The Republican journal., 1872-07-11
Doremas S TWINS.

nose NO, tHtN am | lily
children; :" said Widow Blatchtord, peer
ing through her spectacles at the picture
of two chubby, staring babies which |
held up tor her inspection. Those are
Doermy's twins
''Dorema ?" repeated | inquiringly,
knowing by the italics in which the word
was spoken that a story lurked behind it.
"Doremy Fletcher; her mother was
cousin to my first husband. You've seen
Doremy, surely
So had, if memory was correct in con-
Meeting with the name a vision OF hard
featured spinster whose angular figure
was in queer contrast with widow Blateh-
tord's tat proportions.
II thought | began, when the old
lady shipped the thread OF my hesitating
speech.
They wasn't her own really, you know ;
she took 'em declare! so YOU never
heard about Doremy's twins. It's kind of
n curious story.
Il should like to hear it," said [; and
my kind old hostess settled her glasses
with genuine satisfaction at my request.
well the babies belonged to Roxy
Hapgood She was always weakly. and
when her husband was drowned it seemed
to beat her right out. She never held up
her head again, and died when her babies
were a fortnight old. Doremv went and
took care of her for a month before that ;
and when she saw the poor woman's tears
dropping on them little pink faces that was
never going to look up knowingly into
their mothers eyes, she Just up and said :;
There, there, Roxy, I'll take care of 'em.
Don't YOU fret SO with that comfort in
her ears, Roxy went to sleep a smiling
and woke up in better world than this, |
do suppose
''Were there no relatives to care for
them ?' | asked
NO. Eben Hapgood came from the
West Il year before he married Roxy
nobody knew anything about him. She
was an orphan without SO much as Il
cousin to her name, either. AS for prop
erty, none ever stuck to Eben Hapgood's
fingers; if there had he'd have made it
out to let some one else eat it off. Well,
after the funeral, folks began to talk of
the poor-house tor the babies. Then
Doremy spoke right out; says she, I'm
going to take those children If that
didn't raise breeze! Have you inherit
ed fortune, Doremy p says J Josephine
speak real soft and smiling, but always
contrive to carry a nettle hid in their
words Fact was, Doremv and her
mother hadn't hardly paid off the mort
gage on their little place, and pinrhed
themselves to do it. too. Deacon Cuimby
held up both hands when he heard it.
'Actooally, call that fin in the face
of Providencen y says the deacon Il there
was property now and a guardeen wanted
to be responsible for the interest of them
babies. should feel a duty rested but
Doremy took him up pretty short If
YOU could make money out of it you'd
take 'eln yourself,' says she. But l'ln
going to make something else
The poor-housr does seem a dread
ful cold place tur such little dears,' say
Mrs Quimbv. Our Hezekiah was lust as
helpleSS.' You see the deacon's wife wa
iusl AZ soft rs he was hard. and she'd have
taken All creation into her heart ii he 1t
have let her.
The sins of the fathers shall be visited
on the chldren,' says the deacon, real
solemn-like, Eben Hapgood was, but
Doremy never gave him chance 10 tell
what he was. If that's So says she, i
think, deacon, you'd better go home and
look out what portion Hezekiah'll have,
and leave me to tend TO these orphans
That's the way it went The neghbors
buzzed like swarm of bees, but Doremy
just held to her own way AS steady aS Il
clock"
Did her mother agree with her 2"
asked
"Well, fact is, Susan Fletcher never
had no more decision than a pink eyed
rabbit she always pinned her faith on
Doremy, and where Doremy got her will
| cant see," answered. Mrs. Blatchtord
retlectively rubbing her nose. "HoWever,
she always did rule at home, and so she
kept the babies | must say | was one
that thought twas a foolish thing One
baby fills a house clear to the roof but
two!''
- Mrs. Blatchtord completed her sentence
by sniff more expressive than words,
and rocked thoughtfully few moments
before continuing.
''At last people got settled down that
there wasn't much use in opposing
Doremy. Mrs. Qnimby kissed her kind
of shy, and says she, 'the Lord'll keep
his eye on you dearie;' she gave her Il lot
OF baby-clothes that used to be Heck iah's,
too, when The deacon didn't know it,
Some folks do get mated so, and go
round piecing out each others short
comngs. | rather think that was all the
help anybody gave Doremy for all the
talking.
But then it did beat all how cheerful
she was over them little helpless squirm-
ing creatures; rock this one, trot t'other,
catnip for this, saffron for that-np and
do oil nd oh ino la nd
saying: IFS well they're boys, mother,
their freedom suits Girls ID puzzle me-
Doremy was a tailoress by trade, you
know. And l will say | never knew
babies to thrive BETTER
"What were they named ?" | querieo,
mindful OF the anxious discussions over
a dainty morsel of humanity in certain
happy home not long before.
well there was a fuss about that, too.
Deacon Quimby, he wanted them called
Paul and Timothy; Lucinda Barns-she's
the school teacher-she wanted 'em named
Damon and Pythagoras, or some such
heather nonsense. Lucinda was always
highhyng in her ideas;" said Mrs. Blatch-
ford explosively, esquire Luce said they
ought to be George Washington and
Patrick Henry. But when everybody got
through talking Doremy spoke: Their
names shall be John and James, and
somehow it never struck any body at the
time that one was the name of her father
and the other of Doremy's intended, James
who died nine years before, just
when he got his new house done, and the
wedding-day was set"
''It must have been hard for her to take
care Of them and support herself too,"
said
1T was, she slaved hard, you might
say But she seemed to do pretty we'll
| have an idea the Lord kind of prospered
her after she took them orphans. When
her mother went blind, folks said she'd
have to give 'em up but she didn't"
s'BlindP how dreadful !" with mur-
mur of sympathy.
Eyes, it was a severe trouble, and came
Deacon Quimby went over to
reason with her. Says he. 'rnl afraid
you've been stiff-necked in this matter,
Doremy; now you'll be made to see them
twins as burden, and have to put 'em
where they belong Dorenly answered
just as quiet, 4 look at it different says
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