The morning times., 1896-09-06
The ~
Mysterious
III Twin.
BY MAURICE THOMPSON.
Copyright, 1896.


from the celebrated Falls Of Talulah and
the beautiful Tuccoa cataract. Trutsfu
persons vouched for the verify Of 1t and
shall give 1t as it was told to me by Larkin
Hitter. an Ignorant but respectable and
highly respected mountaineer. Al the same
time let me state that somewhat similar
stories have before this been printed, bu
not this particular ore, and while l make
no claim to originality. l do offer mine al
the only correct version of the facts from
which, perhaps, all the other stories hayt
been drawn, in whole or in part.
Larkin Hitter was nearly seventy year
old when he gave me the account, and
wish that i could set it down exactly II
his own words, SO simple, SO positive and
withal, SO unquestionably truthful. / an
not able to do this, however. can but tell
IL as remember it.
When Larkin was fifteen years old hs
had twin brother named Laban. and they
two loved each other SO TINT they were
never quite happy when separated ever
for the shortest while. They worked to
gcther ON the little mountain farm owned
by their father, they fished together In
the mountain streams. they hunted together
In the dusky mountain woods, and they
slept together in rude bed under the lean
to shed behind the cabin. Poor as they were
they were absolutely contcrted and Joy
Gus, for they had no ambition beyond the
simple life they were living.
There was a singular fact which, in the
case Of these twins, distinguished then,
one from the other. Larkin's hair was
black, Lahan's was red. Otherwise tile two
boys were exactly alike, and 80 up to their
sixteenth year they lived as II bound to-
gether with an invisible thong Where one
went there went the other; what Laban did
that Larkin did, and from night till morning
and from morning till night they were side
by side. Hearty, strong and healthy, they
felt no need OF luxuries or any change of
habit or surroundings.
Ono Sunday morning the twins were SIT
ting together on the top rail OF the worm
fence that inclosed the cabins yard. 1t
was spring and the mountain woods were
green to the very tops OF the peak Birds
sang everywhere round about. and the per.
fume Of flowers sweetened the air. Sud-
curly hair and said:
WhAe W We pose u Ieier cOIiu see eI
ne went fur or away yander some'rs?"
ne pointed across the hazy mountain
range eastward. Larkin looked at him
curiously. Somehow the words had in
them strangeness and a touch of sad
ness; yet Laban was smiling. =
Away OH yander' the boy repeated,
mar Closing ms eyes, where the sky comes
oo"h. =. .''3 10
Larkih iaugned' Tor want OF other aste-
quaoe means OF expression' theh after .
"ni@ nc saia'
Nothin more To see over Their an tier
ar mere.
now aye kpow?' demanded Laban-
DO you Know WHAT'S away OF yander?''
Larkin oid not KNOW and, therefore.
ne SAT silent. nor Old Laban pursue tile
s"uJec. 'ufther save 10 say:
aH s"'he TO go see 1oon-oy.
win these words he jumped down on
the outside OF the fence and strobe away
along little mountain road which ran
PAST the capin. In moment or two he
was out OF sighf, leaving Larkin sitting
1here somewhat dazed and stupid. The
act was something so unlike anything ever
before done by Laban that to his brother
" was almost stupefying, and when he
quite disappeared IT seemed as Ii dim
cioud had passed over tie morning sun.
Tue plrd songs sounded FAR off and queer.
now long Larkin sat there on the fence
ne never couio say however. IL could not
nave peen more tiian minute and then
ne sprang down and ran after his brother
WIN al ms might, calling his name
LOUDLY. ne went on and on until he was
urea. then he stopped and Thought. How
FOOLISH he had been. 1t was all a mere
,rick OF Laoan's, ne concluded, SO he
lruogea DacK nome confidently expect
insto 'ihu us Drother 'here ready to laugh
at hihi- But at the CABIN there was no
Lanan. Inc FAMILY took fright. at once;
tue thipg was So strange they ran all over
tue thniy settied country, inquiring at
every house. No one had seen the missing
boy ana never track or trace OF him
couid they md. 1t was as II lie had van
ished into air or been swallowed up by tile
eartn.
What could be done? The resources
OF poor mountain people are few. Every
memner Of The family strove hard. es-
peciahy Larhn, TO get some clue to this
mystery. Ihey went to all the towns
WITHIN tne,r reach ana made diligent
search' tney ransacked the woods, the
thickets. the caves and the ravines Of
the mountains. In fact their search was
exhaustive, and they kept 1t up even after
all hope was gone.
Ihree years passed by Lorkin had
grown. almost to manhood, lonely and
miserable, longing all the time for his
Twin hr0tlpr One dar-it a Gs,x.