Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-08-27
MRS. HAYES TWINS.


/ her breath calm when folks didn't want
| to hear.
| She stood tearing off d strip from an
oId-time Sunday coat belonging to her
! husband, when the door opened quickly,
! and a girl about sixteen years Old walk
Cd IN with an air as If she had been run
! mug.
! Here | am mother." she said Whit
- ii you want?
Mrs. Halves glanced up.
- Twas Marthy Jane | was calm "
she said.
The girl then threw back her head and
laughed. Mrs. Halves dropped the coat
shirt, gazed a moment, and then laughed,
| too, but with vexed air.
That comes of havin' twins to contend
with, she remarked, Il thought by the
! way you broke into the room twas Jane
Marthy. She's liable to come through a
! doors if she had been shot out of gun
Where've you both pen?''
Down t the brook The wind blew so
t we didn't hear you when you first called.
/ Did you want anything particularly"
Miss LAWYERS jest ben here" Mrs.
! Halves announced.
90, she was?
Martha Jane cIasped her hands as abe
! put this question. Her face flushed and
Ter eyes sparkled with interest. Her
mother partially rippled a sleeve before
she spoke again. Then she continued:
She's decided til have that music par
Iy-musikarl she calls it-next Wednesday
evenin' That German, Herr Kicker
truthel or somethin', can come then
soOner'n she expected. She invited both
you girls. She said it would be finer n
anything you've ever heard. Miss Dali
rimple from Boston's going to sing |
thought you'd like to know right off
j That's why | called, though | knew you
was having good time at the brook.
Martha Jane turned and walked to The
window. From there she asked:
You said we both were iEvited?"
''To be sure. I'm afraid you'll have a
hard time decidin', " the mother answered,
anxiously.
There nothing to decide" said Mar.
tina Jane. its Jenny's turn; | went tc
the church fair last month, You know
She came from the window and stood
before her mother. She flung out h1l
hands with a quiet gesture as she ex-
claimed, passionately:
81 do wish we had more than one dress!
1t does seem sometimes as if | couldn I
bear it,
You don't wish so any more'n | do, ;
said Mrs Hawes You know Just how
It's; we keep havin' doctors bills to pay
for my sick spells, n now it don't look 5
il we could ever afford foryou each to have
Il nice dress. | s'pose we ought to be
thankful you en- have one, n so swap
round bout goin' to places, bein' jest of a
size. n as like s two peas anyway. | wish
twas diff runt, but | can't help it.
She sighed as she run her knife acros:
the stitcher.
''P'raps Jane, Marthy'd give you hel
chance" suggested Mrs. Halves, more tc
so see what this daughter would say thar
any other reason.
Il shouldn wonder" was the response
She's twice as good as | am, but she
wants to hear that music as much as | do
She loves it just as well. No it's her
turn. She must go, and | must STAY al
nome ana envy her, It's horrid to be sc
poor!"
The girl tried to keep the tears thai
rushed to her eyes from falling or
her cheeks. She saw her mothers lips
trembling.
"I'I be good about it after a little, >
NJ rtha Jane said, in an unsteady voice
Only give me time to think it over and
get the upper hand of myself"
I'D rather hear Miss Dalyrymple sing
than anything else in the world"
Then justice compelled her to add.
$50 would Jenny, and it her turn.
In ten minutes she came down the
stairs. She opened the door and tried tt
speak with brave cheerfulness:
'All right mother! don't mean to be g
mean wretch this time
They couldn't either of 'em be
mean wretches to save their lives" she
said aloud with kind of sorrowfu
pride.
But Martha Jane had not yet fully got
'the upper hand of herself. When she
told Jane Martha of the invitation, ane
said. Its your turn, you know" sh,
felt rather bitter. 1t seemed to her tha
her sisters turn always came at the bes
things.
There was silence for moment. Their
Jennie said, as if speaking to herself:
Only to think of hearing Miss Daily
rymple sing!"
You shall take ny turn, and I'll have
the next two turns at our gown. That'l b'
fair. won't it?'
Martha had spoken truth when she haC
said that Jenny was better than she was
She knew in her heart that she had Otter
taken advantage of that set-sacrlhclns
spirit, and she had many crying f5' O
remorse because she had done so. Nov
she was tempted again, and almost read,
to yield.
She shrugged her shoulders violently
mo she said, with emphasis, Il
wouldn't be fair. You know as well as
do that this chance is worth all we ma,
have in year." She made great effort
and added, And won t take your turn
so there!"
She kept bravely to her resolve al
through The three days which followed. |
was Jenny, the lucky one, who wen
about her work In a pcrturbed state o
mind. She kept looking forlornly at he
sister.
1t was only on the morning Of the Wed
nesday she appeared 20 cheer up some
what. She had a private con uita tiol
with her mother, who constantly interrupt
ed her with the EXPLANATIONS. "Ih
lands sake! It'll never do! It's just
crazy ideal but she laughed as she ut
tered these interjections, and finally said
well, p'raps there's no harm in it, bu
into any trouble don't blame nobody bu
yourself.
There's no trouble to get into" re
sponded Jane Martha, confdentialy mo
body'll ever know anything about it
anyway. III so up to the village nov
and call at Mrs. Hardy's. l know she'l
be willing.
1t was not half an hour later when Mrs
Hardy, who lived just across the stree
flom the tall verandered house which wa
Miss LAWYERS home, opened her from