The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-02-15
Bishop Potts.
BY MAX ADELER,

IL RAlSIS NAND EoAASSNANN AAV ~ ~
good time on Christmas, so he cOnclu-
ded to take a trip down to San Francis
co to see what he could find in the shape
of toys with which to gratitiy and amuse
them. The good Bishop packed his car
pet-bag, embraced Mrs. Potts n by
one and kissed each of her a~fectiOnately
and started upon hi%sjourney.
He was gone a little more than q
week, when he came back with fifteen
beautiful mouth organs in his valise for
his darlings. He got out of the train at
Salt Lake, thinking how joyous and ex-
hilarating it would be at home on
Christmas morning when the whole fif-
teen Of those mouth organs should be
in operation upon different tunes at the
same moment. But just as he entered
the depot he saw Il group of women
standing by the ladies' room, apparentS
ly waiting for him. AS soon as he ap-
preached, the whole twenty Of them
rushed up, threw their arms about his
neck, and kissed him, eXclaiming:
"Oh, Theodore, we are $3.50 glad
YOU have come back. Welcome home !!
Welcome, dear, dear TheOrdOre. We'll
come 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
himself, he blushed and said:
"Really, ladies, this kind of thing is
we'll enOugh-it is interesting and all
that; but there must be Some kind of
a-that is, an awkward sort of a-ex-
cuse ME, ladies, but there seems to be,
as it were, a Slight misunderstanding
about the-l am Bishop Potts."
eve know it, we know it, dearest
they exclaimed in chorus, "and We are
so glad to see you safe, safe at hOme. w
have all been right we'll while you were
away, love-
eft gratifes me-" remarked the Bish-
Op, that nOne Of you have been a prey
to disease. I am filled with blissfu1 Sc
renity when | contemplate the fact but
really | do not understand why you
should rush into the railway station
and hug me because your livers are &C
precedent is bad it is dangerOuS!"
"Oh, but we dOn'tw they exclaimed
in chorus. eve came here to welcome
| you because you are our huSband.n
Pardon me, but there must be some
little-that is to say, as it were, | should
think not. Women, you have mistaken
your manw
ooh, no, dearest" they shouted, " we
were married to you while you were
| away"
"Whatw exclaimed the Bishop, "you
don't mean to say that"
eyes, love. Our husband, William
Brown, died on Monday, and on Thurs
day Brigham had a vision, in which he
was directed to seal us to you; and SO
he performed the ceremony at nee by
proxy
Observation-Disclosures" observed the
Bishop in a general sort Of way"
"And, darling, we are 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 whole pack
Of children, tOO?"
eyes, love but only one hundred and
twins and the triplets.n
Observation-Disclosures d. you say ?"
| gasped the BishOpin a cold perspiration
| one hundred and INVENTIVE children
| and twenty more wives! It is to much.
It is awful?' andthe Bishop satdown and
groaned, while the late Mrs. Brown, the
bride, stood around in a semi-circle and
famed him with her bonnets, all
except the red-haired one, and she, in
her frepidation, made a futile effort to
fan him with the coal scuttle.
But after a while the bishop became
recOnciTed to his new alliance, knowing
we'll that protests wOuldbe unavailing
so he walked home, holding as many of
the little hands of the bride as he could
conveniently grasp in his, while hered-
| haired woman carried his umbrella, and
marched in front of the parade to re-
move Instructions and to scare off
small boys.
When the bishop reached the house,
he went around amongthe cradles which
filled the back parlOr and the two sec
0nd-stOry rooms, and attempted with
such ~earnestness to become acquainted
with 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 in the chorus. Then the bishop
went out and sat on the garden fence to
whittle a stick and solemly think, while
Mrs. Potts distributed herself around
in twenty-three places and sOOthed the
children. It occurred to the bishop
while he.mused, out there on the fence,
that he hadnot enough mouth organs tC
go aroundamOng the children asthe fam
lily now stood ; and so, rather than seem
partial, he determined to go back tC
San Francisco for one hundred and for
ty-fOur more. g.
So the RishOp packs his carpet-bae
and began again to bid farewell to his
family. He tenderly kissed all of Mrs
Potts who were at home, and started
for the depot,'while Mrs. Potts stood al
the various windows and waved he1
handkerchiefs at him-a1l EXCEPT the
woman with the warm hair, and she
in a fit of Observation-Disclosures, held one
of the twins by the, leg, and brandished
it at Potts as he fed down the street.
The bishop reached San Francisco
completed his purchases, and was JUS
about to get on the train with his one
hundred and ~forty-f0ur mouth organs
when a telegram was handed him. L
contained the information to the effiec1
that the Authenticated Mrs. Potts haG
inst had a daughter. This induced the
Bishop to return to the city for the pur.
pose of purchasing an additional organ
On the following Saturday hereturnei
home. As he approached his house, {
swarm of young children flew out O.
the front gate and RAJ toward him, anC
shouting: "There's pa! Here comes pa
Oh, pa, but we're gladto see you! Hnr,
rah for pan etc., etc.
The Bishop looked at the children as
they fecked around him and chung to
his legs and coat, and was as~tonishedtc
the1ateB Browns. Hesaid: "You young,
sters have made a mistake: I am mo-
your father" and the Bishop smiled
good-naturedly.
sob, yes you are, thought screamed
| the little ones in chnTus
"But / say I'm not" said the Bishop
severely, and froWning; ''yOu ought tc
be ashamed of yourselves. Don't vol
know where the little stnrv-tellnrs 90