FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254  
255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   >>   >|  
to grief perpetually with her mistresses upon the score. "Many of 'em goes out," was the satisfactory reply of Brother Jarrum. "But servants here are not servants there. Who'd be a servant if she could be a missis? Wouldn't a handsome young female prefer to be her master's wife than to be his servant?" Mary Green giggled; the question had been pointedly put to her. "If a female servant _chooses_ to remain a servant, in course she can," Brother Jarrum resumed, "and precious long wages she'd get; eighty pound a year--good." A movement of intense surprise amid the audience. Brother Jarrum went on-- "I can't say I have knowed many as have stopped servants, even at that high rate of pay. My memory won't charge me with one. They have married and settled, and so have secured for themselves paradise." This might be taken as a delicate hint that the married state, generally, deserved that happy title. Some of the experiences of those present, however, rather tended to accord it a less satisfactory one, and there arose some murmuring. Brother Jarrum explained-- "Women is not married with us for time, but for eternity--as I tried to beat into you last night. Once the wife of a saint, their entrance into paradise is safe and certain. We have not got a old maid among us--not a single old maid!" The sensation that this information caused, I'll leave you to judge; considering that Deerham was famous for old maids, and that several were present. "No old maids, and no widders," continued Brother Jarrum, wiping his forehead, which was becoming moist with the heat of argument. "We have respect to our women, we have, and like to make 'em comfortable." "But if their husbands die off?" suggested a puzzled listener. "The husband's successor marries his widders," explained Brother Jarrum. "Look at our late head and prophet, Mr. Joe Smith--him that appeared in a vision to our present prophet, and pointed out the spot for the new temple. He died a martyr, Mr. Joe Smith did--a prey to wicked murderers. Were his widders left to grieve and die out after him? No. Mr. Brigham Young, he succeeded to his honours, and he married the widders." This was received somewhat dubiously; the assemblage not clear whether to approve it or to cavil at it. "Not so much to be his wives, you know, as to be a kind of ruling matrons in his household," went on Brother Jarrum. "To have their own places apart, their own rooms in the house, an
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254  
255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Brother

 
Jarrum
 

widders

 

married

 

servant

 
present
 
servants
 
prophet
 

satisfactory

 

explained


paradise

 
female
 

argument

 
forehead
 

wiping

 
respect
 

husbands

 

suggested

 

puzzled

 

comfortable


continued

 
perpetually
 

caused

 
information
 

sensation

 

listener

 
places
 
Deerham
 

famous

 

household


matrons

 

martyr

 
wicked
 

assemblage

 

approve

 
murderers
 

dubiously

 

succeeded

 

honours

 
received

Brigham

 

grieve

 

temple

 

marries

 

husband

 

ruling

 
successor
 

pointed

 
vision
 

appeared