Penny gazed at her father in blank amazement.
“And admit you were in the wrong when you’re certain you weren’t?”
“Any good general will make a strategic retreat if the situation calls for it. It might be more sensible to settle out of court than to lose the case. Maxwell has me in a tight place and knows it.”
“Then why don’t you see him? He might be fairly reasonable.”
“I suppose I could stop at the Riverview Hotel on our way home,” Mr. Parker said, frowning thoughtfully. “There’s an outside chance Maxwell may come to terms. Drop me off there, Penny.”
While the car threaded its way in and out of dense traffic, the editor remained in a deep study. Penny had never seen him look so worried. Her own disappointment was keen, yet she realized that far more than a vacation trip was at stake. Fifty thousand dollars represented a large sum of money! If Maxwell won his suit it might even mean the loss of the Riverview Star.
Sensing his daughter’s alarm, Mr. Parker reached out to pat her knee.
“Don’t worry,” he said, “we’re not licked yet, Penny! And if there’s any way to arrange it, you shall have your trip to Pine Top just as we planned.”
CHAPTER
2
A RIVAL REPORTER
Penny presently edged the sedan into a parking space across the street from the Riverview Hotel. As she switched off the ignition her father said: