National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-03-07
BISHOP POTTS OF UTAH.


His Trials at Christmas Time
Bishop Potts of Salt Lake City was
the husband of three wives and the hap
nv father Of fifteen interesting children.
Early in the winter the bishop deter
mined that his little ones should have II
good time on Chr 'tmas, so he concluded
to take trip doN / to San Francisco to
see what he could find in the shape OF
TOYS to crafty and amuse them. The
good bishop packed his carpet-bag, EN-,
braced Mrs. Potts one by one and
kissed each of her afl,ectionately, and
started upon his journey.
He was gone little more than aweek,
when he came back with fifteen beautl-
full mouth-organs in his valihe for his
darlings. He got out of the train at
Salt Lake, thinking how Joyous and ex'
hilarating it would be at home Christ
mas morning when the whole of those
mouth organs should be in operation
upon different tunes at the same mo-
ment But just as he entered the depot
he saw group of women standing IN
the ladies room apparently waiting for
him As soon as he approached, the
whole twenty Of them rushed mp, threw
their arms about his neck and kissed
him. exclaiming
"Oh, Theodore, we are 500 glad
YOU have come back Welcome home !,
Welcome, dear, dear Theodore Wei
come once more to the bosom of your
family p and then the entire score OF
them fell upon his neck and cried over
his shirt and mussed him.
The bishop was surprised and confus-
el, Struggling to disengage himself,
h, blushed and said
Really, ladies, this kind Of thing is
well enough-it is interesting and all
that, but there must be some kind of a
that is an awkward sort of a excuse
me, ladies, but there seems to be, as i
were slight misunderstanding aboug
the-I am Bishop Potts.
We know it, we know it, dearest,
they exclaimed in chorus, land we are
glad to see you safe, safe at home. We
have all been right well while you were
away, love"
" 1t gratities me, " remarked the bish-
op, "to learn that none of you have
been prey to disease. ] am filed with
blissful serenity when | contemplate
the fact but really | do not understand
why You should rush into this railway
station and hug me becausc your hvers
are active and yourdigestion good. The
precedent is bad it is dangerous y
oh, but We didn't they exclaimed
in chorusi 1--WE came here to welcome
You because you are our husband
Pardon me, but there must be some
llttle-that is to say, as it were, lshould
think not Women, you must have mis-
taken your man"
Oh no, dearest !" they shouted
:" We were married to you while you
We're away y
a." What p exclaimed the bishop, "you
don't mean to say that
yes, love. Our husband William
Brown, died on Monday, and on Tues
day brigham had vision in which he
was directed to seal us to Won /; and so
he performed the ceremony at once by
proxy"
"Ih-th-th-th-under ~ observed the
bishop, in general sort of way.
And, darling, we are all living with
you now-we and the dear children"
"Children children = exclaimed
bishop Potts, turning pale, 'you don't
mean to say that there is a pack of
children, too ?"
YES, love, but only one hundred and
twenty-five, not counting the eight
TWINS and the triplets.'
''Wha-w -wha-wha-wha d. you say p
gaSped the bishop, in a cold prespira-
ton zone hundred and twenty-five
One hundred and twenty-five children
and twenty more wives 1t is too much
it is awful - and the bishop sat down
and groaned, while the late Mrs. Brown,
The bride, stood round in n semi-circle
and famed him with her bonnets, all
except the red-haired one, and she in
her trepidation made futile effort to
ian him with the coal scuttle.
After while the bishop became rec
onclled to his new alliance, knowing
well that his protests would be unavail-
ing; so he walked home, holding as
many of the little hands of the bride, as
he could conveniently grasp in his,
while the red-haired woman carried his
umbrella and marched in front of the
parade to remove distractions and to
scare small boys.
When the bishop reached the house,
he went round among the cradles which
hlled the back parlor and the second
story rooms, and attempted, with such
earnestness, to become acquainted wltll
his new sons and daughters that he sci
the whole one hundred and twenty y-five
and the twins to crying, while his owl
original fifteen stood around and joined
In the chorus.
Then the bishop went ont and sat on
the garden fence to whittle a stick and
solemnly think, while Mrs. Potts dis
trlbuted herself in twenty-three places
and soothed the children. 1t occurred
TO the bishop while he unused, out there
on the fence, that he had not enough OF
mouth organs to go around among the
children as the family now stood /; and
80, rather than to seem partial, be de-