New-York tribune., 1905-01-23

life of each one-ther baby trials. their adventures
as girls their love affairs etc The story Of Betty
the eldest. was told first.
H-EDITH
have wish 10 weary my readers by telling
the story of my many experiments. failures and
successes, in the bringing up Of six daughters. Ny
have my diaries before me as write, and pro-
pose TO take from them such incidents in my career
as mother as may be useful. instructive or.
perhaps. only amusing. to others.
Many Of my experiences resolved themselves into
the upsetting Of fallaciOus theories originated in
my own brain. add It IS surprsEg not 10 say Eeart
rehdlng, to tnd how many theories had to De shot
as useless rubbish. SO 10 speak. during my early
One of the Ideas 1 fondly cherished about my
children that they would be delightful replicaS
characters repeated, and have the comparatively
easy easy and pleasant task OF correcting Ihe Iuts OF
ly did not work out in the least as l expected;
meaning Of the hidden parable underlying the oiC
story OF the hen and duckings, and 10 sympathIze
The simple fact of the matter is that our children
turn far more frequently into duckIlngs than INTO
chickens and we had much better De prepared Tor
My six daughters were neither repIcas Of Dick
and me. nor were they like one another either IN
appearance or character. beyond that faint family
Each was absolutely individual and they
cSIlG no more De treated IN the lump, as yuI & SIX
In precisely the same way, than six people taken at
random from the street could be dealt with exactly
as If they were all turned out of the same mould.
l learned by painful and slow degrees that 10 be
knowledge Of the feeding and health of children.
OF Jndu a little packet or general theories 1t was
an exhaustive study of individual characters each
one or which was on an entirely new pattern, un-
after-a new pattern whose mould had been broken
in the making, yet with sometimes just thread
gave 4ys. one tiny clew for guidance ,..,...
was continual surprise TO US, as she grew from
babyhood into childhood, and having built up an
elaborate set OF theories based on my observation
Of Betty. my oldest born. was obliged to throw
them tsnl all away as Edith developed.
Betty was and is very like my husband her mas
terful. strong character reminds me OF Dick at
every turn, but Edith like neither Dick nor me.
Edith was dreamy and romantic and from child
hood overhowed with fanciful ideas drawn from her
her.
In appearance she was delicatey fair. and nothing
in her resenbled her father me, excepting that
she had Dicks blue eyes. only misty and dreamy.
She always dreaming her own dreams. and
weaving the most marvellous stories to amuse the
other children-stores in which fairies and angels.
Taught by Betty. I had laboriously learned that
that sternness in cold blood was an excee1t coT
rective for my high spirited first born But Edith
breath of sharpness severity shriveIled her up
as delicate flower shrtvels in frost. and shall
taught me how TO deal with a sensitive. shrinking
By the time she was four years old had added
a nurse to establishment to take care Of Edith
name-was highly recommended TO me by the lady
TO whom wrote for her character, and myself
was favorably impressed by her. 1 liked her soft
voice and manner, and thought she would give
six-yeaT-oId Betty was by this time regular at
tendant at kindergarten. and no longer nursery
Things went very smoothly after Dale's arrival
found II dengnefG TO nave so mTGh more time TO
whenever 1 went into the nursery found it in
her toys picture books. amusing herself. we'll
ordered little girls should do.
She was a reticent child a charactertstc which
had always lg Pqz19d d @ @ s % that ann s ysry o01 0g
Se0ee in hose earv ny dsvs co5s Of treatns hsr
in the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. style. which suited
Betty. who responded 10 it readily. But when
Wen Old lady; getting along quite all right??,
only Lock up in my my face with srea appealing APP eyes
ther and puzzled me oddly.
Il can't get inside Edie'S mind Bit I said one
day TO Dick; Il want awfully 10 be my .chidren's
confdante. and she never comes 70 with all her
little affairs. as Betty used to do and does still
NO two puppies IN a litter are ever exactly
over his habit OF comparing the children to pup
pies); one will Hex your hand after whipping
and Ike you all the better; the next will cringe
after it and hate you. Try some other tack with
But what tack?" answered impatientIy. "she
isn't like you or me or anybody else Of either Of
that age Betty was as unreserved as she is now,
full of life and eager TO share everything with me
way out of difficulties which is so like a man and
in vain cudgeled my own brains 10 unravel my
! was not at all demonstrative by nature. nor
was Dick nor was Betty But Edie had odd little
caTesslng ways or her own sometimes aproPos OF
nothing would feel her small hand slipped into
two arms would suddenly glide round my neck, her
so1t cheek lay lIseif AGAINST & my faGe aHt al nIss
what l was pleased TO call the sentimental in any
Sometimes q am ashamed to say It; and am
all the more ashamed when I think Of what hap
pened). Ede positively irrtated me; the older she
grew. the more nervous and tlmid she seemed to
She crept about the house like little mouse. and
grew DREAMER and DREAMER every day l ques-
and said she thought it was the child's way. and
nothing to worry about.
get the better tier Q Of f.fTi It in tine Eio,'S'
III. /
bly, Edie showed more naushtiness IN the nursery
And regret TO say ma'am.' nurse went on (she
was in the habit Of using somewhat lofty Ian
tie girl as l should like 10 see
"Oh, nurse!' exclaimed, Mortified by the accusa-
She takes most queer faucies in her head at
happen which have never happened al all"
The righteous indignation in nurses voice, or
perhaps I should say its sorrowful tnt01ation inn
pressed me, and the same day gaye sde a long &
listened to me with wide open blue eyes, and said
YES mother" but Old not think my words had
impressed her much. and put this down 70 her
having Scsrcey oc fTy r Iyol Mind On tba Follow
Ing afternoon it rudely recalled to me.
the lamp Knitting Dicks socks and remembering
with smile Betty's amusing account Of her morn morn
open. and little figure hurled itsele into the room
:'Ie won't get me mother: he won't get me.''
sdie,s voice cried in wild paroxysm OF fear;
The ehiId's hands eiung to my ,I ann with a . des-
and could see that her face very white.
Let who get you. Edle:'' 7 said rather sharply.
for being a strong nerved woman myself anything
approa ching TO hystercal behavior irritated me
and thought the child needed b-acing treatment:
what DO YOU mean"
The wolf she gasped stu clinging 20 me; the
wolf will get nurse said. so i V III be- good OH
WILL will-only don't let him me-
II think YOU must be a very silly little girl /
answered: there are wolves here 1rd am
ure nurse never could have ,0d Won there were"
No madam. / certainly woul1 not nurses
-Oice chimea IN at the door. epd Edie'S hands
Oosed their hold on my arm. and she shraDk away
rom ne Miss Edie gets invenJing tales and
right@ns herself and then tells an untruth. I'm
ure don't know what sire means by saying I
old her such things