The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1908-08-27

1 W Ah0' yet struggling lOr lie. breath
less, yet struggling to breathe. She
seemed to look full at me, seemed to
smile, put her finger to her lip, cried
softly, There he is" and few to the
cushions, where the wonderful baby
lay wide awake and wonderfully smil-
ing, caught him up in her arms.
caught sight of me in that minute.
and with coy laugh, smothered in
the bosom of the laughing baby, fled
from the room and down the walk
where there seemed to be a laughing
colloquy, then kisses. exclamations
and vanishment.
is 1t any wonder my brain
throbbed, that I cried out, that I sat
up, gazing as far as the tangling trees
and bushes would let me? Is it any
wonder I was almost crazy over the
situation? l had seen my wife, Mir
lam, not once as a shadow, but
twice, thrice. a living, ecstatic pres
ence. She had smiled at me, the
same golden hair in a mist over her
eyes, the same laughing. bright,
breezy face, the same coy, entrancing
manner. What did it mean?
What could it mean? Except that
there was daze in my brain, cloud
creeping over my faculties; also, the
curtain of materialism swept aside
and let down heaven.
l was hardly prepared for my
mothers entrance. She looked at
me, the same mystery in her eyes,
the same cautious, secretive manner
She spoke after minute.
You saw her. then? You saw, or
thought you saw, Miriam?"
Il saw my WIFE" 1 exclaimed.
struggling to an upright position.
You thought you saw her. al
ways do. Isn't it wonderful? I've
been going to tell you. butt didn't
know. 1 thought perhaps I had bet
ter write, but when / tried I found I
didn't know how. Yes. it's Miriam.
To all intents and purposes, it's Mir
lam. She's a darling. and we love
her So
For heavens sake. mother. ex-
plain yourself" cried in an agony.
Yes, of course. 1 forgot that you
are not accustomed to her as we are.
Well, that girl is Miriams sister, her
twin sister,"
l was at the same time Mortified
and delighted. If the two conditions
can be named together. The vision
of Miriam as 1 had twice seen her
fioated in my vision. only there was a
pink, misty cloud before my eyes.
'Miriam's twin sister?" I asked.
Miriam had no sister,
Not to your knowledge, nor to
mine. Your father bought this house
some years after Miriam's birth. The
matter was a great secret. Miriam
never knew it. But this is the story:
Miriam's mother had a sister Lefty,
who married early and went abroad.
The two sisters corresponded, but
never met until Miriam was born.
Letty's soul was torn with-not teal-
ousy, only a terrible, vehement long
ing for a child. and she made her
first visit to this country, as I said.
when Miriam was born. She said she
was sent by foreboding that her sis
ter would have twins, and made the
latter promise that If she did, she
would give one of them to her. Her
sister laughed at the prediction, and
so sure she was that there was no
foundation for 1t that she assented to
the desire, promising, even going the
length of recording the promise, that
If she had twins one of them should
be given to Lefty, but there was to be
the utmost secrecy about the matter.
Well, it happened. Miriams mother
was both frightened and indignant.
That two should be sent when only
one was expected and provided for
sorely perplexed and even offended
her. 1 have heard that she was glad
to part with one of them. would
have welcomed both. Wild horses
should not have torn me from my
child.
81 don't know how the thing was
managed, but both sisters were satis-
fed, and the little one was trans
ported over the water to an almost
royal home. and there grew up. ig-
norant, of course, of the circum-
stances that had surrounded her
birth. When this girl was sixteen
her reputed mother died. Her father
had died some years before, and she
was left with a fair fortune. Some
busybody on this side OF the water
made her acquainted with the facts
of the case, and she returned at once
to her real mother.
For months we have been inti-
mate. The boy was the bond between
us, your boy. We have talked many
times about you, and she felt in a
sense acquainted. She is Mirian's s
living image. think heaven willed
that you two should meet and that
the boy should bring you toeether