The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1896-03-19
THE MOTEER OF FIVE.

enplary one OF five children although
her own age was barely nine Two
Of these children were twins and
( she generally alluded to them as
/ Mr. Amplach's children" referring
to an exceedingly respectable gentle
man in the next settlement. who
/ have reason to believe has never
I set eyes on her or them The twins
were quite naturally alike having
been il a previous state Of existence
two nine pins and were still some
what vague and irTelatiye below their
shoulders in their long Clothes but
We're also firm and giOhular about the
/ head, and there was not wanting those
! VINO profcssed to sea in this an Uninis-
| taxable resemblance to their Teputed
/ father The ether children were dolls
/ OF different ages, sex and condition.
but the twins may be said to have been
distinctly her own conception. Yet
such was her admirable and impartial
MAJ ternity that She never made any
I difference between tnem The Am
| pIacu.s children were a description
rather than q distinction She was
herself the mCtherless child Of Robert
Foulkes hard working but some
/ what imprOvilent teamster on the Fx-
press route between Big Bend and
Reno His daily ayocation, when she
/ was not accompanying him in the
wagon, led to an occasional dispersion
Of herself and her progeny along the
| road ana of wayside stations between
those places. But the family WAS
generally collected together by rough
but kindly hands already familiar
with the handling Of her children. !
have q very vivid recollection Of jim
Carter tramping into a saloon after a
i've mile walk through snowdrift
with an Amplach twin in his pocket.
''Suthin' ought to be done" ne groHl-
ed ito make Mary a little more care
fuI o them Amplach children: [ pick
ed up one outer the snow d mile be
yond Big Bend" ''God bless my
soul" said casual passenger, looking
up hastily: i didn't know that Mr.
Amplach was married" Jim wIuked
diaholically at him over his glass, No
more did /, he responded gIoolniIy,
but you can't tell anything about the
ways o them respectable. pslam sing
lug jay birds Having thus disposed
disposed Of Auplach's character, later
on he was alone with Mary or .MearE'
As he chose to pronounce it, the ras
cal worked upon her feelings with an
account Of the infant Amplach's saf-
ferings in the snOwQrift. and It's &gon
ized whIspering- for "Meary, Meary"
L..
Let this be Il Lesson to you,' ne con
cluied. drawing the nine pin daxter-
ously from his pocket, for it took
nigh a quart of the best forty rod
whisky to bring that child to- Not
only did AIeary firmly believe him but
for weeks afterwards Julian Amplach'
this unhappy twin, was kept in 4 SOM
nolont attitude in the cart. and was
believed to have contracted dissipated
habits from the effects Of this heroic
treatment
Her numerous family was achieved
in only two years, and was in sue
ce5sioa to her first, which was brought
from Sacramento at considerable eX
pense by Mr. William Dodd. also a
teamsteT, on her seventh birthday
This, by one Of those rare inventions
known to a child's vocabulary. she at
once called Misery probably a
combination Of Missy as she herself
was formally termed by strangers.
and Missouri her native state 1t
was an excessively largo doll at first,
Mr. Dodd wishing to get the worth Of
ms money, but time and perhaps an eX-
cess Of maternal care. remedied the
defect, and it lost flesh and certain IN
employed parts Of its limbs very rap
idly. 1t was further reduced IL bulk
by falling under the wagon and hay
ing the whole train pass over il. but
slnguIarIy enough Its greatest atten
uatIon was the head and shoulders the
complexion peeling of as a solid LAYER. !
followed y the disappearance Of dis
tlnct strata Of its extraordinary com
position. This continued until the
head and shoulders were much too
small for even its reduced frame. and
all the devices Of childish millinery
a shawl secured with tacES and we'll
hammered in, and hat which tilted
backwards and forwards and never aD-
pediFared at ihe same angle, failed 10
restore symmetry. Until one dreadful
morning after an imprudent bath the
whole upper structure disappeared.
leaving two hideous iron pr0ngs
standing erect from the spinal column.
Even an imaginative child like Mary
could not accept this sort Of thing a
head. Later in the day lack Roper.
the blacksmith at the Crossing was
concerned at the plaintiye appearance
before his forge. Of Mary. clad in a
bright blue pimafore Of the same color
as her eyes, carrying her monstrous
offspring In her arms Jack recgg-
nized her and instantly OWNED the
situation "GoI haven't he suggest
Ell kindly, got another head at home;
-uthIn' left over ?" Mary shook her
head sadly: even her prolific maternity
was net equal 60 the creation Of child
ren in detail. Nor anything like a
head.' he persisted sympatheticaIly.
Mary loving eyes filed with tears
NO, muffin" You couldn't" he con
tinued tAoughtfully. use her the 9th
en- side up we might get a fine pair q
legs outer them irons" hc added
touching the two prongs with artistic
! suggestion. Now look here g #s $ 3"
he was about to tilt the doll over.
when a fmall cry Of feminine distress
and swift movement Of a matronlv
little arm arrested the evident indis
crction, L see he said gravely.
Wen, you come here tomorrow. and
we'll fix up suthin' to work her Jack
was thoughtful the rest cf the day.
more than usually impatient with Ger
tain stubborn mules to be shod. and
even knocked off work an hour earlier
to walk 10 walk to Big Bend and d
rival shop But the next morning
when the tr'ustfuI and ANXIOUS mother
appeared at the forge she uttered a
| scrnatn Of lnlinht Inal- Id nnn.I-.