"That story is certainly interesting enough to print," she said
pleasantly.
"Who next will give us pleasure?" she asked turning to Sister Anne.
"You?"
Sister Anne smilingly assented.
"I was only eight years old when I left England, but I shall never
forget it. My dear mother and father accepted the Gospel almost
directly that it was preached to them.
"This horrified and enraged my mother's parents, who believed that my
father was the one to blame and that he had unusual Satanic influence
over my mother. So they decided to kill him. In the dead of night they
came to our home and I was awakened by me shrieks of my mother, who was
trying with her delicate strength to hold the door from the invaders
without. With a crush, they broke in at the windows, but mother had
kept them out long enough for father to hide in one of the large copper
kettles. Enraged they looked for him in vain, leaving the house with
threatenings for the future.
"My parents realized that they must emigrate to Utah--there was no
peace at home. So with their five children, and I the eldest, they set
sail for America.
"We were many weeks on the water. When we reached the Mississippi,
mother was exhausted, for the food had been very bad and the trip
rough. As we neared St. Louis, cholera broke out on board our boat,
and mother immediately fell a victim. The quarantine officers ordered
us all on deck, and the word went around that cholera victims would be
taken off separately.
"I shall never forget my father's grief. Mother was almost gone, and to
be separated would be awful.
"With her usual grit, mother braced up, and with father's help,
managed to crawl to the deck. There she sat by father, and when the
quarantine officer came around she pretended to be eating her soup with
relish. This deceived him and he passed her by. The next day my mother
died, leaving five children, one a little baby. Never will I forget
our burying mother in St. Louis. Father was grief stricken, but his
wonderful faith held him up and he told me to be 'little mother.' We
purchased a wagon and team and started on our long journey across the
plains. After many days of hardships, we reached Utah, and there my
father worked long hard days and raised his little flock, with only me
to help him. So you see my parents sacrificed all for the faith, so is
it not natural I prize it above other things?"
"And the Indians, did they ever get the baby?" asked Betty excitedly.
"No, dear, but nearly, several times. It was their pet revenge to steal
babies, and we had to guard them closely."
Just then a knock at the door made them turn.
To Mrs. Emmit's cheery "come in," a woman of eighty entered.
"Why sister Heller, you're just in time for some ice-cream," said Mrs.
Emmit delightedly. "Mrs. Catt, I want to introduce to you another
member of our Ephraim family."
Mrs. Catt smiled at the dark, swarthy old woman who had entered. Surely
she was an Indian.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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