Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-07-19


Fred's mother had sprained her ankle,
and was unable to come to the hospl-
tai. but as soon as l got home next
door to her, she had hobbled over.
For mercy's sake, Rose, she puned,
as she kissed me on one ear IN her
excitement. show them to me quick.
You certainly got me in pretty nix
making the grandmother of triplets.
I thanked heaven l was shut up with
a sprained ankle. l never could have
stood the din everybody made. The
papers had it in letters a foot high.
Perfectly sickening! Gracious good
ness. Rose, how little they are!" Some
way everybody evidently expected to
see three ten-pounders. 1t made me
huffy. Next came Fred's sister Joseph
inc. What will you ever name them!"
she exclaimed.
well, / guess / can scrape up
enough names to go around" l an
swered acidly, ''but they wont be Mil
", Tilly and Willy, or Rose, Violet,
and Lily, like Fred wants. They are
going to be some good old-fashioned
names and not a rhyme anywhere.
And I'm going to name them in my
own good time"
$50
And all the while 1 was afraid I'd
weaken and name them just what Fred
wanted, even if it was Asia, America,
and Australia. He had been my only
stay and comfort in the trial. He had
been so perfectly decent about it all.
It wasn't any picnic for him, either.
I don't know how he ever bore up UNI
der it down at the Office. He said he
sent down a barrelful of cigars, and
staid away the first three days. We
certainly did have an awful time. Our
house was like a museum for the first
six weeks. l think the community
never will get really used to having
triplets in its midst. But to go back
to naming them. Jane said l might
as we'll get it over before she left, and
name them after her and the two
grandmothers. But Jane, Janet, and
Jeanne didn't appeal to me. l didn't
banker after names so much alike
that 1 couldn't tell them apart any bet
l.
selves. For they were fearfully and
amazingly alike. One was little more
bow-legged than the other two, one
had a big mole in the middle OF her
back, and the third had red spot on
her tummy, but it was only at bath
ing time that these differences became
apparent. Two of them had blue eyes
hui eli
all the time, that didn't help matters
a mite. But finally it got monoton-
Gus calling them this one, that one"
and the other one," when on intim-
ate terms with them, and Fred and
determined to give them names. So
one night we decided on Muriel, Enid,
and Judith. But in the light of the
cold gray dawn, when they were all
squalling dismally for breakfast at the
same time, and we could hear the two
nurses shutting about in the nursery
heating bottles for two, while l stilled
the third with nourishment Nature
meant for her, the names didn't seem
fitting. Judith isn't so inappropri-
ate," yawned Fred, "but we'd better
change Enid and Muriel to Salome and
Jezabel. That one you've got is go
ing to be a dancer all right. Look at
her kick"
Mother finally came to and wrote
to us was going to say a letter of
congratulation. But it wasn't. 1t was
of coincidence, like all the rest. One
would have thought having triplets the
worst calamity that could befall wo-
man. Mother said she didn't see how
1 ever did it, or what I'd do with them
now that l had them. She also sug-
gested that 1 name them Faith, Hope
and Charity. But she sent me a box
of the loveliest baby clothes, so 1 for
gave her. Frederick Dilford, Jr.'s
clothes would hardly go round, and 1
began to look into the future and
wonder how we'd ever dress them on
Fred's salary, when they grew up.
One day I thought it would be a
pleasing little attention, and perhaps
help toward their retention as trusted
servants, if we named the triplets af-
Fred said Gretchen, Marie, and Olga
would be born to battle as the sparks
fly upward, and he yearned for peace+
in his old age. So once more the poor
waits were nameless.
After Jane went home, the newt
able happened. Gretchen, the cook,
gave warning at noon, and flounced out
of the back door by night. She said
she was tired O. cookin' a Frenchy
and a Roosian who wanted their meals
at all hours, MAN, and nothin' cooked
to suit 'em. And the Roosian had
lived from the first under protest with
Marie, so now she seized the chance to
go, and forth she went. With Olga to
prod her on, Marie appeared useful,
but without that guiding star, she
could no more take care of three ba
bies than 1 could. When I wasn't
weeping she was. I couldn't cook and
ooro Of ;,fo oil