Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-10-20

q N# lfi1 i3ADSSA al y suIuS que
W. chose in that little
Georgia town. She
- Z i@ could have married
any man not already married, from
the blacksmith up to the Justice OF
the Peace himself. 1850
But she chose to throw herself
away. When the PROSECUTING elder
of the Later-Day Saints left the town
with his three converts, Alicia among
them, the people arose in their might
and talked Of running after him and
hanging him to the most convenient
tree. 9'@ '''l
1t was terrible, they said, that a
poor gil like she, with no parents
to look after her, should embrace
such an AWFUL religion as Mormonism.
They talked a good deal about the
matter. That is the way they arose
in their nigh. " --
And so Alicia, firm to her new
found faith, was taken across the
plains in an emigrant train to Salt
Lake. A- '-'''. "
A cattleman named Nephi Hearn,
who could quote verses from the
Book of Mormon by the yard. came
up from Arizona and met her at the
elders house. He saw that she was
fresh-cheeked, large-eyed and black
haired, and he began forthwith to
make love to her.
Now, love and all that we're a part
of Alicia's programme, il, indeed she
had any programme at all. She had
gone to the land of the saints with
her precious noddle full of the beau.
ties of the doctrines of Joe Smith,
but when the Brigamite part of the
religion-the marrying and the Civ
ing in marriage-she hesitated.
Perfect simplicity of faith shone
from her eyes when she faced the
music, or rather, the big, ugly man
before her. s..s --.-,
The bishop told her she must mar
ry Hearn, and Of course she married
him. 40 $685..
After they had gone through the
Endowment House, and taken all
obligations" he carted her over
300 miles ofalkali desert and sandy
wastes 10 his ranch in Stone jug
Valley, which is in Central Arizona.
Alicia did not like this journey,
The cart had a canvass cover that
shaded her head, but the heat beat
up from the ground like the heat
from burning Gomarrah, and her
pretty cheeks became tanned and
pink. ae o,ir.,-.,.f.f
5a They looked all the prettier for
that, but she did not like to feel of
them. .,- ~-~, -,4,
And this big man who married
her-who was lie and where was he
taking her to !? ,... ~,.
u All, well, one must have faith. The
saints all have their trials. The man
was doubtless a good man. The
Bishop had said SO. He would care
for her. sft,a .-,
She would love him, after a time,
perhaps, and, if not, there was the
book to read and the hymns to sing
and the prayers to repeat.
It was well with her soul. What
mattered the rest2 - -, s
At Stone Jug Ranch Hearn intro
duced her to his two other wives.
His other wiyesi It made her
cheek fame and her eyes FASH. Here
was something Of which she had, not
before been made aware of.
But even had someone at the first
bluntly told her that she had gone
among a polygamous people she
would have been none the wiser.
/ Polygamy meant no more to her
than did polytheism or polariza-
tion.. .g..~oa L..
Of course it was all hoax. Still,
if it were, il seemed strange that
Hearn and the two women should
carry themselves SO grimlyo The
women we're ugly and jealousy made
them uglier still Their faces were
brown. with it.
She doubted and doubted. But
when Hearn was away the women
took pains to explain everything to
her. They threw light on several
shady chapters In the Book. They
repeated passages from the,sernons
of the dead and gone Brigham.
she saw, and, seeing, shook
with the rage that was in her.. She
was destined to see other proofs, but
of these we will not inquire. 1t was
oro,,r~t, > IS Cg>, x,r.~sxt 1s,-.