Mr. X & Mr. Y

Mr. X & Mr.Y

Seven rambunctious Canadian mothers with a total of 65 children have been champing at the bit for four months demanding a verdict in the $500,000 Toronto Stork Derby (TIME, Sept. 26 et seq.), which concluded last Halloween. Last week they heard with relief that positively no claims filed after April 8 will be valid. That hearty, Rabelaisian character Mrs. Martin Kenny, mother of eleven, was keeping the Canadian press in convulsions by telling reporters: "I know positively that I am going to have the most children at one time. ... I never felt like this before with any of the twins. ... I am going to have eight--like I told you-- octopuses."

Into the news next blazed Mrs. Pauline Mae Clarke, hitherto a quiet competitor. Her trouble last week was with one of the men who have given her valuable assistance in the race--Mr. Harold H. Madill whom the Canadian press last week was calling "Mr. X." When Husband Clarke quit after siring only four children, Mr. Madill unselfishly stepped in to sire five more. By last week Mrs. Clarke's confidence in this second collaborator had somewhat waned, and after obtaining a court order to eject Mr. X from her house she was trying out a third, "Mr. Y."

To the press ousted "Mr. X" Madill loudly rehearsed his misfortunes: "The Judge told me to keep away from Mrs. Clarke and not bother her any more. But I wanted to have one more talk with her.

So I set out for her place shortly after midnight.

"I looked through the window and there was Pauline on the sofa with another man --a young fellow he was; looked much younger than she. . . . Pauline had on blue lounging pajamas. I bought them for her, dammit! "I rapped on the door and ordered her to open. Nobody came, so I took my key and went in. Pauline screamed and dashed out the back way. I yelled after her that I only wanted to talk to her, but she kept going. Lights came on in most of the houses and neighbors began pouring out.

Five or six men grabbed me. They started strong-arming me. One guy punched me.

I've got a good notion to sue.

"In the meantime somebody had taken Pauline back home. The police constables also took me there. I found Pauline and this other fellow there and Pauline's sister.

The kid's were all awake, too; Paul and John, the 8-month-old twins, were on the daybed in the living room, crying. Little Davey, he's 2 1/2, was shrieking and Jimmy, he's 9, was getting in everybody's hair.

"Well, Pauline solved everything by telling the constables that she intended to leave me and I could stay with the kids.

So she drove off with this young fellow in his roadster and I was left here with her children."

The only consolation Mr. X had was an agreement signed by Mrs. Clarke to pay him 10% of whatever cash she may receive out of the $500,000 Stork Derby.

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