The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-04
ELOPES WITH TWIN GIRLS.
New York Youth Involved in an Odd
Romance.
Chicago Chronicle.)


eXperience-eloping with twin sisters
Ahd that is just what Merle Aiken OF
BinghamtOn did. Very fortunately Tor
him he discovered his mistake in time
very wisely. too. he fled to New YORK
TO escape the wrath of the two indig-
nant beauties to whom he had beea
paving court. utterly careless of which
one finally accepted his hand.
TO this day young Mr.. Aiken couldn't
tell whether it was Nina and Minna
NaNior with whom Re was so madly in
love The cirls were Is and twins, alike
as Two peas in a pod. equally pretty
and chic and altogether attractive.
OF course. the sisters were immensely
fond OF each other, as twins usually
are. But that was before Mr.. Aiken
came to BinShamton. He was from
Massachusetts ard he seemed 10 have
a bit more polish than the Binghamton
boys.
And when he met the pretty NaylOr
twins he was smItten Immediately.
Their invitation to call was accepted
promptly. And then the trouble began.
The twins for the first time in all
their eighteen years quarreled while
they were primping up to receive young
Mr. Aiken on his first cali.
He asked me if he could call" in
sisted Nina
asked me, and, anyway, If he didn't. he
meant to"
He didn't" snapped Nina
At first he attentions of the young
man were the family joke. He was SO
impartial with his punches of yiolets
and his boxes of bonbons that nobody
guessed he was really in love For how
could any we'll balanced young man be
in love with two pretty girls at one and
q l.
joke when Minna spoke out very
plainly about Nina right at the table
You went downtown and waited for
him today" she burst out to the aston
ishment of the whole family. He
meant TO meet me. You know you did.
And YOU made Merle think that you
were I when he met YOU"
Nina was furious. For weeks she and
her sister hardly spoke. But young
Mr. Aiken kept on calling. and 1t was a
case surely Of
How happy could l be with either
Were tOther dear charmer away"
But open rupture came when Minna
resolved to Outwit her sister and enjoy
the society Of their common wooer by
herself alone. She telephoned to young
Mr.. Aiken apd asked him to take her
To The matinee next day. He was only
too glad, and he was then told to write
formal note Of invitation that she
might show it to her mother But wise
little Miuna told Aiken that it was
Nina on the phone and Nina got the
invitation, overjoyed at having won
out over her sister, whose little piot
she never suspected.
Then clever AIinna telephoned to
young Mr.. Aiken that she couldn't go.
and asked him to call instead The
young man said ne would
I'm going to the matinee" an
nouneed Nina. with just a little note
of triumph in her voice. Il am to meet
Merle downtown
Il hope you have a nice time" saie
her sister
But no Mr. Aiken appeared at the
meeting place. Instead he was calling
at the house on the clever Minna. When
Nina got home. indignant at having
waited so long in vain, she discovered
her sisters little game, and there was
war at once. Then Mr. and Mrs. Nay
lor interfered and told young Aiken
that he would have TO stop seeing their
daughters
"All right" said he
But the sisters wouldn't stand for
that. Each one thought that the other
was meeting him on the sly. And each
was determined not to be beaten The
result was that both met him at least
once week away from their home.
Now comes the strongest part of if
ali Young Aiken was really in love
and proposed to Minna to elope. Sh.
agreed Then he met Nina, and.
speaking about their plans without
thinking it was the other sister, gave
the whole thing away
And Nina, determined to win the
good-looking fellow anyway, made M
her mind to do the eloping instead of
revenging herself upon Minna by telling
their parents.
Minna land her bridegroom had
planned to go to Albany, get married
there ard hurry on to New York for
their honeymoon here. Minna changed
this and sent word to their common
nancee TO meet her on a train between
Troy and Albany
Each of the twins thought she had
captured the quarry. Both boarded the
same train for Albany. Neither saw
the other At Troy young Mr.. Aiken
came on board 10 seek out his bride-to-
be. Each sister saw him and awaited
with thrills of expectancy and hope-to
say nothing of a tiny little bit of tri
umph.
The would-be briGegraam found Min
ma flrst There they sat in the car hold
ing hands and fretting that the traI,
wasn't fast enough TO take them TO :
clergyman and make them one.
And then came Nina.
But young Aiken took matters i'm bix
own hands while the two sisters were
upbraiding each other. He excused him
self for a moment when the train
slowed down. snatched his suitcase
leaped from the platform and disap-
peareJ.