A telegram arrived yesterday in the Marvellous Adventure offices. It read thus:

HAVE MADE FABULOUS DISCOVERY STOP VITAL HAVE TIME TO STUDY STOP STORY NOT READY THIS MONTH STOP WILL WRITE SOONEST STOP REGARDS – A.

Be assured I sent a furious reply. I won’t reproduce its language here. The Author telephoned back and though I did everything I could to persuade him, it was to no avail. He only repeated over and over again that he was onto something big — something involving the Emily Monroe stories, that much I got out of him — and would be unable to deliver a manuscript in time for the August 31 issue. I don’t know where he was, but I thought I could hear mortar fire exploding in the background.

In one thing I succeeded: getting the Author to promise the story would be ready in time for September 30. The line was cut off soon after.

So that’s that, folks. Sorry about this. I’d move heaven and earth if I thought it would help any — and if I had a carjack the size of the Moon. We will have an issue for next month, that I guarantee. Because when the Author disappoints like this it’s for a good reason; and when he promises to make it up he always comes through.

See you in September!