Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1888-12-15
THE TWINS.
how the Objects of Childish I'm.
agination Materializod.

dare say | am queer, I don
deny it when people call me 50 to m
face, and still less do | trouble mvso
ABOUT 1t when they call me so benin
my pack. Well, now | will leave if I
you II can well be any thing else! A
only child, and left an orphan at III
early age OF five, | was exported from
England to my American relatives
Inc household to which | was intro
duced consisted of grandmother Gaze,
elghty); my Aunt Ellice Gagged tifty)
ana thelr maid-of-all-work (ared sev.
cnty), who persisted in regarding m,
aunt hIllce as a kittcnish young thing,
utterly forgetting that many lone
years mad passed since Aunt Ellice had
oeen fliteen and Margaret thirty-dye.
All three of these women shorId
nave been born in the last centprv
ra'hcr than this, and | ALWAYS foi,
sure from the way they talked, sbak.
ing thelr heads disapprovinoly tbe
"hile' OF the degeneracy of the pres.
eht day. and from the regretful sichs
win which they enumerated to each
o.her what must have been the glories
Vi 'he past century, that, had tbev
Deen allowed a choice in thc matter
1hey would all have been born y HIM,
ipAI avn
ored years before, and thus have
missed the present weakness, wicked.
ness and folly which had taken hold If
their lex.
neared almost from babyhood in
such an atmosphere az this. with M
other companions than three women
VINO would have been born and dead
ana ourled long agoif they could have
mad their own way about II. what
could be expected of me? Had I been
d inherent kind of "A child, | womb
nave become morbid; but BEING -
merry little grig, | set about amusino
myself. Though this was a dolefnl ,
'"'iure many times, in the face of NV |
surroundings, and many another child q
would nave been discouraged under n
'he circumstance and have SINH b
ih'o stolid Indifference. | at least hi, b
upon an unfailing source Of on. :"
loyment' This, however, did not Il
'ome TO me until | had learned n
o read After this epoch in nv ey.
s'ehcc' as was n day WALKING in
ne garden a sample copy of one
y 'hoSe sensational periodicals 81 IL
'h'lhoh everywhere vas thrown over z,
fence Instinct told me that M, kr
,unt EIlice would regard this piece Of da
era'nre with any thing but favor. So su
ran on by myself and devoured tbe m,
noie Thing from beginning to end pr
D absorbed was | that | saw NOTHING GU
nothing, until the awful moment
men my Aunt Ellice struck the papor at
my hands with astick (she wonld re,
ueien to touch it with her inpers> pc
d way ! remember thinking even wa
zen was very inconsistent with tbo ma,
s"i'S oi the past century. OF course. an
put by myself 10 mediate mon hen
, "ieheahess' and the paper was del
rned before my eyes; but the mis-. cor
lei was done-my spirit freed, and
! had a world of my own. thr
Opied with beings of my fancy. diff
ew-now what had vaguely missed Gle
was co~mpanionship. Among the ans
ieinary beings thus created, were , the
'ther and sister, Alfred and Ruth won
about twelve years of age. Tho and
er imaginary companions around leav
changed and sometimes faded awav of I
lhe twins remained with mo will
avs growing with my growth. and hon,
ping about two years in advance of 'Ru
IN age. so real We're Alfred and with
n TO inc, that | remember replvinp matt
~ Aunt Ellice quite Indignantly even
with the thoughtlessness of for. plav
illness, for kept all these THINGS otheI
'yseli' You may be sure. when nv
!, lt.v mt Que oay Tor the ugly shap
talking TO myself, which was each
wing on me. She affirmed: ..Aunt otbe,
C, i ain not talking to myself; I roun,
alklng to the twins | was scared bank
u myself as soon as / had said il. I,
fortunately for me, just at this nv n
.ure my aunt saw a misguided pnrp,
n throw anOthar ~ ~ 4,
".o'"er Oh the noxious shoul
H. po' o'er the fence, and sendit
was SO bent on securing the have
ed treasure, that my offense was IN m,
= 80" ma! resi- assured dread
after this | was careful 10 matte
my conversation with the twins. her 7
Mendelssohn's songs-without asI +
III there was any one TO hear do. S
30 real were this brother and sis wrote
min TO me. that when, at If sorbed
found myself absolutely alone Der IN
world under the guardianship tell 70
OLD lawyer who had been nv I wro,
mothers staunchesf friend all her ..ouee,
ven then, ] say, when ] went ont know
- o'' "ou'e where mad spent whole
y lonely years, to mingle with hadn't
lows atschool, even then, among should
81 and most highly cherished | am q
: 'ooh 'he twins! Behold
-, o'ner dream friends need SC
d met but with rcar friends vom. m
me they gradually faded away. many.
thA .-..
'he Twins; they grew with with m,
with. knew just how they Il was
:, IL gre" oiaef. i ielt sure twins, !
= ""' "'arrIed ana a chill would
wing round Tier knees. These .,eraak"
! nleccs aud nephews Of mine with me
'ther misty and indefinite 20 O II
J felt sure they were, but | companje
1i7 fFfAuNJ ttS HHf'