yourself im not making passes this is a business proposition between the pair of us out of the fifteen hundred ive already won I 1 reinvest a hundred or whatever you want pass it over to you for expenses to win ten grand why just look at it as a percentage prop position it all sounds batty to me wait till you hear the rest if you win out youre set for life they make you star of the new picture is putting out its all part of the same deal me A star what picture asked the dazed girl it been announced yet but be a scorcher purity pictures always are and sa ay will you burn a hole in the silver screen scree nl tell me the rest liggy said marne folding her hands prettily 1 I just love fairy stories CHAPTER III on the morning of july 9 A leon sat in his new york office arrayed as he fondly supposed that the big men of the motion picture industry habitually dressed in business hours nine competitive beauties summoned to the test sat in the outer office waiting the great mans pleasure they had already waited fifty minutes over their appointment A door opened and the galaxy of prospective stars was temporarily pora rily roused from torpor by the entry of a tenth TO BE CONTINUED |