The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1894-11-06
A VICTIM OF TWINS.

IA ~ IL LII vi w l1NOs
Mr.. and Mrs. Prescott stood on the
piazza at the side of their cottage by
the sea watching the twins. Stand
ing with their backs to their parents,
these young gentlemen were proud
1y regarding a gigantic back net at
the end of their tennis court. Di-
rectly behind the net was a small
grove of scrubby pines which in the
twilight showed merely as an irreg-
ular blotch of black.
Dressed alike In suits of white
flannel, the twins appeared against
this in bold relief, like white silhou-
cites.
The back stop which the twins
were so proudly regarding was, to
tell the truth. rather shaky. They
had somewhere found an old fish
net which they had nailed to two
po,es. So much of the work had
been easy, but the task of setting the
poles upright in the ground had been
long and difficult.
When the uprights were finally
planted and their bases abundantly
bolstered with rocks, they appeared
DESTROYS to fall into each others
arms, like long lost brothers. A ten
mis- bali driven swiftly and accurate
ly into the center of the net would
undoubtedly have brought them to-
gether But the twins thought their
work perfect.
Mr.. Prescott casually noticed that
one of the boys had his hands in his
pockets
Tell him, said he to his wife,
to take his hands out of his pock-
cts. :"
us it Max or Mort2" asked the
mother.
"Oh, don't know'' said her hus-
band.
Neither do ], :" returned his wife.
They both laughed little
why did you Let them get those
ridiculous white suits?' asked Mr..
Prescott I'm that dress it is impos-
sible to tell them apart. +"
They've got on different colored
neckties, said his wife.
well, ask them to turn round"
"Oh, boysp' called Mrs. Prescott.
The twins turned with precision
land faced their parents expectantly.
The one on the left wore blue, the
one on the right a red scarf, The
one on the right was Mort; the one
on the left was Max.
Morton, said his mother, take
your hands from your pockets!"
Max Uttered as Mort sheepishly
obeyed. Then both came forward.
Boys" continued their mother,
"'your father and l are going to drive
over to the Blakes' this evening.
Maggie is going out too. Do you
think you can go to bed quietly at
the proper timer"
"Yes'm, said Max.
"Of course" said Mort.
A few minutes later as she and her
husband We're driving out of the
yard Mrs. Prescott caught sight of
the servant leaving the house.
BE sure to be in by 10, Maggie, "
she called. "Mr. Prescott and will
not return till late"
"Yis, mum, F" said Maggie.
At the moment a lank pedestrian
was walking lazily along the road.
BY a certain added self consciousness
in his gait cIose observer might
have guessed that the brief dialogue
was not without its interest for him.
This was Styggles, a man whom an
uncharitable father had without re-
morse christened Hodijah.
His father, Hodijah said, had tax
en- mean advantage of his youth
i've hearn,' he added, "of men
with an elephant on their hands, and
Iguess they was sort of embarrassed,
but I'm the only man know of
whose father made him birthday
present of two elephants. Seein I've
got to drive them two elephants
one of EN- Hodijah and t'other Styg-
gles-tandem all my life, guess !
may be excused FIN coin anything
else, ez the work is wearin.
VConsequently Hodijah was the
most completely shiftless man in the
not far distant village where he
lived When he could not avoid it