that way that he might refresh
his eyes with a view of the sacred hill, and had only remained at
Ephraim's request to relate his tidings to Susannah.

"After coming out of Missouri I never lived at Nauvoo. I had a farm
midways, between Nauvoo and Quincy. As near as I can make out, the
scandal they've got agen us, which they've always had agen us because of
the wickedness of the Gentile mind, began to have some truth in it when
Rigdon came out with his teaching concerning the nonsense of spiritual
wives, which wasn't new with him, for I hear that it's held among all
the folks as call themselves 'Perfectionists.' Well, our prophet made
pretty quick work of that doctrine, and he rebuked Rigdon in public and
private, and packed him out of the place, and no one can say that our
prophet has ever done otherwise with any one as has had notions about
marriage."

Susannah sighed. "I have heard that he has acted the same way in several
other instances."

"You have, ma'am? Well, it's strange, too, to hear a Gentile say a good
word for our prophet, but perhaps, as he came from here, ma'am, you may
be some relation of his; and I ask you, is it likely, as he's always
acted so severe in that matter, that he should have taught a false
doctrine himself? But even some of the Saints do say nowadays that he
was led away by some strange doctrines before he died; but, for my own
part, I believe that the tales have arisen from the sinful natures of
many of the men that he trusted; for he was too trustful, and there's
apostles and bishops and elders amongst us that are servants of hell.
There's been evil work since our prophet's martyrdom, for there's
thousands of our people now deluded by them and going out after Mr.
Brigham Young and his crew.

"You want to know how the prophet's death came about, and I can tell
you; for when my disease came on, and the doctor told me 'twas fatal, I
started to go up to Nauvoo to ask the prophet to lay his hands upon me
and heal me. But when I got there the city was all in a buzz, for the
cause that some of the elders had got out a paper accusing the prophet
of having a lot of ladies for wives. Well now, I can tell you how that
came about. When our prophet first got the charter for the Nauvoo Legion
there was a man called Bennet, who had been general in the American
army, and who was steeped in unbelief and ambition, and who came and
offered his services to the prophet, and was allowed to build up the
Nau