The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-06-07
from the New York Commercial ]
A Story from Utah.

| George Alfred Townsend writes this from
Salt Lake City to the Chicago Tribune:
ga Mormon, whom we will call Brother
| Nchi Gibbons, took wife at the blooming
age of %. He was pious and industrious,
and seemed to be perfectly satisfied with his
| bride, whose name was unfortunate for Il
heroine, being plain Mary Aun. She was
| the best of wives. and she sang in the choir,
bore Nehi Il child, and helped TO cultivate
his vine and tig tree. Their apricots and
pear trees grew and flourished, their cattle
and sheep increased, and nothing seemed
| wanting in this comfortable establishment,
| which was the envy OF every youthful saint.
! Still. there was Il skeleton in the closet.
| Mary Ann had secret and Il passion. She
wanted Nehi to take second wife! This
| was not only because he was Il good and
| true man, and devoted and able. bodied,
| but because she had set her mind upon the
other wife he was to take. Mary Ann
wanted to provide for her bosom friend,
Susan, who was III every way deserving OF
Nehi's affection, and who loved Nehi rs
purely and as really as Mary Ann herself
They had conferred together about it.
Mary Ann, who could not be happy where
Susan was not-cven ut Nehis Sidc-had
broken the subject to Susan. and her clear
est suspicious were confirmed by the secret
disclosure that both the ladies loved the
same saint. Far from feeling indignant at
this frank and forward confidence, Nch's
wife received it with delight. She gave her
maiden friend every assurance that their
mutual choice was worthy of their united
ambition, and they set to work to compel
Nehi to accept another Mrs. Gibbons.
1t being unseemly for Susan to do more
than put herself as frequently as possible
in MIR. Gibbons's way, the plos ripcncd
slowly, and on comforting with one of the
bishops OF the Church, he recommended
both ladies to make the consummation 4
subject Of prayer. They lifted up their
hearts together that it might be revealed TO
Nehi what good gifts he was sneglecting, but
Nehi hardened his heart, and refused to eX-
tend his table-cloth. lie was as yet lgno-
rant of the new helpmate intended for him,
but on the suggestion Of Mrs. Gibbons that
he was not clarifying his manhood and bis
family, he said that Il pair was enough, and
that he had no wish to marry. Under these
circumstances little extreme diplomacy
was adiudged necessary, and Mrs. Gibbons,
to compel marriage, declared that her
household work was too Onerols, and finally
affected to he grievously i'll. Nehi Gibbons,
unable TO resist this description of appeal,
obeyed the desire of his wife, Mary Ann,
but the woman he married-was not Susan.
He was too blind to guess the person in
tended, and he married an entirely different
woman.
Grave complications ensued upon this
precipitate action of Nehi Gibbons. The
peace OF his family was disturbed, and none
the less because, after the usual period, the
second Mrs. Gibbons had baby. Mary
Ann, redoubling her efforts. met with no
other success than that MIR. Gibbons took a
third wife, and this time, also, it failed to he
Susan. The third effort was more directly
made, and with less diplomacy, Mrs. Glib.
bons the first, suggesting expressly that her
choice was her bosom friend and the power
of candor was never so we'll attested rs on
this occasion, for MIR. Gibbons answered:
.'Hud | thought Susan would have ac-
cepted me, my dear Mary Ann, should
have made her my wife before proposed
to you'll" ....s.1. ........ >.as...
Thus. piety and patience were crowned,
friendship was rewarded, and Susan and
Mary Ann, being lovely i'll life, in wedlock
were not divided.