Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1921-04-21

u.
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 Bing: I'm getting tired of
Bingyille."
"Oh, of course, it's a picayune
place." said ]. Patterson.
Its so provincial!" the lady ex-
claimed.
Soon, the oysters and the entree
having subdued the cocktail, she ven
tured: But it does seem to me that
New York is an awfully wickede
place."
"What do you mean?" he asked.
Goddess" she answered. 1.-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. Bing TO
agree with J. Patterson. And why not!
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-triumphantl and
overwhelmingly right. Besides, it 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 it happened that the Bings be-
gan to- construct a little god to suit
their own tastes and habits-one
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 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 tall,
handsome girl with blue eyes, blonde
hair, perfect teeth and complexion,
and almost perfect figure. Here
she was, at last. brought up to the
point of coming-out party.
1t had been a curious and rather
unfortunate bringing up that the girl
had suffered. She had been the pride
of a mothers heart and the occupier
of that position is apt to achieve great
success in supplying a mothers friends
with topics of conversation. Phyllis
had been flattered and indulged. Mrs.
Bing was entitled to much credit, hav-
ing been born of poor and illiterate
parents in small village on the Hud-
son a little south of the capital. She
was pretty and grew up with longing
for better things. ]. Patterson got
her at bargain in an Albany depart
ment store where she stood all day
behind the notion counter. "At a bar
gain," it must be said, because, on
the whole, there were higher values
in her personality than in his. She
had acquired -that common Bertha
Clay habit of associating with noble
lords who lived in cheap romances
and had a taste for poor but honest
girls. The practical ]. Patterson hated
that kind of thing. But his wife kept
supply of these highly favored nov
els hidden in the little fiat and spent
her leisure reading them.
One of the earliest recollections of
Phyllis was the caution, Don't tell
father!" received on the hiding of a
book. Mrs. Bing had bought, in those
weak, pinching times of poverty, ex.
travagant things for herself and the
girl and gone in debt for them. Col
lectors had come at times to get their
money with impatient demands.
The Bings were living in city
those days. Phyllis had been a wit.
ness of many interviews of the kind
All along the way of life, she had
|
Don't tell father!" She came to re-
gard men as creatures who were not
| to be told. When Phyllis got into a
scrape at school, on account of a lit
tie Irritation, and Mrs. Bing went to
see about it, the two agreed on keep
ing the salient facts from father.
A dressmaker came after Phyllis
arrived to get her ready for the party.
The afternoon of the>event, J. Patter-
son brought the young people of the
best families of Hazelmead by special
train to Bingville. The Crookers, the
Witherills, the Ameses, the Renfrews
and number of the most popular stu
dents in the Normal school were also
invited. They had the famous string
band from Hazelmead to furnish mu-
sic, and Smith-an impressive young
English butler whom they had brought
from New York on their last return.
Phyllis wore gown which Judge
Crooker described as the limit" He
said to his wife after they had gone
home: "Why, there was nothing on
her back but a pair of velvet gal
lowses and when 1 stood in front OF
her my eyes were scared"
Mrs. Bing calls it high art" said
the judges wife.
81 call it down pretty close to see
level" said the judge. "When she
clinched with those young fellers and
went wrestling around the room she
reminded me, of grapevine growing
on a tree"
The reaction on the intellect of the
judge quite satisfies the need of the
historian. Again the Old Spirit OF
Bingville had received notice. 1t is
only necessary to ail that the punch
was strong and the house party over
the weekend made Il good deal of talk
by fast driving around the country in
motorcars on Sunday and by loud
singing in boats OH. the river and
noisy play on the tennis courts. Thai
Kind of thing was new TO RinpVille