The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1873-01-17
M i S C elan eou s..
BISHOP POTTS.
BY MAX ADELER.

Bishop Potts, of Salt Lake city, was thu
husband Of three wives, and the happy ia
| thcr Of fifteen children. Early in the win
ter the bishop determined that his littl,
ones should have good time on Christ
mas, so he concluded to take trip dow
| to San Francisco to see what he could fine
in the shape Of toys, with which to graft,
and amuso them. The good bishop pack
ed his carpet-bag, embraced Mrs. Potts one
by one, and kissing each Of her affection
atcly, started upon his journey.
He was gone little more than week
when he came back with fifteen beautiful
mouth-organs in his valisc for his darlings
/ He got out of the train at Salt Lake, think
ing how joyous and eXhilamting it would
be at home on Christmas morning whel
the whole fifteen OF those mouth organ
should be in operation upon different tt,.!ue
at the same moment. But Just as he enter
ed the depot he saw a group Of women
standing in the ladies' room apparently
waiting for him. AS soon as he approach
ed, the whole twenty Of them rushed up,
threw their arms about his neck and kissed
him, cXclaiming:
"Oh, Theodore! we are 500 glad you
lldNC COlic DuCh w ClCOlHC HOlllC w cl-
come dear, dear Theodore Welcome once
more to the bosom Of your family ~ and
then the entire score of them fell upon his
neck and cried over his shirt front and
mussed him.
The bishop seemed surprised and en-
barrassed. Struggling to disengage him
self, he blushed and said:
"Really, ladies' this kind ofthing is well
eEough--it is interesting and all that but
there must be some kind of a--that is, an
awkward sort of a-cXCuse me ladies, but
there seems to be, as it were, u slight mis-
understanding about the-I am Bishop
Potts"
1--WE know it, we know it, dearest they
exclaimed in chorus, land we are so glad
to see you safe, safe ut home. We have all
been right well while you were away,
love-
at gratities me-" remarked the bishop,
"to lean that none Of you have been a prey
to disease i am filled with blissful seren-
ity when | contemplate the fact but real
ly | do not understand why you should
rush into this railway station and hug me
because your livers are active and your di.
gestion good. The precedent is bad; it is
dangerous
"Oh, but we didn't !" they exclaimed
in chorus. I'VE came here to welcome you
because you are our husband"
pardon me, but there must be some lit
tlc-that is to say, as it were, | should
think not. Women, you have mistaken
your man."
"Oh, no, dearest" they shouted, "wt
were married to you Will, you were
away
"What. :" exclaimed the bishop, "yov
don't mean to say that"
Yes, love. Our husband, William Brown
! died on Monday, and on Thursday Brig.
| ham had u vision in which he was directed
/ to seal us to you; and so hepertormed The
ceremony at once by proxy
9Th TIL tn h-under;" observed the bish
OPP, in general sort Of way.
And darling, we are all living with you
now-we and the dear children"
"Childrcn children - exclaimed Bish
OPP Potts, turning pale, 'you don't mean tC
say that there is pack of children too 2
"Yes, love, but only one hundred anC
twenty five, not counting the eight twins
and the triplctsn
"Wha-wha wha-what d. you say z" gasp
ed the bishop, IN cold pelsplratlon "on'
hundred and twenty five. One hundred
and twenty five children and twenty NOR
wives 1t is too much--it is awful" ant
the bishop sat down and groancd, while thu
late Mrs. Brown, the bride, stood arounC
in a semi, circle and famed him with he
bonnets, all except the red-haired one, ant
she in her trepidation, made futile ctlor
to fan him with the coal-scuttle.
But after while the bishop became re
conciled to his new alliance, knowing wei
that protests would be unavailing; so b.
walked home, holding as many of the lit
tie hands of the bride as he could convent
emily grasp in his, while the ed-haired wo
man carried his umbrella and marched il
front of the parade to remove obstruction
and to scare off small boys.
When the bishop reached the house
be went around among the cradles wiicl
filled the back parlor and the two second
story rooms and attempted with such ear
nestncss to become acquainted with hi
new sons and daughters that he set tn
whole one hundred and twenty-five and tn
twins to crying, while his own original fiji
teen stood around and joined in the chorus
Then the bishop went out and sat on tn