The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-06-07
A MOTHER OF SEVENTEEN.



New York. Now that the weather has
grown warm, they occupy tho sidewalks
t. an CNtout that makes walking difficult
90 anybody who rs n "a hurry. The
tenement houses IN that ueighhurhooi
are tall and crowded, and each rs packed
with enough Of humanity a. supply ~
falr-sisri village. The interiors arc
dark, ami, IN many eases, uuiaomc. lt rs
no wonder, therefore, that the children
swarm ont of these houses into the sun
shine. 4 writer m the New York San
came across % remarkably large group ot
them m front ut Ne. - Washington
street, and stopped. not 50 much 10
watch them us because he could not pass
without stopping ou them or making "a
detour in the mud that covered the
pavement. \ police officer who atnul
10y said Look 'ce Youngsters Nou
mustn't hlnch up the sidewalk : az which
they scattered. hut instantly camo TO-
gcther again, little further uu, 10
scramble over uu apple that had fallen
from "a vendors wagon.
Where do they al come from 2' was
question put to the officer.
Well, these houses average twenty
families apiece, Was tho answer,
land tho families average / won't
guess how many children. Why. sir, a
woman up there IN forty five has just
had her seventeenth child.
" The seventeenth f'
Fact, sir: and don't believe she's
more than thlrty-dVo wears old. either.
At that rate, you see. We must expect
to tumble over children ~ the street
around here
"You'r. sure about the uumber-it's
really her seventeenth 2'
$50 they say bat 20 up and See for
yourself Her names Kelley, ami she
lives ia the fourth floor front She's
proud of the baby, and will he glnd 10
talk with You,
The writer went through the narrow
passages and up the slairways Of the
tenement house and wrapped al "A door
IN the fourth story. An old lady AL
mlttgd hlm % roum that was scAutlly
furnished, but clean and pleasant lie
asked II Mrs. Kelley lived there, gud for
an answer was pointed % q bed, ON which
lay propprl up uu pillows cnmrly
IRISH woman who did not seem tn br
older than the officer had said Her face
WAS round and rudiv, her complexion
was that of entire couteutmtuJ aud she
seemed IN the best uipAysstal and mental
health. 4 baby lay At her side. looking
lutgatly az Do, tiny fists. as though TRYING
20 make up ats mind whether it had ever
seen them before The visitor 40 once
established himself on "a basis ui wei
come 10y saying that 10 WAS "a fine child.
which Was the truth He asked how old
it Was, aui Mrs Kelley sand "Four
days. sir.
And 10 is your twelfth . be ven
turei 10 say, dremiug II Impruleut 20
risk mentioning the number that the
officer had stated.
"Oh, sir. and Mrs. kellcy's face.
and brogue that refuses 10 be represent
ei IN print, Indicated mild resentment
TINS Is my seventeenth.
Na'an. yuu have good reason a. he
proud she looked as>eut--"ui being
the mother OF such family she
smiled, and drew the babe closer" at
your time Of life.
Il 'm not very old. that's true. sir
Not much over thirty, certainly
Ihirty-sryru. sir
And how old Is your ulirstF'
Nineteen. l WAS Just eighteen years
and three months old when he was born.
The old woman who had admitted the
visitor then gave information with q
pride oi manner THAI told. before she
had impaired the knowledge IN words,
that she WAS Mrs. kellcy's mother. and
that she took % herself part 81 the
merit OF Mrs. keilev's achievement. The
facts that she impaired. without stopping
much II take breath, were as follows
The husband. Patrick Kelley. is "a labor
er. about ten years older than has wife.
and he brough, his family to tins coun-
try from Ireland in 1865. They had
child been married a year when thcIriirSt
was born next came three girls at inter
walls ~ about fifteen months neat. after
year and o half, boy twins next, two
girls and boy, with intervening periods
not r.Vch varying from q wear and
quarter; next, another PAIR ut twins.
but girls, after lapse Of little over Il
year and the six other births were less
than eighteen months apart Al we're
healthy rs babies, yet fourteen died
early-oi "all kinds Of Diseases the
old woman said, but not Of constitutional .
disorders, she WAS sure. The survivors
are the first born and the two youngest.
The four-days-old infant began 10
slual. but WAS easily pacitied bv the
mother, who laughingly said: "Oh, sir.
/ know how 20 deal with EN- the mother
Of seventeen ought to. On. the bother
Of EN-"
" You will be rewarded one Of these
days by having grown-up family
abundantly able 10 take care of YOU.
Faith, they don't live 70 do that.
Except the oldcst-a fine young man,
sir-them that's left is too young to be
Of any use.
:. Well, You are young yet yourself,
and / hope that those remaining viii
grow up. ="
Indeed, so do I, sir. But expect
10 have more
Have you any particular number
fixed IN your mind, maam T.
4" Oh, / don't know. It's some time
noE since I've had twins. and ! don't
know why shouldn't again I'd be
c5uteutei IL had twenty-five altogether.
Don't YOU think anybody ought 10 be
conteutci with that size Of family?"
3" / jo. "
The truth OF Mrs. Kelley's assertions
as g. her children was sustained by the
family record, in varied penmanship. on
creased and yellowei paper This docu-
meut, kept in "A Bible Of much newer ap
pearauce, bore entries of the marriage Of
Patrick and Bridget Kelley in 1857, Of
the births OF seventeen children 10 them
IN nineteen years, and of the deaths Of
fourteen.
The writer again congratulated Mrs.
Kelley, frightened the baby to the
verge Of commissions by well-meaut at
tempt t. play with 1t, aud Withdrew.
On his way ont ne met the officer, who
remarked Didn't tell You 50 -
- You told the truth. I've seen the
mother and her seventeenth child. Now,
I'd like to see the father"
There's no telling where to find him,
for he works here, there, aud every
where He's a sober, industrious man
but they do say that he was fairly carried
away when the seventeenth baby was
born.
"Elated, oh ?"
." You bet; and he celebrated the
event with party Of friends -
Royalty, ch %
"Wcil, Kclley's n steady, nice man-
not given todriuk in the least you under
stand-but the night that his seven
teenth was born The officer stopped
short, rclapsed from tine manner OF a
man who has begun TO tell a funny story,