la TIIE OMAHA DAILY BEE : SATURDAY , FEBRUARY 22 , 1806.
"A MOTHER OF FIVE. "
DY BRBT HAIlTfi.
Author of "Tho I.uck of Honrlng f'ft i p. " "Two Men of Samly Ilnr. "
Ui'fi. 1-y Hi l llnilc )
She wan a motlicr anil a rather eximplnry
ere of nve children , although her own aie
viai ban > ly 9. Two of tbe o children were
tftlnn , and she Ronerally alluded to them n *
"Mr. Amplach'i chlldrfn , " referring to an ox-
tellingly respectable gentleman In the next
settlement , who , 1 have rvaton to bellore ,
hay never t > tt cyen on her or thctn. The
twins were i He naturally alike havtnR
bct-n In n ptevlous slate of oxlKnce ( , two
nlnc-plnv-and were still somewhat' Vngue
and Irrelevant below their nliouldcrii In their
long clothe * , but were also firm and globu
lar about the head , and there were not want
ing those ho professc'l to tee In this an
unmljtakabjo rctcmbiancc to their reputed
falhcr. The other children were 'dolli of
different ngei , sex and condition , but the
twins may be said to have been distinctly
her own conception. Yrt such was her ad-
mliatlcn and Impartial maternity that she
never made any difference between them
"Ths Amplach children" were a description
rather than n distinction. She was herpclf
the motherless child of llobcrl FoulUei , a
hard working , but tumpwhnt Improvident
teamster tn the express route between Illg
llond and Hcno. Ills dally avocation , when
she was not accompanying him In the wagon ,
I'd lo nn occasional dlrperslon of herself and
her progeny along the road and nt wnyalilo
elnllons between those places. Hut the
family was gincrnlly collected together by
rough'but kindly hands already familiar with
Hi ? handling of her children. I have a very
vivid recollection of Jim Carter tramping
Into a saloon after a flyp-mlle walk through
a now drift with an Amplach twin In bin
pccket. "Suthln * ought to b'e done , " he
growled , "to mnko Mnry ajlttle more careful
o' them Amplach children ; I plck'd .up ono
outer the snow a mile beyond Illg Mend. "
"God bleis.my soul ! " nald n casual prfsiiiger )
looking up hastily ; I didn't know tint Mr.
Amplach was marrlcJ. " Jim winked dlaboll-
I t , raly at him over his glnsn. "No morn did
I , " he rcFpcpded gloomily , "hut you can't tell
anything about the ways o' them respectable ,
psilm singing Jay blrda" Having thus dis
posed of Amplach's character , later on when
ho was alone with Mary , or "Meary , " as she
choje to pronounce It , the rascal worked upon
her.ifeellngy with an account of the Infant
Amplaeh's Bufferings In thu snow drift and
Us agonizing whlEpsrliigs for "Meary !
Mpary ! " lintll real loirs stood In Mary'H
blue eyes. , "LH this be a lesson to you , "
he concluded , drawing the nlnc-pln dexter
ously from his pocket , "for It took nigh a
quart' of .the best forty-rod whisky to bring
that child'to. " Not only did Mary firmly be
lieve-'him , but for weeks afterward "Julian
AranUch , " this unhappy twin , was kept In
n bomiiolent attitude In the cart , and was
beUoved to have contracted dissipated habits
from the effects of thin heroic treatment.
Her numerous family was achieved In only
twp , years and was In succession to her flri-t ,
which was brought frpm Sacramento at con
siderable expense by a Mr. William Uodrt ,
also a teamster , onzr 7th birthday. Till" ,
by'ldhoof those rare Inventions known only
to a child's vocabulary , she at once callol
"Misery" pr'cbab'y a c'mb'nat'on ' ef "Ml'ey , "
an'she Jiersqlf was formally termed by
ttrgngcrd , and "Missouri. " her native stale
ItWas ; an excessively large doll al Hrrt Mr
Daild wishing lo get the w.orth of his money
bUt time , anil pjrhajb an 'excew of matcrna
care , , remedied the defect , mid It IOP ! lies !
ami certain unemployed parts of Its llmbi
ve7 , rapidly. It was further reduced In bulk
by falling under the wagon and having the
whole train paaa over It. bat rlngularly
enough 1U greatest attenuation was In the
head and shoulders the complexion peeling
off 'as a solid layer , follow eJ by the dlsap--
pearanco of distinct strata of. lit extraordi
nary , composition. Thls > continued until the
head and shoulders were much too small foi
even Its reduced frame , and all the devlceo
of childish millinery a shawl secured with
tacks and well hammered In , and a hat which
tilled backward and forward and never ap-
pdarod at the same angle , failed to restore
symmetry , until one dreadful morning' after
an Imprudent bath the whole upper structure
disappeared , leaving two hideous Iron prcngs
standing erect from the spinal column. Even
art'linaglnatlve child like Mary could not ac-
cqoL this sort of thing as a head. Later In
the day Jack Roper , the blacksmith at the
"Crowing , " was concarno.l at the plaintive
appearance , before his forge , of a little girl ,
clatlMn a bright blue pinafore of the satno
color as her eyes , carrying her monstrous olT-
Bprnig In her arms. Jack recognized her anJ
Instantly divined Ilia situation. "You
haven't. " ho suggested kindly , "got another
hold at home ? Suthln' left over ? " Mary
shook her head sadly ; oven her prolific ma-
teriiltyVa5 hot equal to the creation of chil
dren In detail. "Nor anythltv' llko a head ? "
ho persisted sympathetically. Mary's loving
eyes filled with tears. "No , uuffcn ! " "You
couldn't , " ho continued thoughtfully , "use her
the other t-.de up wo might gel a flno pair
o' li'i outer them Irons , " he
'
added , 'touching .the two prongs wllh
nrtlst'c suggestion. "Now , look here "
ho was about to tilt the doll over , when a
email cry of feminine distress and a swift
movement of n matronly little arm arrested
the evident Indiscretion. "I see , " he said
gravely. "Well , you come hero tomorrow ,
and we'll fix up suthln * lo work her. " Jack
MARY AND TIIE AMLACH CHILDREN.
was thoughtful the rest of the day , more
than usually Impatient with certain stubborn
mules to be shod , and oven knocked off work
an hour earlier to walk to Illg Iend ) and a
rival shop. Dut the next morning when the
Iri'Etful and anxious mother appeared at the
foigo she ultered a scream ot delight. Jack
bad neatly Joined the hollow Iron globe
taken from the newel post of some old Iron
staircase railing at the two prongs and cov-
eicd It with a coat of red fireproof paint.
It was true that Its complexion was rather
high , that It was Inclined to bo top heavy
and ( hat In the long- run the other dolls
suffered considerably by enforced association
with the Unyielding and Implacable head unil
shoulders , bill ; ( his did1 not diminish Mary's
joy over her restored first born. Even Its
utter absence of features was no defect In a
fmr.lly where features were as evanescent as
In hers , and > the most ordinary student of
evolution could see that the "Amplach" nine-
pips were In legitimate succession
to the slobulnc-headed "Misery.1' For a
tlmoTVhlnk lhat Mary even preferred her to
the others , Houbelt it was a pretty sight to
co her on a cummer afternoon sitting upon
\\ayskle stump , her other children dull-
fully ranged around her , with the hard ,
unfeeling head 01 Misery Crested dtc ' down
] Into her loving little heart , as she swayed
I from tide to tide , crooning hfr plaintive
i lullably. Small wonder that the be : * took up
| th scng and droned a slumbrous accompanl-
I ment , or that high above her head the cnor-
I mo nn plneu sllired through their depths by
I the soft Sierra air or h'nven knows what
I let I'llp flickering lights and shadows to
I play over that can-Iron face , until the child ,
looking down upon It wllh the quick , trans-
' fotmlng power cf love , thought that It
I * mlecU !
] Tlietvd remaining members of the family
wore less distinctive. "Glrrlana" pro-
! nuunccd an two words : "Olory Anna" blng
I the work ot her father , who also named It ,
! was simply a cylindrical roll of canvas
wapon-caverlng clH so as to define n nock
' and waist , with a rudely Inke.l face altogether -
! gether a weak , pitiable , manlike Invention ;
and "Johnny Dear , " alleged to bs the rcpre-
J senlallvc of "John Doromuc , " n young store
keeper , who occasionally supplied Mary with
I gratuitous sweets. Mary never admitted
i tills , nn.l we were all g.ntlemcn along that
I road , we were blind to the suggestion.
"Johnny Dear" was crlclnally n small , plaster
phrenological cast of a lie id and busl begged
from Eome shop window In the country lown ,
with n body cteaily constructed by Mary
hcrcelf. It was an ominous fact that It was
already dressed as a boy , and was distinctly
the most human looking of all her progeny.
Indeed , In s-plto of the faculties that were
legibly printed all over It ? smooth , white ,
liolrkvvj laud , it was appallingly lifelike. Left
sometimes by Mary astride of the branches
of a wayside tree , horsemen hod been kiidwri
to dismount hurriedly and examine ft , re-
tuinlng with a mystified smile , and It was
of record that Guba 13111 hail once pulled up
the I'loneer .coach at the request of the
cuilous- and Imploring' passengers and
then grimly installed "Johnny Dear" be-
'Ido him on the box seat , publicly
lellverlng him to Mary nt Dig I3end to her
wide-eyed confusion , and the first blush we
ImO over seen on her round , chubby sun
burnt cheeks. It may s.eem strange that
with her great popularity and her well
know u maternal Instlnc's she had not been
kept fully supplied "with "proper and more
conventional dolls , but It was soon recognized
that she did not care for them left their
waxen faces , rolling eyes and abundant hair
In ditches , or stripped them to help clothe
the more extravagant creatures of her fancy.
So It came that "Johnny Dear's" strictly
plast-'cal profile looked out from under a
girl's fashionable straw sailor hat to the
utter obliteration of h.'s prominent Intellec
tual facu'tles ' ; the Amplach twins wore bon
nets on their nine-pin head ? , and even an
attempt was made to fix a flaxen scalp on
the lion-headed Misery. But her dolls were
always a creation of her own her affection
fort them increasing1 with the demand upon
her Imagination. This may be somewhat
Inconslftent with her liable of occasionally
abandoning them In the woods or In the
ditches , Hut she had an unbounded con
fidence in the kindly maternity of Nature ,
and trusted her children to the breast of the
Great Mother as freely as he did herself In
her own motherlessness. And this confidence
was larely betrayed. Rats , mice , snails ,
wild fata , panther and bear never touched
her lo'tt walls. Even the elements were
kindly ; an Amplach twin burled under a
snow-drift In high altitudes reappeared
smilingly In the spring In all Its wooden and
painted Integrity. We were all Pantheists
then and believed this ImnllclMv. It was
the face of the manager. Taking the child
gently by the hand , he walked to his desk ,
on which the papers of the new line were
scattered , < nd drew open a drawer , from
which he took a large nine-pin extraordinarily
dressed as a doll. The astonishment of the
two gentlemen was Increased at the follow
ing quaint colloquy between the manager and
the child :
"She's doing remarkably well In spite of
the trying weather , but I have had to keep
Tier very quiet , " said the manager , regarding
the nine-pin critically.
"Bfls , " said Mary , quickly. "It's Just the
same with Johnny Dear his cough Is right
ful nt night. Hut Misery's all right. I've
Just bsen to sec her. "
"There's a good deal of scarlet fever
around , " continued the manager with quiet
concern , "and we can't he too careful. Hut
I shall take her for o little run down the
line tomorrow. "
The eyes cf Mary sparkled _ and overflowed
like blue water. Then there was a kiss , 'a
little laugh , n shy glance at the two. curious
strangers , the blue , pinafore fluttered away
and the colloquy ended * She was equally
attentive In her care of the others , but the
lag baby , "Glorlana , " who had found a homo
In Jim Carter's cabin at the Ridge , living too
far for her visits , was brought down regu
larly on Saturday afternoon to Mary's house
by Jim , tucked In nslMp In his saddle bags
or riding gallantly before him on the horn
of his saddle. On Sunday there was a dress
parade of all the dells which kept Mary In
heart for the next week's desolation.
Hut there came one Saturday and Sunday
when Mary did not appear , and It was
known along the road that she had been
called to Son Kranclsco to meet nn aunt who
had Just arrived from the "states. " It was
a vacant Sunday to "the boys , " n very hol
low , unsnnctlficd Sunday , somehow , without
that little 'figure. Bui the next Sunday and
the next were still worse , and then It was
known that the dreadful aunt was making
much cf Mary , and was fending her to a
grand school n convent nt Santa Clara
V'licro ' It was rumored girls were turned out
NOTHING COULD DE PRETTIER THAN THE SMILE UPON HER KACE.
only when exposed to the mjj v forces of
civilization that Mary bad anything to fear.
Yet even then when Patsey O'Connor's
domestic goat had once tried to "sample"
the lost Misery ho had retreated with the
loss of three front teeth , and Thompson's
mule came out of an encounter with that
Iron-headed prodigy with a sprained hind
leg and a cut and swollen pastern.
13ut these were the simple Arcadian days
ot the road between Dig Dend and Reno , and
progress and prosperity , alas , brought changes
In their wake. It was already whispered
that Mary ought to be going to school and
Mr. Amplach still happily oblivious of the
liberties taken with his name as trus
tee of the public school at Duckvllle had
Intimated that Mary's Bohemian wanderings
were a scandal to the county. She was
growing up In Ignorance , a dreadful Igno
rance ot everything hut the chivalry , the
deep tenderness , the delicacy and unselfish
ness ot the rude men around her , and obllvl-
ousness of faith In anything but the Im
measurable bounty of Nature towards her and
her children. Of course there was a fierce
discussion between "the boys" of the road
and the few married families of the settle
ment on this point , hut of course progress ,
and "snlvellzatlon" as the boys chose to
call It triumphed. The projection of a rail
road settled It ; Robert Foulkcs , promoted
to a firemanshlp on a division of the line , was
nmdti to understand that his dauchter must
bo educated. But the terrible question of
Mary's family remained. No school would open
Its doors to that heterogeneous collection
and Mary's little heart would have broken
over the rude disposal or heroic burning of
her children. The Ingenuity of Jack Ilcper
suggested a compromise. She was allowed
to select one to take to school with her ;
thu others were adopted by certain of her
friends , and the was to bo permitted In visit
them every Saturday afternoon , flio tclcc-
tlon was a cruel trial , FO cruel that , know'ng
her undoubted preference for her Hi it born ,
Misery , we would not ha > o Interfered for
worlds hut In her unexpected cholco of
"Johnny Dear" the most unworldly of us
knew that It was the first glimmering of
feminine' tact her first submission to thn
world of propriety that bhe was now entering.
"Johnny Dear" was undoubtedly the most
presentable , even more , theru was an edu
cational suggestion In Its prominent ,
mapped out phrenological organs , The
adopted fathers were loyal to their trust.
Indeed for years afterward the bUcKsmlth
kept the Iron-headed Misery on a rude shelf ,
llko a shrine near his bunk ; nobody hut
himself and Meary ever know the secret ,
stolen and thrilling Interviews that took place
during the first days of their separation.
Certain facts , however , transplicd concerning
Mary's equal faithfulness to another of her
children. It Is said that one .Saturday
afternoon when the road manager of the new
line was seated In his olllcc at Reno In
private business dljcut loiillb two directors
a gentle tap was heard at the door. II was
opened to an eager llttld face , a pair of blue
eyes and a blue p'lnafore. To the astonish-
nicut ot UQ director * a change uroe over
so accomplished that their own parents did1
r '
] not'know' th'em. But we knew that was 1m-
) possible to our Mary , and a letter which
cams from her at the end of the month and
before the cpnvent had closed up'on tlie blue
pinafore satisfied us , and was balm to OUB
anxious hearts. It was characteristic of
Mary It was addressed to nobody In par ,
ticular and would , but for the prudence of
the aunt , have been entrusted to the post-
ofllce open and undirected. It was , a single
sheet , handed to us without a word by her
father , but as we passed it from hand tot
hand we understood It as if we had beard our
lost playfellow's voice. '
"There's more houses In 'Frisco than you
kin shake a stick at and wlmmlns till you
kant rest ; hut mules and Jackasses ain't got ,
no oho , nor black smlfts shops , wlch Is not
to be seen no wear. Roplts and skwlrla also
bares and panfers Is on-noun and unforgottcn
on account of the streets and Sunday skolcs. '
Jim Ropr you orter be very good to Mlzzery
on a kount of my not beln' here , and not
haiten your hart to her bekos bhe Is top
heavy which Is entree and slmptly an
Imptlent lie like you nllus make. I have a
klnary bird wet sings dcliteful but Isn't a ,
yellerhammer sutch as I know , as youd think ,
Dear Mister Montgomery , don't keep Gulan
Amplak to mutch shet up In office drors ;
It isn't good for Ms- lungs and chest. And
don't jou Ink his head nether ! you're as bad
as the rest. Johnny Dear , you must be very
kind to your attopted father , and you , Glory-
Anna , must lov your kind Jimmy Carter
verry mutch for taking you hossback sd
offen. I have been buzzy rldln twist with an
orflcer who has killed Injuns real ! I am
comln' back soon with grate affecshun , so
hike out and mind. "
But It was three years before she returned ,
and thlu was her last an.l only letter. The
"adopted fathers" of her children were faithful - "
ful , ho waver , and when the new line was
opened and It was understood that she \vna
to be present with her father at the cere
mony they came , with a common understand
ing , to the station to meet their old piny- '
mala. They were ranged along the platform ,
poor Jack Roper , a little overweighted with
a bundle " he was carrying on his left arm.1'
And" then a young girl In the freshness of
her "teens and the ' '
spotless purlty'Of a muslin'
frock that , although brief In skirt , was per
fect In fit , faultlessly booted and gloved ,
tripped from the train , and offered a delicate
hand In turn to each of her old friends.
Nothing could bo prettier than the emllo on' '
the cheeks that were no longer sunburnt ,
nothing could be clearer than the blue eyes'
lifted frankly lo theirs. And yet as she
gracefully turned away with her father the
faces of the four adopted parents were found
to be as red and embarrassed as her own on
the day that Cuba Bill drove'up publicly with
"Johnny Dear" on the box seat. "You ;
weren't such a fool , " ' fold Jack Montgomery
to Roper , "as to bring 'Misery' here with ,
you ? " "I was , " raid Rqper with a conT.
strained laugh. "And you ? " He had Just
caught sight of the head of a nine-pin peepIng -
Ing from the manager's pocket. The men
laughed , and then tha four turned bllently.
awny.
"Mary" had Indeed come bock to themf
but not "tho motlmr of five ! "
\OT WOllIIYlXtt.
Ho ( iiivo Ttrn ItfiixniiN AVhy Ho Fl |
( 'oil II tic n I.
A young man about 25 years old , relates
the Dotrolt Free Press , was sitting In the
waiting room of the Brush street depot with'
a year-old baby on his knee , and his alarm
and helplessness when the child began to *
howl was so marked as to attract attention , ,
By and ba waiting passenger walked over
tn him with a smile of pity on his face and
queried ;
"A woman gave you that baby to hold while
she went to see about her baggage , didn't
t'ho ? "
"Yes. "
"Ha ! ha ! ha ! I tumbled to the fact soon
as I saw you. You expecj her back , 1 sup
pose ? "
"Of course. "
"Hal ha ! ha I This Is rich ) Looking for
her every blessed minute , ain't you ? "
"I think she'll come back. "
"Well , this makes me laugh ha ! ha ! ha !
I had a woman play .that same trick on me
In a Chicago depot once , but no one will ever
again , Young man , you're stuck ! You've
been played on for a hayseed. Belter turn
that thing over to a policeman and make
a skip before some reporter gets onto'you. "
"Oh , she'll come back , " replied the young
man at ) he looked anxiously around.
' She will , eh ? Ha ! ha ! ha JoKe grc-ws
richer und richer. What makes you think
she'll comu back ? "
"Ilfcause she's my wife and tlile Is our
first baby ! "
"Oh urn I see. " muttered the fat man ,
who got over feeling tickled at once , and In
his vexation he crossed the room and kicked
a dog which ; a farmer had tied to one cf the-
seata with a piece ot clothesline.
GENESIS OF TIE BUTTON
Hot the Puih Variety , , brtt that on Which
Ilnmnuity Hangalta Toga.
A GREVTWORLDWIDE INDUSTRY
Iii-nc'p ( InllnKnn Siiriinn , ( In1 31"-
( i-i-InU In t'm . It'IMrrnl ntiil r-
iiiiniciiliil PoxNlhllKIrn Tlie
mill
Adam did not near buttons. Even when
his wardrobe reached the dignity of con
taining "other clothes" he was compelled to
fasten his apparel with a sash or borrow a
spike from Tubal Cain. In fact , until the
beginning of the fourteenth century , says
tie ! Chicago Record , ths world managed to
struggle along without these modern con
veniences. Buttons were first urcJ as orna
ments. They were sewed on according to
the taste or capilce of the maker or wearer
of clothing , and they were spldom placed
where they might have been of practlcil
service even had there been buttonholes to
match them.
Some time In the latter part of Quedn
Elizabeth's reign It was discovered that a
small silt cut In the cloth and shove. ! over
the button made theM ornaments ucpful.
From that time en the making of buttons
grow until It has become one of the most
Importint ot Industries. With the practical
us3 of buttons came n revolution In dress.
The last relic of the flowing robes handed
down from patriarchal days was consigned to
the shelves of museums and the simpler
modern dresra way Introduced. It was the
fashion In the earlier days of button-making
to ecw as many buttons on the clothing as
the texture would bear. Even the laboring
elapses managed to deck themsehes to a
ilegtco which today appears ridiculous. This
nt once created a demand , and the close of
the seventeenth century saw the button In
dustry well established In Europe , the center
bolng then , as now , Birmingham , England.
The first buttons were very expensive. They
were made chiefly of gr ld and pearl , rich In
design , and Inlaid with other precious mrt.ils
and Jewels. Following these came the cloth-
covered and sllk-covercJ buttons , which wore
made entirely with the needle. These brought
a high prlco. and the workmen received the
largest wages paid In those days for needle
work. As demand for buttons increased and
man's inventive genius was taxe.1 , machines
were produced for the making of steel , brass ,
Inlaid , plated and lacquered buttons , and
later for the rapid manufacture of covered
buttons.
These last were made by covering with
silk , lasting , brocade , twist , velvet , mohair
and various cloths , metal disks , which had
been previously cut out of sheet Iron and
molded with dies. The frame of this button
consists of two pieces .of sheet Iron , the
under piece being slightly convex and having
a small round liolo In the center , through
which a tuft of canvas is pressed. This Is
for sewing the button to the cloth. The
upper disk Is also slightly convex and made
a little larger than : the lower piece. The
edge of the upper disk Is turned down about
a sixteenth of an Inch In the medium sized
buttons. These disks arc cut from the
shpet , formed and made ready for covering
by one motion of the "fly press" or punching
machine.
For covering another machine Is used ,
simple In construction , but capable of turn
ing out a gieit many buttons In a day when
operated by an expert. It consists of a
central upright shaft , to the lower end of
which Is attached n die BO constructed as to
press a piece of cloth around and under the
upper disk of the button. The shaft Is al- .
loweil to move up and down through two
heads fastened to a utout frame of Iron.
Below the-upper'fllo Is1 a ; contrivance .having
'two dies , which may bc'moved at will In
line with the- upper die. In these the parts
of the button are placed. One holds the
upper disk and the piece of cloth , the- other
the under disk. A pressure of the operator's
foot on the treadle brings the uppjr die down
on the first lower die. This shapes the
cloth. The second lower die Is shoved under ,
the treadle Is pressed and the button Is com
plete. The dies have not only folded the
cloth around and under the upper disk , but
they have clinched the two disks of the
button close together. An expert worker
may make from seventy-five to elghty-fi\e
grcss of buttons a day with this machine.
Buttons made of vegetable Ivory are widely
used in this country and In England. The
material Is obtained from a palm tree that
grows In South America. It has the name
of "tagua plant , " and In Peru It Is called
"negro's head. " When young the seed of
this palm contains a milky substniica which
with age becomes very hard and white , re
sembling Ivory. The seeds as used in com
merce are from an Inch to three Inches In
size and almost round. Before they go to
the button-making machines they are steamed
to render their cuttlnq easier. Then they
are sawed into slices of proper thickness.
The button Is cut out with a tubular saw-
ami each button Is turned tcparately In a
small lathe. Other machines are used for
drilling the thread holes , polishing and
finishing the buttons. Vegetable Ivory is
capable of receiving almost any color , and
the dyeing of buttons made from It Is one
of the most Important and most carefully
guarded secrets of the craft.
Livery , emblem and society buttons are
made by stamping , the machines used being
the same In principle as those for cutting
the disks for metal buttons. The deslrcJ
figure which the face of the finished button
Is to assume Is cut In the upper die- , the
reverse being made In relief on the under
die They are stimped and pressed together
without soldering.
Materials employed In buttonmaklng are as
varied as the styles of 'buttons. In addition
to metal-covered buttons and those made
from vegetable Ivory there are used gold ,
bllver and other metals , glass , porcelain ,
horn , bone , India rubber , mother-of-pearl and
other products of shellfish and various woods.
The shells for mother-of-pearl come from the
Persian gulf , the Red sea , the Pacific coast
and Panama. Paper buttons have been
made , but not extensively. An English In
vention uses slate or silt-stone in making but
tons and button bodies.
The first buttons made In tbs United
States were of wood , covered by hand with
different materials , principally silk. The
operation was laborious , but It resulted In
the Invention of machinery which has built
up large factories In the east , Watcrbury ,
Conn. , and Eastlmmpton , Aloes. , being centers
of manufacture In this country. Now York
alin has several large' factories.
The details of preparing the sheet Iron for
metal and metal-covered buttons are simple.
The Iron Is first scaledaby Immersing It In
acid , after which It U punched out with the
dies. The neck , or "collet , " l japanned after
being cut , and before the canvas tuft for
Gewlng on Is pressed into place. The hollow
between the neck and tlie shell Is then filled
with brown paper , called "button board. "
The making of these basic parts of the cloth-
covered button Is confined almost entirely to
the eastern states. Western manufacturers
buy the material ready to cover. Button
shanks , or eyelets , ore- made of wire on a
machine which cuts the wire Into desired
lengths , bends It Into loops and leaves It
ready for Insertion Into the lower blank.
The name "shell" Is glren to metal buttons
mode of two disks pnesked together and
fattened without soldering. A clotli-facsil
iiutton Is made by gluing piece of cloth cut
the exact size Into the top of a rubbsr or
vegetdliie ivory uouy. ' "IB leaves u run ui
hard material to protect the edges of the
button from wearing. In theie the thread
lioleti are drilled through a knob turned or
molded on the back of the body. Tlie edg a
cf cloth-covered 'buttons are protected by
working u corded edge around the upper
'
tide.
The great decreaw In the price of buttons
Tom that which made the/ first manufactured
a luxury has been due to the Introduction of
machinery , which now does almost the entire
work. Skilled labor doen not occupy a lirgo
place In the making of buttons , whljh may
also account for their comparative cheapners.
Girls and boys may operate nearly all the
machinery , which Is a combination nf auto
matic features. IruvJng little lo ilie opcin-
tor but dexterity In handling the illTcrrnt
pieces for the dies.
One of the curious freaks of buttondom , In
vented Bcme yearn ago. was a "bj-jliobr's'1
button. This consisted of an ordinary
: rou cre button with a safety pin nttacniiKiit.
It wai to answer la cases cf emergency , but
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