The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1894-08-09
CHAPTER III.
The Flower of Utah,

The Flower of Utah.
This is not the place to commemor-
ate the trials and privatiols end lred
| by the immigrant Mormons before they
came to their final haven From the
shores of the Mississippi to the western
slopes of the Rocky mountains they
struggled on with constancy almost
unparalleled in history The savage
man, and the savage beast, hunger,
thirst, fatigue and disease every i'm
pediment which nature could place in
the way, had all been overcome with
Anglo Saxon tenacity. Yet the long
| journey and the accumulated terrors
| had shaken the hearts of the stoutest
among them. There was not one who
did not sink upon his knees in heartfelt
| prayer when they saw the broad val
ley of Utah bathed in The sunlight be-
Meath them. and learned from the lips
of their leader that this was the prom
Used land, and that these virgin acres
were to be theirs for evermore.
Young speedily proved himself to be
a skilful administrator as we'll as a
resolute chief. Maps were drawn and
charts prepared, in which the future
city was sketched out. All around
farms were apportioned and allotted In
| proportion to the standing of each in
| dividual The tradesman was put to
his trade and the artisan to his calling.
In the town streets and squares sprang
up as if by magic. In the country
| there was draining and hedging, plant
| ing and clearing, until the next summer
saw the whole country golden with the
wheat crop. Everything prospered in
the strange settlement Above all the
| great temple, which they had
| erected in the center of the city,
| grew taller and larger, From
the first blush of dawn until the closing
of twilight the elatter of the hammer
and the rasp of the saw never abb
sent from the monument which the
immigrants erected to Him who had
led them safe through many dangers.
The castaways, John Ferrier and
| the little girl who had shared his for
tunes and had been adopted as his
daughter accompanied the MormonS
to the end of their great pilgrimage.
Little Lucy Terrier was borne along
| pleasantly enough in Elder Stanger-
| sons wagon, a retreat which she shaf=
ed with the Mormon's three wives
and with his son, a headstrong, for
ward boy Of twelve, Having rallied,
with the elasticity of childhood, from
the shock caused by her mothers death
she soon became pet with the women
and recOnciled herself to this new life
in her moving canvas-covered home.
| In the meantime Ferrier, having re-
! covered from his privationS, distin-
| gaished himself as a useful guide and
| an indafatigable hunter So rapidly
did he gain the esteem of his new COM
| panions. that when they reached the
end of their wapderings, it was unani=
mously agreed that he should be pro-
vided with as large and as fertile q
| tract of land as any of the settlers,
with the exception of Young himself,
and of stangerson, Kimhall, Johpgon
and Drebber, who were the four pril=
cipal elders.
On the farm thus acquired John Fer
rier built himself a substantial log
house, which received so many addi-
tons i'm succeeding years that it grew
into O roomy villa, He was man of
a practical turn of mind, keen in his
dealings and sdllful with his hands.
His iron constitution enabled him to
work morning and evening at improY=
ing and filling his lands. Hence it
came about that his farm and all that
belonged TO him prospered exceedingly.
Up three years he was better off than
his peigbb9Es, ip six he was well-to-do,
i'll nine he was Fich, and in twelve
there We're not half d0Eei nep in the
whole of Salt Lake City who could eom-
| pare with him. From the great inland
sea to the distant Wahsatch Mountains
fhere was no name better known than
that OF J9I4H FerFier.
There was one way and only one,
in which he offended the SUSCEPTIBLE.
ties of his co-religionists. No apgu.
ment or persuasion could ever induce
| him to set up q female establishment
after lhG manner of his companions.
He never gave REASONS for this persist
ent refusal, but eontentsa himself by
resolutely and inflexibly adhering fq
nus determination. There were some
who accused him Of lukewarmness In
his adopted relgian, and others who
put it down to greed OF wealth and re-
inctaaae to incur expense. Others
again, spoke ri some early loye affair,
and Of q fair-haireq girl who had pined
away on the shores Of the Atlantic.
Whatever the reason, Ferrier remained
strictly celibate. In every ether re.
spect he conformed to the religioR ri
the young settlement, and gained the
name Of being ap orthodox todox and straight
walking nan.
Lucy Ferrier grew aR wilma HE iog
house, and assisted her adopted tathGf
in all his undertakings. The Keen air
OF the mountains and the balsamic odor
Of the pine tpees took the place of nurse
and mother to the young sifi. AS year
succeeded year She grew taHeF ana
stronger, her cheeks more rudy, and
her step more elastic. Many a way.
faper upon the high road which run
! by FeFfieF's farm felt the longforgot
ten thoughts revive In hiq mlnd as he
watched her 1.-THE. giriish figure TIN.
ping through the wheat fields, or met
her mounted upon her fathers mus
kang, and managing it with all the ease
and grace Of a true child of the West
So the bud biOs6iaFa into flower, and
the year which saw her father the
richest of the farmers left her M fail
q specimen of American girlhood as
totilq S1e found in the whole Pacific
slope. 70 ~ -
1t was not the father however, who
first discovered that tlle ehifsF nag DO
veloped into the woman. 1t seldom Il
in such cases. That mysterious change
is too subtle and too gradual to be
Iileasti4ol hy dates. Least of all does
the mafdeh' herselS know 1t until the
, tone of d voice or theifouch 81 Q hand
Sets her heart thrilling within her
and she fearhs, with q mixture o.
Il -. III IL u