Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-10

4 THOUGH she had been dane
~ ing until 3 o'clock Corinna
~ woke at half past and sud-
4 4 denly faced fact-faced 1t as
she might have faced mailed
fist thrust under her nose-the fact
that he father was likely to refuse
- pay the bill for resetting her jewelry.
For a month and more this knowl-
edge had been skulking about in the
lower recesses of her mind, but now,
with the palest dawn lighting the spaces
between her blue silk curtains, she saw
1t as a positive, menacing, immediate
reality.
Corinna was not a coward; in fact
her dominating ideal was courage-at
least, that is what she called 1t. al
though it might be more accurately de-
scribed as desire to get her own way
by fair fighting She liked her own way,
but to get it by trickery or accident or
gentle cooperation had not half so
much charm for her as getting it by
fair fighting. Strangely enough, this
was exactly her fathers idea of bust
ness. He enjoyed making money by
fair fighting; not by normal increase
Of values, not by great combinations,
certainly not by trickery.
And so the most displeasing feature
OF the situation Corinna faced was that
she was dissatisfied with her own con-
duct. 1t had not been clear and cour-
ageous, not good basis for a fight, if
fight there was to be. She had drifted
into an indefensible position. She did
not like that
1t had all arisen, as so much trouble
In the world does. from a burst of
executive ability. She had suddenly said
to herself one morning that every wom-
an she knew had broad. sparkling brace
lets. and that 1t was absurd for her tn
keep unusable tewelry when she might
have it reset and made into one or two
superb bracelets. She collected odds and
ends and went to her favorite jewelers..
There she was referred to young man
OF supreme elegance, in gray trousers, a
perfectly fitting black coat. a gray tie
with single luminous pearl in it, and
spats. But his elegance did not run to
languor; on the contrary, he was keen
and intelligent, and at once suggested
a scheme for resetting everything. There
had seemed no harm in letting him
submit drawings of his idea in
fact, this was a necessary step to get
ting her fathers consent to having the
work done. The drawings had been SUBJ
nlitted, lovely white and crimson and
blue dots on background of gray
paper. Corinna had shown them to her
father. who had said that the price,
$4,000, seemed high.
Ccrinna had taken the drawings back
to the elegant young man, and had told
him that her father thought the price
too high. The young man had explained
that the price was low.
Cortnna let him assume that he had
convinced her, and that the work was
to be done. A month, and the jewelry
came Reconsideration and modern.
Ali without her fathers consent. Now
she lay there, trying to think Of way
out.
If her father had said, "Tt seems
high, but for your birthday :" or, at
seems high, but speak to me again about
christmas time :" then she would
have had basis for negotiation but she
was obliged to confess that he had said
nothing but, 1T seems high" No. there
was nothing to do but tell the truth.
At the unprecedented hour of 8
o'clock she rang her bell for break
fast. A fool, thought Corinna, would
have hurried downstairs to breakfast
with her father and would have given
him the idea that he was being cajoled.
Unanswered. She would simply speak to
him In the library before he went down.
town.
But when she asked Hilda, she found
that Mr.. Daner had left the house an
hour earlier.
What" cried Corinna. It was in
credible. He never left the house before
quarter to 10. She telephoned his Of.
fee. He was not yet there, but was ex-
pected as usual.
She decided that she must get there
before he did. and dressed quickly and
in her oldest clothes. If she were to
make an appeal to her father, it might
not be bad idea to be a little shabby.
She pulled out coat and skirt that had
once been smart and needed pressing,
tiny black hat such as any one might
wear. :. mo, Hilda, not my new furs
that old fox piece" and she was of.
At exactly quarter before 10 she
burst into the Offices Of Daner, McGrue
g. Co. A very young office boy said
did you want to see any one?"
Eyes, Mr.. Daner."