Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-10-21
THE MAN WITH TWENTY
WIVES.
A Mormon Romsnes.
LFrom the Trinidad (Colorado) Enterprise
CHAPTER 1.-THE MoRMoN's DEPART

The morning on which Reginald
GloversOn was to leave Great Salt
Lake City with mule train, dawned
beautifully.
Reginald GIoyerson was a young and
thrifty Mormon, with an interesting
family of twenty young and handsome
wives.
His unions had never been blessed
with children. As often as once a year
/ he used to go to Omaha, in Nebraska,
with a mule train for goods but al
though he had performed the rather
periIous journey many times with en-
tire safety, his heart was strangely sad
on this particular morning, and filled
with gloomy forebodings.
The time for his departure had ar
rived the high-spirited mules were at
the door impatiently champing their
bits. The Mormon stood sadly among
his weeping wives.
gularly sad at heart this morning; but
do not let this depress you. The Jour
! ney is a periIous one, but-pshaW! I
have always come back safely hereto
fore, and why should fear? Besides,
I know that every night, as 1 lay down
i on the broad starlit prairie, your bright
faces Will come to me in my dreams
and make my slumber sweet and gen
| tie. You, Emily, with your mild blue
eyes and you, Henrietta, with your
| splendid black hair; and you, Nelly,
with your hair so brightly, beautiful
| IY golden; and you, AfOllie, with your
! checks so downy; and you, Betsy,
with your-with your--that is to say,
! Susan, with your-and the other thir-
| teen of you, each so good and beautiful,
will come to me in sweet dreams, will
/ you not dearestists ?'' ~i
'Our own" they lovingly chimed,
| "we willi'' III
''And so farewell ~ cried Reginald.
"Come to my arms, my own 20 he said,
/ that Sa u-5 ms nm f1f ae
! conveniently at once, for must
/ away"
He folded several of them to his
throbbing breast, and drove sadly
But he had not got far when the
trace of the hind mule became un-
hitched. Dismounting he essayed to
] adjust the trace; out ere he had fairly
commenced the task the mule, a sim
gularly refractory animal, snorted
wildly and kicked Reginald frightful-
ly in the stomach. He arose with diff
fculty and tottered feebly towards
his mother house which was near by,
falling dead in her yard, with the re-
mark, "Dear mother, I've come home
to die %
So I see, she said; "where's the
Alas! Reginald GIoverson could
give no answer. In vain the heart
stricken mother threw herself upon his
inanimate form. crying, "Oh, my son
my son l-only tell me where the
mules are, and then you may die if
In vain-in vainl Reginald had
passed on.
CHAPTER II-FUNERAL TRAPPINGs.
The mules were never found.
Reginald's heart-broken mother took
the body home to her unfortunate
sons widows. But before her arrival,
she indiscreetly 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.
che was devoted to me-" sobbed
t1And to me-" said Maria.
eyes, said Emily, che thought con-
siderably of you, but not so much as
he did of me-"
81 say he did -
"And I say he didn't !"
"He did ~
"He didn't ~
"Don't look at me, with your squint
eyes ~
"Don't shake your red head at me ~
Sisters said the black haired Hon
rietta, f'cease this unseemIy wrang-
ling. l. as his first wife, shall strew
flowers on his grave"
"No you WON'T" said Susan. I, as
his last wife, shall strew flowers on
his grave. It's my business to strew."
"You shan't-so there!" said Hem
rietta.
''You bet will" said Susan, with
tear-suffused cheek.
"Well, as for me said the practical
Betsy. II amt on the strew, much,
but shall ride at the head of the pro-
cession.'
mot if I've been introduced to my
self, YOU won't, said the golden-hair- /
Cd fffhaf1c r,ncfffn1 Va
bet your bonnet strings it is"
Children" !" said Reginald's mother, !
4'YOu must do some crying, you know,
on the day of the funeral; and how
many ckethandkerchiefs win it take
to 20 round? Betsy, you and Nelly
ought to make one do between you"
TN tear her eyes out if she per-
petuates a sob on my handkerchief!
said Nelly.
Dear daughters-in-laW, j." said Reg
maids mother, show 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. l knew when my Regin-
aid staggered into the door-yard that
he was on the Die, but if I'd only
thunk to ask him about them mules
ero his gentle spirit took its flight, it
would have been four thousand dol
lars in our pockets, and no mistake
Excuse those real tears, but you've
"It's an oversight" +" sobbed Maria
Do not blame us ~
CHAPTER III-DUsT TO DUST.
The funeral passed off in a very
pleasant manner. nothing occurring to
mar the harmony of the occasion. By
a happy thought of Reginald's mother
the wives walked to the grave twenty
abreast, which rendered that part OF
the ceremony thoroughly impartial.
That night the twenty wives with
heavy hearts sought their twenty re-
spectiVe couches. ~
In another house, not many leagues
from the house of mourning, gray
haired woman was weeping passion
ately.
''fIe died. she cried, che died with
out signerfying, in any respect, where
them mules went top
CHAPTER UNMARRIED AGAIN.
Two years elapsed between the third
and fourth chapters. A manly NOR
mon one evening, as the sun was pre-
pairing to set among select assort-
ment of gold and crimson clouds IN
| the western horizon-aIthOugh for that
matter the sun has a right to "set"
where it wants to, and so, may add,
has a hen-a manly Mormon, say,
| tapped gently at the door of the man
sion of the late Reginald Gloverson.
| The door was opened by Mrs. Susan
GlOyerson.
els this the house of the widow
! Gloverson?'' the Mormon asked.
''It is" said Susan.
"And how many is there Of she2" in
quired the Mormon.
There is about twenty of her, inelu-.
ding me-" returned Susan.
fsCan L see herr"
/ "You can"
MADAM, - he softly said, addressing
/ the twenty diseonsolate widows, II
have seen part Of you before. And al
though I've already twenty-five wives,
whom respect and tenderly care for,
I can truly say that never felt loves
holy thrill till I saw theel tBe minel
! be minel" he enthusiastically cried,
land we will show the world a strik-
| ing illustration of the beauty and
truth of the noble lines, only a good
| deal more So
| ''Twenty-one souls with single thought
/ Twenty-one hearts that beat as one.
''They were united-they WERE"
Z