Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-22


Emma Binns has got on her foolish
head"
The Ladies' Aid society arose in a
body and lowered behind the Noting
ham lace curtains of the parsonage sit
ting room.
A woman was coming toward the
house-a slender. middle aged woman,
with bright brown hair.
"She's coming here remarked Lou
lisa Null disapprovingly as the gate
creaked warningly.
"She looks like sixteen" giggled Fam
nv Banks from her corner by the win
dow.
Dresses like sixteen and looks six.
ty." corrected Mrs. Banks severely.
Not sixty admonished Mrs. Nor
ris from the sewing machine. Il
think Mrs. Binns looks about-well,
about forty, and she does take lot
of comfort in wearing pretty clothes"
She sighed and fastened her thread
with impatient jerks of her thin fin
gers. She looked tired and tagged.
Before any one could think of
suitable retort to the remark of the
minister's wife the door opened and
Emma Binns glided into the room.
Her bright eyes darted quick glance
around, and she gave animated greet
ings in different directions. ignoring the
rather grim salutations she received in
return.
Any one else in Little River might
have noticed that the Ladies' Aid So
ciety strongly disapproved of Emma
Binns and her youthful style of dress
ing, except Emma Binns herself. II
she suspected it she gave no sign of
her knowledge. She placed her white
parasol on the square piano, calmly
busted her nose with bit of powder
produced frem tiny vanity box, fluff
ed up, her hair, sat down near Louisa
Null and opened her silk working.
what shall I do this afternoon|'
| she inquired of Mrs. Morris.
"Buttonholes," suggested Mrs. Nor
ris, tossing over number of white
| garments.
''Such elegance could not attempt
anything so coarse as hemming flannel
petticoats," murmured Mrs. Banks to
her daughter.
Fanny giggled again and threaded
her needle. Emma Binns was sewing
| nimbly with swift motions OF hand
and elbow. There was a contented
smile on her face, and her lips relaxed
into pleasant lines Of repose.
There was less chatter than usual
as the members of the Ladies' Aid so
ciety partook of the refreshments pass
ed by angular Louisa Null in her mus
tard colored cashmere and Emms
Binns in her girlish white. That the
two women had little to say to each
other was unnoticed, for the many
pairs of eyes were watching the brigh
brown Psyche knot and the twist OF
blue ribbon and strongly disappearing
of both on the head Of Emma Rinns
widow of Simeon Binns, who had beer
dead scarcely two years.
Mrs. BinnS was the first to leave
AS she unfurled her white parasol anC
tossed Il over her shoulder she knew
that the women she had left behinC
were busy with her name. Her THU
cheeks flushed holly, but her eye
maintained their brightness until sh,
arrived at her own square whit
painted house and closed the door OIL
the outside world.
She hurried upstairs to her owl
room and faced her reflection in tn
old fashioned mirror. In the dim aft
ernoOn light the sight was a yer
! Il -
! thought she had said goodby to yout
twenty years ago, when she Marie
Simeon and settled down to a life o
drudgery. She had shaved for Since
and helped him pile up his dollars onl
to find that he had left her a meage
pittance out of the whole amount an
willed the rest to brother in a dis
tant state. Simeon had always bee
mean and 'grasping and small naturet
and he had so i'll treated Emma tha
she felt a sense of relief when he r,
luctantly babe goodby to his dollar
and went to a greater reward.
Little River never understood VIII
Emma Binns wore black for brie
year and then returned to coiOred ga
ments. 1t thr2w up its hands whe
Simeon's widow openly confessed [
dyeing her gray hair until It shon
more lustrcusly brown than in her cir
hood days. They scoffed at her mods
gowns, her girlish hats and her 10y
for bright cOlors. They did not kno'
that her girlhoOd had been starved {
all fnery. To escape poverty she ha
become Simeon's second wife. and ST
had paid the price of marrying fl
. money. She had suffered, and she WIS
free once more.
Now she was INDUCING her starve
taste for pretty clothes, and If in h,
eagerness she threw aside good jud
ment and forgot the aging years Ii
tie River remembered and frowns
upon her attempts to relive her gil
! hood
People said she was angling (,
Frank Muli, Louisa's bachelor brothe
7 who kept the big grocery store on ii
: corner. Louisa frowned fercely at II
. idea. and Frank Null closed his III
tightly when his sister repeated v
; iage gossip.
"She's al. of fifty shifted Louisa.
$50 am H. Frank had retorted one