Show MOMEN M idam 0 ARCADIA HOUSE publications SERVICE SYNOPSIS loring and her father jim an in marv attorney y meet a train which brings iree wealthy sst sister I 1 er in law unmarried linnie big and he her r friend lolia lelia ormsby dr di colwell tor for a christmas visit walling waiting at hame bom forcee for or them are marys mother her sister ellen her fathers nagging of inger inan sister aunt mamie and peter the maiden saby baby ot of the family at the depot dr christopher cragg helps the guests with luggage mary mar y Is secretly in love width their cragg in leaving her aunt linnie color birges mary to visit her in new york but mary refuses mary works in a rent rental 1 I it 11 tray where she spends her spare time waung short stories marys fati father ier is 13 let railroad attorney the tees fees of which tilt ut as a were almost the sole support of his family ro earn money she decides to begin writing in earnest mary feels sure that her ber nevest story at sea would please the bie editors of national weekly after finishing it she calls doctor cragg who comes to the book store for a current novel falling ironi from a ladder while getting his book the regains consciousness to find his arms round her he tells her he loves herco her and then tells her he Is I 1 to 0 be married the coming M month to a girl he has known all his life ike despondent mary decides to accept her ber aunt linnies invitation in new york ter ber aunt laughs at her tor 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 CHAPTER IV continued 4 almost afraid to touch the letter yet frantic to know its contents mary picked it up and feverishly slashed it open A sheet of paper folded twice dropped out I 1 and gan glancing g toward the bathroom hoping lelia lia would not come out until after she had read whatever news the letter held for her mary started to flatten it out at last her fingers ceased their stupid trembling at last it was a check on the corn exchange bank of new york and it read new york january 1937 pay to the order of mary loring one hundred and no dollars the national weekly lelia mary shrieked rushing towards the bathroom and pounding on the door lelia lelia I 1 lelia a bathrobe of turkish sh toweling wrapped hastily about her opened the door happened mary she demanded apprehensively have you had bad news mary pirouetted about on her silly silver and scarlet sandals and waved her precious bit of paper in in the air bad news she cried darling its good news grand news the best ive ever had lelia my storys been accepted by the national weekly and sent me a check for a hundred dollars mary wonderful congratulations darling im proud of you 10 what in the world is going on demanded linnie corswell Cot swell crossing the hall from her own bedroom mary rushed towards her aunt and engulfed her in a bear like embrace aunt linnie my story at sea has been accepted and the magazines sent me a check for a adred hundred dollars just think of it A hundred dollars dollar sl 4 but linnie corswell Cot swell demurred her speech somewhat hampered by the chin strap that bound up her face ace why they write to you first and make you an offer instead of just taking it for granted that a hundred dollars was satisfactory to you mary looked dubious perhaps their regular price for a short short story stooping mary retrieved from the floor the letter which had accompanied the check I 1 and hastily glanced through it they say they like at sea very much she murmured as she scanned the typed lines I 1 and they want to see more of my work work brkl that sound professional A man named buchanan phillip buchanan has signed it 1 know ow phil buchanan 11 lelia offered f r ed ea casually returning returning to the ba bathroom ath I 1 h room 0 n and reaching for a gold an all d white whit box of bath bat powder no mary exclaimed not really what is he like terribly learned T and everything terribly human lelia returned and utterly wrapped up in m his wo work rk he started the national weekly about twelve years ago BO soon after he graduated from harvard arvard and hes built it up until today its just about the biggest thing wig in weekly magazines the cir eu lation a on 0 ls is enormous you know ts Is he married aunt linnie inquired YOU 0 would ask thakill that lelia ret 0 plied chuckling ackling with amicable delon clelon as she started to close the bathroom door no linnie hes wedded to his magazine and from all I 1 hear he consider being dragged to the altar by anybody on earth im merely interested interest ed in life as it should be led aunt linnie retorted with mock wistfulness as she left the room the little train of her satin negligee swishing about her heels mary left alone fingered her check from the T he national weekly with loving fingers ive finally written a story that was good enough for someone to buy she told herself with awe now im started on an my lifes work opening the top drawer ot of the dressing table she extracted the new brown suede purse aunt linnie had just given her opened it and slipped the check inside the zippered pocket then turning eagerly towards the bed she picked up ellens letter darling mary we do miss you so the house seems so dull without you and poor dad appears absolutely lost you see he ats always depended on you more than anyone else and while I 1 try my best to take your place we both know it quite the same well mother has heard about his dismissal and the shock of the discovery has gone rather tragically for all of us it I 1 happened this way she was buying some tape in the notion department at sullivan and and miss pat tie carson came in to get some thread and breezed right up to mother with oh janet I 1 want to tell you how sorry I 1 am about jims losing his position and right before all the clerks mother the vaguest notion what she was talking about and although miss patties remark almost made her faint she managed to hold fcc r head up and smile and say why miss pattie jim just had bad to resign because his private business is demanding so much of his time then she paid for the tape and walked out of the store as calmly as she could but as soon as she got past the store window she fairly ran up to W I 1 it is an ambition attained he replied in a voice that struck mary as being too soft dads office and demanded an tion tin and when darling dad admitted the whole thing she tainted fainted and he and her ba bach ck I 1 had a dreadful time bringing to consciousness conscious nesB mother says well have to let go and no doubt we will in time and aunt mamie says she cant do a lick ol of work what with her arthritis or neuritis or whatever whatever it is ashes supposed to be having this winter and what do you think A reports report s around town that christopher going craggs going to be married soon to a hes known tor for some time her girl names lisa ilsa graveland graceland Gra crac celand elaw I 1 and ashes the daughter of a chicago doctor have you anything about it everybody heard awfully surprised and really for or seems bridegroom to be I 1 must say chris doe a nt look particularly radiant do darling darling do you love new york about ever everything thing write me love to 10 aunt A and lelia leila give but my save cave most of it tor for your yourself self tears that she mary so blinded by scarcely see folded th the e letter could and tucked it beneath the pile of handkerchiefs in the little right hand drawer of the hig highboy aboy lelia was she must coming into the room a and not see her tears her back ti to the other girl mary handkerchief to hurriedly hurried I 1 y applied a with apparent cas casualness U then her eyes powder puff reached for the and dusted it over I 1 her ter straight little check that 1 I shau shall get rose nose she said to her cashed t tomorrow tell me where aunt Lin 1111 linniea nieU self ill 1 I send all but fifteen and to go something will of it to dad dollars kept out for my pocket ha have money e to be poor dad oh poor dear dad haze of cigarette A thin blue cloud delica delicate te like a hung smoke swells living room Cot linnie over ophelia ophela a tobacco of and the smell word in imported importe d last the roses and filled fillad the air it was sun perfumes day afternoon and linnies friends were dropping in to meet mary loring miss corswell Cot swell flitted flirted about from guest to guest exchanging a welcoming word here a bante bantering ring i sen tence there lelia ormsby presided over a silver iea tea service that had once belonged to a russian grand duke while mary remained entrenched behind a group of men in front of the fireplace and why has linnie kept you a secret all this time a tau tall man with a gardenia in the buttonhole of his cutaway coat was saying 1 I it for one demand an apology to think youve been walking in beauty all these years and ive been totally unaware of your exi existence stencel he was a distinguished looking person with pepper and salt hair and that intriguing assurance of manner which only those who always get what they go after possess mary cudgeled cudge led her memory for his name that was it taylor jerome taylor she smiled back at him mockingly all this time and all these years she quoted arent you making nicking me fearfully old almost passee jerome taylor held a cocktail glass frosted with sugar to the level of his laughing eyes my dear he said softly lifting the glass in an almost imperceptible toast to her 1 you are ageless fol de rol commented linnie corswell Cot swell pushing her way towards mary a dark intense young man in tow jerome dont be trying any of your well known allure on this child of mine ashes far too young and sweet to be contaminated Li linnie rinie my darling jerome jerome taylor returned completely unabashed blatantly amicable forget for a moment how violently you disapprove of me and tell me which night this week I 1 may entertain you and mary loring at dinner any night dear linnie any spot any play 11 hush jerry ill tell you later right now I 1 want to introduce bali anci to my niece 1 I await with eagerness that pains with impatience that sears the young italian announced I 1 Y attempting to wither jerome taylor with a glance mary said aunt linnie trying to control the corners of her mouth this is count umberto Bali anci ballanca Bali Bal anci lanci miss loring then turning to jerome taylor trot along to the tea table jerry lelia been able to coerce anybody except the bishops wife into taking a cup of tea even the bishop balked bal kedl aunt linnies sentence was drowned in a roar of laughter from that corner of the room where judge byford was holding forth and mary suddenly realized that her hand was still clasped in Bali ancis and that his grip was unpleasantly moist how do you do she remarked inadequately smiling at the handsome dark person whose gaze upon her had never flinched isit it is an ambition attained he replied in a voice that struck mary as being too soft almost oily an ambition attained she repeated ancon uncomprehendingly but yes he returned with fervor 1 I saw you at the stork club two nights ago and since that moment my eyes fell upon your you it has been my a ambition my sole thought to meet you mary felt a 2 little dazed A fixed little smile forced itself to her lips the man was still devouring her I 1 with his somber eyes all the while extracting ng a flat gold case from an inner pocket removing a c cork ork tipped cigarette lighting it and exhaling a puff of beav heavily ily scented smoke egyptian cigarettes thought mary that heavy fra grance makes me a little lit e sick aloud she said inanely 1 I see you at the stork club one does not expect a queen to notice a serf purred bali and anci mary thou thought perhaps she was going to scream when would this asininity ever end at nine jerome taylor came to bid her goodby good by were seeing each other wednesday evening he told her linnie has actually agreed have a little party for to tn let me dinner at my house and aft berwar edwards er you wards is seats for high tor As for Bali anci ancl he left ten minutes later and too wedged his way through the crowd to say good night again can he took marys hand in his damp grip and d focused the full fu h of h is brooding gaze upon her fate is being kind to me he said softly we are meeting again very soon ile he was gone before mary could reply and with an ague of 0 repulsion she thought good heavens has aunt linnie made an engagement with him too later when the guests were gone and addie and louella were putting the apartment to order and opening the windows to let in the crisp february night air aunt linnie informed mary that she had indeed made an engagement for her with count Bali anci he wants to take us to dinner tuesday evening she said lelia nibbling a much needed sandwich turned swiftly about not me she said sharply 1 I wont go anywhere with that gigolo 1 hes not a gigolo lelia linnie replied almost angrily 1 I dont know why youre so suspicious of all foreigners with titles besides he he ask you he knows I 1 be seen with him lelia retorted sinking into the depths of a chair and kicking off her high heeled pumps well youve snubbed him so often linnie admitted that no doubt hes finally taken the hint but after all he is a charming person and a perfectly legitimate count As if that meant anything these days lelia retorted 1 I want mary to have every opportunity port unity linnie went on and after all umberto has a title goes everywhere belongs to one of the oldest italian families in fact hes a sort of cousin of the kings he might travel faster if he were a cousin of 11 II duces lelia observed icily hes terribly taken with mary linnie continued happily and really it would be rather fun for her to be the wife of a diplomat im not at all interested in marriage aunt linnie mary said harshly her heart contracting as she thought of chris all that I 1 care about is writing and making a lot of money in the quickest possible time in fact im starting a new short tomorrow morning 11 miss corswell Cot swell rose from her chair and started towards the hall which led to her bedroom all right mary she said coldly ill leave you to your own devices for a few days knowing only two we well I 1 that soon get over this foolishness about being a woman with a career every young girl who comes to new york entertains that complex for a while and then eventually reaches the sane conclusion that after all marriage is the one and only thing for a woman mary leaped to her feet and rushed rus hed to embrace her aunt please dont think im ungrateful aunt linnie for all that youre doing for me 1 I appreciate everything abdol absolutely everything and thank you darling for the wonderful party 1 linnie corswell Cot swell restored to good humor brushed marys cheeks with her lips all right my dear As for your working on one of your little stories you just start right in tomorrow I 1 for one hope to sleep all day I 1 CHAPTER V mary woke with a start at seven the next morning and for an instant lay in her comfortable bed wondering just where she was at home in hawkinsville Haw kinsville and was the slim figure beneath the covers in the other twin bed that of ellen then as consciousness came fully upon her she realized that she was in new york in aunt linnies apartment and that the sleeping girl beside her was lelia ormsby it was while she sat scanning the headlines of the herald tribune a second steaming cup of coffee in one hand a third piece of jam covered toast in the other that addie brought in the niall mail anything for me addie she asked TO BE CONTINUED |