The Dolores star., 1919-07-25
CHAPTER XIII,

ne assailed the task of composing her
letter of resignation from Reben's en-
ploy. 1t was not easy to resign with
dignity and the necessary haste.
She sent it off by messenger. 1t was
none too prompt, for Reben had al
ready dictated very polite request
for Daphne's head. When he received
her letter he recalled his stenographer
and dictated substitute for his first
letter. In this he expressed his regret
at learning Daphne's decision to re-
sign; the former understudy had come
back from the road, he said, and would
resume her work. He begged Daphne
to accept the inclosed check for two
weeks salary in lieu of the usual no.
tice, and hoped that she would believe
him faithfully hers.
Daphne felt proud impulse to re-
turn the fifty dollars. She wrote
letter to go with 1t. She looked again,
and saw it was the first money she had
ever earned. She hated to let it go.
| She decided to frame it and keep it to
point to in after years as the begin
ming Of her great fortune.
Late in the afternoon, when the
western sky was turning into a loom
for crimson tapestries almost as rich
as her own dreams, she went to her
brothers apartment.
There the New Girl found the Old
Woman in the throes of finance. Leila
had brought her check book and her
bank book to her husband. Her af-
fairs were In knot.
He laughingly offered to help her.
She was hurt by his laughter, but not
ha:f so deeply as he was by his dis
covery Of her monetary condition. He
had established her bank account in
mood Of alteration, precious sacri-
flee on the altar of love. She had not
cherished it, but scattered it heed
lessly. And money was peculiarly
precious now in the final agonies Of
the hard times, when only the f1ttest
Of the fittest could survive the last
tests. Credit was the water cask, and
boatload of survivors from wreck.
Land might be reached if they held
out, but self-denial was vital.
Bayard gazed at Leila with wonder
ing love and terror. She was both
divinity and devil in his eyes. He
groaned:
"Are you trying to wreck me? You
know how hard I'm working and how
much 1 need money in my business
and how much it means to your future,
but you won't stop buying and charg-
ing and burning my poor little earn
ings. We discharged stenographer
yesterday because we wanted to save
her salary of fifteen dollars-and
here's check for pair Of shoes for
you that cost sixteen.
"But tell me one thing more before
I'm carted off to Bloomingdale in
straitjacket. Why, in heavens name,
why-admitting you just had to have
that pitiful little pair of shoes-why,
when you wrote the check, didn't you
subtract it from your balance instead
of adding it? 1 ask you'll"
"Oh, did do that?" she asked, look
ing over his shoulder. $50 did |" and
she put her cheek close to his and
giggled.
He shook his head In imbecile infat-
uation, and drew her around into his
arms.
That was what Daphne overheard
when the maid let her in. She found
Leila resting in Bayard's lap.
Bayard did not tell Daphne what his
conference with Leila had been. He
simply closed the check book and the
bank book and said to Leila: "I'll send
the bank my check for thirty-eight
cents and ask 'em to close their ac-
count. They'll be mighty glad to
do It,"
"And so will l." said Leila. ut was
awfully hard work keeping track of
every little penny. I'd much rather
have a regular allowance in cash ev-
cry week."
"All rightl" said Bayard. "Weu try
that-next week"
Daphne was not told what all this
talk was about, but she made fair
guess, though she pretended not to.