The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1904-09-16
MRS.
BROWNS
HUSBANDS.
N~~~~~~~-~>es
BY MAX kDELER.

Q MI Q town. and he was just
N called upon to visit Mrs.
ToR Brown. who had lost her
husband, and to console her, he went
around to see Deacon wilt. 30 that he
could post himself about the situation.
81 understand you TO say" said Mr..
Mills. that Mrs. Brown has been mar.
rled three timesY or was It fourT"
Il say" replied the deacon, that
she was Mr. Browns third wife, while
he was her NTH husband. But she
was the fourth wife OF her second hus
band. and the second wife OF her first.
80 that She"
Let me sec.' said the parson, "the
second wife OF her first and the-well,
then, three and five are eight and four
are twelve, and two are fourteenth
! get the hang Of the thing. Mrs. Brown
has been married fourteen times. and
Mr.. Brown was her"
"No, you don't understand. Brown
was only her fifth husband"
"Oh. her fifth. But you said she was
the fourth wife OF her second husband
and she had three more. so that-four
and three are seven-she must have
had seven husbands, and where are the
other twoT'
"Why, don't you see? Her second
husband was married three times be-
fore he met her. She had been married
once"
How could she be married only
once when he was her second hus.
bandT
"only once before she met him. and
when she married him she was his
fourth wife, so that viii. he had had
four wives, she had had only"
as this Brown you are speaking
mo, mol Brown was her nfth. He
had been married twice before"
'Her second Brown hadf"
81 mean Brown, OF course. Let me
explain. Mrs. Brown, say. married
John, Thomas, Jacob, William and
Henry, Thomas married Lulu. Mary.
Hannah and Susan"
Before he married Mrs. Brown or
nfterY
Before. Wen, then. Brow. married
Emma and Matilda, and John married
Agnes. Agnes died. and John married
Mrs. Brown. Then John died and
Lulu, Mary, Hannah and Susan died,
and then Thomas married Mrs. Brown.
Then Thomas died. Jacobs wife died
md Williams wife died. and William
annexed ilrs. Brown. When William
died, Emma and Matilda died, ana
then Brown married Mrs. Brown.
Everybody crme to Mrs. Brown. you
sect!
81 see" said Mr.. Mills. 81 think
grasp the facts. I'll so right around to
see her"
Mrs. Brown was at home. And after
nlludlng TO the weather and one or two
other topics. Mr. Mills said:
81 am deeply grleved, Mrs Brown,
to hear Of your bereavement. II must
be very. very terrible, even for a per.
son who is so used to It,"
$50 used to IT, What do you mean,
slr?"
why, l merely meant TO suggest
that experience cannot reconcile us to
these Affections. But there is this
consolation. dear madam-tlme dulls
the edge OF our bltterest grief. You
wept for John as II you could not be
comforted; but you see you"
John! do not understand you,
sir"
'You wept for John, but Thomas
came. When Thomas was taken you
thought yourself utterly inconsolable:
but there was JacOb-he brought new
Joy. When Jacob was waited to a
better land your heart was nearly
broken, but William healed its wounds;
and when William drlfted of into
the unknown, Henry assuaged your
grief. Perhaps there are other Henrys.
Williams and Thomases to whom this
blessed duty win fall again. Per
haps-"
"You are talking very strangely, sir"
said Mrs. Brown.
"oh, no. / merely say that now that
John, and Thomas. and Jacob, and
William 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 that-that-Why. Mrs.
Brown, what on earth is the matterT