The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-01-22
Eoenif1g Story
James Pink Bingham Dress.
BY BARBARA KERR.

unanimously entering her mothers
room.
"Why, er-what dress?" parted
her mother helplessly as she shipped
off a thread.
Then it's true,', walled Jane dra-
matically, hopping an angry tear from
her cheek. You sent it down to the
| rummage sale and that horrid Glenn
Traceter bought it, Mrs. Sands said he
did"
well. what if he did, Janey? He
wanted to help out the clubhouse fund.
said the other day you never intended
| to wear it again. I'd ransacked the
house to find something, and I thought
L might as well send that as anything"
said her mother soothingly.
Jane and Glenn Traceter had quar-
relied over politics. Jane declared tina,
she intended to always vote and make
the very most of her new independence
| and would not surrender it to any man
just for the sake Of being his house
| hold drudge.
| Glenn at first thought her merely
fooling, but when he found her Sc
rious and challenging him to an ar
| gument and an expression OF his ideas,
he said: well, I guess I am a bit
old fashionetd, Jane, for I should not
going into politics in the strenuous
| way some of these f1ighty sisters are
| doing. 1 don't think I should ask
her to be simply a drudge, tho must
confess. Jane, that you were never 80
| charming to me as when / caught
you in that pink Bingham dress wash
ing down the front stairs
"Oh, dare say" retorted Jane
angrily, 1.-The unitarian did appeal to
the man who proposes to regulate
| his wife's comings and goings, didn't
it?" Then turning abruptly she left
| him standing in the long shady lane
leading to the village.
Traceter was angry. His first
| thought was, eff that's the way she
| feels about married women I'm glad
L found it out in time But better
judgment prevailed. He knew that
with her rearing, her practical ten
denotes, her really domestic nature
that she only halfway believed what
she said.
! They were both determined not 20
give in, yet each was secretly wishing
something would turn up to furnish
excuse for their seeing each other or
pave the way to a reconciliation when
the rummage sale was put on. 1t en-
crossed the minds of both women and
men, for the men had to wear all their
belongings or keep them under lock
and key or be compelled to go to the
rummage sale and retrieve them.
| Glenn was walking past the store
room where the sale was held and
locked in. the window, when he caught
sight of James pink Bingham with rs
perky little bow in the back, hanging
on a hook.
$50, she got rid of 1t because I ad-
n1ired it," he thought bitterly. Idly
| he sauntered into the store. Mrs.
Sands, the energetic and gracious
saleslady, met him. $50 glad to see
you. Mr.. Traceter. OF course you are
going to buy a brick for the new club
house,"
"A gold brick?" laughed Glen.
| Hardly" denied Mrs. Sands. You
know we don't deal in anything OF that
Sort Then she noticed his eyes lin
gering on the pink Bingham. Smiling.
| She turned it around on the hanger
Her mother just brought it, En-
gagingly-"Now I suppose you would
not be interested in the dress as it is ?'
and her laughing, teasing eyes dared
him.
| why, yes, Mrs. Sands, 1 think
would. Come to think of it that is my
color exactly" and he took off his hat
anc ran his fingers thru a mop OF hair
that had been labeled-or ubeled-
pint. at one time or another.
at will be only ten dollars. Mr. Trace
ter, and I am sure it will give you
splen6id service"
| "I couldn't think of taking advan-
| tage of your generosity, Mrs. Sands, I
must insist on paying something like
/
Glen gallartly as he handed her TWEEN
| ty-five dollars and received his pack
Iage-
| Mrs Sands was jubilant and so
pleased with Mr.. Tractors manner oil
carrying off the joke that she hailed
| Jane as she was driving by next day to
tell her how much her pink gingham
brought, anG hadn't she some more old
buds?
ND cQfer
too nice for anything to help out in
that way.
| "Fudge!' rallied Mrs. Sands. you
know it was your dress he wanted
He's not going around buying women,s
secondhand clothes for an invest
ment."
Jane laughed, blushed and hurried
| on. She would have an accounting
from that mother of hers. But her
face sobered. She was remembering
the belt of that pink gigham was a lit
tie old locket. That day when scrub
bling the stairs she broke the chain,
then slipped the locket in the belt for
lsafekeeping.
mother if she had taken anything from
the dress pocket.
ssWhy, no, dear. I didn't know the
dress had a pocket. What was it? I'll
icaIl Mrs. Sands. No, I'll call Mrs.
Ira ceter''
mo, no. never mind. Don't call
lanyone 1t was nothing much, just
that little old 1ocket I've worn so long.
Let it go. I promised Mrs. Sands I'd
help out some. so I'm going now for
an hour or So"
| When Mrs Sands again rallied her
on the splendid sale of a dress, Jane
said soberly. Don't you suppose he
ever unwrapped that package?"
| "Of course, he did," argued romantic
! De hot he hun ityf~
where he can see it whenever he goes
lin his room. But why?''
"I'll tell you, Mrs. Sands, there was
a locket in the pocket and mother did
mt know It'd like awfully to get it
back
mercy met. breathed Mrs. Sands.
! 'sWhy don't you go right over? I'll
&C with you and we'll ask Mrs. Trace
iter-'
NO no, not for the world-Clem