, 1877-12-29
WEEPING WIDOWS.
ASSERTING THE CLAIMS OF AFFECTION
SECTIONAL GRIEF-MIXED MOURNING.

SECTIONAL GRIEF-MIXED MOURNING.
The widows of Brigham Young are do
ing as well as could be expected, perhaps
but that is not very we'll 1t is customar,
I in civilized nations for the widow to 60 I,
the grave of the departed one at the hou
of sunset, and, shedding few tears an,
arranging the inevitable flowers, to g
away with her handkerchief to her eyes
The widows of MIR. Young adopted thi
beautiful custom as one woman, and
owing TO absence of the police and lacl
of the regulations imperatively necessar,
in the premises, there arose much confu
sion The first to visit the grave oddl,
enough, was the last that was welded I,
the excessive husband. She had hardly
settled herself and begun to ooze wher
there appeared on the melancholy scene
two others, each armed with watering
pot.
"What do You want here = she said t,
the intruders IN low voice, much OBJ
structed by tears. Is not my grie;
sacred from the intrusion of the hollow
world! Depart and leave me with my
dead"
The invaders had been weeping ike
wise ; but the surprise they experienced
drove back the unbidden tear ''Well,
here's ilnpudence :" they SAID. one to
another. - Your dead, indeed ! How
long, pray, had You been married to our
dear husband p
Two happy, happy years. - said the
kneelns widow, sobbing violently. ''And
he was always good to me. My heart is
breaking wish You would 90 away"
" Did you ever hear tke like of this :
said the intruders one to another. "Only
two years and our husband was welded
to us nearly quarter Of a century. And
yet this upstart would drive us away from
this sacred spot-this apprentice would
say that We, who passed the larger part of
our lives with the sweet one WHO has
passed away, have naught which memory
IS bound To respect
s. He was more mine than yours y sad
the hollow voice of woman little dis
tance of He WAS more mine than any
other persons In this world, | tell you
Thirty years ago We plighted our troth,
and there WAS uninterrupted happiness
between us up the hour of his death. L
put the last plaster on that noble breast,
and it WAS this hand that gave HIM the
last spoonful Of paregoric. Stand aside
! and let me weep on his grave
:. Not SD fast :" exclaimed a lady OF
much age and fastness, who had just ap-
peared, barring the onward movement OF
the last speaker with her trembling hand
If there is any question rs to right here,
let my white hairs speak for me. Bear III
mind, you sinful things, the old remark
that age should be permitted TO 90 before
beauty. He was my husband inhisyouth,
| and | cannot forego my rights now that
he has gone Let HE weep first upon hIs
crave, even if you forbid me the sacred
privilege Of remaining there for contmu-
ous Sush.
THAT fat thing = exclaimed a still
older and very tim lady, pushing her way
to the front THAT odious person
| Never never, My dear husband always
hated her. He has told me SD repeated
w." Al pray that this disgusting argu-
ment may cease = said firm bat fine
| voice. My dear husband would not
Ike it. 1t is not respectful Whatever
other affections my dear husband may
have had, il is well known that WAS his
fayorite. As such he told me al his
secrets. Many is the time he has sad
to me, in the confdin5 innocence OF his
| noble nature, Amelia, would that they
were all cone but you Surely 10 lady
will have the hardihood to dehle his
crave with her tears after this Neither
are nor youth as such can have place at
nv dear husbands tomb Stand back, all
of Won. | know my rights. We draw
a veil over the scene that followed. Suffice
it to say that tears, waterin@-pots, bits OF
HAIR and shrieks were painfully consplcu-
Gus. The sacred spot was profaned with
actions which would shame the cnntendlnS
armies Of the East, and peace was restor-
ed only through the vigorous lntercesSlon
of several of the brethren OF the church.
A compromise was effected after few
days. but thus far even that does not
work satisfactorily. The grave WAS dl-
vided into nineteen imaginary sections,
each distinguished by white post little
distance off, marked respectfully, NUM-
ber =" ss \ umber 2" etc. These sections
were sold to the widows at auction, the
receipts to be given to the church vi
cor rse the richest widow got the best sec
ton. and so on down through the list,
and X may well be imagined that the best
feelings of The human heart are thereby
trifled with, though it is impossible to see
how it Is to be avoided. The mourning
GOES on at sunset, but 1t Is not regular
and easy, and the proprletles are often
violated
"Get off of my dress - says number
three. poking her elbow splteiully INTO tie
side Of number five
g Stop stopping your tears over on my
section = exclaims \. Z to No. ~.
"Canrt you cry without musslng my
NOW six all over!7 asks No Is Of No IL.
"Don't make so much noise with youl
baastIy sobbing, 1t sounds like horse
at the watering trougLs. Ylc!onsiy says
another number.
- Good heavens You've smashed my
bonnet ~ shrieks another, cutting hei
Grief in two in the middle. :,
eve as good right here as You have .
;s the return. - It's as much my corpse
; as il is yours, any day "
And so the weeping and mourning e e
on and the solemn sunset IS regarded ~
ors- o Tiah as the signal for smothered
thunder, while great clash Of arms asn,s +
/ oantinnaIIy aDprehended and may come
anv day. No wonder the head OF tne
c chyrcb 81 recently raised his hands in despair
! and sad with a great shndder: There %
with viii he hen no peace TIL these unhappy widow:
, are e married again, and pending that even