The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1879-03-14
THE MORRILL, TWINS.

"accomplishes SO much in life as the
one with the bulldog jaw and set pur-
pose-in short, the quality of holding
on"
"N-no," hesitated the Colonel. Sand
vet, the success of these strorg-willed.
obstinate fellows depends altogether on
the track on which they run. They go
down hill Just as they go up. Did l
ever tell YOU about James MORRILL,"
Probably not. l don't recall the
name.''
swell, he was a classmate of mine
when went to distant school, up In
the mountains in Vermont.
"There were two of the Morrill, boys
-twius-James and Jack. Red-head-
ed, ugly fellows, SO much alike that
their mother scarcely knew them apart.
But Jack was an easy, good-tempered,
noisy boy, while James was silent, slow,
and almost as sure as death itself.
"James had few ideas, and as few
friends, but he held to them both with
a tenacity which never saw equaled.
"One day, Mr.. Ruddiman, the teach
er, accused James Morrill, of some mis-
chief-I have forgotten what-the break
ing of window, l think. Jim denied
it; and the Doctor, to punish him for "
ing, whipped him severely.
Teachers are mortal, and the Doc
tor was mistaken. Jim, as it turned
out afterwards, was innocent. He
bore the thrashing without word.
When it was over, he stood up before
the Doctor, pale as a corpse. The Doctor
was big, burly man, and Jim a little
fellow of 10.
"sI'll pay you for every blow he
said, 'if have to wait for so years to do
it. I never was struck before, and l
never will be again!'
never came back. The Morrills, soon
after that, moved to Boston, and James,
a few years later, went with his uncle to
China.
"He was employed in an English
house in Foochow as tea-taster, and did
not return to the States until he was a
man of So, with grizzled beard, and
strong as Hercules.
81 suppose that the comparative sol.
itude in which he had always lived-for
there were but few Epglishmen, and nc
women, then, in Foochow-had given
morbid strength to the feelings and
prejudices of his childhood.
"He came home purposely to see bis
brother John, for whom he had that
strange attachment which often exists
between twins. John had gone to New
Mexico, on some wild exploring expedi.
tion-for the vagabond blood was strong
= in him yet-but he should have returned
in June, and this was in August.
"'He will be in New York by the time
l RETURN said James. Sin the mean
time, have little business to attend
to in Vermont. Old Ruddiman, hear,
is still living
81 looked at him in establishment.
Morrill,, said, you surely do not,
after half lifetime, bear a grudge fol
that childish squabble.'
"sHc was no child! He was a man
He struck ME unjustly. There is not 8
day in which those blows have not
burned into my flesh! am a man, like
himself, now, and I'll give him blow fol
blowi'
al also had business in Vermont, and
went with him, hoping to interfere, i
possible. But the sense of injury had
ranked so long in his brain that il
amounted to insanity.
"He was genial, kind-hearted fel
low, except when Ruddiman's name wa:
mentioned. Then he would grow gloomy
and silent.
Ills long absence from a civilized
country made him ready to note all thai
happened about him. He took, too, ths
keenest interest in every child arG
woman that entered the cars, and wa:
always ready to help them in any way
be could.
"At a station among the hills, lit
tie girl came into the cars, leading {
feeble old man. Morrill, sprang to helI
them to seat, and then he came bach
for his valise.
"sHe's blind!' he said. sJust think
of it! to live in your own country, and
not be able to see it! The old fellow is
poor, too, Pm afraid. I'll 60 and si'
with him.
"He sat by the old man at interval:
during the whole day, helping him of
and On the train when we stopped fol
meals, and, fancy, paying for sumptu
Gus repasts, to which his companion:
had long been strangers.
"Once he came back to me.
ga fine old gentleman he said
sSingularly intelligent. And there's
something very reverend in his simple
piety and goodness. If you had lived
among heathens for 80 years, you'd ap
preciate it,
sat sunset, we reached c., and
Morrill, assisted the feeble blind man te
descend from the platform.
"sThis is my home,' said he. 'De
you stop here?'
"sYes,' stammered Morrill,. 4 have
business in c.
"sYou will come to my house, then
when it is finished?' said the old man
You have been very kind to me. 1fee
sure that we shall be friends. My name
is Raddiman.'
"Morrill's face grew first pale, Their
scarlet. He shook hands without s
word. When we had gone down the
street, ne laughed aloud, like woman
in mysteries. But when l smiled, be
turned on me fiercely.
"'Stop!' he said. '1'm fool, but
know it! Iknowit!'
"He proved good friend to the old
teacher, whose lite became more COM
Portable after that. Morrill, was gen.
erous fellow, had plenty CT money, and
[ think felt that he ought to make
amends fer every blow that he had no
given.
some instance more of his dogged
persistence:
81 left him in Providence, on his way
TO New York to meet his brother. A few
days later, received a letter from
friend, in which he stated that the ex.