Show rc COMES ta 0 aft a MOMENT M 0 AUNT by ELINOR MAXWELL publications SERVICE 0 ARCADIA HOUSE CHAPTER XIII continued 13 the dinner spike served was delicious and it was fun to be at phillip buchanann Bucha nans apartment after four solid days of no companionship other than addies both spike and oscar greeted her like a long lost friend spike smilingly taking her hat and jacket oscar offering his great paw in a handshake of welcome the evening had turned cool and a bright fire of channel coal crackled M oi the hearth A table was already set bet before it when she and phil arrived and shortly after they were sitting down to english lamb chops creamed new potatoes and buttered peas phil himself mixed a spring salad in a wooden bowl while black coffee percolated in an electric pot on a side table ive already spoken to anthony porter about your novel he said adding a dash of olive oil to the dressing he was making Is he be an agent mary asked biting into a piece of spongy french bread best in new york phil replied if your works good enough for porter to handle go to town eventually dinner was a thing of the past and a well fed oscar lay asleep on the rug before the fire mary settled herself in one corner of the couch and began storm on the mountain in a voice which she knew was a bit shrill with excitement phil buchanan slumped into a deep chair nearby filled his pipe from an oilskin pouch and listened with half closed eyes on and on she read able at last to overcome her nervousness calmed yet puzzled by phils failure to make any comment whatsoever she the vaguest idea what he was thinking and finally at the completion of the third chapter unable to stand his silence any longer she putdown the script are you thirsty ph phil il asked immediately how about a liqueur well yes I 1 am thirsty for some water but not why I 1 stopped I 1 think ill scream in a moment it if you dont say something anything tear the story to pieces if you like only dont keep me in such suspense phil puffed slowly maddeningly at his pipe then removing it from his mouth smiled lazily at her do you really want to know what I 1 think of storm on the mountain yes for heavens sake say something well he returned slowly its great im crazy about it the only thing that worries me is can you carry on with the same style throughout the story ther theres es something almost breathtaking breath taking about your way of telling this tale frankly im fascinated with it its held my interest from the very first page mary looked at him incredulous you really mean that she asked my dear child I 1 told you the truth about everything else youve written why on earth should I 1 suddenly go soft naturally there are a few rough spots that need polishing up occasional sentences to t be interchanged here and there a word to be substituted but fundamentally its darned good wait a second before you go on with that next chapter ill get you some ice water phil returned shortly a tall silver pitcher in one hand and a tray holding two tumblers in the other he poured some of the cold water into one of the glasses and handed it to her and she drank from it swiftly greedily you were thirsty tyl phil said fe miling at her more yes please and then I 1 want to go on with the next chapter all AH right and when finished if you still crave a few comments ill make em 1 mary picked up her script and began to read at last the fourth chapter completed phil left his chair and came over to sit on the couch beside her now let me look at that he said and mary obediently placed the script script on a table he had drawn up before the couch theres a paragraph in the first chapter about page tour four and bending over the script their heads almost touching they worked over the typed pages for the next two hours notes on the margin notes on the back of each ach e page whole lines crossed out and the thoughts of the man and girl working in unison new lines substituted you dont mind my tearing this to pieces in places do you i 10 phil asked looking askance at the th e pencil marls marks that denied defiled one of the sheets mind mary returned her eyes filled with gratitude for phillip buchanan who bothered to rewrite the sentences she had composed mindl mind why mr buchanan I 1 cant teu tell you how grateful I 1 ami youre terribly nice to help me 1 phil picked up his hire highball and with head thrown back drained its contents dont be silly 1 im not terribly nice a ae all im a mean grasping old man taking great pleasure in indulging in my favorite sport the business of discovering new talent and mary I 1 believe youve got the goods well youve done enough discovering co for one night mary replied a smile curving the corners of her mouth look at that clock over there its twelve and I 1 must go homel CHAPTER XIV the weeks slipped by weeks that were almost identical in their pattern yet strangely thrilling for mary loring she was making excellent progress on her novel the letters from home were fairly cheerful although her father had not yet found a position she was seeing phillip buchanan two or three times a week and he was invariably enthusiastic thusia over each group of the newly finished chapters which she read to him this spurred her on to even greater efforts march had slid into april and april had brought the publication of at sea in the national weekly with it had come a number of tan fan letters a glowing article about her in in the hawkinsville Haw kinsville evening paper and a small but significant spot in phillips circle of friends anthony porter had now read the first fifteen chapters of storm on the mountain and agreed with phillip buchanan that it was good stuff yes he said ill market it for you providing the remaining chapters come up to what ive seen it was during the last week of april that mary heard something rather startling about jim ormsby and after several days of hesitation decided to write lelia an airmail air mail letter and tell her what she knew phil buchanan had been her informant so lelias having a time for herself in jamaica Is she he had asked using that beHig belligerent erent tone which he invariably employed when speaking of jim ormsbyl bys ex wife yes mary replied coldly why she phil scowled at her well he retorted it seems a little unfair when jims having such rough sledding rough sledding the matter with jim ormsby dont you know know what how should I 1 know anything about mr ormsby lelia mentioned him over three times since ive known her and then of course only casually jim ormsbyl bys just dropped a lot of money in the barstow amalgamated failure phil returned ned I 1 yet hes kept on paying that rid ridiculously large alimony he signed up for when they got their divorce A shadow passed over marys mary s face im sure lelia know about jims losses she said defensively fen ashes one of the squar V V my aly dear child I 1 told you the truth about everything else youve written est fairest women ive ever met and more I 1 believe ashes still terribly in love with jim phil buchanann Bucha nans chin thrust forward angrily well if she is the time for her to show it jims ji ms not only almost completely down and out as to finances but hes also a very sick man ulcers of the stomach or something and hes at his connecticut place sick broke and alone except tor for his houseman perhaps lelia ought to know mary had thought at the time 1 I wonder if I 1 should write and tell her she might think im an officious little prig yet I 1 just kno know W ashes still in love with jim and shell of want to do something about it it was almost a week however before she could make up her mind to write lelia ando and even then it was with trepidation that she sent os off the airmail air mail mau letter she and phil had been seated on the lounge in aunt linnies living room and finished with the reading of the last sentence of the last chapter mary looked up at the man a shy unspoken question in her eyes its great maryl ph phil U exclaimed tony porter can cant t help liking ill hed be a fool to turn it down its got everything a popular novel should have love and hate revenge and vindication conflict and suspense and its beautifully written my dear the girls eyes filled with sudden unwanted tears of relief and happiness and looking at her phil thought those eyes are like shining dark pools quite without warning he put his arms about her and drew her to him you little nut he said brusquely what in the world are you crying about im im so happel mary returned smiling through her tears its so wonderful to have the novel finished and to hear you say its all right the mans arms tightened about her but he protested ive said all ali along that it was good stuff well yes but you were so terribly insulting about those short stories phil extracted a big sheer handkerchief from his pocket and dried two shining tears that were sliding down her face 1 I was frank about those stories mary he said and his gray eyes had grown serious because I 1 wanted to help you I 1 suspect I 1 was in love with you even then but I 1 actually realize it until tonight what mary exclaimed and apparently aware for the first time that phillip buchanann Bucha nans arms were about her hastily drew away from him yes he said in a low voice making no effort to hold her yes im in love with you mary but never having been in love with anybody before I 1 suppose I 1 recognize the symptoms symptom sl darling yes phil will you marry me I 1 need you awfully its just dawned on me how important a part of my existence youve become how alone and lonesome and lost id be without you mary regarded him silently her eyes dusky with bewilderment and surprise this man was so different from the others so unlike jerome taylor and umberto Bali anci ancl even christopher cragg he was so honorable and straightforward he loved her he was well rather a wonderful person and she should be elated over his wanting her for his wife yet a vision of chris precipitated itself before her minds eye phil she finally began 1 I hardly know what to say I 1 he leaned towards her and quietly took one of her hands in his then dont say anything just yet he replied his speech blurred with a gruff tenderness tenderness dont give me editorially speaking a rejection slip tonight wait a while dearest and think things over I 1 shant even ask you if you care anything at all about me perhaps id rather not hear perhaps im just a little afraid mary tried valiantly to regain her equilibrium phil she began again 1 I but her speech was halted by another blinding thought of christopher cragg phil flung aside her hand and jumping up from the couch started to pace the length of the living room dont answer me now he admonished shortly give yourself some time I 1 wont force things my dear ill simply wait until youre quite sure one way or the other listen have to get storm on the mountain typed and into porters hands right away im going to trot along now its twelve mary got up from the lounge and followed him into the entrance hall youve been so good to help me with the novel phil she said timidly 1 I cant teu tell you so he opened the entrance door then wheeled about and looked at her intently a worried frown between his eyes 1 I hope I 1 upset you mary he said his voice taut but remember IU be waiting tor for your decision therell never be ba anyone else in my we life dar darling lingl 1 abruptly he caught her in his arms and kissed her warmly tenderly on the mouth 1 I love you dear dearest estill I 1 he murmured then almost roughly he released her stalked to the door and he caught her in his arms and kissed her warmly tenderly slammed it behind him mary stood where he had left her as it if rooted to the floor unconsciously her hand went to her lips phil had kissed her for the first time and she had liked his kiss yet how can I 1 she asked herself hers elf im in love with christopher cragg cragel mary took storm on the mountain to a public stenographers to be typed the next morning yes she was told by the efficient young man behind a desk in the outer office charge twenty five dollars dollar for three copies and bind it for her if she wished A few minutes later she was back on forty second street and the rest of the day before her she know just what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go she was utterly satiated with writing she felt as if shed scream if she had to look at another word even in so else novel for at least another week shed like to make a sort of holiday a gala aff affair air of today but a girl cant be particularly festive all by herself she wished that phil had invited her to have lunch with him but he even mentioned a future engagement ga when they had parted the night before A deep red suffused her face as thoughts of that parting recalled themselves to her mind and a pleasant sensation flooded her heart as she remembered his kiss ive never felt quite like that before she admitted to herself yet its so silly for me to be touched at all when I 1 cant possibly be in love with phil buchanan I 1 wonder if hell cau call tonight but mr phil did not phone and after eating dinner and reading the sun mary feeling lonesome for the first time since linnie Cot swells departure went to bed TO BE CONTINUED |