After Thormpton brought the baby Neekburn into that obscure Maine town, he took him to a certain woman by the name of Wilma Hasherbanshie, a hog butcher of ill repute and also the towns only alchemist. The Woman, a widow, initially rejected Thormpton's attempt to pawn off the young Neekburn on her, but when he enticed her with an offer of 3 of his prized chickens, she was powerless to resist. And thus the infant Neekburn fell into the hands the 2nd of his many mothers. Miss Wilma's mothering instincts however would not prove to be the most refined. How Neekburn ever survived through infancy by eating chicken feed and pork will never be understood. But he did survive and even spoke his first word under Wilma's crude but well intended care, until she found that life as a salesperson traveling with Dr. Hornby and his "cure all" potion health remedies was more to her likening. Thus Neekburn would find his 3rd Mother.
To be continued