The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-12-27

say that there is pack of children too"
Eyes, love, but only one hundred and
| twenty-five, not counting the eight Twins
and the triplet.''
''Wha-wha- wha-what d you say?" gasp
ed the bishop, i'll cold perspiration ''one
hundred and twenty-five One hundred
and twenty-five children and twenty more
wives 1t is too much-itis awful and the
bishop sat down and groaned, while the
| late Mrs. Brown, :he bride, stood around
! in a semicircle and famed him with her
bonnetS, all except the red-haired one, and
! she Ill her trepidation made futile effort
to fan him with the coal-scutte.
! But after a while the bishop became re-
conciled to his new alliance, knowing well
| that protests would be unaVaiEng so he
walked home, holding as many of the little
! hands of the bride as lac could conveniently
! grasp III his, while the red-haired woman
! carried his umbrella and marched in front
| of the parade to remove obstluctions and
! to scare off small boys.
When the bishop reached the house, he
! went around among the cradles which filled
the back parlor and the two second-story
| rooms, and attempted with such earnest
| ness to become acquainted with his new
| SONS and daughters that he set the whole
one hundred and twenty-five and the twins
to crying, while his own original fifteen
stood around and joined i'll the chorus.
garden fence to whittle stick and solemn
! ly think while Mrs. Potts distributed her
self around in twenty-three places and
sOothed the children. L occurred to the
bishop while he mused, out there on the
fence, that he had not enough moutb-or-
gans to go around among the children as
the family now stood and so, rather than
seem to be partial, he determined to go
! back to San Francisco for one hundred and
| forty four more.
So the bishop repacked his carpet-bag
| and began again to bid farewell to his fam
lily. He tenderly kissed all Of Mrs. Potts
who were at home, and started for the de
pot, while Mrs. Potts stood at the various
windows and waved her handkerchiefs at
him-all except the woman with the warm
hair and she. in Il fit of absent nliude edness,
held one of the twins by ;he leg and brand
ished it at Potts as he fled down the street.
The bishop reached San Francisco, COM
pleted his purchases, and was justabout to
get on the train with his one hundred and
forty-four mouth-organs, when a telegram
was handed him. 1t contained information
to the effect that the aubum-haired Mrs.
Potts had just had a daughter. This in
duced the bishop to return to the city for
the purpose of purchasing an additional
organ.
On the following Saturday he returned
home. As he approached his house
swarm of young children flew out of the
front gate and ran toward him, shouting,
There's pa Here cones pa Oh, Pa,
but were glad to see you Hurray for
pa - etc, etc.
The bishop looked at the children as
they floc!,ed around him and chung to his
| legs and coat, and was astonished to per-
ceive that they were neither his nor the
| late Browns. He said, You youngsters
have made a mistake; | am not your faith
er;,' and the bishop smiled good-naturedly.
''Oh yes, you are. though ~ screamed
| the little ones III chorus.
But l say l ain not" said the bishop,
severely, and frowning; you ought to be
ashamed OF yourselves. Don't you know
| where little stoIy-tcllers go? 1t is scanda-
manner. My name is Potts"
Yes, we know it is, exclaimed the
| childrcn-''we know it is and SO is ours
! that is our name now toe, since the we'd
| ding"
Since what wedding?" demanded the
bishop, turning pale.
''N by, mas wedding of course. She
| was married yesterday to you by Mr..
| Young, and ne are all living atyour house
now with our new little brothers and sis
| tcrs.''
The bishop sat down on the pavement
and wiped away tear Then he asked,
''Who VS. ynnr. father ~
MIR Sin pson," said the crowd, 'and
| he died on tuesday"
And how many of his internal old wild
ows-I mean how many of your mother are
| there ?''
"Only twenty seven" replied the chill
! dren, land there are only siNty-fuur OF us,
and we are awful glad you have come
! home"
The bishop did not seem to be unusually
! glad (; somehow, he failed to enter into the
enthusiasm of the. occasion. There ap-
peared to be i'll certain sense, to much
| samcness about these surprises, so he sat
there with his hat pulled over his eyes and
| considered the situation. Finally, seeing
there was no help for it, he went to the
house and forty-cight of Mrs. Potts rushed
up to him and kissed him, and told him
how the prophet had had another vision IN
! which he was command to seal Simpson
widow TO Potts.
Then the bishop stumbled around among
the cradles to his writing-desk, where he
felt among the gum rings and ratties Tor
for his letter-paper, and then addressed
note to Brigham, asking him as. a person
| al favor to keep awake until alter Christ
mas '"The man must take me for a found
ling hospital he said. Then the bishop
saw clearly enough that Ii he gave pres
ents to the other children and not to the
late SIMPSONS 5, the bride (relict Of Simp-
som would probably souse down on him,
tumble among his hair and make things
warm for him. So repacking his carpet
bag, he started again for San francisco for
sixty-four more mouth-organs, While Mrs
Potts gradually took leave OF hlm IN the
entry-an but the red-haired woman, who
was up stairs, and who had to be satisfied
with screeching goodbye at the top OF her
voice. -..
On his way home, after his last visit to
San Francisco, the bishop sat Ill the car by
the side OF man who had left Salt Lake
the dav before. The stranger was COM
mInicatiye In the course OF the conver-
sation he remarked to the bishop:
..That was a mighty pretty little affair
mn there at the city on Monday.
..What affair?' asked Potts.
s.Why, that wedding; MeGrath' s widow
YOU know-marricd by proxy
, -..You don't say, replied the bishop. Il
d;5r,+ L,roNy that AJcGrath was dead