Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1880-03-09

indulgence, as you say he has-and as
can easily believe from what know o
him, though now we meet for the frs
time-it is well that your sister wa
married and gone before you come, for i
would be inconvenient to have two spoilet
girls. two only daughters, in the same
family. Besides, if your sister had no
secured husband before you came
don't believe she or you ever could have
got one. What man would be bolt
enough, to make love, to one o
two girls that he couldn't tell apart
l don't see, for my part, how he coule
possibly make up his mind which he
wanted"
Mr.. Cummings and Mr.. Rankin took
dinner with Judge Noble and his lad,
and their newly found daughter that day
Mr.. Rankin had never been violent adj
mirer of the lady whom his brother hat
wooed and won and wed. He had re-
garded her as very nice girl and very
suitable match for Harry. Further than
that he had never committed himself in
his own mind in her favor. Now that
he was seated by one whom he could no,
possibly have distinguished from her had
she been there and similarly dressed, he
began to be sensible of charms which
had quite escaped his attention before. In
fine, he went away from the dinner party
n smitten man.
Il was agreed that Mrs. Harry Ran.
kin should not be informed Of the dis.
covery and return Of her sister until she
came back from her bridal tour, and hel
mother undertook to communicate thi.
arrangement to every person who would
be likely to correspond with her in the
mean time.
Mr.. George Rankin was very fire.
quent visitor at Judge Mobiles house,
where he was so cordially welcomed that
he soon made bold to propose tc
Miss Ella. He was frankly accepted
by the young lady, to the undisguised
satisfaction of her parents.
After some little demur on the part OF
the young lady and her mother, it was
arranged that the wedding should come
of before the return of Harry and his
bride, which arrangement was duly car
ried out. A bridal tour was out Of the
question as Mr.. Rankin could not leave
his business during his brothers absence.
He and his bride took furnished house,
and proceeded to establish home forth
with.
When Harry and his bride returned,
they were received by Judge Noble and
his lady at their house. As soon as the
first rush Of questions and answers be-
tween mother and daughter had subsid-
ed, George and his bride appeared and
the latter was duly presented.
Harry's astonishment at finding his
brother married to fac simile Of his own
wife, though very great. was not to be
compared with the amazement of his
bride. She seemed to be confronted with
her own image in mirror. Ella, though
fully prepared for the interview, was al
so strangely impressed with this first
sight of her sister. She seemed TO see
her own features on another face, and to
hear her own voice from the lips Of an
other. To their husbands and parents
the extraordinary likeness Of the two la
dies was astonishing and bewildering.
but TO the ladies themselves it was mag
ical and almost uncanny. 1t was at first
hard for either of them to regard her
double otherwise than as an apparition.
Harry was the first to speak. George,
said he, Il knew you trusted my taste
more than your own, but | really didn't
expect you to duplicate my wife,
at must--it must be Ella said Eva,
in suppressed tone. such as one invol.
UNFAIRLY adopts when overwhelmed with
astonishment. "Wher-where was she
found:'
When the whole story had been duly
told to the new-arriyed, the sisters went
up to Eva's old room and there made
such changes in their toilets as destroyed
their previous identity. They then pre-
sented themselves before their husbands,
and required them each to make no
mistakes.
Rankin Il Brothers were obliged to
surrender at discretion and confess that
they could not recognize their own wives.
Since then the ladies have been careful
to dress so differently that their husbands
and other members Of the families should
be able to distinguish them, but their
wonderful likeness still causes perplexity
in their large circle Of acquaintance.