Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1885-10-17
A YANKEE SCHOOL TEACH.
Err IN UTAH. N

combef ana when / alighted At the
station asked q 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 60 who want to
stop In Lehigh over night?"
"They go to the Bishops house over
there"
The Bishops house! A Mormon
Bishop. and I a Yankee school teacher
sent out rs q missionary from the Epis-
copal church! But there was. no helm
for it, rs I must have shelter for the
night; so I crossed the road and
Knocked. boldly at the door. It was
opened by the Bishops wife, a tall.
thin, careworn woman, who eyed me
sharply.
"CanI stay here all nightp" asked;
II have just come to Lehigh on the
train"
who b yon?"
told her my name, and added that
! had lived part of my life in Louisiana,
that portion of u country being less
obnoxious to these people than the
Eastern States.
''Be you a Gentilcp" she inquired,
after another sharp look at me.
Il am not 81 jew. that's certain" l
said laughingly. $50 ! suppose l must
''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 SEN
tencc, which bore no resemblance to
the beginning. and gladly accepted the
rather equivocal invitation.
The room which I entered was small
and poor. used for parlor. dining-room
and general sitting-room. In the apart
ment :,eyond ] heard the click Of u sew
ing-mAchine and the sound of girls
voices.
:What dye come to Lehigh forp"
Mrs. Evans inquired, still cycling me
with immense curiosity.
II CAM here to open a school," I
said.
"A school! What sort Of a SCHOOL,"
"A school for all the boys and girls
that want to come. Haven't YOU
daughters that you would like to
sendp"
She ignored the last question and
faced me with her AIMS akimbn.
What be YOU going to char.
Nothing"
Nothing! That's a queer w;;y to
keep a school. Guess you'i. 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 questions:
BE you a Presbyterian"
"No."
IA Methodya"
"No."
She turned around abruptly and
flung open the door Of the next room.
whore | had heard tue sewing machine.
"Girls, come out here. Hefe,s .
woman, an she's young an she's goin'
to keep q school, an you can all go,
an she amt a Presbyterian or a
Methody!"
1t Is impossible to express the vigor
of her tones as she announced these
separate facts, each one seeming equal.
ly surprising to her.
The girls crowded around me-such
. number of them!
"Are all these your daughters7" /
inquired. though t felt that it could
not be possible.
.'Oh, no. They arc Matilda's, and
James. and Loreny and Martha
Anna"
''And who is Matilda, and Jane, and
Loreny and Martha AnnP"
1.-The Bishops families" and she set
her teeth hard and turned away from
me.
found afterward that NO FIRST wife
of q Mormon ever speaks of the other
women who are .'sealed" to her hus-
band a his wives" They are always
families"
l noticed . small organ in the back
room, standing opposite to the sewing
machine.
do you playP" l asked.
They all shook their heads rather
sadly. l learned that the organ was
to them . great and awful mystery. It
had, never been opened since it was
brought into the house some months BE-
fore. taken by the Bishop iu part pay
ment of a debt. There was u man at
the railroad station. they told me. who
could play an organ. Evidently they
felt the greatest admiration for the
man at the station.
In packing my trunk that morning, I
had accidentally left out q little sing
ing-book, and ut the last minute tucked
it into my satchel. 1 was thankful
that I had it within reach. I sat down
to the organ and played and sang to
them. As l went on from one piece to
another, they grew more open
mouthed and wider-eyed.
"How many tunes do you knowp"
one of them asked ut last.
laughed as l told them I knew q
good many.
''Never counted emf"
'.No; l never counted them"
The man at tho station. they in
formed me, only knew six. 1t was
plain that my musical reputation was
already far ahead of that acquired by
the man at tue station.
When l went to bed that night the
Bishop had not returned. As l ap.
preached the dining-room the next
morning l heard a gruff bass voice
growing, with a jerk on each word,
'Put her out! put her QUIT! l naturally
supposed some sort of wild animal had
entered the house, and iicsitated an in
slant before opening the door. "A
Gentle woman-all night-in this
house! A Gentle woman!. You put her
out! Put her out!'
Iopened the door then and walked
into the little room. The Bishop stood
in the middle Of it, in a perfect fury.
Good morning, sir" said, as
nloo.onf1v NO I nn,,IA