The Dakota chief. (Gann Valley, Buffalo County, S.D.) 18??-1913, 1895-12-19
a PAIR OF TWINS.
;Cccntricitics Of Maiden Ladies VINO
Amused an Eastern Town,

The curious streak OF obstinacy which
crops out in many New England faul-
les. especially in small places, where
the range of ideas and occupations -
small, has been brought into prom
hence through the tales of a gifted
group of story writer's, notably by MISS
Mary T.. wilkins. People living III
other parts Of the country often thl1lk
her stories must be eXaggerations. but
dwellers in New England own can
parallel most Of them from their own
knowledge.
In II Massachusetts 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 appellation, they
retained a youthful taste for gay col
ors. AS they were twins, very tall,
very lean, always wearing skirts con
spicuously short to avoid dust, and hal
brims unusually wide to avoid injuring
their eyes, they would have been rath-
err remarkable figures even If they had
not chosen to dress, school girl fash
ion, in clothes exactly alike to the
slightest detail.
They were always together, and It
was n Of the characteristic sights OF
the village to see the Hatfield girls
plodding through the snow to the post
office In their green-and-red plaid
gowns, black-braided coats and big,
brown, fuzzy felt hats with great pea
green bows. Their muffs, mittens, tip
pets, wrlsters, barege wells, even their
rubber boots, were duplicates Of each
other. In fact the sisters were as alb
solutely alike as the twin paper dolls
which little girls cut from q piece Of
paper folded double.
In summer II was the same. They
floated by to church in duplicate blue
muSlins. or watered their flower beds
i'll the early morning in in~distinguisha.
bic hideous purple wrappers.
Suddenly, the village was stirred by
an exciting event; the Hatfield girls
had quarreled! They quarreled be
cause Mary Abby, who overheard s
small boy making jokes at their eX
pense, suggested to Ann Eliza hat per
haps 1t would be as we'll If hencefortb
they dressed just a little differently
Ann Eliza received the suggestion a,
the cruelest Of insults; but she saiG
holly that, after that. she wouldni
for a kingdom wear a dress off the SAINT
piece as Mary Abby's.
Sure enough, the sisters ceased tt
dress alike. Furthermore, they did nos
dress tremendously. They were to
gether as much as ever-but if Mary
Abby wore pink, Ann Eliza had on scar
let; if she wore green, Ann Eliza wore
blue; If it We're yellow, she decked
herself in magenta: If It were brown
or gray. she tried to get a shade Of the
same color that would make her sisters
appear dingy and faded.
1t was a war Of cOlorS waged furi
ously for a week, bitterly for a month,
Sl,itefully for a year; then p%ersever.
ingly. resolutely, ~obstinately, for one
-two-three-four-tive years; from
five to ten; ten to twelve; twelve 10 tbir
teen.
Neither sister would give in, for af.
ter n brief exhibition of colors Mary
Abby had tried to fight her offended
twin with her W weapons, and to
array herself in mes too violent TO be
overwhelmed. They We're as gay as
parrahertS. the two poor bitter old
twins, and the interested village had
quite given up expectation Of a change
when at length a change came.
one morning the Hatfield girls" side
by side, and dressed in new and glossy
black, entered the p~ostoffice amid a
crowd Of staring villagers, and called
for their mail. They were in mourn.
ing evidently but nobody could think
who had died. At length the postmis-
tress ventured 10 inquire.
Eyes" said Ann Eliza, soberly,
smoothing down her hrW cape, 1--WE are
in mourning. II want strictly neces-
sary, l presume, hut we thought it best.
It's Cousin Johns wife out in Mon
tana. We've never seen her, but we
hear She was a vcrA worthy woman
and n credit TO the lmily."
And whether or p. the Hatfield girls
mourncd deeply f. tile unknown wife
Of Cousin John. Is certain that for
the remaining yt IS of their lives their
clothes were blacn. and were cut alike.
and the village guessed tina, they had
found a way To end Their warfare, with
out acknowledging surrender, or pro-