The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-03-22


turn to the city for the purpose of pur.
chasing an additional organ.
On the following Saturday he returned
home. As he approached his house a
swarm Of young children flew out of tho
front gate, and ran toward him, shouting
There's pa Here comes pa Oh, pa
we're glad to see youl narrah for pa r
etc.
The bishop looked at the children as
they foeked around him and cluug to hi.
legs and coat, and was astonished to per
ceiye that they were neither his nor the
late Browns. He said, "You youngster'
have made a mistake; | am not your ia
ther;" and he smiled good-naturedly.
"0h, yes, you are though" screamed
the little ones in chorus,
"But | say | am not, said the bishop
severely, and frowniug; don't you know
where little story-tellers go9 1t is scanda
lous to violate the truth in this manner
My name is Potts
"Yes, We know il is" exclaimed tn,
children--"we know it is, and so is ours
that is our name now too since the wed
ding"
"Since what wedding?' demanded the
bishop, turning pale.
"Why, mas wedding, of course She
was married yesterday to you by Mr.
Young, and we are all living at your house
now with our new little brothers and sis
tiers"
The bishop sat down on the pavement
and wiped away tear Then he asked
"Who was your father?'
"Mr. Simpson, said the crowd, land
he died on Tuesday
"And how many of his internal old wild
ows-I mean how many of your mothers
are there ?"
'"0nly twenty-seven, replied the chill
dren, ''and there are only sixty-four of us
and We are awful glad you have come"
The bishop did not seem unusually glad
somehow, he failed to enter into the en-.
thusiasm of the occasion. There appeared
to be in a certain sense, too much same.
ness about these surprises, so he sat there
with his hat pulled over his eyes and con,
sidered the situation. Finally seeing there
was no help for it, he rushed up to the
house, and forty-eight of Mrs. Potts rushed
up to him, and told him how the prophet
had had another vision in which he was
commanded to seal Simpsons widows tc
Potts.
Then the bishop stumbled around among
the cradles to his writing-desk, where he
felt among the gum rings and rattlcs fol
his writing paper, and then addressed a
note to Brigham, asking him as person.
al favor to keep awake until after Christ.
mas. "The man must take me for a
foundling hospital he said. Then the
bishop saw clearly enough that if he gave
presents to the other children and not to
the late Simpsons, the bride relict Of
Simpson would probably souse down on
him, tumble among his hair and make II
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 him in
the entry--all but the rcd-haired woman,
who was upstairs, and who had to be sat
is6ed with screeching good-by at the top
of her voice.
On his way home, after his last visit to
San Francisco, the bishop sat in the car
By the side of man who had left Salt
Lake the day before The stranger was
communicative. In the course of the con
versation he remarked to the bishop
THAT was lively little affair up there in
the city on Monday"
"What affair ?" asked Potts.
"Why, that wedding; McGrath's wild
ow, you know--married by proxy
"You don't say" replied the bishop.
II didn't know McGrath was dead
"Yes, he died on Sunday, and that
night Brigham had vision in which he
was ordered to seal her to the bishop.
"Bishop exclaimed Potts. ''Bishop
what bishop ?"
swell, you see there were fifteen Of
Mrs. McGrath and eighty-two children,
and they showed the whole lot off on old
Potts, Perhaps you don't know him ?"
The bishop gave wild, uncarthly
shrek, and went into hysterical fit, and
writhed on the floor as if he had hydro.
phobia. When he recovered, he leaped
from the train and walked back to San
francisco. He afierward took the first
steamer for Peru, where he entered mon
astery and became celibate.
His carpet-bag was sent to his family.
II contained the balance Of the mouth-or-
gans. On Christmas morning they were
distributed, and in less than two hours
the entire two hundred and eight children
were sick from sucking paint off them.
A doctor was called, and he seemed 50
much interested in the family that Brig
ham divorced the whole concern from old
Potts and annexed il 70 the doctor, who
Immediately lost his reason and would
have butchered the entire family IL the red.
haired woman and the oldest boy had no,
marched him Of to lunatic asylum,
where he spent his time in trying 70 ar.
rive at an estimate Of the number Of his
children BY cyphering with an impossible
combination Of the multiplication table
and algebra --Mar Adeier.