Missouri Magic by Charlotte Hubbard

Author:Charlotte Hubbard
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Evan Marshall Agency
Published: 2016-01-13T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Celesta hurried from the post office, burning with curiosity. The unmarked envelope from Beadle and Adams was thicker than usual, and because Bill Thompkins was working behind the desk she dared not open her mail here. It was probably a letter from Mr. Victor, her editor, terminating her writing relationship, and she didn’t want to cry hysterically while cursing Damon Frye. Bad news was best endured in the privacy of the alcove, where Grandfather’s spirit might comfort her.

When she spied an empty bench in Central Park, however, Celesta succumbed. As she slid onto the slatted seat, she tore into the envelope and then gasped. Along with the larger-than-usual check for “The Case of the Purloined Papers” was a letter written in bold, flowing script:

My Dear Mr. Lester,

Heartiest congratulations, sir! We felt “Purloined Papers” was your finest work to date, meriting a higher rate of pay—until we met Damon Dare! Our readers are hungry for just such an adventurer, and Sally Sharpe followers are sure to demand more of his derring-do ... not to mention the sultry innuendo that smolders between him and the Girl Detective. Continue to present this pair in such a suggestive yet tasteful way, and we shall be pleased to pay you half again as much as Sally earns you for a regular case—and we’d like to keep putting her on the stands as we always have, thrice a month. Best wishes for your continued success!

Celesta’s mouth dropped open. She read the letter again, her excitement rising until she wanted to shout out loud. Was this real, or had Frye written it? But he couldn’t have! There was Orville J. Victor’s distinctive signature, just as it always appeared on his correspondence.

She squeezed her eyes shut against sudden tears, wishing she could share this success with Mama. When her poignant mood subsided, Celesta walked resolutely into the heart of town, to the Hoskins drugstore, where dime novels were sold. Sure enough, there were the Beadle and Adams pulps for the last week in July, and beneath the bright orange masthead, Sally Sharpe was sketched with wide-eyed confidence, cornered by an ominous, well-dressed scoundrel who wielded a knife—and who bore an uncanny resemblance to Damon, just as she’d written him! It was too good not to share with someone, so she bought a copy of ‘‘The Purloined Papers” and hurried back to the Manor with it concealed in her skirt pocket.

That evening when Damon found the dimer in his overalls, along with the letter Victor had written, he slapped his knee and chuckled. His first inclination was to remind her who mailed Damon Dare to the publisher, but when he saw Celesta’s pretty flush and the grin she couldn’t suppress, he realized the success was hers alone.

She was waiting for him in the dining room, the last first-floor salon they had to paper, and when he was certain the aunts were out of earshot, he grabbed her up and kissed her jubilantly. “I hope you’re happy, young lady,” he whispered.

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