Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-10-21
A Mormon Romance.


The morning on which Reginald Clio
version was to leave Great Salt Lake
City with mule train dawned beauti-
fully. Et MN
Reginald Gloverson was young and
thrifty Mormon, with an interesting fam
lily OF twenty young and handsome wives.
I His unions had never been blessed
with children. AS often as once year
he used to go to- Omaha, in Nebraska,
with mule train for goods; but, al
though be had performed the rather per-
lous journey many times with entire
safety, his heart was strangely sad on
this particular morning, and filled with
gloomy forebodings.
The time for his departure had arrived
the high-spirited mules were at the
door, impatiently champing their bits.
The Mormon stood sadly among his
weeping wives.
h dearest ones" he said, II am singu-
larly sad at heart this morning; but do
not let this depress you. The journey
is a perilous one, but--pshawl / have
always come back safely heretofore, and
why should i fear? Besides, | know that
every night, as | lay down on the broad,
starlit prairie, your bright faces will come
to me in my dreams, and make my slum-
ber sweet and gentle You, Emily, with
your mild blue eyes; and you, Henrietta,
with your splendid black hair; and you,
Nelly, with your hair so brightly, beau.
tifully golden; and you, Mollie, with
your cheeks so downy; and you, Betsy
with your-with your-that is to say
Susan with your-and the other thirteen
Of you, each so good and beautiful, will
come to me in sweet dreams, will you
not, dearestists2
"Our own" they lovingly chimed, I'VE
will"
"And so, FAREWELL cried Reginald.
"Come to my arms, my owni'' he cried,
that is, as many of you as can do i
conveniently at once, for | must away.
He folded several of them to his throb-
bing breast, and drove sadly away.
But he had not gone far when the
trace of the off-hind mule became un-
hitched. Dismounting, he essayed to
adjust the trace; but ere he had fairly
com menced the task, the mule, singu-
larly refractory animal, snorted wildly
and kicked Reginald frightfully in the
stomach. He arose with difficulty and
tottered feebly toward his mother $
house, WHICH was near by, falling dead
in her yard, with the remark, Dear
mother, I've come home TO disg
|. $50 l see" she said; where's the
mules2"
Alas Reginald Gloyerson could give
no answer. In vain the heart-stricken
mother threw herself upon his inanimate
form, crying, "Oh, my son, my sonl
only tell me where the mules are, and
then you may die if you want TO,
CHAPTER II.-FUNERAL TRAPrISGs.
The mules were never found.
Regihald's heart-broken mother took
the body home to her unfortunate sons
widows. But before her arrival, she in
discreetly sent boy to burst the news
gently to the afflicted wives, which he
did By informing them, in a hoarse
whisper, that their "old man had gone
in"
The wives felt very badly indeed.
He was devoted to me-, sobbed
Emily.
"And to me" said Maria.
''Yes," said Emily, "he thought CON
siderably Of you, but not so much as he
did of me. "
II say he did
''And / say he didn't"
HE did" nfs
HE didn'tlP
"Don't look at me with your squint
eyesl"
Don't shake your red head at me"
Sisters" said the black-haired Henri
etta, cease this unseemly wrangling. /,
as his first wife, shall strew flowers on
HE grave"
mo, you WON'T" said Susan. u, as
his last wife. shall stFew flowers on his
grave. It's my business to stTew,N
"You shan't-s0 therel" said Henri
eta.
lfrYou bet / WHIP said Susan, with a
tear-suffused cheek T I'll
well, as for me, y said the practical
Betsy, al amt on the strew much, but
shall ride at the head Of the funeral pro-
cession"
"Not IL I've been introduced to my
self, you won'tr said the golden-haired
Nelly; that's my position. You bet
your bonnet-strings it is.
TChildren. said Reginald's, mother,
you must do some crying, you know,
on the day Of the funeral; and how
many pockethankerchers will Il take TO
20 round2 Betsy, you and Nelly ought
co make one do between you.
TI'll tear her eyes out if she perpe-
trates a sob on my hankercherl' said
Nelly. l..
"Dear daughtersin-law," said Regi-
maids mother, how unseemly is this
anger. Mules is FIVE hundred dollars a
span. and every identical mule my poor
boy had has been gobbled up BY the red
man. knew when my Reginald stag
gered into the door-yard that he was on
The Die, but IL Id only thunk TO ask him
about them mules ere his gentle spirit
took its fight, it would have been four
thousand dollars in our pockets, and no