Heroines of "Mormondom": The Second Book of the Noble Women's Lives SeriesVarious
History
Heroines of "Mormondom": The Second Book of the Noble Women's Lives Series
Various
Chittenden, Mary Dunster, 1818-; Latter Day Saint women; Latter Day Saints -- Biography; Smith, Mary Fielding, 1801-1852
One lovely day in summer two dusty, tired, hungry men each with a
satchel and a walking-cane in their hands, stopped at the wide open
door of the Chittenden farm-house. And what saw Mary, when she came to
the porch? With a queer throb, she saw in her door the very man who
came to her bedside in her dream. She even noticed the low-cut vest
showing the white shirt underneath. But as he stepped inside, and her
eye fell upon his companion, she saw _he_ was not the second one of her
dream, although he too carried a cane and satchel. She invited them
within, and the first one said,
"We are come, madam, to preach the gospel."
The words, almost identical with those of her dream. Giving her their
names, he whose name was Eldredge explained to her that they traveled
up from Sydney, and in all the hundred miles, they had found no one
willing to give them food and shelter.
Mary bustled around and prepared dinner for her guests. When evening
drew near, Brother Eldredge remarked,
"Mrs Chittenden, can you let us remain here over night?"
"Oh," said Mary, "I am afraid I have no place to put you!"
"Well you can let us sit up by your fireside, and that is better than
lying on the ground as we have done lately!"
And then Mary assured them that she would do the best she could for
them. So a bed was spread out on the floor of the sitting-room, and
here the foot-sore Elders were glad to rest their bodies.
The principles and doctrines of these men fell deep into Mary's heart,
and like her husband she felt they spoke the truths of heaven.
One evening in conversation with them, Mary told Brother Eldredge
that she had seen him before in a dream. But, she added, you were
accompanied by another man, not Mr. Graham.
"Ah well, that might have been. You may have seen Brother Fleming for
he was coming with me, but Brother Farnham altered the appointments at
the last moment!"
And it proved so. When Mary afterwards saw Brother Fleming she
recognized him as the second one of her dream.
The Elders were not idle because they had found a comfortable resting
place, but traveled about seeking to get opportunities of spreading
the gospel. One family named Davis, whose farm (rented from McArthur)
joined the Chittenden's, listened with pleased interest to these new
doctrines. In the course of two weeks after the arrival of the Elders,
William Chittenden came home, and expressed a gladness in his heart to
find the Elders at his home. He immediately fixed up a bedroom near the
sitting-room for the use of the Elders. Weeks went into months, and
still the Chittendens were not baptized.
The Elders made Camden their head-quarters, but went about through
the surrounding country, meeting, however, with very little success.
William and his wife, with their oldest daughter were ready to be
baptized, as were the Davis'. But almost a year after the arrival of
the brethren was allowed to slip by without the baptisms having been
performed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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