The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1907-05-24
CHAPTER V.-Continued.

When they were all on with their
meager belongings he called again to
the man in the wagon.
Brother Keaton, my father went
across, did he?"
Several of the men on shore an
swered him.
Eyes" "Old white-whiskered
death's-head went over the river
over here"-"A sassy old codger he
was"-"He got his needings, too
Got his meetings."
They cast off the line and the oars
began to dip.
The confusion of landing and the
preparations for an immediate start
drove for the time all other thoughts
from his mind. 1t had been deter
mined to get the little band at once
out of the marshy spot where the
camp had been made. The teams were
soon hitched, the wagons loaded, and
the train ready to move. He sur
veyed it, hundred poor wagons, many
of them without cover, loaded to the
full with such nOndeScript belongings
as a house-dwelling people, suddenly
put out on the open road, would hur'
riedly snatch as they fed. And the
people made his heart ache, even to
the deadening of his own sorrow, as
he noted their wobegoneness. For
these were the sick, the infirm. the
poor, the inefficient, who had been I'M
able for one reason or another to mi
crate with the main body of the Saints
earlier in the season. Many of them
were now racked by fever from sleep
ing on the damp ground. These babe
fair not to outlast some of the lum-
bering carts that threatened at every
rough spot to jolt apart.
Yet the line bravely formed to the
order to Seth Wright as captain, and
the march began. Looking back, he
saw peaceful Nauvoo, its houses and
gardens, sOftened by the cloudy sky
and the autumn haze, clustering I'M
der the shelter of their temple spire-
their temple and their houses, of
which they were now despoiled by
mob's fury. Ahead he saw the road
to the west, hard road, as he knew
one he could not hope they should
cross without leaving more graves by
the way; but Zion was at the end.
Only short march to-day, broth
ers. Our camp is at Sugar Creek,
/, nine miles-sO take your time this
first day"
Near the head of the train were his
own two wagons, and beside the first
walked Seth Wright and Keaton, in
low, earnest converse AS he came
up to them the bishop spoke.
81 got Yves and Alec Gregg to drive
awhile so We could stretch our legs"
But then came a quick change of tone,
as they halted by the road.
Joel, there's no use beatin' about
the bush-them devils at the ferry
Jest now drowned your pa"
He went cold all over. Keaton,
looking sympathetic but frightened,
spoke next.
You ought to thank me, Brother
Rae, for not telling you on the other
side, when you asked me. l know bet
ter. Because, why? Because l knew
you'd fly off the handle and get your
self killed, and then your mad be left
all alone, that's why, now-and probly
they'd "a wound up by dumping the
whole passle of us bag and baggage
into the stream. And it want any
use, your father bein' dead and gone"
The Bishop took up the burden,
slapping him cordially on the back.
Come, come-hearten up, now!
Your pas been made a martyr-he's
beautified his inheritance in Zion
whinin' won't do no good"
He drew himself up with a shrug. as
if to throw off an invisible burden, and
answered, calmly:
I'm not whining, Bishop. Perhaps
you were right not to tell me over
there, Keaton. I'd have made trouble
for you ALL He smiled painfully in
his effort to control himself.