"Just a Gamble"

Seven "favorites" in a field of about 20 mothers who crossed the finishing line in the Toronto "Stork Derby" four months ago, sighed with relief last week to know that their baby racing had not been in vain. The Ontario Court of Appeals declared valid the $500,000 bequest of eccentric Charles Vance Millar for the Toronto mother bearing most children during the ten years ending October 31, 1936.

That point settled, the Court then decided that illegitimate children should not be counted. This was bad news for Mrs. Pauline Mae Clarke, five of whose nine children were born after she separated from her husband. By no means abashed was Mrs. Clarke's attorney, C. R. McKeown who warmly contends that the fact that Mrs. Clarke has been married at all makes a difference. Said he: "After all, the children were not born out of wedlock. ... I may appeal from the decision." Mrs. Clarke was resigned, declared: "It was just a gamble anyway as far as I was concerned. I had the children anyway and I have made a little money out of contracts through being in the race."

The six other mothers in the running, one with eleven children, two of whom "may not have been properly registered," and the rest with nine births apiece, were overjoyed. Mother-of-eleven Mrs. Martin Kenny exclaimed: "I ought to get all the money." The others felt that the top-rankers should divide the fund. On one point all the mothers agreed: "It's pretty near time the whole thing was settled."

Final decision is up to a judge soon to be appointed by the Court of Appeals. His judgment will settle the baby race for good & all.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.