Evening star., 1922-09-24
. ROBABLF il the Diamond Oil
. Refining Company had made


- RsAnins Company had made
its proposition any other week
4 during the entire existence OF
Stephen Douglas. attorney-at-law
nothing would have come Of it. Al
any other time he would have been
mildly dattered: he might even have
da1lied iongingly with the promise
Of wealth they offered him. But he
would certainly have turned it down
Deep in his heart lay the convic.
tion that success was not 50 simple
rs the Diamond Oil Refining Com
pany led one to believe.
Life had not been easy for Stephen
Douglas. He knew by what valiant
sacrifice even the humblest advance
menfs were secured. His heritage
was the heritage Of the millions: bat
he was young and impatient and in
love.
At s o'clock he pushed the book
before him across the table and his
eyes stared at nothing about three
feet away He did not hear the door
he feel the presence Of the woman
who stood looking at him in the
doorway.
your industry, Mr.. Douglas" she
taunted, sis beautiful inspiration
to all of u.s."
He started. embarrassed at the
mood in which he had been discov-
cred. looked up at her and grinned.
You" he said-and his relief was
patent. why don't you blow your
horn?"
Lily Sedelmeyer looked down at
him, and the sharpness smoothed from
her face as she looked Lily hated
herself for this softening. 1t was
completely out of character: it was
debilitating. and it was utterly. ir-
revocably futile. Her conversation,
however, contained always the fine
jeerfng edge Of raillery. Lily had
her pride.
From a Uttered table she picked
up an arnful of books and replaced
them on the shelves. "Come on
she said finally. Il want to put out
the cat and lock up" Lily was more
than the judges secretary-she was
the tyrant of the office, shrewd. self
made. definant and flercely kind
Stephen Douglas got up slowly and
walked over to the window. A long
moment he stood there, his hands
jammed into the sagging pockets OF
his rough tweed jacket.
Lily" he said to her finally. "dc
you ever go stale on the show here?'
Her eyes appraised him shrewdly
fIs, h OF mt
gone through the world blindfolded
what show" she asked finally.
He shrugged his shoulders with
impatience. This show. Every
thing" He turned toward her now
and his eyes were hard with dissat-
isfaction. 1T all goes SO slow. I've
worked like a dog here three years
now. and where am II? I got my
salary raised last week. I make a
hundred and fifty dollars a month
now. One hundred and fifty" His
voice was slow with emphasis.
+ y + r
lily slipped the last volume onto
L. the shelf. II suppose you know a
great deal more law than the Judge,
too" she commented.
Stephen Douglas blushed. Look
here" he said, don't hit below the
belt"
He shrugged his shoulders. I'm
not sobbins that my native talents
are being overlooked. In the first
place, there's no future in stand
pat, ante-bellum laA Arm like this.
.
q grade A dumb-bell."
Lily Sedelmeyer smiled into the
bookcase. What she thought was:
you're a darling. I adore you and
80 does wilmot Truman-and 80 does
wilmot Truman's daughter" What
she said was. II don't know that
your mentality is anything to write
home about. but it's average. sweet
heart. Average-and that puts you
ahead Of some lawyers"
Stephen Douglas smiled again.
Gosh, but you're magnanimous"
Then the smile disappeared from his
face. Seriously. though. I'm fed up.
I spend my days seeing to it that
Mr.. Timothy Young. whom I have
never seen, gets some money out of
the estate of Mr.. silas snuggins.
whom I have also never seen." He
stopped q moment. There's neither
money in it nor ethics. nor even
drama. What does it matter, any.
how? Who cares?"
Again Lily smiled 'rto the book
case. "Probably Mr.. Timothy Young
cares" she said.
You're doubtless giving me exactly
what I deserve" Stephen said grimly,
but I must say you're damned un-
sympathetic" He had wanted to tell
her about the Diamond Oil Refining
Company, about the salary they had
offered to retain him as their attor-
ney. Stephen respected Lily's judg-
ment, as did every one in Judge Tru.
mans ONCE, but Lily had = ruthless
gift for satire, and no man. no mat
ter how hardy, dares to run the
santlet Of a woman's -idicule. In
his heart he had q suspicion Lily
would characterize his furtive ElNDo-
Pado as a cheap thing, unsound and
ephemeral. She might even insinu-
ate more sinister attributes.
Lilly" he said finally. you're .
bigger conservative than Henry Cabot
Lodge"
Again q wave of yearning swept
through her. He was 80 seriously, 20
appeslingly young. He was both ex-
aited and ridiculous. I'm not twenty
hve," she SAID finally. This was self
ehastissmsnt for q moment Of weak
ness. Lily never made any reference
to her age. Then she smiled. little
rnaliciously. by the way" she said.
somebody's got to go down to Pan