Show r COMES C 0 M a film MOMENT N by wa ELINOR aft MAXWELL maa 0 ARCADIA HOUSE publications SERVICE CHAPTER XII continued 12 lelia took the yellow slip from marys hand and read Bali ancis farewell to i arms its just what I 1 expected would happen she commented after the little talk he and I 1 had last night little talk when where lelia told mary of the previous nights conversation mary was silent for a second then in a low voice 1 I was terribly depressed last night lelia jerome taylor had just asked me to go to florida with him and I 1 was so shocked so stunned by it all that when I 1 came home and found bali anci here oh maryl mary I 1 tried to tell you about taylor toot too hes been nothing but a roue all of his eifel mary leaned back against her pillow her eyes closed ive been an awful fool lelia she confessed yes darling you have lelia agreed unflatteringly 1 I mention any of this to linnie were sailing day after tomorrow theres no need for her to be told and now be able to settle down to writing oh I 1 think of telling aunt linnie evert everl but lelia im afraid my writings gone on the rocks im just hogood at it all dont say that mary nobody could write under the conditions that have been smothering you for the past two months wait till linnie and I 1 sail have the apartment to yourself then darling and you wont be seeing any more of Bali anci and jerome taylor maybe youre right lelia maybe this is my chance to to do my stuff I 1 in fact I 1 was working up a plot while lying here waiting for you to wake up within an hour after she and lelia had finished breakfast mary had written her father a letter secured a money order and posted them together to hawkinsville Haw kinsville judge and mrs byfield were giving a farewell lunch for aunt linnie at one but there were several hours to spend between now and then and mary decided to walk to central park sit on a bench and make a mental outline of the plot which had conceived itself in her mind earlier that morning the air was brisk and a mid march sun shone valiantly through the clouds invigorated by her walk happy beyond words to have sent her father a money order of such substantial proportions relieved though humiliated by the outcome of last nights happenings she soon found a bench on a quiet path in sat to think imitation of an author creating a plot she told herself sarcastically but nevertheless found that a story was actually brewing to in her mind finally so enthralled by its intricacies and wishing to set down its situations in black and white she extracted a pencil from her purse and began making notes on the covering of a package of face powder she had just bought when mary hastily glanced at her watch it was a quarter past twelve 1 the morning had flown by as if on wings she leapt from the bench and started swiftly towards aunt linnies Li miles apartment eight blocks away she must dress and be at the colony by one the luncheon lasted as might have been expected until half past three mary sat grudgingly through it all she was impatient to be off to get to work but she aunt linnies niece of all people could not be the first to make a move finally by mutual consent the party came to an end mary having made her proper adieux all around started toward the apartment on foot she felt dulled from having eaten so much food in the middle of the day and she wanted exercise in the fresh air to put her mind back on a working basis once home she took a shower and slipped into her woolly bath drobe 1 I believe ill call up mr buchanan she said to herself as the icy water from the shower poured over her body hes willing to see me again and talk over my so called literary work and now that a plot is actually percolating through my mind it might be best to accept that luncheon invitation for saturday ten minutes later she was on the telephone miss at the other end miss I 1 she began that feeling of inferiority I 1 which the womans comans voice always inspired in her now flooding through her mind this is mary loring may I 1 would it be possible for me to talk to mr buchanan for a moment it was apparently not so difficult after all for within a very brief moment phil buchanann Bucha nans voice said hello mary loring 1 how are you im all right mary replied her self possession having returned hows oscar oscars swell now all his heaves have left him did you get my note are you lunching with me saturday yes I 1 all right fine ill be waiting for you at the brevoort at one and without the formality of a goodby good by he hung up mary regarded for an instant the telephone instrument still clutched in her hand then with a smile placed it slowly on its hook well she told herself he certainly waste words maybe because he has to pay five cents apiece for them when he buys them aunt linnie and lelia were being speeded on their way A noisy crowd had come to the boat to see them off and cocktails were being drunk hasty kisses exchanged their stateroom with the double beds and yel 14 4 aunt linnie and lelia were being speeded on their way low silk curtains be decking the port was to with flowers and books boxes of candy and baskets of fruit lelia looking swank in a jaunty hat of dark blue and suit of blue to m match a pulled mary to one side three incomparable orchids perched gaily on one lapel of her jacket mary she whispered 1 I simply must tell some someone onel I 1 jim sent these orchids to me I 1 she was dewy eyed with excitement lovelier than mary had ever seen her aunt linnie caught mary in her embrace goodby good by mary my dear little girl have a good time darling and write your silly little head completely off if you like but remember my dear aunt linnie still thinks youre far far too pretty to get yourself in a dither about plots phil buchanan was sitting at a table near a glass door in the brevoort cafe when mary arrived he saw her 1 look looking ing very and sma smart r t in her green wool suit as she approached his table hello there he said rising from his chair as if the action were something of an effort youre late I 1 thought stood me up or whatever the expression is sit down and you have to drink ive just meandered through three high balls nothing thank you mary returned sitting down 1 I had to gollop up an old fashioned while bidding my aunt and lelia bon voyage they sailed for the west indies at noon and naturally quite a party was held in honor of their departure then everybody seemed to think we ought to wave to them till practically disappeared from view why im late phil grinned at her all right miss mary loring all is forgiven now lets order some food I 1 have nt had nourishment for hours their order given phil got out his usual crushed package of cigarettes and offered mary one no she replied 1 I cant smoke and think right now and I 1 gathered from your letter that you wanted to give me a proper call down today buchanan regarded her with amused eyes yes I 1 do well go ahead 1 im prepared for the worst I 1 the stuff ive been handing in is tripe youre disappointed in me and 11 yes im disappointed in you but I 1 still have enough faith in your ability to want you to keep on trying listen those last two stories were t trash I 1 youve fallen do down WD terribly since you did at sea in fact its hard to believe the same person wrote their son and concerning anne the matter mary been too busy running around new york you know you cant be a socialite and an author at the same time mary looked down at the table the dark curtain of her eyelashes hiding the tears that were near the surface 1 I hate him she was thinking stung by his words yet maybe hes right maybe hes trying to h help elp mel me aloud she said perhaps ill be able to do better work now im to have aunt linnies apartment while she and lelia are on the cruise and I 1 shant be going out at all well that ought to help buchanan replied dryly have you written anything since I 1 last saw you she raised her eyes to him 1 I exactly written anything she finally said but ive formed an idea for a new story and ive typed the outline got it with you heres ben with our sh rimps yes I 1 have it here in my purse I 1 thought perhaps you that you might mary took the two typed pages from her purse and silently handed them to him he unfolded the sheets and with a shrimp poised in midair mid air hurriedly began to scan them several minutes of silence followed then phil buchanan looked across the table at her you have something there mary he said quietly youve really found yourself an excellent plot human realistic different enough to be fairly new you really think make a good story not a good short story not a story for the national weekly but material for a novel oh mary replied crestfallen 1 I supposed it was too involved for a short short but id hoped please you sufficiently to it it pleases me enormously buhanan buchanan c broke in its great stuff but we never publish serials and what this should develop into after that book publication after that hollywood production perhaps you know mary there are far bigger opportunities for this tale than mere publication in the national wee weekly kly now if your style of writing just measures up to the grand plot youve conceived have a surefire sure fire hit on your hands but wont it take me ages to wr write ite a full length novel mary asked thinking of the all important matter of working against time of making money in a hurry not necessarily buchanan replied your outline having been created will facilitate matters and you say your aunt and lelia ormsby have flitted flirted to the south and have the apartment to yourself for several weeks mary nodded at least fo four ur maybe longer thinking of 0 f leaving the ship at jamaica ii if they find they like it awfully well and staying there a while well even four weeks is a lot of time if only make the best of it phil said looking ridiculously y serious businesslike and v all al at once make up your mind to cut out the frivolity go to bed early ea aly get up early stick to your typewriter at least six hours a day and forget new yorks a swell town in which to have a good go od time maybe I 1 can do it iti mary exclaimed too excited to eat maybe I 1 really can do it and maybe aunt kinniell Lin niell decide to lengthen her stay in the west indies buchanan offered lazily if she does well so much the better 1 you touched your food mary go on and eat dont ever no matter what happens let genius spoil your appetite 1 I am rather excited mary confessed and cut into her steak so am L I 1 you phil grinned at her because my first glowing opinion of your ability had to be thrown into the heap of lost hopes when your first story came in I 1 went about telling everybody in the office id made a find but later when I 1 read their son and concerning anne I 1 was a little stymied as you would say I 1 thought id fallen down as a hunting dog in search of rare game now I 1 believe im about to be vindicated mary smiled at him your liking my outlines made me forget everything else in the world im going to get busy on it the minute I 1 reach home CHAPTER XIII mary wrote all that evening and anci far into the morning now freed ol of the loathsome complex that she must marry somebody now spurred on to new literary ambitions by phillip buchanann Bucha nans approval of her outline and temporarily relieved of financial worries she had started her novel with a light heart and a clear head phil buchanan had given her any number of valuable suggestions gest ions she remembered them all and put them into execution situation after situation presented itself and satisfactorily worked out word after word page after page storm on the mountain was coming to life physically exhausted yet mentally elated to an almost abnormal degree mary glanced at the chromium and blue timepiece on the mantel it was three in the morning perhaps id better stop she told herself mr buchanan said not to write too long at a stretch in the beginning or my thoughts would go sluggish on me and ive been at it since eight last night she piled her typed sheets together in numerical succession covered her typewriter and turned out the lights everything could be left just as it was ready for work on the coming day the next few days flew swiftly by undisturbed by outside interests the apartment devoid hour after hour of all sound except for the tap tap of marys typewriter then on wednesday morning came a telephone call from phillip buchanan thought id call up and see how youre getting on with storm on the mountain he said without preamble oh hello mr buchanan mary returned why I 1 believe its going along fairly well ive finished four chapters what really well id call that swell id like to read them would you honestly yes I 1 want to see if youve introduced your characters properly and if youre bringing out the high spots of those opening chapters with the force that you should are you doing anything tonight will you have dinner with me and go over the chapters afterwards mary hesitated go over the chapters but where she rea read d them to him in a restaurant antl did he mean aunt linnies apartment or his own and would her mother approve yet this was new york not hawkinsville Haw kinsville and it would be silly and provincial to go prissy on this man who usually acted as if he positively disliked her yes she finally replied id like to have dinner with you tonight and its generous of you to want to help me with the novel sa all right buchanan replied ill tell spike to scare up something for us to eat and IU ill drop around for you at seven and as usual he hung up without the formality of a goodby good by TO BE CONTINUED |