The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-09-16
MARRYING A TWIN.

Bible readers are familiar with the story of Jacob and his marriages. We have always felt sort of reminiscent pity for this son of Isaac. notwith- standing the trick he played on on his brother Esau. After serving Laban as shepherd and cowboy for seven years to get Rachel, having her sent to him in a dark room, to wake up next morn ing and find that instead of having married the beautiful Rachel. he was fast welded to the "tender-eyed" Leah must have been severe jolt to him. Perhaps 1t served him right for chous- ing Esau out of his birthright Laban seems to have played about the same sort of game on him that he had played on his father and brother. The willy father of the two girls got seven years more of service out of Jacob for Ra- chel Still, Jacob seems to have got ten even with the father-in-law when he got the best part of the latter's flocks and herds. The young Israelite was no slouch himself.
 All this is ancient history, but 1t came up afresh when we read day or two ago that an Illinois girl is seeking a divorce from her husband on the ground that she had married the wrong twin! She declares that her husband deceived her into the be- lief that he was his brother. That Is one of the penalties of being twin
 no matter which one you happen to be, especially if each of you is just like the other one. This other twin, 1t appears, played it off on the girl just as Laban played 1t on Jacob. "In the absence of detailed information con- corning the affair" remarks The In- dianapolis Star, it may be assumed that the courtship was one of the rapidfire proceedings, not infrequent in Illinois, where acquaintance. flirta- ton, engagement and marriage follow each other so closely as to be almost simultaneous Otherwise it seems un- likely that even the most guileful and villalnous twin could substitute him. self for his brother at the altar or in the office of the justice of the peace, as the case may be. and go undetected by the bride"
 We are not so sure of that proposi- tion. We have known twins who were so exactly alike that they had great difficulty in telling each other apart, consequently it was easy for them to fool others. We have a distinct recol- lection of pair of young lady twins in Randolph county, something like half century ago, and of the fun they had with their beaux. For example, young man would call on Molly, we will say. and while engaged in very 1 interesting conversation she would ex- cuse herself, leave the room and send Jenny in to take her place. The young man would naturally resume the con versation where he left off. and .soor find himself all balled up. It wal great fun for the girls but not bii funny to their beaux.
 So, 'fn the absence of detailed in nation" as The Star says. 1t may be that these Illinois brothers were SC exactly alike that even the sweetheart of one of them couldn't tell "t'othei from which" We might easily sup
 pose that there would be some sligh
 difference in eyes, hair, voice or man
 ner of speech by which the girl coulC have told them apart. but for all VI know they were exact counterparts o
 each other, so that a girl in love witt one--or both-was unable to distin
 guish them In such a case a youni lady naturally somewha: Mustered ant obfusticated at the marriage altar would take the present youth and thinl she had the other. The mean featur
 of it, if it was done deslgnedly, wa
 the act of the brothers themselves fl thus playing off on the trusting girl
 We decide that she get a divorce ant that & mark be put on the brother so that they will not be able to pla. any more tricks,