Heroines of "Mormondom": The Second Book of the Noble Women's Lives Series — John Shaqi
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
When he got back to the Chittendens, he walked wearily in, and Mary's
daughter, Jane, bustled around to get him something to eat. "No," said
he, "don't cook me a thing. I want nothing but a piece of bread and a
drink of water."
She hastily set what he required before him, and after he had eaten he
said, "Sister Jane, you shall receive the blessing for this. I have not
broken my fast since I left your house until now. I have had to sleep
out under the forest trees. I am now fully satisfied there is no place
to be had to hold meeting. I thought as I was leaving the city, shall I
shake the dust off my feet as a testimony against this people? No, no;
I will leave it all in the hands of God!"
The bitter prejudice of people around Camden grew worse and worse. At
last the word went out that all the missionaries were to return to Utah
immediately. This was in 1857, when Johnson's army was advancing upon
Utah.
Before leaving Camden, the Elders prophesied openly that trouble should
fall heavily upon the people who had refused them even a hearing. From
that time until the "Mormon" missionaries returned and opened the door
of mercy, there was not one stalk of grain raised in the whole district
of Camden, and people had been unable to obtain a living.
With what earnest prayers did Mary seek to persuade her husband to go
along too! And the Elders counseled him to return with them. But no,
he could not feel to go with his helpless family and have little or
nothing to support them when he arrived in America. So the last Elder
bade them good-by and turned away from their door. Alas! eighteen years
passed away before they ever heard another Elder's voice.
William was like his wife, unable to read one word, and all that he
knew of this gospel had been taught him orally by the missionaries. He
was also very young in the faith, and had not learned the great lesson
of obedience nor dreamed its mighty weight in this Church. For this
reason God was merciful to him, and did not deprive him of the light
of the gospel, but taught him the painful but necessary lesson through
much and long tribulation. And his children, although scattered and
living most of them in Australia, retain the love of the truth in their
hearts.
After the Elders had been recalled, Mary commenced to feel a great
brooding darkness settle down over her. In the day she could throw
it off, but when night closed her labors and laid her at rest, the
darkness would fold around her like a garment. She was anything but
a nervous, imaginative woman, and this terrible darkness grew into
something tangible to her husband as well as to herself. At last he
listened to her and decided to once more sell out and get away.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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