Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1876-01-12
THE TWINS.
BY MARY N. PRESCOTT.

mere, say any lAlllS tHdt CoHles luto
your head, Silvia-anything that's nice
and sentimental and sounds as if l knew
all creation and had studied and read and
thought no end; anything so that he
won't guess what miserable little Ounce
l am. Only don't bother me about it!''
"And suppOsing he finds out?'
Finds out! How in the name of
goodness is he going to find out unless
you up and tell him.
Il shant tell him. But it doesn't
seem right; my conscience rebukes me.
l wake up sometimes at dead of night in
sort of nightmare, where l see him
treading your letters under foot and his
eyes like javelins!'
Its high time a-day for you to sit
there and lecture me, Silvia, and pirate
about your conscience. know what I'm
about; write the letters and keep the
dreams to yourself. What business had
you to be dreaming about my lover, let
ME ask! A pretty case of conscience!'
The same business that | have to be
writing to him, suppose"
You write to him because l require
it; and papa hires and pays you to be
companion to me and to do what | will.
don't see that you need trouble yourself
at all about it unless you want to throw
up the situation and oblige me to get used
to new companion"
''You might lind the change Of hand
writing embarrassing, to be sure"
laughed Silvia.
It's very generous of you to remind me
of that dilemma. now, isn't it, And just
to show me how dependent / am upon
your Perhaps it's bid for a higher fig
ure. l always mistrust your high and
mighty conscientious folks"
"YOu know me better" answered Sill
via. 81 was only thinking that you were
laying up trouble for yourself"
That needst trouble you"
1t annoys me that should be obliged
to aid and abet you in the undertaking"
50" Sweet sensibilily! Oh, Lar You
may resign your situation and find a bet
ter if you can. I'm almost afraid to keep
such saint in the house"
Situations don't grow on bushes and
laborers are thicker than flies in August;
and Nine. Genesis would turn the
twins out of house and home if omitted
Il quarterly payment, you know"
Well, What's the need of so much
pother? It's only matter of choosing
between your cOnscience-whch is only
another name for your own comfort-and
the welfare of the twins. Well see which
you love best, you goody- goody! And,
after all, | can't understand that your poor
conscience has anything to do in the mat
ter. You're always magniiying tribes
looking through your Puritan spectacles
at them
Silvia sat down at the davenport and
took up the pen.
. You could write as good letter as
if you chose"
But don't choose to be bothered"
1t wouldn't be any bother to me -"
began Silvia.
" Then you'd better do 1t without any
comments"
. | mean to write my own loveletters. !"
That's because it would be such nov
city, perhaps"
Now don't be rude, Luna. ! was only
thinking what a pleasure you lose"
can afford it, and my loss is your
gain"
know if you would only give a lit.
tie practice to it your handwriting would
be finer than mine. Let me beg you to
try. A half hour daily would work
magic
" Pshaw! l wouldn't be hired to waste
so much time on it. | hate to write; and
what is money good for if it can't relieve
me ofdoing things hate TO do The girls
at school used to write my compositions,
and weren't hall AS fussv AS you, though |
didn't pay them. And nobody found it
out, either"
:" But | should so hate to deceive my
lover"
Wait till you get ore. And as to that,
the deception has begun, and would only
make things worse TO confess.
And when you're married
La, | shall get my letters then--or
yours, rather-and burn them up, provided
he has not done so already. And he'll
forget whether | wrote well or i'll: and
like as not, won't care fig"
" And are you in love with him;n
a." call that an impairment question.
Silvia. 1t implies doubt Most OF the
girls are in love with him, let meiell you
Perhaps you'll experience a shock when
YOU see him. He isn't so stunningly
handsome: but he has those seductive
manners that make mere beauty baga-
telle-1 read that somewhere-and hes
rich. rich as mud. and descended from the
great Mogul, Tor ali can tell. lie knows
enough to run two or three colleges, be
lieve: and when i'm Mrs. Prot. >haIe it
won't signify whether 1 write in Chociaw
or hieroElyphics, ana nobody viii ask
whether my grandfather was a sJap-boiler