Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-01-08
A Fortunate
Meeting
By LOUISE B. CUMMINGS

tn Jul VI lt tuiAldEey dHu WhCh aS
bad done so stood stock still. staring
at one of the boys who had come to
look him over. all the others staring at
him.
why, he's Bob Archerv' was the ex-
elamation of several of the self con-
stituted reception committee
Are you Bob Archer?" asked the
newcomer of the hoy who was gaping
at him.
yes"
'Then you're my twin brother"
Reckon you're right"
Mr.. and Mrs. Edward Archer eight
years before this meeting had sepa-
rated, having made an arrangement
that the father should have n of
their twin boys. aged four, and the
mother should have the other. Thorn
as had gone with his father, Robert
with his mother. From the time OF
the separation these two divisions of
the family had never met Their par
ents, unknown to each other, had sent
them to the same school.
The affection twins have for each
other is accounted for physiologically.
Tom and Bob Archer from the time
they met at the Sanford school were
in~separable.
"Bob,' said Tom one day, do you
remember fatherY
mo. Do you remember motherT'
"Just a little"
"What do you suppose was b mat
ter between themY"
eDon't know. L don't think fathers
and mothers have a right to quarrel.
do your It's mighty hard on the kids"
mo, | don't When vacation comes
l suppose we've got to separate again.
II move we don't"
what can we dol"
"I,l write father that I'm going to
spend my vacation with you some
where. and you write mother you're
going to spend yours with me-"
ut would knock mother out not to
have me with her."
"Humphl l don't think 1t would trou-
BILE father so much to part with me,
but it might. Fathers don't show what
they feel so much as mothers"
sWhere can we go for our vacationY'
Lets go to a farm"
The upshot of this conspiracy was
that the boys wrote to their respective
homes that they would not be separat-
ed and were going to spend their sum
mer vacation together on a farm. This
struck each parent with CONSERVATION.
- AA--l-- --w~Ao Hon h4Chond IN
know If he had any objection to her
spending July and August with the
boys. Mr.. Archer replied that he had
Then each boy was informed by the
parent with whom he lived that he
must come home; If he remained away
no remittance would be sent him. The
boys, who had come to their resolution
to stay together some time before the
end of the term, had saved up the mon
ey SEM them from home for spending.
and each had enough to pay So a week
board for eight weeks. So they wrote
that they could get on without remit
tances.
There was a farm a few miles from
the school that they had often visited,
and there they made arrangements to
pay So a week each for board and do
So work a week, which consisted prin-
cipally of milking. On leaving school
they went to this farm, and since the
work was a novelty to them they quite
enjoyed it.
Mrs. Archer endured her sons NIB
sence as long as possible. then gave
way to a desire to see both her chill
dren together. So. filing her purse with
money and her suit case with good
things for them. she went to see them.
Putting an arm around each or them.
she sat weeping that she could not
have both of them with her always.
she remained with them two days,
when, fearing that her husband might
hear of her presence there. she bade
the boys goodby, intending to go home.
she was embracing both at once, tears
streaming down her cheeks. when the
Goor opened and there stood her hus-
band.
Now, Mrs. Archer In her troubles
with her husband had yielded to irri
tation and when he said disagreeable
things to her had buried them back in
kind. She had never resorted to wo-
mans trump card, tears. Her husband,
seeing her embracing their boys, weep
ing. began to weep himself. Tears.
like laughter, IRE contagious, and, see
ing their parents weeping. the boys
followed suit. The father approached
his sons to embrace them. shedding a
few tears over Bob, whom he had not
seer for years. and thus got mixed up
with Tom and the wife and mother.
Their arms were AROUND each other
p-romiscuously.
Belle" said Mr.. Archer. these boys
have got ahead of us. We can't con-
tinue the situation without its pertain
ing to them. In separating from each
other we separate ourselves from them.
If you'll come home and bring them
with you you'll be welcome"
do it. mother" pleaded both the