The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1881-05-04

Mormon marriages: Some months since
| Mr.. r. brought the beautiful Miss Finnell
| home to be our neighbour plural Mrs. r.
| To my surprise / was the recipient of an
| invitation to attend the supper given in
| celebration of this event. Mrs. r. the
first received me kindly, for away down
| deep in her life this woman and have
qualities in kinship. We sat down to
| supper at O'Clock. Mr.. r. and his first
| wife sat at opposite ends of the table.
The new Mrs r. sat by "Sister Julia"
had
THE POST OF HONOR
at the right of the bridegroom. This new
| kind of Benedict wore an almost sheepish
air and was i'll at ease throughout 1t
dawned upon me at last that my presence on
such an occasion was reproach to me. l
was more than ashamed of my own stupid
ity in Welding to what appeared so plainly
| as a most vulgar curiosity In such mood
! il was of course difficult to be amiable
| and as the best substitute for that amiabil-
| ity due from guest at marriage feast,
| tried to be witty. Suffice it to say, we sue
ceeded in singing each other like nest of
angry hornests, and nothing but our good
breeding prevented an open quarrel We
animals fed at that supper with something
of the snappishness attributable to feasting
wolves.
THAT ACCOUNTING SUPPER OVER
we stood around the bright fire in the cosev
little sitting room Mr.. r. had plan
ned to take his bride to the theatre,
and so preparations in the way of gloves, |
cloaks and bon1ets began. The late Miss |
Finnel was soon toileted for the opera in
most fashionable attire, Mrs. R,-my friend
stood half reclining against the piano. |
ITa haI Silent for n To
relieve the embarrassment taking posses |
sion of us, I said: Mrs. r., it almost |
makes one wish to be a bride again "
Mr. r, laughed accommodatingly just |
then Mr.. r, placed his arm gently around |
the slender waist of his new bride folding
her handsome opera-cloak close to her |
form and drew her towards him. She |
responded to this caress by a tender up |
ward glace of her beautiful eyes. Then
looked toward my friend, to find her face
PALLID AS DEATH,
while a look of agonizing endurance |
mingled with devilish malignity, almost |
froze my blood. I had said aloud in actual |
surprise before turning tOwarns her, 'tAs
l live he actually loves this girl~ Mrs.
Rs. look met mine squarely. The fact
told me all. No lies, now, with ready
lips, at the bidding of fealty to religion.
claimed the system damned. A woman's
natural love rose grandly in the awful de
nunciation of those fierce eyes A great
throb of pity filled my own woman's heart.
| saw all the torture and the noble rage
Of self-restraint. l stepped towards her,
as if to hold her in pity to my heart. My
Mormon ladyfried took me by the arm with
almost rude force, and whispered warn
ingly, Mrs. c., for Gods sake, remember
where you are" | did remember, and,
discounted, returned to my place near the
mantle. Amid this furry the bridal party
took their departure. We women were
A SILENT PARTY
at first. Mrs. r. still stood leaning on the
piano with her look bent upon me almost
resentfully. you don't think yourself
called upon to pity me, Mrs. c." she said,
with an almost quarrelsome tone.
4 do pity you, Mrs R., and I have
You think me jealous of my new sis
ter, them"
Mrs. R., we are both proud women.
We only need to look into our own hearts :
to learn what a real woman must feel I'M ,
der the ordeal through which you are pass
ing
Il am not jealous, Mrs. C. Not only
am | not jealous, but happy in this new
love of my husband. Our faith teaches US
to love these sisters in marriage as our own
flesh. This marriage is not an estrange
ment of my husbands love as it would be
i'll an unsanctifed Gentle, but remarriage
to myself. In this marriage / live over ,
again my own espousal, my own bridal,
and renew again the first sweets of married
love-"
We were all decidedly uncomfortable,
and our two lady companions took their ,
leave together. But my impulse of pity
had not been lost, and without a word hav-
ing been spoken between us after our
friends had retired she sank into chair
and. covering her face with her hands, cried t
out in bitterness, ooh! Mrs. c., {
AM MOST wRETCHED.
Between me and any celestial lights, or any {
glory or peace or consolation in this life or S
IN the world to come there stands that {
Between me and all the light of
my religion stands that woman. This girls
face is hateful to me; that my husband
should love one for her mere beauty alone!
My imagination cannot be held back from
all the soul-torturing, crucifying things !
which follow in the train of this marriage.
The box at the theatre holds tonight a
man, wife-not more. There are the gentle
pressure of hands the chances of loving :
eyes, the blending of lines into one destiny
N this life, the first exquisite rapture of {
which cheats itself with the
lelusion that capital stock of love has
been laid in sufficient to draw upon for life.
Beyond these rise in spite of all pretense
If spirituality the bridal bed, the cradle,
he child in whose veins there can be the
life current of but one father I
md one mother. All these things one man
AN have only with any woman in marri
lge. No. Mrs c., marriage to one woman
a man to all other women, or
here is no marriage" There was no ans
yer; l offered none, but kissing her cold
orehead, left her alone with her desolate
orrow. {