Evening star., 1926-10-03

nape Of his neck. and looked as If
| they had been made for him. His
hair betrayed signs of having been
| brushed. He was persuaded. relue-
tantly, to insert an "r' after the 'b''
in February, although he never, as
far as 1 know, referred to the third
day of the week as anything but
| ''Toosday."
| But these minor changes are accom-
| panied by deep and more important
| improvements. His lawyers, who had
been fighting long, dishonest claim
over his basic patents, told me that
Robinson would have compromised
| the suit and settled it out of court,
partly through laZiness. partly through
a sort of sympathy for all inventors.
| But ClariSSa would not hear of COM
| promise. Clarissa, I confess, is per-
son who, when she is 81 per cent
right, thinks she's 100 per cent.
Clarissa, in this case, had an almost
religious conviction. She not only in
sisted on Robinsons fighting the suit,
but she herself took part. She testi-
| fed for him, and had the effect that a
beautiful and noble looking woman al
| ways does have when injected into a
law suit. They won and the difference
was in the millions.
was to clear out band of insolent.
! pleasure loving men, with Roland
Parks at their head, who We're living
on him. using his houses and auto
mobiles, going to Florida in his private
car. fshins, from his Yacht. drinking
and urging him cordially to dr. ink his
champagne and giving him nothing in
return but a somewhat patronizing
friendship.
Most of them drifted away to other
green pastures, but Roland Parks did
not go without a struggle. He knew
Robinson was really fond of him, and
he thought he could withstand
Clarissa. He met his Waterloo over
the purchase Of her town car. Parks,
/ imagine, was to get a commission if
he could guide Robinson to new
make of American car just being put
on the market. but Clarissa had set
her heart on a certain French car, and
Parks stupidity let himself be caught
In lie. That was the end of him,
and everybody was glad to see him go.
x X X
THESE alterations took place sew
eral yearS-flVe or six
Then one day ClarisSa called me up
at my office and asked me to come and
see her that afternoon at 5; she was
expecting a visit from a lawyer, and
wanted my moral support in a matter
of a divorce. Though ] am a lawyer,
[ have never done any of my cousins
important business; she had not even
consulted me professionally, but I
have always been privileged to give
her a little cousinly advice on legal
matters.
l went not to the Spanish palace
where for six years ] had been ac-
customed to visiting her. but to an
excellent hotel, where Clarissa was
roughing it in corner suite on the
fifteenth floor.
The place was full of roses and
chrysanthemums. and Clarissa was in
a purple and gold tea gown with her
famous pearls wound three times
around her neck.
| have not described Clarissa. She
had a we'll domed little head, covered
with fine, smooth hair the color of sill
yer gilt. Her eyes were a light blue,
like a pale sky: her nose was perfect
her chin a little too heavy. She was
not always beautiful, for she used no
cosmetic, and so worry and sickness
at times marred her. but she was al
ways interesting and elegant. Today
she was in the full vigor of her vital
ity, and suddenly felt sorry for Rob
inson. 1t must be a terrible thing,
thought, to have had all this beauty
and power in your life and to lose it,
She greeted me as If she never con-
trived to see as much of me as she
wanted. "Sit down, Tom DEAR" she
said. "and Wen have tea before this
lawyer comes-if this wall paper does
not take away your appetite. In old
times I'd have had the place repa-
| pered. if only for a week. But I've
grown sensible. I have to. Did you
know / was going around the world as
soon as l get my divorce? Twice
around"
Twice for luck?" ! asked.