St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1885-12-31
A YANKEE SCHOOL TEACHER IN
UTAH.


Lehigh is town a few miles south
of Salt Lake City. l reached it late
one cold Friday afternoon in Deem
Der, and when | alighted at the station
asked small boy who was standing
near if he would direct me to the
hotel.
"HOtel There amt no hotel in this
town."
''Where do people go who want to
stop in Lehigh over night 2"
"They go to the Bishops house over
there"
The Bishops house A Mormon
Bishop, and l a Yankee school teacher
sent out as a missionary from the Epis-
copal church But there was no help
for it, as | must have shelter for the
night; so l crossed the road and
knocked boldly at the door. 1t was
opened by the Bishops wife, tall
thin, careworn woman, who eyed me
sharply.
"Can l stay here all night p l asked;
81 have Just come to Lehigh on the
train"
"WhO be yOu?"
told her my name, and added that
that portion of our country being less
obnoxious to these people than the
Eastern States.
"Be you Gentle 2" she inquired,
after another sharp look at me.
81 am not Jew, that's certain" l
said, laughingly. $50 1 suppose L
must be a Gentile."I
'The Bishop don't allow Gentiles
in this town. They never set foot
here. But you can come in if you
want to-"
was surprised at the end of her
sentence, which bore no resemblance
to the beginning, and gladly accepted
the rather equivOcal invitation.
The room which entered was small
and poor, used for parlOr, dining rOOm
and general sitting-rOOm. In the apart
ment beyond | heard the click of a
sewing machine and the sound of girls
voices.
"What dye come to Lehigh for p
Mrs. Evans inquired, still cycling me
with immense curiosity.
81 came here to open a school,"
said.
GA school! What sort of school ~
ga school for all the boys and girls
that want to come. Haven't you daugh-
tiers that you would like to send ?"
She ignored the last question and
faced me with her arms akimbO.
"What be you going to charger"
"Nothing."
"NOthing! That's queer way to
keep school. Guess you'll get tired
of it soon enough"
A long pause followed, during which
she seemed to be studying me and
growing more and more perplexed. AT
last she shot at me this question:
''Be you Presbyterian %
ono"
ga MethOdy ?"
"NO."
She turned around abruptly and
flung open the door of the next room,
where heard the sewing machine.
"Girls, come out here. Here's a
woman, an she's young an she's goin'
to keep a school, an you can all go, an
she amt a Presbyterian or a Metho-
dyw
1t is impossible to express the vigor
of her tones as she announced these
separate facts, each one seeming
equally surprising to her.
The girls crowded around me-such
a number of them
care all these your daughters 2" l
inquired, though | felt that it could
not be possible.
sob, no. They are Matilda's, and
James, and LOreny,s and Martha AIMS"
"And who is Matilda. and Jane, and
LOreny and Martha Ann p
'EThe Bishops families" and she set
her teeth hard and turned away from
me.
| found afterward that no first wife
of a Mormon ever speaks of the other
women who are "sealed" to her hus-
band as his wives. They are always
families"
L noticed a small organ in the back
room, standing opposite to the sewing
machine.
"Do you play ?" asked.
They all shook their heads rather
sadly. learned that the organ was
to them a great and awful mystery. 1t
had never been opened since it was
brought into the house some months
before, taken by the Bishop in part
payment of a debt. There was man
who could play an organ. Evidently
they felt the greatest admiration for
the man at the station.
In packing my trunk that morning,
l had accidently left out little sing
ing book, and at the last minute tuck
ed it into my satchel. l was thankful
that had it within my reach. | sat
down and played and sang to them.
As | went on from one piece to anoth-
er, they grew more n-mouthed and
wider-eyed.
GLOW many tunes do you know 2"
one of them asked at last.
| laughed as | told them l knew
good many.
"Never counted 'em 7"
"NO; | never counted them.n
The man at the station, they inform
ed me, only knew six. 1t was plain
that my musical reputation was al
ready far ahead of that acquired by
the man at the station.
When | went to bed that night the
Bishop had not returned. AS | ap-
preached the dining room the next
morning | heard a gruff bass voice
growing, with jerk on each word,
''Put her out put her OUT l natur-
ally supposed some sort of wild ami
NAL had entered the house, and hest
tated an instant before opening the
door. ga Gentle woman-all night
in this house A Gentle woman You
put her out Put her out ~
l opened the door then and walked
into the little room. The Bishop stood
in the middle of it in perfect fury.
"Good morning, sir" said, as pleas
antly as | could.