Show rc COMES a MOMENT ilsy ELINOR MAXWELL 0 ARCADIA HOUSE SERVICE SYNOPSIS mary loring and her father jim an ineffectual attorney meet a train which brings bring his wealthy sister in law unmarried lin Cot corswell swell and her friend lelia leila ormsby divorcee for a christmas visit waiting at home ho for or them thern are marys mother her younger sister ellen her fathers nagging maiden sister aunt marnie mamie and peter the baby of the family at the depot dr christopher cragg helps the guests with their luggage mary Is secretly in love with doctor cragg in leaving her aunt linnic urges mary to visit her in new york but mary refuses mary works in a rental library n here she spends her spare time writing short stories marys father Is let out as railroad attorney the fees of which were almost the sole support of his fa family mily to earn money she decides to begin writing in earnest mary feels sure that her newest story at sea would please the editors of national weekly after finishing it she calls doctor cragg who comes to the book store for a current novel falling failing from a ladder nalle hile getting his book she regains 1 consciousness to find his arms around her he tells her he loves her and then tells her he Is to be married the coming month to a girl he has known all his life Des despondent I 1 mary decides to accept her aunt linnies invitation in new york her aunt laughs at her for her plans to write and insists that she meet as many eligible men as possible the new week brings two letters one from the national weekly with a check for her story makes her deliriously happy the other from her sister tells her that financial conditions at home are g getting citing worse the next day at a party given by her aunt mary meets distinguished jerome taylor wealthy middle ared aged man about town and effusive count umberto Ball Balian ancl ct the counts oily manner nauseates her A note from her father the following day pleads with with her her not to mention the fam ilys financial plight to her aunt after reading it she forces herself to begin W work ork on her next short story which Is more difficult to write rite than the first she labors on until her aunt informs her that count umberto whom lelia leila terms a sponger and fortune fortune hunter Is to take them to dinner that evening he takes them to a garish restaurant in greenwich village that evening mary sends her story their son to the national weekly she goes to see phillip philllp buchanan editor of the national weekly to whom she has given her last story he invites her to lunch he congratulates her tor for ane simple treatment given the first story and says that her last offering will aul receive immediate attention at lunch she Is introduced to attractive jim ormsby lelias leilas former husband CHAPTER VI Co continued tied 7 mary watched jim ormsby as he walked across the room and finally disappeared through the door into the foyer she liked his voice the way he carried his shoulders the perfect hang of his well cut clothes he looked just the sort of person whom lelia might well have loved whom lelia might well still love with all her heart hes very attractive she said more to herself than to phillip buchanan hes tops the man replied almost belligerently and to my way of thinking hes been given a dirty deal his wife divorced him a couple of years ago on what was merely circumstantial evidence never gave him a chance to explain and he was too damned proud to do so later seemed to figure that if she have more faith in him than she appeared to have he might as well let her go mary leaned across the table Is his wife by any chance named lelia she asked excitedly yes buchanan replied surprised it is do you know her well rather in fact ashes a sort of cousin of mine and ashes visiting aunt linnie right bowl now oh lord I 1 hope I 1 said anything I 1 havel have no mr buchanan not at all by the way it time we were leaving 11 buchanan looked at his watch yes it is how are you going uptown mary smiled at him literally in in the bus she replied metaphorically on wings you see im terribly excited over this assignment youve given me and ill do my best to make good buchanan motioned to alphonse glanced over the check and leaving some bills on the table I 1 indicated to mary that he was ready to leave hear from us as soon as weve made a decision on their son miss loring he said when they reached the foyer thanks for lunching with me ap pp mary extended a gloved hand thanks for asking me she replied her eyes dancing 1 I loved it although I 1 confess you had me stymied for a while stymied nied the man replied st stymied what do you mean but she was out of the door now and either did not hear him or else would not turn around her heart was lighter than it had been in weeks and her feet barely touched the pavement as she fled down the steps and turned up fifth avenue CHAPTER allter VII lelia ormsby was seated at the desk by the east win window dow in the liv ing room when mary returned to miss Cot swells apartment mashe called hearing the click ry of a key in the latch yes lelia where are you 11 right ight here in the living room naming having a perfect whirl for myself studying au all the travel literature I 1 can find about the tropics theres a boat sailing for the west indies march larch fifteenth and I 1 believe be e just about right for our trip mary came into view her ea eyes res wide and starry her face hushed flushed good heaven sl cried lelia what in the world have you been doing you look as it if caught the world by the tail ive never seen anybody quite so did you see mr buchanan mary fell into the cushions of the lounge and prepared to relax in comfort just it lelia she replied her voice husky with excitement 1 I not only saw mr buchanan but lie he took me to lunch at the lafayette and lelia he wants me to write a series of 0 shorts for his magazine Dar darling lingl wonder wonderful full did he mention the delicate subject of pay yes lel lei he did hes going to increase the size of the checks as time goes on providing of course m my y stuff clicks with the public I 1 im so happy you cant imagine what it means to me it means lelia said her blue eyes serious that at sea must be a darned good tale and that phillip buchanan feels hes made another of his well known finds congratulations my dear by the way how did you like phil buchanan 1 I liked him well enough mary replied but he acted as if he were bored to death with every word I 1 uttered and he looked at his watch at least six times oh well chuckled lelia he is abesy a busy man lelia mary began yes replied lelia not looking up lelia I 1 1 I met jim ormsby today the older girl did not move but mary could see a deep red slowly rising to the nape of her neck hes a friend of phil buchanann Bucha nans lelia returned evenly her attention attention apparently parent ly riveted on a colorful picture of the race course at havana yes mary returned he asked mr buchanan to spend the weekend week end at his house in connecticut lelia turned about a little smile twisting her lips her eyes as blue and unfathomable as a wintry sea that house in connecticut is rr 7 i yes buchanan replied surprised it is do you know her sweet white clapboard clap board and sort of straggling all over the side of the hill and a fireplace in every room we lived there most of the time jim and L I 1 there was a revealing nostalgia in lelias tones as she spoke of the home she and jim had shared together and mary sensing the ache that lay beneath those words longed to rush to her and place sympathetic arms about her shoulders instead she continued to stand by the window hes attractive lelia yes lelia replied dully there has never been anyone else like him in in my life and mary there never will be did he seem well and and happy 1 I saw him for just an instant lelia mary countered wishing she had more to tell the other other woman he merely came to our table at the lafayette and spoke to mr buchanan about going to connecticut for the week weekend end ile he said two other men whose names I 1 dont remember were to be in the party and that play badminton and bridge A second of silence followed broken finally by mary was there any mail for me lelia in the eleven delivery dellver yV lelias shoulders jerked as if she had been abruptly jarred out of a reverie yes I 1 believe theres a letter from hawkinsville Haw kinsville and by the way theres a box of something or other for you delivered about an hour ago by a western union boy looks like candy and I 1 hope it is tor for the want of I 1 perishing a I 1 im m choc chocolate covered mint the letter from home can wait an instant mary thought at least until I 1 see in in this package she untied the ribbon and tore away th the e glossy orange tissue that covered the box an envelope en closed card tipped from its position by her eager fingers finera fell to the floor stooping she picked it up and read fruits from italy to a lovely lady with the felicitations citations feli and adoration of umberto just so much eye washl she told herself the man scarcely knows me ill give the stuff to addle addie maybe shell like it then with a commingling com mingling of eagerness and apprehension she opened the letter from ellen mary dear theres really not a thing to tell you b but u t I 1 know that you worry when you dont hear bear from home every now and then so BO am writing anyhow dad still been able to make any connections mother la is getting thinner every day from worry and aunt mamie goes sadly about with the usual chip on her shoulder she has taken to referring wistfully to one harry archer who visited at grandfathers house awen ty five years ago intimating that he was desperately in love with her and that it w was s I 1 lust u st too bad she marry him I 1 ask asked ed dad on the Q T it if the guy re really Y had been in love with her and he replied that it he was he managed to exert wonderful self control all dad can remember about harry archers archer visit was that there had been two picnics at hicks bluff and in both cases harry had to be hit over the head with a club in order to get him even to go through the motions of being aunt ma mies escort browns business college have put me fi first on their list for any possible job I 1 that hat may present itself but im afraid the chances arent so hot I 1 hope youre having a wonderful time have you seen radio city yet give my love to aunt liwe and lelia leila devotedly ellen P S chris cragg was married to t that h at lasa dsa graceland graveland Gra celand in chicago last katurd saturday y and Is bringing her to Haw hawkinsville kinsville the end of the week dying to see what ashes like for an instant the room went quite black before marys eyes and it was only with supreme effort that she kept from slumping clumping slum ping to the floor so chris had married after all of course he had told her that he was Is going g to of course he had been honor bound to carry through yet all along there had smoldered in the back of her mind the thought if he really loves me he wont marry lisa ilsa he cant I 1 hell surely tell her that he loves someone else that his marriage to her cant go th through rought but the marriage had gone through last Satur saturday dayl 1 chris had now been married for five days with fingers that seemed numb she picked ellens letter up tore it into tiny pieces and dropped it into the waste basket how surprised ellen would have been had she dreamed of the portent of that postscript thank god mary thought gratefully nobody not even ellen knows how desperately I 1 care for chris nobody knows that I 1 care at all at last she turned from the dress ing table and moved toward the bed blindly she dropped to the bed heedless of the satin spread that covered it and lay there in a disconsolate heap like a child that has been sent to his nursery for punishment at last the tears began to come and still unmindful of the coverlet she buried her face against the protecting privacy of the pillow and gratefully let them fall fail she did not know how long she lay there but the winter darkness had fallen outside when lelia leila finally entered the room and snapped on the light mary I 1 know you were herel here she said glimpsing the huddle of marys body on the bed have you been asleep mary sat up trying to avert her haggard face from lelias gaze yes she lied 1 I was asleep what time is it lelia six darling you better start dressing this is the night you and linnie are going to jerry taylors it hes sending the car for you mary yes 1 I wish wear my ermine wrap tonight it would look simply ravishing on you and I 1 know aunt linnie wants you to appear particularly beautiful geromes Je romes quite a person you know even though he is in my humble opinion the worst sort of renegade but lelia mary demurred 1 I might get it soiled or tear it dont be ridiculous darling I 1 want you to wear it look divine with that silver threaded evening frock of yours all right mary replied listlessly thank you but she was thinking what difference does it make how I 1 look what dif difference feren ce does anything make chris is married three quarters of art an hour later mary a transformed person stood before the mirror of the dressing table the hot bath and icy shower had brought life and color back to her weary body miraculously wiped from her face the ravages of sorrow lelia had dusted just enough she picked ellens letter up and tore it into tiny pieces rouge over the soft curve of her cheeks to disguise their pallor her lace frock clung lovingly to her body and fell to the floor in an eddy of silver and white three orchids of deep purple perched lightly on her left shoulder and now and then smoothed their soft petals against her cheek addle addie had just brought them in with the announcement that M mr r taylors chauffeur had delivered them and that mr taylors car was waiting at the door well it if you aint a dream A addie d cried why honey you look just like a princess mary suddenly aware that had it not been for lelia she would never have been able to dress that evening that lelia had practically pulled her together turned impulsively and kissed the other girl on the cheek thank you lelia youve been sweet to me tonight youre always sweet to me linnie corswell Cot swell looking handsome in a trailing gown of maroon colored lace appeared in the doorway ready mary why my dear youre a dreamt dream I 1 know my family tree could produce such royal fruit mary never quite knew how she managed to get through the hours that followed it was like a hectic nightmare a nightmare made up of spacious flower filled rooms in in jerome taylors penthouse of jerome taylor himself faultless in black and white a gardenia in his lapel always at her side always looking at her with admiring eyes dancing with jerome taylor to the tune of september in the rain and thoughts of chris A constant pain in her heart a lump in her throat that could not be swallowed and thoughts unforgettable thoughts of christopher cragel TO BE CONTINUED |