The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1921-04-15

the FAMILY or Mr.. j. Patterson Bing.
It acquired q new god-one that be-
gan, as the reader will have observed,
with small e." He was a homeless,
India-rubber, obedlent little god. For
years the need of one like that had
been growing in the Bing family. Since
he had become a millionaire, Mr.. Blng
had found It necessary to spend a
good deal of time and considerable
money In New York. Certain of his
banker friends in the metropolis had
introduced him to the joys of the
Great White Way and the card room
Of the Golden Age club. Always he
had been i'll and disgruntled for q week
after his return to the homely realities
Of BingviIle. The shrewd intuitions
Of Mrs. Bing alarmed her. So Phyllis
and John were packed Off to private
schools so that the good woman would
be free to look after the imperiled
welfare Of the lamb Of her fiock-the
great J. Patterson. She was really
worried about him. After that, she al
ways went with him to the CITY, She
was pleased and delighted with the
luxury Of the great hotels, the cos
tunes, the dinner parties, the thea
tiers, the suppers, the cabaret shows.
The latter shocked her little at first.
They went out to a great country
house, near the city, to spend a-week-
end. There was dinner party on
Saturday night. One Of the ladies got
very tipsy and was taken upstairs.
The others repaired to the music room
to drink their coffee and smoke. Mrs.
Bling tried a cigarette and got along
with 1t very well. Then there was an
hour of heart to heart, central Euro
pean dancing while the older men sat
down for a night of bridge in the H.
brary. Sunday morning, the young
people rode to hounds across country
while the bridge party continued it's
session in the library. 1t was not ex-
actly a restful weekend. ]. Patterson
and his wife went to bed as soon as
their grips were unpacked on their re-
turn to the city and spent the day
there with aching heads.
While they were eating dinner that
night, the cocktail remarked with the
lips Of Mrs. Bling: 'Tm getting tired Of
Bingville."
ooh, of course, It's a plcayune
place." said ]. Patterson.
sits so provincial" the lady ex-
claimed.
Soon, the oysters and the entree
having subdued the cocktail, she VEN
tured: "But 1t does seem to me that
New York Is an awfully wicked
place."
'What do you mean7" he asked.
Goddess" she answered. ''The drink
ing and gambling and those dances"
''That's because you've been brought
up in a seven-by-nine Puritan village"
]. Patterson growled very decisively.
"Why shouldn't people enjoy them
selves? We have trouble enough at
best. God gave us bodies to get what
enjoyment we could out of them. It's
about the only thing we're sure of,
anyhow"
1t was a principle Of Mrs. Bling to
agree with ]. Patterson. And why nOtl
He was a great man. She knew 1t as
well as he did and that was knowing
It very well indeed. His judgment
had been right-triumphantly and
overwhelmingly right. Besides, 1t was
the only comfortable thing to do. She
had been the type of woman who reads
those weird articles written by grass
widows on "How to Keep the Love Of
a Husband"
So 1t happened that the Bings be-
gan to construct a little god to suit
their own tastes and Maidstone
about as tractable as a toy dog. They
withdrew from the Congregational
church and had house parties for sun
dry visitors from New York and Ha-
zelmead every weekend.
Phyllis returned from school in May
with a spirit quite In harmony with
that Of her parents. She had spent
the holidays at the home Of friend
in New York and had learned to love
the new dances and to smoke, although
that was a matter to be mentioned
only in a whisper and not In the pres
ence of her parents. She was a tall,
handsome girl with blue eyes, blonde
hair, perfect teeth and complexion,
and almost a perfect figure. Here
she was, at last, brought up to the
point Of a coming-out party.
It had been curious and rather
unfortunate bringing up-that the girl
had suffered. She had been the pride
Of mothers heart and the occupier
OF that position Is apt to achieve great