United States -- Social life and customs -- Fiction
Douglas nodded; then, his face aflame, he jumped to his feet. "If Jude
and I could work together in Lost Chief we'd--My God, do you know what
I'd do? I'd rebuild the cabin and I'd rebuild the chapel. And we'd bring
Mr. Fowler back. And Judith and I would go to church to him and we'd
hunt for God till we found Him! And when we found Him, we'd go out and
bring the children of the Valley to the church. It's the children that
count. We'd dish all this discussion with the grown folks. All the
Scotts and Charletons and Inez Rodmans in the Valley wouldn't count if
the children would be sure of God." He turned to Judith. "You'll admit,
won't you, Jude, that if you and I had had faith, our childhood would
have been a finer thing?"
"Yes, I think that's true," admitted Judith. "Do you think there's a job
there for me, Mr. Fowler, all faithless as I am?"
Mr. Fowler nodded. "Yes, I do. Lost Chief offers a full-sized job to a
woman with a brain and the right kind of a vision. She could, indeed,
help to make it a very paradise for children."
"If the church didn't hamper her too much." Mrs. Nelson spoke for the
first time. "The church and God are both males."
Judith gave the Mormon wife a sudden appreciative smile. Douglas,
watching the girl's kindling face, said in his gentle way, "I've often
thought if anybody could get the right kind of a moral hold on the kids
of Lost Chief, the greatest horsemanship in the world could be developed
in that old valley."
"You are dreaming dreams!" exclaimed Nelson. "All this takes time, and
you Lost Chief folks want to realize that the Mormons are coming!"
Judith eyed her host keenly; then she turned to Douglas with
overwhelming interest welling to her eyes. "This is the first time," she
cried, "that you've ever suggested any kind of a future to me that made
a demand on my intelligence. Mr. Nelson, have you really got your eyes
on Lost Chief Valley, or are you just trying to bluff Douglas into going
back because you like him?"
The Mormon's eyes narrowed and his jaw set. "I like him, yes, but the
church says we are to take Lost Chief Valley, and we are going to take
it when the time is ripe. I can afford to be as kind as I want to be to
Douglas and Fowler. Nothing can stop us when we cross into your valley
with the church behind us. You folks hang together by habit. We Mormons
are knit together by a divine idea that takes care of every moment of
our lives. Do you think a man like Scott Parsons can guard your gates?
And Douglas is running away!"
Judith jumped to her feet, indignation flashing from her eyes.
"He is not! If your Mormon religion can do all you claim for you, then
our religion can do as much for us as it did for our ancestors. I never
did believe there was a God. But that's not saying He's not to be found
if you really hunt for Him."
"'If with all your hearts ye truly seek me, ye shall ever surely find
me,'" said Mr. Fowler quietly.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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