The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-03-23
Mr.. Miller's Twins.

had left her sachel with the CANDY
woman in the ladies' room, so she
asked Mr.. Miller to hold the children
| for minute, while she ran out to get
! it. Just as she reached the waiting
room the train started. Miller did en-
terrain a faint hope that she might have
| jumped upon the hind car, but no, she
did not appear; and he began the Jour-
ney in condition of frenzy, with
baby upon each knee.
To add to the horror of the situation,
he remembered that the nursing bottles
and the other baby appurtenances were
in that very sachel Mrs. Miller went to
get.
For while the babies were good.
The passengers eyed him a little, and
he had an unpleasant feeling that he
was possibly regarded as a kidnaper;
but he bore up under it bravely. About
twenty miles out, Ivanhoe, one of the
twins, began to cry. Trying to sooth
him, Miller let Polycarp, the other baby,
tip over so that it was necessary to
catch suddenly at him and bring him
up with jerk. This set Polycarp to
crying, and Miller kept both of his
knees going, in an effort to quiet them.
But the harder Miller jolted the louder
the twins cried
He felt as if he would like to.sibJ
to them, but he was ashamed to do So
before the passengers. So he gave
Polycarp his watch to play with. That
quoted Polycarp. But Ivanhoe clutched
at the watch, and organized a contest
with Polycarp over it. This induced
Polycarp to tune up, and, between
them, the watch dropped on the floor.
While STOPPING over to pick it up, Mil
Ter let Ivanhoe droop so thathe bumped
his nose against the arm Of the seat.
Ivanhoe lifted up his voice and wept,
and Polycarp gave equally violent eX
preston to his emotion.
Miller felt certain they were hungry,
but there was not a mOrsel of food on
the train, excepting gingernuts, that
the newsboy had for sale, and he knew
they would set the babies stomachs
afre. Besides, they had no teeth. Mil
Ter had half notion recklessly to cram
them full of the fine.cut tobacco he had
in his pocket, and to steel his heart to
the consequences.
Butjust then the train stopped. Put
ting the babies on the seat, he rushed
out and bought two slices of peach pie,
the only Wand for sale, and then he
rushed back with it. Polycarp was on
the floor, head downward, and Ivan
hoe had swallowed three inches of
shawl-strap. He Strengthened them out
and stuffed them with pie until their
eyes bulged out. 1t was effective for a
while, but pretty soon they began to
cry with the stomach-ache, and in a
few moments both of them were sick.
Miller began to feel that death would
be welcome relief from all this woe.
He began to wish that he had remained
single. But there was nothing to do
but to stand it.
When night came, Miller put the
babies, grimy with dust and cinders,
and smeary with pie, into the berth
with him. They cried all night, and
the atmosphere of the car was heavy
with improper adjectives hurled at Mil.
Ter and the twins by the sleepless and
excited passengers. In the morning,
as they glided into Pittsburgh, Miller
found that Polycarp had gotten turned
round, and had been lying on top OF
1vanhoe, kicking his heels in Ivanhoe' S
face, during most of the night.
When he shouldered the twins and
walked out into the depot he felt as if
he looked like tramp. He didn't dare
to 90 TO a hotel lest he should miss
Mrs. Miller, who would be certain to
come on the next train, so he sat down
in the room to wait for her. A crowd
began to gather around him, and to
watch him with curiosity; and police
man, who was about to collar him and
run him out, was restrained only by a
rehearsal of his sad story.
Mr.. Miller waited eight hours, feel
ing certain that the twins would be
dead by the time their mother arrived.
He was utterly miserable. and he knew
she would be nearly frantic.
A train entered the depot A mo-
ment later in walked Mrs. Miller,
bright, clipper and smiling. She said:
"Why, John, what's the matter?
Amt you well?''
"Ain't welln'
"The babies, too, they look awfully.
What on earth have you been doing to
them?''
Doing to themr' replied John, get
ting angry.
"Why, you haven't taken bit of care
of them, | declare" said Mrs. Miller,
beginning to cry. "rll never trust YOU
with the dear little darlings again.
Miller rose. He planted Polycarp
firmly in one seat. He soused Ivanhoe
down into the other. Turning to Mrs.
Miller with a tragic air, he waved his
hand and said:
There, madam, are your little dar-
lings, your internal little darlings! Take
care of them yourselfn'
Then he pulled his hat over his eyes,
and walked grandly out, resolved to
commit suicide on the spot. But he
didn't-he returned in half an hour and
took his family to hotel; but he has
registered vow never to travel again
without nurse.-MdT Adeler.