New Britain herald., 1927-01-18
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0D26 NEA SERVICE nC.,
WHAT HAS GONE BEFORE

1 Elwell in Camdenville, Ind, one night in October of 1898, is brought a woman who had fainted on train. That night twin girls are born to her and she dies without reveal- ing her name.
 | The story then moves forward IS years. The twins have been adopted and named Margaret and Elizabeth. They are called Rusty and Betty. | Jim Elwell. the son, enlists in the World War. He then discovers that
 one of the twins loves him.
 He is she'll shocked at Sedan and reported dead. Much later he is identified in a New York hospital,
 where his parents find him with his speech and memory gone. He is
 like a living dead man.
 The day before he is to be taken | home he wanders away from his nurse. Late that night he is found in Bellevue hispital with his skull 1 fractured. expected to die. He had been hit by a truck.
 The twins are in Indianapolis at | the home of their wealthy uncle, John Clayton. the mystery of their l identity having cleared while jim was away. Some time later Molle writes that Jim will live but his l memory is forever gone. She tells i them she is bringing him home, and ] the twins and Martha Dalton, their old nurse go to Cardenville to greet | them.
 NOW BEGIN THE STORY CHAPTER XLIV
 Martha Dalton was smiling as she contemplated the two girls. It was nearly train time now. Not very long i to wait before Jim Elwell would be i home again-the first time since he had left it more than two years ago to march away to war.
 Just to think that twenty years ago Martha had brought the beauti- ful young stranger to this very house and had helped to bring these two into the world. And here they were now, grown up young women, anXi- ety written all over their faces, trembling at the prospect of meeting Jim once more.
 Their spirits had slumpcd con- siderably between the monday meal and supper. The exuberance of the morning was gone. tn it's place was nervousness depression, anxiety. But what, she was asking herself, was there to be anxious about? They had known all along that Jim Elwell would be unable to recognize them when he returned. They had known how close Jim had come to death, had given prayerful thanks that his life had been spared, even if his life was to be a dreary monotony because they were entertaining hopes that the sight of them would fan into life those smoldering em- bers in Jim's brain?
 And, Martha was thinking. one of these girls was In love with Jim, and promised, very likely, to mar ry him on his return and to share his life with him. Was she thinking now of going right through with it, of insisting that she share the days that nothing-even burning love could relieve of their dreariness?
 Which one was it? Martha Dalton thought she knew. It was Betty Elizabeth. They had tried like gal lant little souls to keep their secret, but Betty's tears one day had be- trayed it. Poor thing...
 The old nurse sighed. Life was a funny proposition. She couldn't help going back in her mind to that wild October night of twenty years ago when the storm had ushered these two lives into the world. And a stormy life they had had of it, she told herself, especially in the last two years. Nameless waifs - now heiresses to millions-broken-h heart ed because the boy who had been their big brother all these years was coming back a shattered remnant of the live, vital thing that had left them with a smile on his lips.
 This story of her girls, Martha Dalton felt, might have been most anything: a romantic love story' drama: comedy, or a tragedy of wrecked hopes. But however II might terminate, she felt sure or one thing: they would play their parts bravely.
 Outside they could see the lights of the little railroad station. me hands of the old fashioned clock in the sitting room pointed to half past eight. Martha Dalton stirred. Rusty parted the velvet portieres dividing the room from the parlor and stood there for an Instant, her slim form and pretty face framed in the open ing. Betty's 1.-the body twisted nervous ly in the depths of the big easy chair. Her hands were clasping and unclasping. The eyes of both girls held q light that stirred Martha Dal- ton almost to tears.
 "Pretty soon now,' said Rusty. ~ The old nurse nodded. "1s the l light lit on the front porch ?'
 It was, Rusty informed her.
 Elizabeth sprang from her char and began to pace across the rooiii' back and forth Martha eyed her nervously but said nothing. She was afraid, Martha was. afraid Of what might happen to the girl when she met Jim.
 A mournful sound, highpitched, was borne to their ears from a dis tance. Rusty jumped ncrvously.
 "There's the train whistler
 Her hand flew to her threat and she gazed out the window into the night, her face working convulslNely, tears standing in her eyes.
 "Remewber. girls said Martha.
 Rusty began furiously to dab at her eyes with her handkerchief. Betty did not have to; her eyes were dry and staring, her face dead white.
 The old nurse swallowed hard; =, . ,,.o. ,1lai,ly- worried SlC didn't