The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1876-06-22
MR.. POTTS LOOKING FOR A LIGHT.
One night during the recent troubles

Ouo ulSub utiIiuS tllc IcCSHb tiOuDiOo
in the Pennsylvania coal regions Judge
Potts brother, Thomas Potts, was round
at meeting of the mine owners, and
after the adjournment he stopped into
the tavern. While there he met some
friends, and in the course Of an hour or
two he got very intoxicated. On his
, way home he lost his hat, and miner,
who knew him, feeling compassion for
him, clapped on his head miners hat ;
and, in order to make the dark street
look brighter, he lighted the lamp in
front of the hat. When Potts reached
the house his wife had gone to bed, and
the lights were out but Potts felt GER
tain the lamp was burning in the hall,
but he couldn't for the life of him tell
where it was.
He looked at the regular lamp and it
seemed to be out then hunted il. every
direction for the light. but he was unable
to find it, although it. seemed to shine
brightly wherever he went. Presently
he Happened to stop in front of the mir
ror in the hat rack, and then he saw
precisely where the light was. After a
brief objurgation upon Mrs. Potts fcr
leaving light in such place, he went
up to the mirror and tried to blow it out.
He blew and blew, but somehow the
fame burned as steady as before.
''That," said Potts, sis the most ex-
traord nary lamps ever been my misfor-
tune t'encounter.
Then he took off his coat, and holding
it up in front of him, crept cautiously
up to the mirror, and tried to crush the
coat over the lamp, which still burned
brightly. He said
''That's cer'inly very extra 'nory! MOI
'stonishin' circumstanK ever come un' er
my observation. Don'o how to count
for it p
1t occurred to him that perhaps he
might smash the lamp with an umbrella.
Selling the weapon, he went up to the
hat, and, aiming terrible blow at the
light, he brought the umbrella down.
He missed, and smashed his Sunday hat
into chaos. He took aim again, and
caught the umbrella in the lamp over
head, bringing it down with crash
Then he tried third time, and plunged
the ferule of the umbrella through the
mirror, smashing it into atoms. He felt
exuitant for moment, as the light dis
appeared from his vision, but he was
perplexed to find that there was another
light somewhere, he did not know ex-
actly where. So he sat down on the
stairs and remarked
''Moz' 'stonishin' circumstanz ever
come un'er my observation. Whaten
thunder doz it mean anyhow Lights
gone an vets shinin' ! Perfectly in
comprehensive Wish to gracious Mrs.
Potts'd wake up an 'splain it. Durn f
1 know what had better do?
Then Potts took off his hat to scratch
his head, in the hope that he might
scare up an idea, and the truth flashed
upon him. Gazing at the lamp for a
moment, until he drank in full con-
ception of the trouble it had caused him
he suddenly smashed it down on the
floor in rage, and extinguished it after
covering two yards of carpet with grease.
Then he went to bed, and in the morn
ing Mrs. Potts informed him one of
those horrible miners had broken into
the house the night before, and left one
of their hats with a lamp. Potts turned
over in bed so that she could not see
his face, and said if the stern hand of
the law wasn't laid upon those ruffians
soon, nobody's life would be safe.