The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1909-01-30
TOM AND TEDDY.

Every morning, rain or shine, heat
or cold, you might see her as she
passed down the street. One thin,
withered hand, clasped the handle of
very dilapidated satchel, in which
were stored her wares for she was
peddler in her own small way and
from house to house she went, some
times to find purchaser for her
hand-knit tides, crocheted edging
and slipper patterns, but often to re-
ceive the chilling information that
"We never buy of no peddlers mis-
tress amt to home"
Late one cold, rainy afternoon, she
rang the bell of homelike little cot
tage on a street that was strange to
her. The door was opened by the
lady of the house herself, who, noting
the tired, worn face, the thin clad
figure and wet shoes, asked the little
woman in, though a desire to pur-
chase her wares was not the motive
that prompted the action.
She opened the satchel and dis.
played her goods. AS she spread
them out before her, two little boys,
evidently twins, came running into
the room. The little woman looked
up-"My Tom My Teddy p she
cried, holding out her arms to the
little fellows then, seeing how star
tied they were, and the mothers won
dering glance: ''I beg your pardon,
ma'am," she said, "but oh, how
alike, how alike p
"Do you think so?" returned the
mother everyone says that but for
their height no one would realize they
were twins but my husband was a
twin, and he and his brother, he says,
were exactly like our boys
"And, madam, 1 am the mother of
twin boys, and at the age of these
little ones they were as like as two
peas"
"How strange tell me about them
please" said the sweet faced woman,
seeing that love and sympathy were
more needed than money.
eff you wouldn't think me intrud-
ing-I never have anyone to talk to
now, and sometimes my heart grows
so full it seems that it must overflow
to some one.
"John and were married the sum-
mer was eighteen. John was con-
siderably older than I. In all the
country round he went by the name
Of Lucky John, and we were as
happy as could be but for one thing
no children came to us. The neigh
boris boys and girls were growing up
about us, but in our home the years
came and went with never a little
child to comfort our hearts OF brighten
our home.
"John never said much but l knew
how he felt; and the day my boys
came-I can never forget tive had
been married then fifteen years. John
had business that kept him In town
all day, and when he came home old
Auntie Brown met him at the door.
"'Never mind yer hosses, Lucky
John, they's suthin' in dis yer house
we want yer ter pass yer Judgment
on, and in came John. He gave one
look at the two tiny bundles laying
in the old wooden cradle, that had
held him when he was baby, and
then he took me in his arms and
cried.
"Well, 1 can't begin to tell you
what fine babies they were-how they
grew and throve so strong, both of
them and srnart-they couldn't be
brighter. And as they grew older,
such store as they set by one another.
John always said we would have them
called Damon and Pythias. but we
named them after their two grand
fathers, Theodore and Thomas.
"Teddy was the apple of his faith
er's eye. We expected great things
of him, yet somehow though I loved
and did for both my boys all a mother
could do. Tommy, who was always
in trouble, was wild and reckless, and
as he grew to manhood, some said
fast (though could never believe it.
Tommy was mothers boy and if he
did do what wasn't exactly right
sometimes it was because that big
heart of his ran away with him and,
somehow. the more trouble he got
into the more I loved him-he SEEM
ed to need more love.
"Well, neither boy took to farm
ing. This was a disappointment to
father, I could see, though he made
no complaint. So in the bank, where
he was a large stockholder, father
found positions for them side by side
at the same desk. Teddy we knew
would do we'll, and Tom-well we
were glad the brothers were together.
Teddy would help to keep Tom
steady. 1t was the second summer
that they were there. Teddy was
working very hard Che always cared
too much for money, l thought,
though John never seemed to see it) /,
and Tom was doing pretty well.
There had been little trouble once
or twice, John never told me about it
but he had made things all right, and
Tom kept his place-when, one night,
some one drove up to the door and I
heard Toms voice calling Mother
Gather was sick in bed at the time.
So ran out to see what was the mat
ter; and there, with an officer each
side Of him, stood Tom.
Mother he said, "a lot of money
has been taken from the bank (don't
tell father and am arrested for the
theft. Then reaching out his hand
] To me the irons on thern-and oh ]