The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-12-12

mean? Was this one of those highly re-
spectacle and d~ecorous Mantell girls
whom he had often been fain to hold M
Is examples to AIice3 Yes he could not
doubsthis eyes, however much ne might
his ears, although she seemed changed.
Her glasses were of, and there was a
tender expression on her face, as ii her
back hair were becoming undone. She
was leaning toward him, too. as If in
need Of that holding up'' process. De-
cidedly o shift OF subject was neces-
Sary, 80 that he might gain al interval
70 think.
Its about time for that dinner bell
to ring, I" blurted the wretched man.
"Don't mention time, dearest, "
breathed Sophronia, when we have an
eternity of bliss before us.
Paul sprang 20 bis feet aghast and
gasping. Really, Miss Sophronia, real
ly Miss Mantell, this won't do at all.
You must excuse me if / leave you at
once There is some dreadful misappre-
hension. What if any one should over
hear? Thing
YES, agreed Sophronia, staying his
arm, ''you are right. We must dissem-
BILE. But let me 60, not you. Here GENES
Abigail. Your greeting will allay her
suspicious. Farewell until a kinder
hour. Be our watchword secrecy and
trust" And with q smile which Juliet
would have deemed unseemly she trip
ped away.
Poor thing, J" he soliloquized, poor
child So young, so fart She has gone
crazy, and evidently I alone am aware
Of it. Now, what is my duty? Hodges,
the proprietor. who has the girls in spe-
oial care. IL away for q week. But here
comes Abigail How composed. how
sensible her bearingl / must break the
sad intelligence TO her. Luckily her
strong mind will temper grief with
good Judgment.
And yet, even as Paul resolved, there
was . certain unwonted sprightliness
becoming apparent in Miss AbiRail's
approach which caused vague apprehen.
sion. ~ s aE
my dear young lady," he began,
and his nervousness lent ardor to his
words, 81 am inexpressibly thankful to
see you. There is q subject, delicate,
closely intimate, on which I must
speak. ,r e rsa
Yes" whispered Abigail, with
downcast eyes, 81 think I under.
stand"- @ ..s
"Your sister'-
"You fear she may suspect? Yes,
there is danger. We must be cautious.
We must dissemble. We must meet al
strangers"- -
GOOD Lordr' groaned Paul.
There, darling, don't be impatient.
I know it's hard, but perfect trust il
such courage. Remember our motto in
the dear old days. 'Semper Fidelis.
See, Twill set an example Of prudence. .
And, coyly touching her forefinger To
her lips, Abigail likewise tripped away.
81 see how it is, concluded Paul
gloomily after a moments p~ondering.
Il am going daft myself-overwork and
worry. I suppose. Perhaps, though, the
dread malady may be checked in It's In.
ception. / win go to my room and take
every sort. of pellet i'm our medicine box.
/ shall surely thus get the right one. .
But despite this diagnosis he walked tc
the open window Of the smoking room
and looked in, in fear lest some one
might have heard these conversations,
il percha9ce they had really occurred
AS he failed to look behind the door,
however, he saw nc cne, and SO went
away satisfied in his most unsatisfac.
tory secrecy. Had he looked behind the
door ne would have seen Mason Welles,
and from the expression OF his face not
only have been treasured as 10 the gen.
uineness Of these conversations, bat
warned as to the use that unscrupulous
young man would make Of his knowl.
edge.
Mason Welles had indeed been q wit.
ness, and al expert one, too. for he had
known the Mantell girls from their
childhood, and now, as he reviewed the
singularity of their single conduct, he
was able to trace it's course. He remem.
bered long ago hearing his father, DR..
Welles, shrewd old physician that he
was, discuss the idiosyncrasy OF the
Mantell twins. Those children are not
simpletons, " his parent had said. ITO
gether they possess all Che faculties.
The trouble is that certain ones, due "a
the mysterious intimacy Of their birth.
they hold in common. Separately each
one is apt to grin and caper like an idiot.
I do not believe that any education,
however thorough, can eradicate this
Stiffness. But when they are kept in
company, as they should be, this per-
version not only disappears, bat they
are utterly oblivions that il ever exist
ed In fact, one is the complement Of
the other. Together they form the per-
feet circle Of common sense. The rem
edy is, and ] have impressed it on their
parents, to make them to all intents
and purposes Siamese twins.
Years had passed since childish
pranks had provoked his fathers speech.
and since then Mason had seen the girls
develop into the fullness Of cultured
young wofnanhood. andhe had forgotten
that there had been q time when their
sanity had been q topic for Ssympathiz-
ing friends. Now. for q truth, he re-
membered ii all, az he also remembered
II - ~ aZR a&EV&2 RMM IL 49, AMM&4WE~