The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1878-11-20
Mrs. Browns husbands.

Mrs. Browns Husbands.sS
Max Adeler In New York Weeks.
e. MA 1iiis, the minister. WIS stranger
in the town, and when he was called nm
on to visit Mrs, Brown. who had Jus. lost
her husband, and to console her. he vent
around - see Deacon Wilt, so that he
could post himself about the situation,
~ understand you to say" said Mr..
Mills, "that Mrs. Brown has been married
three times2-or was it four?r. r.
81 say" replied the deacon, "that She
was Mr.. Browns third wife, while he
was her fifth husband. But she was the
fourth wife of her second husband and
the second wife OF her first, SO that
she--'
"Let me see," said the parson, s'the
second wife of her first and the-well.
then, three and five are eight, ands four
are twelve, and TIVE are fourteen-if I
get the hang of the thing. Mrs. Brown
has been married fourteen times, and
Mr.. Brown was her '1@
"No you don't understand Brown
was only her fifth husband."
''hh, her fifth. But you said she was
the fourth wife Of her second husband.
and she had three more, so tbat-four
ana three are seyen--she must have had
seven husbands, and where are the; other
two?n
'Why, don't you see4 Her second
husband was married three times, before
he met her. She had been married.
How could size be married only once
before she met him, and VIXEN she mar
RED him she was his fourth wife. SO that
while be had had four wives, she s'had
only" > q 81
"Is this Brown you are speaking of"
mo, no! Brown IVES her fifth. He had
been married twice before.
''Her second husband had9"
i mean Brown, of course. Let me e1-
plain. Mrs. Brown, say, married John,
Thomas, Jacob, William, and Henry,
Thomas married Lulu, Mary Hannah and
Susafl--" = ,tE.+ 49, 49,
Before he married Mrs. Brown OF
after?" -.'.% ...
"Before. Well, then Brown married
Emma and Matilda, and John married
Agnes. Agnes died and John married
Mrs. Brown. Then John died and Lula.
Mary, Hannah, and Susan died, and then
Thomas married Mrs. Brown Then
Jacob died and Williams wife died, and
William annexed Mrs. Brown. When
William died Emma and Matilda died,
and then Brown married Mrs. Brown,
Everybody came to Mrs., aBrown,s Jou
seer'
II see, said Mrs. Mills. 81 thinksI
grasp the facts. I'll 60 right around to
see her,"
hrs. Brown was at home. And sfter
abiding to the weather and one Of two
other topics, Mr.. Mills said;
Il deeply gIieved, Mrs. Brown, toIhear
OF your bereavemnt. It must be Every.
very terrible, even for a person who's so
used to it." p. :
$50 IS used to it! What do youA bean,
"Wfy, I merely meant to suggest that
experience cannot reconcile US to these
Affections. But there is this consols ton,
d:ar madam-time dulls the edgeof our
bitterest grief. You wept for John. SIS
you could not be comforted; but you see
yOu-" -. u ~ ~s x
John! I do not understand you, sir"
"You wept for John, out Thomas came.
When Thomas was taken you thought
yourself utterly inconsolsble; but there
was Jacob-he brought new joy.
When Jacob was waited to better land
your heart was nearly broken, but VII
liam healed its wounds; and when VIII
liam dritted off into the unknown, Henry
assuaged your grief. Perhaps there are
other Henrys, Williams, and Thomsses
to whom this blessed duty will fall again.
Perhaps - ---- stFt. Z
You are talking very strangely, sir"
said Mrs. Brown. 7-~-----
"Oh, no; merely say that now that
John, and Thomas, and Jacob, and VIII
liam, and Henry have been called away
to join Susan, and Hannah, and Agnes,
and Matilda, and Emma, and Lulu. and
Mary, and the rest, there is some hope
taat-that-Why Mrs. Brown, whatson
earth is the mattera' sszsS2
Mrs. Brown flew out 81 the room with
out replying, and Mr.. Mills, filed with
amazement, went around to ask Deacon
Wilt to explain the MYSTERY.
II was merely telling her, he. said,
.sthat Brown had followed John, and
Thomas, and Matilda, and the others in
to better world, when She" vEE~.
"Good gracious!" Shrieked the Deacon;
you didn't allude to her dead husbands
and their wives by those names, did yous'
sOf course. You said that"
sob, thunder, man! Why, thoseiwere
only imaginary names, that I used by
way of illustration. Browns first name
was Alcibadies. No wonder she was
mad"
Mr.. Mills groaned and went home in
dismay. And now Mrs. Brown has left
his church and gone over to the Episco-
ipalisns. Sheis to be married: soon, they