Twenty-four hours of pure disaster, for young reporter John Winthrop! First he is invited to the opera with lovely Phyllis, who utterly enchants him -- then she turns down his offer of marriage . . . in essence ruining what she, at least, had seen as a sturdy, pleasant friendship. Then he is invited to hear the will of his wealthy uncle -- and all John is left is a paltry pittance. The bitter old man obviously nursed his grudge against John's parents to his dying day! "You might as well use it to light your cigar with," says the lawyer, handing him the check. The next day at the newspaper, however, holds a startling surprise for young Winthrop . . . American novelist Harold MacGrath (1871-1932), author of the historical adventure "The Grey Cloak," excelled in the romance, with "Arms and the Woman" ranking among his finest.