The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-02-23


Camp" Two Men of Sandy Bar" etc
Copyright. 1896, by Bret Harte)
She was a mother-and a rather ex-
emplar.r one-of five children, although
her own age was barely Q. Two of
these children We're twins and she gen
orally alluded to them as @Mr. Am
plach's children" referring to an ex-
ceedingly respectable gentleman in the
next settlement, who, have reason to
believe, had never set eyes on her or
them. The twins were quite naturally
alike-having been in a previous state
of existence two nine-pins-and We're
still somewhat vague and irrelevate
below their shoulders in their long
clothes, but were also firm and globu-
lar about the head, and there were not
wanting those who professed to see in
this an unmistakable resemblance to
their reputed father. The other chill
dren were dolls of different ages, sex
and condition, but the twins may be
said to have been distinctly her own
conception. But such was her admira-
bic and impartial maternity that she
never made any difference between
them. The Amplach's children" were
a description rather than a distinction.
She was herself the motherless child
of Robert FOulkes, a hard working but
somewhat improYident teamSter on the
express route between Big Bend and
Reno. His daily avocation, when she
was not accompanying him in the waS-
on, led to an occasional dispersion of
herself and her progeny along the road
and at wayside stations between those
places. But the family was generally
collected together by rough but kindly
hands already familiar with the hand
ling of her children. 1 have q very
vivid recollection of Jim Carter tramp
ing into a saloon after a five mile walk
through the snow drift with an Am
plach twin in his pocket. 'Suthin'
ought to DONE" he growled, ito make
Mary a little more careful o. them Am
plach children; 1 picked UP one outer
the snow mile beyond Big Bend"
God bless my SOUR said a casual
passenger, looking UP hastily, 81 didn't
know tht Mr.. Amplach was married"
Jim winked diabolically at him over his
glass. No more did /" he responded
gloomiiy, but you can't tell anything
about the ways o them respectable,
pSalm-singing jay birds" Having thus
disposed Of Amplach's character, later
on when he was alone with Mary or
''Meary"-as she chose to pronounce it
the rascal worked upon her feelings
with an account of the infant Am
plach's sufferings in the snow drift and
its agonized whisperings for ''Meary!
Mearyr' until real tears stood in Ma
rvs blue eyes. Let this be a lesson
to yoU," he concluded, drawing the
nine-pin dextrously from his pocket,
for it took nigh a quart Of the best
forty-rod whisky to bring that child
10. Not only did Mary Jane firmly be
lieve him, but for weeks afterwards
Julian Amplach,' this unhappy twin,
was kept in a somnolent attitude in the
cart, and was believed to have con-
tracted dissipated habits from the eff
fects of this heroic treatment.
Her numerous family was achieved
IN only two years, and was in success
sion TO her first, which was brought
from Sacramento at considerable ex-
pense by a Mr.. William Dodd, also a
teamster, on her 9TH birthday. This, by
one Of those rare inventions known only
10 a child's vocabulary, she at once
called ''NIisery" probably a combina-
ton Of Missy" as she herself was for
maLy termed by strangers, and Mis-
souri," her native state 1t was an ex-
cessively large doh at first-Nr Dodd
wishing to get the worth of his money
but time and perhaps an excess of
maternal care remedied the defect, and
it lost flesh and certain unemployed
parts Of its limbs very rapidly. 1t was
further reduced in bulk by falling IN
der the wagon and having the whole
train pass over it, but singularly
enough its greatest attenuation was in
The head and shoulders-the complex
ion peeling off as solid layer, fol-
lowed by the disappearance of distinct
strata of its extraordinary compost
ton This continued until the head and
shoulders were much too small for
even its reduced frame, and all The de-
vices of the childish millinery-a shawl
secured with lacks and we'll hammered
IN, and with a hat which tilted back
wards and forwards and never appear
ed at the same angle, failed to restore
symmetry Until one dreadful morn
ing after an imprudent bath the whole
upper structure disappeared leaving
two hideous iron prongs standing erect
from the spinal column. Even an i'm
aginative child like Mary could not ac-