New Britain herald., 1926-12-18
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WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE

1 Una Dalton, a nurse, bearing Il WO- man who had tainted on the train on which Martha had been travel | ing.
 | Elwell Is an artist, He has son, Jim, aged 5. Late that night twin girls are born to the woman, who dies without revealing her ] identity. Her attire indicated she was person of wealth and refine ment The Elwells adopt the girls. | The story then moves forward IS years. The twins. now growing to beautiful womanhood, have been named Margaret and Eliza beth and nicknamcd Rusty and Betty.
 America enters the World War and Jim Elwell enlists with the first. Two nights before he leaves, he discovers that one of the twins l loves him and that he loves her. 1 His mother, coming out of the house, discovers him sitting under the trees.
 NOW BEGIN THE STORY 1 CHAPTER VIII
 Jim, what are you doing? What are you incoming about out here? Both girls and Prof and have been wondering where you were"
 She came close to him and looked into his face, showing distinctly in l the moonlight. And whether it was q mothers intuition or instinct or whatever it was that told her, Mollie Elwell knew from what she saw there that something big and won- derful had come into her sons life , that night. And her woman's heart the heart of the wife and the mother. tco-also told her what that | something was. But it didn't tell her which.
 Wont you tell me, Jim?" she asked putting her hands up on his shoulders. Wont you tell Mollie son?"
 Both girls, she told him, had left !, the parlor few minutes after Jim. "One went upstairs, I know, for l :, heard the stair door creak. The other I heard go out through the kitchen, bat which one it was l don't know.'
 Jim was silent, staring at the moonlit heavens.
 Which girl was it, Jim, that came o--t here?" his mother continued al- most pleadingly. For I know, Of course, that whichever it was she is the sirl-the girl you will wear in your heart when you go away. Which was it Jim? Was it Betty or 1 Rusty"
 Jim Elwell put his arms around his mother and hugged her. But he made no answer just then 10 her question. After q moment she asked l the name of the girl, and he told her why he couldn't tell that. l He might. he said. never come back. That was an all-too-likely pos siblity which. of course, they both had to accept.
 And you, Mollie have been the only mother the girls ever have | known. You have always loved them | both and love them now. I am sure. equally as we'll"
 | Would it not be natural, he con tinued, if his mother knew which of | his two little pals he now loved as a sweetheart that she would love her as his sweetheart also and just a lit- 1 tie bit more, perhaps, than the otl- I CT?
 It was hard for him 10 make his ! reason clear, hard to voice his feel ings about it. l If l never como back" he went ion quickly. forestalling his mothers reply. then our secret will never be known. She promised me tonight that she would never tell until I gave her the word.
 And now. Mollie dear" he con- cluded. wont you also give me your promise, the promise to make no further effort to find out until l come back which Is my pal and my sweetheart. too? Won't you, dearest and bestcst of mothers?"
 And thus it came about that the dearest and bestest of mothers" gave to her son her promise. Gave it half laushingly at what she termed q silly idea of his. And half tearfuliy, too, for she understood something of the thoughtfulness and unselfish- ness behind his request.
 Tell the girls to come out" Jim called after her as she started back toward the house, both of 'cm With such a moon two girls aren't any too many."
 Clever Jim. Mollic' Elwell laughed softly to herself as she recroSsed the lawn. At the kitchen door she turned and looked up at the moon shining down in majestic splendor A sweetheart moon. It had been Profs and her moon was their moon still Now it was Jjm's moon, too, and she, a sweetheart mother, was now loves messenger. But 10 which girl was sho carrying the message? Was it Betty? .... Or was it Rusty?
 She found the twins in the kitch- cn; both of them looked and acted as if they had been caught stealing the cats cream. How, Mollie EluelI asked herself in eXaSporation. could q person tell which was the one she was looking for when the eyes of both were telling the same story?
 Jim wants you two-wants both of you" she told them with a little break in her voice. He wants you to come out and help him look at the moon. He talks as if he's been moonstruck."
 Oh" gasped Betty. "Oh-oo" 1 breathed Rusty, and "Oh-o :" sounded the echo as the screen door slammed behind the two forms in lavender dresses and they vanished ] in the shadow cast by the woodshcd. flased across the moonlight grass and disappeared under the big trees