Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-01-26
TWIN SISTERS.
Complications That Arose in a
Maine Family.
How a Young Man Proposed to the
Wrong Girl.
The Story oil the Hassey Sisters Born in Noun.
Vernon. Ne.

Boston Journal:
y hen the Hussey twins We're young.
Miss Mary tnow Mrs. Guild had a
beau who paid constant court.
Ire two were always together while
playing in school yard. and never
was the young lady allowed to walk
home from church or school without
the escort Of her lover.
As time rolled by their comp3nion-
ship became more pronounced. and the
result was the good folks of Lowell.
Mass. where they lived. limited that
something serious would result from
the constant attention the young man
was paying Mary Hussey
1t was Q Sunday evening that the
opportunc occasion arrived for the
young man to pop the question. That
evening he appeared at the church
door With the determination to await
the arrival of Mary and walk home
with her, for then he anticipated a
chance to ask her hand.
Mary. may | walk home with you?'
Thus spoke the lad as he saw the
girl he supposed was his young lady
leave the church.
Why, certainly; but don't you think
we had better wait for sister. for she
| is all alone answered Mary'S twin,
Sarah, to the eXpectant lad
The young man answered in the neg
alive. He did not realize his mistake
1t was an irOn-clad rule with the
, twins that whenever either one was
mistaken for the other she must do her
| best not to disclose her identity.
| But Sarah and her sisters lover
walked home together without Mary.
! He was invited into the house. where
he remained for nearly an hour. when
Sarah to be his wife, supposing. of
course. that he was talking with Mary
The answer was short.
He was told to see Mary. and if she
didn't want him. perhaps Sarah would.
Not until then did the youth realize
that he had proposed to the wrong girl.
! Quite naturally he was refused. for the
twin that he proposed to was at that
| time keeping company with his brother.
And so is explained why the present
| Mrs. James W. Guild never had a
| chance to either accept or refuse her
| first love and is the present Mrs. Guild.
| For the young man was furious at his
error and refused to see Mary. the sis
| ter for whom the proposal was in
| tended.
The life of the twins is most inter-
| esting.
| They were born in Mt. Vernon, Me,
Jan 2. 1922, and their remarkable re-
semblance in face and character has
caused many queer episodes in their
! life.
| Their parents. who We're Quakers.
were only able to distinguish them
| apart when they were babes in the
cradle by some odd article of apparel
! that Mary always wore.
| Their names were a source of con-
slant annoyance to their brothers and
! sisters. for when an older child was
| told to mind" little Mary she didn't
| know whether she was obeying her
orders or not. for frequently their
| identity was lost for the time being
| but as soon as Sarah cried everything
was all right again, for Sarah had q
peculiar wall.
| In school the teacher became con-
fused. and many times Mary would Toe
punished for the wrong doinSS OF hcf
sister. who delighted in cutting capers'
Finally it was necessary for the
teacher to ask the parents of the twins
to cut the hair of Sarah in front and
| leave it long in back.
one day Sarah. who was a very vi
vacious girl played truaEt and went
off fishing with the boys.
The next day when she attended
school she borrowed the wig of her
her head.
marched into the school with Mary
| In a short time the teacher motloned
for Mary to 90 into the traditional
woodshed to get a chastising Tor lhe
misdemeanor of her sister. While the
teacher was vigorously applying me
willow rod the sister marched 10
| Narys aid and told the teacher that
it was not she who played truant.
1t was not until the young girls mad
grown up that the schoOlmiStreSS kne"
which one had played "hooky.
At the age of II their family moved
70 Lowell. Mass. and soon after the
Twins went to work in the LaWrence
Mills. At first they were assigned To
the same bench to work, but after
countless errors in their identity ~
their overseer, they were placed IL
different parts of the room.
Frequently the pay envelope OF ON
would have several dollars less thai
her usual salary. because her SISTER
had been absent from work seVera
DAYS and the paymaster had mlstaEei
the absent one for the other
Their own relatives were unable U
tel them apart and time without mum
Der friends of one sister would ms
take the other for her friend ana no.
know the mistake when they parteu.
When one called on relatives VI
friends they told the other so ina
there would be no confusion when I
friend of one called on the sister Whoii
she had never met. And strange u
say. it nearly always happened ina
Mary would be at home when frleh'
of Sarah would call. and vice versa
but that made no difference. Tor IN
caller would be entertained as inter
estingly as if it We're her friend. ana u
many cases the mistake was ncVe
known.
Sarah F. Hussey married Metnouls
minister. Rev. Luther l.. Howard, am
lived in Hallowell. Me-. up to the liii''
of her death last month.
| uar sister carried lanes w. GUN