Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-09-27
A MOTHER OF FIVE
By BRET HARTE.
fcopy1lght. ls,s. BY ,he Author ]

BY BkET HAkTE.
copyright. iSos. by the Author.l
She was mother-.and o rather ex.
emplnry one--of five children, although
her own age was barely9. I've Of these
children were twins, and she generally
slluded to them as "Mr. Amplach's
children, referring to an exceedingly
respectable gentleman in the next set.
tlement, who / have reason to believe
has never set eyes on hc or them. The
twins were quite naturally alike-hav.
ing been In n previous state Of existence
two ninepins-and were still somewhat
vague and irrelevate below their shoul-
ders In their long clothes, but were also
firm and globular about the head, and
there were not wanting those who pro.
fessed TO seq in this an unmistakable re-
semblanoe to their reptted father. The
other children were dolls Of different
ages. sex and condition, but .bo twins
may BIZ said to have been distinctly her
own conception. Yet such was her ad-
mirable and impartial maternity that
she never made any difference between
them. 1.-The Amplach children" was
O description rather than distinction.
She was herself the mothcrless child Of
Robert Fonlkes, bardworkiDg but
somewhat improvident teamster on the
express ronte between Big Bend and
Reno His daily avocation, when she
was not accompanying him in the wag-
on, led to an occasional dispersion Of
herself and her progeny along the road
and ut wayside stations between those
places. But the family was generally
collected together by rough but kindly
hands already familiar with the han.
ding Of her children. have very vivid
recollection Of Jim Carter trampling
into saloon after five mile walk
through a snowdrift with an Amplach
twin in his pocket. "Somcthin ought to
be done. 4" no growled, "to make Mary
a little more careful o them Amplach
children. l picked up one outer the
snow mile beyond Big Bend. F" God
bless ny SOUL" said casual passenger,
looking up hastily. "Ididn't know that
Mr.. Amplach was married" ;" Jim wink
ed diabolically at him over his glass.
"No more did l., he responded gloom.
lily. "tut you can't tell anything about
the ways u them respectable. psalm
siugin jaybirds Having thus dis
posed of an. plachs character. later ON
whfn 10 vas alone with Mary. or
M,ary. az she chosc to pronounce it
tho rascal worked upon her feelings
viii al accoS.t Cf the infant Amplacb S
suCtIi.rs in tto srcwGrift and it, az
Ori-rd wbisperirRs for "Meary, Meary"
until real teaIs stood in Mary's blue
eyes. Let this be n lesson TO ySu, lie
concluded, drawing the niuepin doxter.
ously iICm his pocket. for 1t took nigh
a quart Of the best forty rod whisky
to bring that child to-" No, only did
Mary firmly believe him, but for weeks
af,erward Julian Amplach, this un-
happy twin, was kept in somnoleit
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 succession
to her first. which was brought from
Sacramento at considerable expense by
Mr.. William Dcdd, also teapister,
OIL Eer seventh birthday. This, by one
of those rare inventions known cnly to
child's yucat ulary, she at once called
Misery - probably a combination OF
Missy" as she herself was formally
termed by strangers, and Missouri,
her native state. Ii was an excessively
large doll Mt first-Mr. Dodd wishing to
get the worth Of his money-but time
and perhaps an excess Of maternal care
remedied the defect, and il lost flesh
and certain unemployed parts OF its
limbs very rapidly. II was further re-
duced in bulk by falling und0r the
wagon and having the whole train pass
over it, but singularly enough its great
est attenuation was in the head and
shoulders, the complexion peeling OF
as q solid layer, followed by the disap-
pearance Of distinct strata of its extraor-
binary composition. This continued un.
til the head and shoulders were much
too small for even its reduced frame.
aud all the devices Of childish millinery
"a shawl secured with tacks and well
hammered in and hat which tilted
backward and forward and never ap-
peared at the same angle-failed to re-
store symmetry. until one dreadful
morning after an imprudent bath the
whole upper structure disappeared,
leaving two hideous iron prongs stand
ing erect from the spinal column. Even
ell imaginative child like Mary could
not accept this sort OF thing rs head.
Later in the day Jack Roper, the black
smith at the Crossing, was concerned
at the plaintiye appearance before bis
forge of q little girl clad in bright
blue pinafore Of the same color as her
eyes, carrying her monstrous offspring
in her arms. Jack recognized her aud
instantly OWNED the situation. "You
haven't" he suggested kindly, got
another head at home, somethin left
over?" Mary shook her head sadly.
Even her prolific maternity was not
equal to the creation Of children in de.
tail. "Nor anything like head:" he
persisted sympathetically. Mary's low
ing eyes filed with tears "No nulIeu."
"You couldn't" he continued thought