Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-12-26
TWIN DIFFICULTIES.
A NEW YEARS STORY.

This is how matters stood on New
Years eve: The twin ThOrndyke sisters
were at the HaverShams. OF the twin
Haversham boys one had just arrived
and the other was expected. Mrs. Hav-
ersham had brought everything round
to her satisfaction. Her sons Benjamin
and Henry were good natured, easy
going fellows, and had accorded with
their mothers wishes in every particu-
lar The twin sisters had made no OBJ
lection to the plan. The two places ad-
joined; indeed, they had once been one;
but there was flaw in the title which
rendered it essential that they belong to
the same personal least, that both re-
main in the same family.
How singular that there should be
twin brothers aged % and twin sisters
aged 19, living in adjoining placesl
What could be more appropriate than a
double marriage? Mrs. Haversham
made up her mind that it should be so,
and she usually carried her point. The
grooms expectant and the brides expect
ant had consented, and the parents had
consented, and nothing remained but
the wedding.
In the first place, the boys made no
objection. When their mother proposed
that they should take wives, and that
their wives should be the Thorndyke
sisters, they fell at once into her little
plan. Fortunately, neither happened to
be in love with any one else. "Any-
thing you like, dear mother" said Hen
ry, provided it doesn't interfere with
the qualification of my tastes" Henry's
tastes ran largely to books. Anything
you like" said Ben, provided it doesn't
interfere with my exercises at the Ath-
letic club"
As to the twins, from the ages of II
to 18 they had been at school at Swift
zerland, where they had been kept in an
eminently respectable educational pris-
on. Then they had been brought back
to America to live on their fathers
place next the Haversham's, passing the
time at home with little or no company.
They had seen the Haversham boys but
twice since their return; once on pre-
liminary visit, and again when the pro-
poSalS were made.
The twins did not even see their
would-b husbands when their accept
ance was impaired. "Send me note"
wrote Henry to Amelia. 81 spend all
my evenings at the city just now, and
will scarcely be able to call soon again.
Ben who proposed few weeks later
just to prevent the affair from having a
"cut-and- dried" appearance wrote De-
liza that he was in training for the COM
ing athletic games, and she might as
well send her answer to his mother. 1t
didn't occur to the young lady that ath-
letic games usually occur in summer,
but the method of handling this part
of the affair by the brothers came near
breaking it all up. The sisters at first
vowed they would send a peremptory
NO." but when they thought of their
gloomy life and the prospect of gay
seasons in the city with their popular
husbands, they pocketed the sights and
returned favorable answers.
The absurdity of taking partners in
this reckless fashion was soon to be
demonstrated. Both couples were mis-
mated. Henry's tastes were as aesthetic
as Ben's were athletic. Amelia was the
more lightly disposed of the two girls. |
She had never enjoyed ecstatic happi-
ness but once, and that was at a horse |
race. Della possessed a charitable dis
position, and cultivated the fine arts. 1t
was not to be expected that the ideal
Henry would get on with the gayly dis
posed Amelia or that sportsman-like |
Ben would be fit companion for the
more serious Della. Nevertheless thus |
they had been allotted, and they were
expected to carry out the allotment.
Mrs. Haversham had desired to have
the twins with her for the Christmas
holidays, but her sons numerous en-
gagements admonishcd her that she
would be obliged to entertain her guests
without assistance; so they were invited
for the first week of the new year, and
expected to dinner on New Years eve.
They were received at the port cochere
by their prospective mother -in-law, who
conducted them to their rooms. Neither
of the boys could leave the city in time
for dinner, so Mrs. Haversham, in a
moire antique dress and the family jew
els, sat at the end of the table, and Mr..
in a dress suit in which he
had attended state reception of Presi-
dent Buchanan twenty years before, sat
at the other end, and the twins on each
side. Mrs. Haversham was continually
confusing Della and Amelia, and Mr..
vowed that he did not care
to know them apart, for they were both
so lovely that it didn't matter (which
was which,"
Now it occurred to the wise and willy
Mrs. Haversham that the first meeting
between the so-called lovers should be
without observers. Knowing that Ben