Hiram, some
twenty miles to the south. Sydney Rigdon, who by this time was, under
the prophet, the chief leader of the Saints, went also to Hiram to be
beside him. Smith was toiling night and day to produce a new version of
the Hebrew Scriptures, believing that he was taught by inspiration to
correct errors in them. Rigdon was scribe and reviser. These two being
absent from Kirtland, responsibility and work without limit rested again
with Angel Halsey.

With unsatisfied affections and thoughts wholly perplexed, Susannah
beheld the days of the new year lengthening. Then she fell into the
weakness, to which humanity is prone, of hoping eagerly for some
external circumstance that should lighten the inner darkness. A bit of
stray news one day came to her with the shock of an apparent fulfilment
of her vague expectation. Finney was passing through that part of the
country preaching. Of all human beings she had ever met, this remarkable
evangelist most impressed her as a man who had intimate dealing, awful,
yet friendly, with an unseen power. She had no sooner heard that he was
within reach than her mind leaped to the determination to hear him
preach and speak with him again. She would lay her difficulties before
him; she would hear from him more intelligence concerning the home which
she had left than a thousand letters could convey.

It was March now. The winter's snow was gone. Finney, as it chanced, was
to come as near to Kirtland as the village of Hiram. Susannah spoke to
her husband.

"Did you hear that Mr. Finney was going to preach at Hiram?"

She stood turning from the white spread table in the centre of the room.
The morning light was shining on the satin surface of the planed maple
wood with which walls and ceiling were lined. Halsey was putting on his
boots to go out to his day's round of business and pastoral work. He
knew just as well as if she had explained it to him that a great deal
lay behind what she said. He fell to wondering at once what she could
want. Was it to send a message to the old home by the man whose very
name must recall all its memories?

"I want to go and hear him preach," Susannah went on.

Halsey was disturbed. "Thou canst not really have such a desire," he
said severely.

"Why not? A great deal that he preaches is just the same as what you
preach, Angel."

He saw that she was in a turbulent mood, and that grieved him; but as
for her request, he could not believe it to be serious