Lydia Knight's History: The First Book of the Noble Women's LivesGates, Susa Young
History
Lydia Knight's History: The First Book of the Noble Women's Lives
Gates, Susa Young
Knight, Lydia Goldthwaite Bailey, 1812-1884; Latter Day Saint churches -- Biography; Latter Day Saints -- Biography
Lydia had managed to wait upon her own ailing child and those of her
neighbors who were the most helpless, notwithstanding her health was
far from being good. Pale and weak she ministered unto those around
her until September, when, worn out with her heavy labors and her body
weakened by over-exertion, disease fastened itself upon her and she was
prostrated.
For several days and nights she lay in a raging, burning fever, until
it almost seemed as though her very flesh would be consumed upon her
bones.
One day she called her husband to her bed and said:
"Newel, go and ask the Prophet to send me a handkerchief with his
blessing."
"My dear wife, I do not like to trouble Joseph. You have no idea how
worn down he is. He has asked the brethren to spare him as much as
possible, for these constant never-ceasing calls upon him are depriving
him of all his strength. I hope, my dear, you will soon be better."
The night came and passed and morning brought no relief to the weary
sufferer.
Again she called Newel to her and entreated him to go to the Prophet
and get a handkerchief with his blessing.
Newel went out, and in about half an hour returned, tied a handkerchief
over her head saying:
"There, Lydia, is a handkerchief."
The sufferer experienced no relief from it, however, and rapidly grew
worse.
A doctor was brought to her, and he tried his best to rally her, but
all in vain. Thus one week passed.
One day Newel, seeing she was all but gone and was trying to speak to
him, bent over her to catch the faint whisper,
"Newel, I am all but done with my suffering; good-by, dear one. You
must do the best you can with the children. I cannot last much longer."
This was very brokenly whispered to the distracted man above her, who,
as soon as she ceased, hurried away. Coming back soon, he called her;
she knew him but was unable to reply.
"Here, Lydia, here is a handkerchief from the Prophet Joseph. Oh my
wife, the one I brought before was not from him, I so hated to trouble
him. But see this is from Joseph, and he says your Heavenly Father
shall heal you, and you shall be restored to life and health."
The handkerchief was bound around her brow, and as it touched her head,
the blessing sent with it, descended upon her; and over her and all
through her was poured the spirit of healing. Sleep, so long a stranger
to the poor afflicted one, closed her eye-lids in a quiet, restful,
blessed slumber.
The hours came and fled, and in the quiet of midnight she awoke, and
was like one who had been in a dark, loathsome dungeon, and was again
free in the open air and sunshine. In the morning the physician came,
and when he saw his patient, he exclaimed:
"Why, I never saw such a change in my life! That last medicine has
worked like a charm, I wish I'd stayed and seen it operate. Her pulse
is all right, her tongue is all right, and in fact she is comparatively
a well woman."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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