| Show 1 mm em A A agmes MOMENT by ELINOR MAXWELL 0 ARCADIA HOUSE publications TONU SERVICE SY SYNOPSIS Norsis and her father jim an insl loring mary attorney meet a train which brings ts sister I 1 ln m law unmarried linnie yu wealthy a ancher and her fri friend end lelia leila ormsby dl di corswell Cot swell tor for a christmas visit wal waiting ting at forcee it bothem for them are marys mother her tome sister ellen her fathers nagging younger sister au nt mamie and peter the insides F h of the he bamily air ily at the depot dr baby cragg helps the guests with christopher luggage mary is secretly in love with their ar cragg ap in leaving her aunt aun ork linnie voctor to visit her in new Y york but mary afra tes s refuses mary works in a rental U mary saw where she spends her spare are time bram short stories marys father Is let writing filing railroad attorney the fees ol of which sere out anns as almost the sole support of his family were money she s he decides to begin writ earn to me ing in earnest mary alary feels sure that newest story at S sea e a would please the her r editors of national weekly after fin milne it she calls doctor cragg ho comes in the book store for a current novel falline to from a ladder while getting his book ing she 1 regains conic consciousness piousness ious ness to find his arms round around her he tells her he loves her and sen then tells her he Is to be married the corri corn ing ini month to a girl he has known all his jae lie despondent mary decides to accept her aunt linnies invitation in new york tier her aunt ami 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 tor for her story makes her deliriously happy the other from rom her sister tells her that financial conditions at atheme home are getting worse the mat p t day at a party given by her aunt b mary i ry ari meets t distinguished jerome taylor wealthy middle aged man about town and effusive count umberto Bali ancl anci the counts oily manner nauseates her CHAPTER V continued the mulatto woman consulted the names on the envelopes with maddening precision finally extending a letter towards mary just one honey looks like a mans writing too 01 mary caught the letter from the long olive tinted hand 1 I hope its from my father she said almost as if to herself dad had not written to her since her arrival in new york and she was hungry to hear in his own words how he was getting on it was from her father just one page of his small scholarly handwriting neat modest suppressed like eke the man himself she read with affectionate eagerness what he had to say my own little girl your money order lor for eighty five dollars came today and it is with inexpressible embarrassment and deep graty t etude that I 1 am accepting this loan from you there Is no use trying to conceal from you that I 1 am terribly hard pressed and that your gen generous er 0 us offering has arrived as something of a godsend god send but mary I 1 snail dball pay you back I 1 am doing everything I 1 can to make a contact and hope for something good bood to break this week dont I 1 beg of you ever mention to your aunt the straitened circumstances to in which I 1 through my inadequacy have thrown my family I 1 could not bear the chagrin of having your dear mothers sister know the true state of our financial affairs let alone suffer the e embarrassment m barras of an offer of help from b her er try not to worry about us dear have A good time while you may something I 1 am sure will work out for me soon mary placed her unfinished piece of 01 toast on the blue butter dish she could coul d not eat any more her er ravenous young appetite had deserted her hei poor dad trying to 1 make a contact at his age hop ing g for something good to break this week begging her never to divulge bulge to aunt linnie who could so very easily spare a thousand or wo two thousand dollars to relieve at least ast temporarily the devastating devastating worry wy that gnawed at his heart and und no she would not let on 11 by y word or act how desperate the Haw hawkinsville kinsville situation was she would never betray dad dads Is bonfi dence nce or do anything to hurt his pride hastily she p picked up the breakfast tray with its powder blue dishes and silver coffee pot and car fled w it to addle addie who forthwith remonstrated rated with her for doin my 11 work then ret returning to the sunlit yng room she placed the typewrite r on the table inserted a sheet of 01 white paper and put 0 on n the glasses which ellen said made her look typically aUy librarian she he had a an n idea for a plot a pie idea but so had been the idea aea for at sea la mr buchanan Duc nanan had liked ed that well wel I 1 it I 1 her enough to accept hn story wa was s to concern a little boy oy whose mo mother ther and father were on th roe e brink of a sensational dirce vorce just as things were reach ing a er isis Ss he was as hit but only Egl T itly y injured gd by an automobile ana n d this near tragedy brought th the e parents Ill cli iding A boget in gether her again the tale con a sane and happy man le I 1 r for or all concerned I 1 fifteen minutes later she was still would wo altin ua g for f an a introductory line t that hat 1 an a inspire within mr M buchanan 1 th e avid interest to read the rest of w 1 ere I story y but the portentous words word S tearfully fearfully slow in coming comine at last her fingers tell fell upon the keys and sharply tapped out a sentence a sentence that did not please her in the least but which would simply have to do for the time being she would have to get on she sit there all day waiting to begin paragraph after paragraph slowly but surely stretched themselves over the pages but the story unrolled with painful effort ive waited too long since the last one my y thoughts simply cant get down to business too many things have happened to me since I 1 wrote at sea if only id begun another story the very day after I 1 finished that I 1 suppose your minds just like any other kind of machinery youve got to keep it working all the time or the wheels get rusty and are hard to start up again mary worked on their son again the next morning rewriting whole sentences transcribing phrases deleting words that appeared unnecessary but the conformation remained the same and she could see no wa way Y in which to improve it she was not satisfied with what she had done the story lacked some something at one she put it aside telling herself grimly im so saturated with the thing that I 1 can no longer look at it from an unbiased standpoint ill go out for a walk maybe the fresh air will drive the cobwebs out of my brain and I 1 can get to work on it again tonight with a fresh outlook then she suddenly remembered that aunt linnie had made an engagement for the evening with umberto Bali anci and with a sigh she resigned herself to I 1 J 11 0 C e she settled herself in an armchair and began to read waiting until the following morning to work on the script again Bali anci called for them at seven shortly after lelia had ensconced just herself comfortably in bed with som arset Maug hams new book at her side and a tray of delectable food over her knees well thank heavens im not going out with you and linnie tonight she said with a mischievous grin aunt linnie said to wear a street dress mary remarked lem lelia a yawned dawned luxuriously oh of course with Bali anci footing the bill he will no doubt treat you five cent table chote to an eighty in some wretched 0 place ace in the village and smugly feel that you and linnie are in his debt for or the rest I 1 of the winter hes so accustomed the somebody else pay having to he does come check that when he damn invitation with an across to it that his output of cash well sees denomination smallest possible p is of the darling hes a sponger wife and nobody looking for a rich on earth can make me believe to the contrary ary anything her lapin coat pulled on mary from the caught ht her gloves up and baug table you do look cozy dressing said and heaven lelia she staying at a I 1 wish I 1 were knows instead J of going out home tonight weather id horrid raw I 1 into that story my work on to liked have says well we afternoon paper the blizzard by morning have a regular crunching a announced lelia tantalizing aliling enjoyment pot potato a t 0 with tant for julienne allah T thanks 1 1 a be to ment later joy boardl board see you my bed and lost in a get my dear unless you snowdrift I 1 doubt if Bali anci has the price of a taxi Bali anci had the price of a taxi or else had decided to spread himself for the e evelln evening for fa upon pon descend ing to the street he ordered the doorman to whistle for a cab cor li val anis he told them the driver in the village e A startled look sprang into lin nies me s eyes but was quickly diplo needed by a smile Co rhanis s Bali anci she inquired brightly Is that a i new place Bali anci plumped himself down on one of the small side seats and lighted a cigarette it is a place I 1 have but recently discovered miss corswell Cot swell and the food is most excellent cooked as only the chefs 0 of my country can cook I 1 thought perhaps e miss loring would like a bit i t of atmosphere something dif different feren t from what she has been accustomed to seeing and doing since she has been in new york Corl ianis was crowded garish a and nd shabby and the bare wooden tables were set so closely together that it was almost impossible to wedge a way through them sputtering candles set in wine bottles furnished furnish ed the only illumination and the air was heavy with the stale accumulated smell of garlic and cigarette smoke mary wondered during the long spasmodic serving of the meal if they were going some place later on but her speculations as to that were soon brought to an end by Bali ancis saying a tentative tone in his voice the weather it is execrable ec rable should we not be happier to remain here for the evening miss corswell Cot swell who had scarcely touched her food replied that perhaps they would lit a cigarette and sat back resignedly in her chair after which Bali anci divided his attention and his eyes equally between thi the tawdry floor show and mary once during the evening he put his hand over marys as it lay on the table caught it to his lips and murmured A hand so beautiful it needs no jewels mary hastily withdrew her hand and the corners of her mouth twitched with amusement as she thou thought just as well since I 1 you are so right beautiful lady Bali anci continued his voice reminding mary of the purr of a large maltese cat the lily should never be gilded miss corswell Cot swell caught Bali ancis eye at this moment and neat neatly 7 conveyed to him by her expression that his remarks were not altogether to her liking eventually at eleven she rose we must be getting home she said tersely Bali anci managed to squeeze into the same sea seat t with the women on the homeward trip in the taxi and to take advantage of the close closeness ness of the quarters by pressing his shoulder rather too tenderly against marys he cant be doing it on purpose mary told herself its simply that this seat is so narrow miss corswell Cot swell turned abruptly just as they reached the elevator in her apartment house and extended her hand band to Bali anci in an undeniable farewell later in the privacy of her apartment she said to her niece PUm umberto berto was loping right along with us into the lift no doubt he intended to come up for a nightcap but I 1 stand another moment of his company dreadful evening it mary warming her chilled fingers before the dying fire on the hearth smiled maybe it was for you aunt linnie youre so accustomed to nightingales knees on toast that I 1 can imagine how low life you consider a place like Corl ianis As for however it was rather fun remember me hot chocolate and salted crackers at bowens drug store have been the high points in my night id never tasted real life for years italian food before and I 1 was even intrigued with some of the rather strange looking creatures that practically sa in our laps inexplicable reason for some mary marv woke at six the next morning lelia and miss corswell Cot swell were of still asleep and even addle addie course could not be heard stirring about tho the script of their son which had tucked away in the bottom brawer she of her bureau the day before drawer and d with sprang to her mind an spurt of energy she deeded sudden a early hours aided that now in the morning with not one of thu this cold disturb the calm was to sign of life the time to read it over she could look at it from a fresh viewpoint and no doubt discern in its structure glaring flaws which she had been too weary to notice the day before A second later she settled herself in an armchair before the living room window and began to read their son it really went rather smoothly she told herself the phraseology was perfect her choice of words beyond criticism 1 I shant do another thing to it she decided its as good as ever be and it may be tar far better than I 1 think im going to submit it to mr buchanan today and its got to sink or swim with eager fingers she slipped it into a larga manila envelope and securing aunt linnies fountain pen from the tray of odds and ends on the desk wrote across its front in large letters mr phillip buchanan the national weekly ill take it to him myself she thought and if hes not there just leave it with his secretary I 1 wish it were later I 1 dont suppose these editors ever think of rolling into their offices until at least ten well ill just have to take a long bath eat a long breakfast and spend an hour getting dressed maybe consume the time between now and then CHAPTER VI it was half past ten and mary sat with flushed face and icy hands in the reception room of the national weekly she had arrived exactly at the stroke of ten and after giving her name to the efficient receptionist had been told that mr buchanan was in that he was occupied at the moment and to sit down please two other persons had now entered the reception room a good looking young man with an intense air a swarthy girl of twenty five or so but ill be next mary told herself excitedly tier her hands like blocks of ice beneath their tan suede gloves the other callers had disappeared through mysterious doors and miss the secretary was now speaking through one of the telephones in response to a buzz that had re sounded throughout the reception capt on room all right miss loring she said your turn now mary jumped to her feet dropping her purse as she did so miss hicken looper raised a supercilious eyebrow your purse miss loring she said coldly and yo ud better take your coat with you hateful woman mary thought her face suffusing with a deep red she probably knows im excited to the right please miss en was saying office at the end of the corridor thank you mary said coldly and elevating her chin ever so slightly stepped through the door that led into the working quarters of the national weekly offices opened oft off to the right and left of the long narrow hall but with eyes straight ahead she made for the one at the end the sanctus sancta s sanctorum of the lot the office of phillip buchanan she stood in the doorway an instant before the man at the desk became aware of her presence he was scanning a typed letter and a deep frown made a furrow between his eyebrows he looked austere and mary none too assured at best felt increasingly nervous he was younger than she had expected to find him perhaps thirty five and his hair looked sunburned as if he had just returned from a fishing trip in florida which indeed he had suddenly he glanced up and seeing her standing there rose hastily from his chair a puzzled expression on his face he was taller than one would have judged seeing him sitting down |
