Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1907-04-04


first time since they had been married |
lon the forehead.
Christina would now be left aloae |
with the cares OF the house, anS he |
knew he ought to have some one to |
help her. The fever OF sacrifice was
also upon him. And so he found an
other derelict, TO whom he was sealed |
forever.
At a time OF more calmness he
might have baked at this one. She
was a cross, TO be sure, and II was
now his part In life to bear crosses.
But there were plenty OF these, and
even one vowed to a life OF sacrifice.
he suspected, need not grossly abuse
the powers OF discrimination with
which Heaven had seen fit to endow
him. But he had lately been on the
verge of seething maelstrom. balanc-
Ing there with unholy desire and
wickedly looking far down. and the
need to atone for this sin excited him
TO indlscretlons.
II was not that this star in his
crown was In her late thirties and less
than lovely. lie had learned, indeed,
that In the game which. for the chas.
tening OF his soul. he now played with
the Devil II were best to choose stars
whose charms could excite to little but
conduct Of a saintllke seemliness. The
fat, dumpy figure OF this woman,
therefore, and her round, fat, moon.
like face, her mouse-colored wisps of
1 hail. - "a -.
her neck, we're points of a merit that
was in its whole effect nothing less
than distinguished.
But she talked. Her tones played
with the constancy OF an everything
fountain. Artlessly she lost herself In
the sound of their mulic, until she
also lost her sense of proportion. OF
light and shade, OF simple, Christian
charity. Her name was Lorena Sears,
and she had come in with one Of the
late trains of converts, without friends.
relatives. or means, with nothing but
her natural gifts and an abiding faith
In the saving powers of the new dis
pensation. And though she was so
alive in her faith, rarely informed in
the Scriptures. bubbllng with enthu.
siasm for the new covenant, the new
Zion, and the second coming of the
Messiah, there had seemed to be no
place for her She had not been asked
in marriage. nor had she found II
easy TO secure work TO support her.
self
She's strong" said Brigham, to his
inquiring Elder, "and n good worker,
but even Brother Heber Kimball
wouldn't marry her; and between you
and me. Brother Joel, / never knew
Heber TO shy before at anything that
would work. You can see that your.
self. by looking over his household
But, after the needtul preIiminaries.
and very little COY hesitation on the
part of the lady. Lorena Sears. spin.
ster native of Elyria Ohio, was duly
sealed to. for time and eternity, and
became star forever in the crown oi
Joel Rae. Elder after the Order OF
Melchisedek in the Church OF Jesus
Christ OF Latter.day Saints and Presi.
dent of the AMAZON Stake of Zion.
In the hustle of the start south there
were. of necessity, moments in which
the crowns new star could not talk;
but these blessed respltes were at an
end when at last they came TO the
open road.
At first, as her speech flowed on. he
looked sidelong at her in a trouble Of
fear and wonder; then, at length. alb.
sently, trying to put his mind else
where and to leave her voice as the
muted murmur of n distant torrent
He succeeded fairly we'll In this. for
Lorena combined admirably In herself
the parts OF speaker and listener. and
was not, he thankfully noted, watch
full OF his attention.
He was called back by the stopping
of her voice, but she had TO repeat heI
question before he understood IT, The
Devil tempted him In that moment
He was on the point Of answering
Because she talked too much" but
instead he climbed out of the wagon
|, to walk. lie walked most OF the 300
miles in the next ten days.
But he had taken up new cross
and he had his reward. The first
> night after they reached home he tool
. the little Bible from its hiding place
and opened 1t with trembling hands
The stain was there. red in the can
delight. But the cries no longer rams
! in his ears as on that other nigh
:, when he had been sinful before tbs
I. page. And he was glad. knowing tha
. the self within him had again been pu
p. down.