Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-02-17
The Argus Daily Story
My Brothers Substitute-By F. A. Mitchell
Copyrighted. 1911. by Associated Literary Bureau

ule 10 tue ElTi as 10 jim. w nat WAS y
to do?
The thing did-the next thing-was
to eat the dinner she brought me, all
the while the loveiight in her eyes
beaming down upon me. After had
finished and sae had removed the tray
she told me that she had reported me
to be so much better that she had more
time to devote to other patients. but
she would come in to see ne between
her attentions to them. During one of
her absences L thought the matter
over and came to the following conclu-
sion: must go on playing Jim's part,v
whatever 1t was, for could not do
otherwise without giving him away,
and how serious this would be to him
l did not know. l had been placed in
position for which l was in no way
responsible. My conscience was clear.
and didn't see how it could be cloud
ed. would act the part Of a respon-
sive lover.
/ managed to put or my departure
as discharged patient for two weeks
How I succeeded In doing 1t / don't
know, unless it was by the connivance
Of the girl who dreaded to part with
me as much as dreaded to part with
her. At the end Of these tive weeks
| l am ashamed to confess that ! was
ready to fight to the death my own
flesh and blood, my own twin brother.
for the love Of the girl in whose at
| fections / had taken his place. 1 ex-
| cused myself by encouraging a suspt-
| cion in my mind that he had treated
her shamefully and that was jusi-
| fed in securing her for myself. At
any rate, would never give her up to
him or any one else.
But what next? When this query
popped into my head was seized with
a sudden desire to get out OF the hos
pital, find Jim and hear from him an
explanation. Then, whatever 1t was.
/ I would tell him that, having placed
me in a position to make love to his
girl, he should not complain that had
won her from him. Had l won her
from him? Did she love him or me,
or both Of us?
Feeling that IL 1 lay thinking upon
this brain and heart racking problem
I should go mad, / threw OF the COW
ers and jumped out Of bed. was in
Jim's clothes in a twinkling and when
my nurse entered again 1 was ready
for my departure.
She stood looking at me. surprised
l folded her In my arms. showered
kisses on her face-pardcularly her lips
then dashed away without a word Of
explanation as to my sudden depar-
ture.
In an hour was with Jim.
"why did you put me In this posi-
ton and why have / heard nothing
from you SINGER asked impatiently.
Does she love me still mean your
"She loves meme, 1 say-not you
at ALL"
: THANK God"
what do you meanr'
"Subside, Bob. and I'll ten you all
about 1t. / dared not write you'll mean
! myself-for fear of giving away the
whole situation. I went to the hos
pital engaged to be married. hadn't
had time to inform you of my engage
, ment before / was taken ILL., Immedl-
ately after our betrothal my fiance
| sailed on a European trip. The hos
pitai girl took q fancy to me at once
and showered such attentions on me
| that / couldn't help reciprocating.
, very weakly suffered myself to be
drawn into an affair OF the heart.
assure you l didn't realize how deeply
involved l had become before / COM
mitted betrothal bigamy.
. "In your appearance / saw a loop
hole took advantage OF it, and from
what you tell me all has turned out
fortunately"
Jim. you ought to be ashamed Of
. yourseIf-to win girls affections and
then run away from her"
ITO have my own brother to dishon-
orably take her away from me- It
seems to me that's the pot calling the
, kettle black"
, "Can it squared" said. SEEKING
yim's hand
q was happy in knowing that could
a claim our girl, but ! was puzzled to
; know whether should do so as Jim
a or myself He and I talked the mat
ter over and decided that after becom-
, ing formally engaged ] should intro
/, duce Jim to my fancee as my twin
q brother whom she had never met.
I This plan worked admirably. After
the 10 reduction twitted my betroth,
!. ed, saying:
81 presume. sweetheart, that since
Jim and I are twins you would as lief
marry one OF Us as the other"
a HIN" she replied, deprecatingly. II
would know you apart IN the dark.
= ] dare say this is the only case where
in two brothers who had occasion to
. quarrel over the same girl blessed
each other instead. But the secret is
- between Jim and me. Neither Of our
) wives has an fnkling Of II. Should
= Jim tell his wife how nearly he came
being carried away by propinquity
during a period Of physical weakness
there would be trouble at home II
a were to tell my wife Of the trick by
which one lover was substituted fol
= another she would be furious.