Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1895-12-14
A PAIR OF TWINS.
Ecccntricities Of Maiden Ladies' W no
Amused an Eastern Town.


Amused an Eastern Town.
The curious streak of obstinacy which
crops out In many New England fami.
lies. especially In small places, where
the range Of IDEAS and occupations Is
small, has been brought into prom.
hence through the tales Of Il gifted
group of story writer's. notably by Miss
Mary Il. wilkins. People living In
other parts of the country often think
her stories must be eXaggera tons. but
dwellcrs In New England towns can
parallel most of them from their own
knowledge.
In one Massn chusetts village there
dwelt not many years ago two maiden
ladies'. called. though they were over
forty years Of age. 1.-THE Hatfield girls"
Beside this youthful appcllat.On. they
retained youthful taste for guy col.
ors. A they were twins. very tail,
very lean. always wearing skirts con.
spicuOusly short to avoid dust. ana hat
brims unusually wide to avoid injuring
their eyes. they would have been ratli.
or remarkable figures even II they had
not chosen to dress, school girl fash.
lon. In clothes exactly alike to the
slightest detail.
They were always together. and It
was one Of the characteristic sights Of
the village to see the Hatfield girls
plOdding through the snow to the post.
ONCE In their green.and.red plaid
gowns, black.braided coats and big.
brown, fuzzy felt hats with great pea.
green bows. Their NUTS. mittens. tip
pets. wrlsters, barege wells. even their
rubber boots. were duplicates OF each
other. In fact the sisters were as ab-
s0lutely alike rs the twin paper dolls
which little girls cut from piece Of
paper folded double.
In summer 1t was the same. They
foated by to church In duplicate blue
muslins, or watered their flower beds
In the early morning In indistingulsha.
BILE hldeous purple wrappers.
Suddenly, the village was stirred by
an exciting event; the Hatfield girls
had quarreled! They quarreled be-
cause Mary Abby, who overheard u
small boy making Jokes at their ex.
pense. suggested to Ann Eliza that per.
haps 1t would be as well II hencefOrth
they dressed just a little differently.
Ann Eliza received the suggestion as
the cruelest Of insults; but she said
holly that, after that, she wouldn't
for kingdom wear dress Off the same
piece as Mary Abby's.
Sure enough, the sisters ceased to
dress alike. Furthermore, they d.d not
dress tremendously. They were to-
gethcr rs much as ever--but II Mary
Abby wore pink, Ann Eliza had on scar
let; II she wore green, Ann Eliza wore
blue; II it We're yellow, she decked
herself in magenta; II 1t were brown
or gray, she tried to get shade of the
same color that would make her sisters
appear dingy and faded.
1t was war of colOrs waged furi-
Onsly for week, bitterly for a month
spltefully for year; then persever.
ingly. resolutely, Obstinately, for one
--twO-three-fOur-five years; from
five to ten; ten to twelve; twelve to th.r-
teen.
Neither sister would give In. for af.
ter brief exhibition Of cOlOrs Mary
Abby had tried to fight her offended
twin with her own weapons, and to
array herself In hues too violent to be
overwhelmed. They were rs gay as
parrakeets, the two poor bitter old
twins, and the interested village had
quite given up expectatiO Of change
when at length a change came.
One morning the Hatfield girls" side
by side. and dressed In new and glossy
black, entered the pOstOffice amid a
crowd OF staring villagers, and called
for their mail. They We're In mourn.
ing evidently-but nobody could think
who had died. At length the pOstmis-
tress ventured to inquire.
"Yes." said Ann Eliza, sOberly,
smoothing down her how cape, 1--WE are
IN mourning. 1t want strictly neces-
sary, presume, but we thought 1t best
It's Cousin Johns wife out In Mon
tana. We've never seen her, but we
hear she was very worthy woman,
and q credit TO the family
And whether or not the Ella tfield girls
mourned deeply for the unknown wife
OF Cousin John. 1t II certain that for
the remaining years OF their lives their
clothes were black, and were cut alike.