Show r rc COMES a MOMENT by ELINOR MAXWELL 0 ARCADIA HOUSE publications SERVICE L CHAPTER XI continued 11 fifteen minutes later they were entering the crowded rooms of the club torquay Tor quay the scent of expensive n perfumes cigarette smoke and food in the offing filled the place men in dinner coats women in evening gowns sat around the gaming tables while persons wishing they had seats stood behind them watching the play two seats were finally vacated and aunt linnie and mrs bascom hurriedly slipped into them are you going to play miss corswell Cot swell asked mary over her shoulder heavens no mary answered and glanced across the table just in time to see two more p people eople get up a defeated expression on their tired faces and lelia and Bali anci slid into their little gilt and rose velvet chairs miss corswell Cot swell opened her evening bag extracted a fifty dollar bill and asked the long faced banker for fifty one dollar chips the game went on and on the placing of new bets before each spin began the whirl of the wheel the bouncing of the ball on black or red on number twenty seven 1 here there until it settled on the winning number mrs bascom had lost consistently had purchased one batch of chips after another but aunt linnie betting as she said me like a piker had been fairly lucky Bali anci after a brief time relinquished ed his seat to mr bascom and was now standing next to mary ills his moist hand encircling her elbow linnie had asked her again and again if she did not wish to play had even offered her a bunch of counters when an adjacent seat had suddenly been vacated and again and again mary had firmly refused eventually however linnie had risen from her chair listen mary she whispered 1 I simply have to go to the powder room now here are five chips for your very own please play them while im gone hold this seat for me or grab it the minute I 1 leave whatever you win with them is yours go on darling thus importuned importuner mary grudgingly took linnies place at the table everybody about her was intent upon placing chips on their chosen numbers or colors before the next turn of the wheel but mary never having played roulette before just sat there the chips aunt linnie had given her clasped tightly in her hand go on and play mrs bascom whispered they dont like it when people just sit around doing nothing to the guests were again placing their bets on numbers or colors and rousing herself to action mary dropped just one of her five chips on black again the croupier spun his wheel and the ball dropped on red bounced out and landed on another red fitfully leaped out and settled itself comfortably on black youve won hissed mrs bascom who had again placed her chips on a losing number leave it there its worth two dollars now just leave it mary inquired breathlessly of coursel course leave it on black again the croupier spun his wheel again black won its worth four dollars now said mrs bascom blacks evidently your lucky color oh but maybe it wont win wm again perhaps id better try a number bowl now baites votre jeu admonished the croupier coldly and before mary had time to do anything at all his wheel had again been turned and her four dollars worth of chips had remained willy nilly on black again the i he bouncing of the bau ball here and there and again agai black won mary this is uncanny leave it there darling your chips are now worth eight dollars dollar sl but it cant go on this mary demurred 1 I ought to stop now or place those chips on some thing elsel well do as you uke like but im switching to black mary grabbed her chips and looked about the table in search of a magic number my birthdays the fourth of april she told mrs bascom im playing number four this time eight dollars on number four I 1 the T h e wheel spun the ball bounced here and there be sorry mrs bascom whisp whispered ered blackb Black Blac kU ll win im playing on your luck mary fifty dollars worth of chips the ball was still bouncing then with a spasmodic jerk it rose in the air r and andrell fell with a brittle thud on 11 number four 1 11 I won again mary S cried turning around and I 1 looking at count Bali anci how much is it now umberto 1 balian Bali anci ci removed 4 cigarette from his mouth two hun hundred dred and eighty dollars not counting the eight dollars you played two hundred nd d eighty eighty dollars mary exclaimed well Wel litis it is time for me to stop dont you dare I 1 cried mrs bascom grabbing a fifty dollar bill from her purse and signaling the banker for more chips play just once more mary it if you win this time really get something worth while baites votre beul the croupier commanded icily 1 I chips please mary hastily wormed informed the assistant croupier nearest at hand and with a quick motion of the mans rake her winnings were deftly deposited in front of her mary sat back in her chair in a state of helpless indecision casting an almost angry look at mrs bascom it if only that woman would stop urging me on she told herself 1 I might be able to figure this thing out the phrase two hundred and eighty dollars two hundred and eighty dollars whirled dizzily t mary diary jumped from her chair im through she announced around in her mind how much that would mean to dad yet how wonderful it would be to double it it was unthinkable of course that she should risk one cent of those two hundred and eighty dollars but why not take one last chance w win in i or lose with the eight one dollar chips before she could act on this decision however the wheel had again been set in motion and the croupier yas was now calling out rien ne va plus I 1 mary leaned forward determined not to be caught napping on the next spin she would have her chips ready when the croupier again gave notice suddenly she realized that she was still gripping in her left hand four of those five original chips which had been aunt linnies gift to her and with a feeling of complete comp p I 1 ete abandon she added them to her prospective stake one more play she told herself sternly twelve doll dollars arst win or losel lose baites votre beul came the command mary placed her final bet on number twenty two my age she told Bali anci maybe bring me even more luck the croupier turned the wheel and with enchanted eyes she saw it go around again and again the ball now clicked on to four bounced out now dropped into number seven popped out now it bounced up again and then incredibly enough settled on number twenty two youve won again maryl mary bali anci almost shouted four hundred and twenty don dollars arst mary jumped from her chair im through she announced to the table at large and the croupier in particular take my chips off im going to cash them piker jibed mrs bascom 1 I dont care if I 1 am mary retorted to arted id be a fool not to quit now yes you would mary aunt linnie who had just returned from the powder room agreed in a low voice cash in 1 I want my chips cashed mary told the banker and her voice trembled with excitement oh aunt linnie mary breathed it just too miraculous yes darling linnie replied im very happy for you then turning to mrs bascom and to t 0 ball bali anci whose swarthy face was as blaa blank as the croupiers well see you later in the foyer gall all right mrs bascom replied im nearly through Bali anci bowed but said nothing corne come on into the powder room mary aunt linnie murmured to count your win winnings aings and regain your equilibrium s 1 I must have won about seven hun hundred adred 0 dollars mary whispered ast as they he Y made ade their way through the crow crowded ded r room but aunt linnie it r really eally belongs to you it was your money I 1 played with fiddlesticks Fiddlestick sl I 1 said laid miss cots well 1 I gave you those five counters and it was your own good luek that made them win then said mary you must at least take half it if you given them to me id never have played bushill Hu shill commanded miss cots well not another word out ot of you about my sharing your little fortune every dime of it is yours I 1 heres the powder room come in and freshen up you look as if been in a cyclone in the meantime lelia having lost all that she had intended to play now relinquished her chair to the gaunt old man who had been standing behind her for the past ha half if hour Bali anci ancl a appeared at her side immediately there was a frown between his brows and his dark eyes smoldered may I 1 have a word with you mrs ormsby he asked his voice so thick and foreign she could hardly understand him she glanced at him sharply had the man been drinking but no she told herself he have hes been right in this room ever since we got here aloud she said if you like let us move into the foyer he suggested 1 I must ask you something without a word lelia made for the foyer Bali anci at her heels once there she turned about and confronted him well she said coldly what do you want it is this he began in a low voice why is mary so extremely excited over winning a few hundred dollars she acts as if she had gone mad with joy well why she lelia countered seven hundred dollars are not to be sniffed at by anybody particularly mary she needs that money Bali anci ancl and she needs it badly the italian looked stunned d but how can it mean so much to her it if she is an heiress lelia did not attempt to veil the disdain that she felt for the man and where did you get the idea that mary was an heiress Bali anci spread his long thin hands the palms pointing to heaven but she is miss corswell Cot swells swell s niece miss linnie Cot swells own niece she dresses exquisitely she leads a life of luxury lelia regarded Bali anci for one long burning moment so why you proposed to mary ma ry 11 she finally said 1 I might have known you had some ulterior motive everybody knows youre a fortune hunter A gigolo perhaps it would be better to say opportunist mrs ormsby lelia regarded his smiling face as if it were something veno venomous its very fortunate for mary that y youve auve discovered so soon she a moneybag for you to marry you mean then she has nothing absolutely nothing 9 yes I 1 mean just ahk that marys father is a lawyer in a small town mary worked in a b book ook shop until she came to new york to be the guest of her aunt and b by y the way miss corswell Cot swell is probably not half as rich as you think besides she expects to enjoy a very happy life for many years to come and more I 1 dont know that mary would be her heir even were miss cots well to die tomorrow unfortunate purred Bali anci ancl very unfortunate I 1 am crushed oho oh I 1 guess not lelia retorted in fact I 1 think survive very happily I 1 might even recommend something to speed your recovery and that is ballanca Bali Bal anci lanci murmured I 1 that you book passage 0 on ri t th b e iroquois sailing tor for havana to tomorrow m 0 r noorie I 1 happen to know that mrs olmstead Ulm stead widow of the soap flakes potentate and her two homa ly but oh so well endowed daughters are listed among the passengers ali ah mrs ormsbyl how you wrong me mel I 1 how can you think t lelia leila pushed past him her head high her face flaming good night count Bali anci better run along now you a moment to lose A second later she joined linnia lentile and mary in the powder room mrs bascom having lost three aundrea hundred dollars had finally left the roulette table and was there too BaU Bal ancis lancis not feeling well mary leua lelia said hes asked to be excused oh all right mary replied thinking maybe with this nest egg egi to see dad and mother along for a while I 1 wont have to marry bau ball anci or any anybody bodyl ill tell him tomorrow that ive changed my mind of course it was never made apt up I 1 he simply took things for granted grante d oh thank heavens this happe happened I 1 jihn aunt linnie says she wont take a cent of the money that I 1 earned it all that every bit of it is mine seven hundred and twelve dollars what a windfall at this time I 1 ill ill send dad a money order for sue six hundred and twenty five of it tomorrow maybe id better send him more yet with aunt linnie going away and my being left on my own I 1 really believe id better hold out the remaining eighty seven in case of an CHAPTER XII mary woke early the next morn in ing g her mind filled with happy thoughts of the money she had bad won at the club torquay Tor quay she wondered just how soon shed dare get up and s speed peed to the nearest branch post office ce she wanted to get a money order off to her father as quickly as possible she wanted too to send a note by special delivery to Bali anci she must tell him at once that her apparent acquiescence to his proposal of marriage the night before had been a mistake that she did not love him that she could not gc through with the thing suddenly the door into the hall opened softly and addies face appeared P eared in the wedge mary raised her hand as a signal to be quiet but addie tiptoed in holding up to view a western union envelope quietly approached marys bed and without a word dropped it on the coverlet then just as soundlessly she made her way to the door and closed it behind her mary hoisted herself to a sitting position and hastily removed the message from its envelope it was signed she noted at once umberto Bali anci and it read FORGIVE ME MY DEAR BUT I 1 FEEL I 1 SPOKE IN HASTE LAST NIGHT AND THAT OUR PLANS HAD BEST BE FORGOTTEN STOP AM SAILING FOR HAVANA TODAY ON THE IROQUOIS QU OIS mary slowly reread the message then forgetting that lelia was asleep forgetting everything except that this was quite the funniest thing that had ever happened to her she burst into laughter so funny lelia inquired drowsily lei blell are you awake 1 I very well be asleep after that wild peal of merriment you just let forth it all about anyhow TO BE CONTINUED |