The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1884-03-13

about, as such ouSy women will when
idle in camp. that the Mormon elder tc
whom she was sealed had never quite
got possession Of her; that her father
even did not know his daughters pre-
tended husband, had never seen him il
fact. But for all that, the girl had beer
married or "sealed" to a Mormon elder
and trouble was going to come of it.
That was why her father was taking her
out OF the country and away to CalitOr-
| MIA, Kissed this garruous and meddle-
some woman; that was why she looked
so sad and seemed so frightened all the
time, continued the gaddiug and garru
lous woman, mNstelously.
Now all IN the world that my father
did on hearing the story Of this beautiful
and terrified girl, was to 90 to her peo-
pie, who We're camped close by our tent,
| and advise, even protest, that they
should take some other route to the re-
mote West than this one that lay by salt
Lake. Surely this was not much Yet
It was enough to put our little sunday
| train in perpetual terror of Judgment
from the DaniteS as we pushed on across
the plains. We did not see this Miss
Lane, the Mormon elders "wte. again
for months. Her father either did not
see fit to be advised, or. which is more
likely found it Impossible then to turn
aside and seek another route, and so
crossed the Missouri, as if il were a sort
of Rubicon, and pushed on ahead As
he had horses aud We only oxen, and
then too. as be travelled on SUNDAYS,
his party had soon left our little Sunday
train long way behind.
And oh what a motley mass of weary
people went stretching away. helpless.
daIed, dying, across the sands toward
the setting sun There were some men
with but single horse to carry their
food and Blankets Some men We're on
foot and alone There was a man and
his wife With d single OK between the
shafts Of a cart. Many men had little
hand-cartS which they pushed or drew
along, sad and silent, as one of their
number fell dead by the way. Some
men had wheelbarrrws Every day we
passed dead cattle, deserted wagons,
carriages, 10y the roadside Every night
by some little stream we camped amid
ucW made graves.
But there vas one conveyance and
one traveller, too, in all This mass Of
moving, struggling. dying humanity. that
was iHdeScIlable. This vehicle was not
a carriage, not a hand cart, not d
barrow II was a long, marrow. thin,
black coffin set on two wheels and push
ed always by a tall, gaunt, and Silent
giant. And if there was anything more
terrible to us children than the mention
Of the Danites, it was tie sight of that
coffin Oh wheels, and the great bony face
ana hollow eyes Of the man Who silent
ana sullen, pushed it along BY and by,
and 10y what means or gradual steps
know not, we began to associate him
with that dreaded order, Maybe it was
because the Mormons had made their
great journey by the adrot use Of bar
rows of all kinds; maybe il was because
he looked, in bis stern and severe
silence. as we thought d DANTE should
look, that We came to suspect him to be
a DANTE. ! do not know only know
that, as that long, slim, black coffin
craWIed along the tawny sand in the sun,
or crept stealthily along in our track as
the moon rose, that great, gaunt, hol-
lowed-eyed, and silent gianu pushing,
plodding on after it, was the most weird,
ghostly, and fascinating sight that ever
froze young blood.
one night it was noticed that this
great, gaunt leaning creature could
hardly reach camp. He was seen to
push his barrow with effort to the bank
OF the stream a quarter OF a mile away
from us, as was his CUSTOM then to
stand a stick under an end of it, Then
he rolled his heavy bag of books and
provisions out Of his singular bed. and
with great effort got in and lay down.
He was evidently very ill, and my father
took me by the hand and Went to see
him at once. AS he came up he reached
OUT his great bony hand, and as it fell
into fathers two hands, he said, II made
my barrow bed like a coffin, sir, because
because have had a emevous disap-
pontment, and fear it may be that
have done wrong in my day, The
monks Of Rome sleep in their coflins for
penance, sir. | am doing penance
And then, you see, it keeps idlers away,
and gives me time to think and to read
books. Books are bread-bread for
body and soul, sir. Sit down, and when
| have little strength | will read You
from the holy book Of Mormon, sir"
copyrighted by c. H. Miller 1851