t sez:

"'His strength is as the strength of ten
Because his heart is pure.'

"And oh!" sez I agin, "how I would love to see him and Waitstill Webb
married, and happy."

"So would I," sez Phila. "Oh, it is such a beautiful state, matrimony
is."

"And he needs a wife," sez I. "You know he wouldn't stay with his
uncle but said he must live with his people who needed him, so he
boards there at the Widder Pooler's."

"Yes," sez Phila, "and though she worships him, she had rather any day
play the part of Mary than of Martha--she had rather be sittin' at his
feet and learnin' of him--than cookin' good nourishin' food and
makin' a clean, sweet home for him. But he don't complain."

"What a companion Waitstill would be for him?" I sez agin.

"Yes," sez Phila, "but I don't believe she will ever marry any one,
she looks so sad."

"It seems jest if they wuz made for each other," sez I, "and I know he
worships the ground she walks on. But I don't know as she will ever
marry any one after what she has went through," and I sithed.

"She would marry," sez Phila warmly, "if she knew what a lovely,
lovely state it wuz."

How strange it is that some folks are as soft as putty on some
subjects and real cute on others. Phila knew enough on any other
subject only jest marriage. But I spozed that her brain would harden
up on this subject when she got more familiar with it--they generally
do. And the light of that moon I spoke on liquefies common sense and a
state, putty soft, ensues; but cold weather hardens putty, and I knew
that she would git over it. But even as I methought, Phila sez, "I
must go to my seat, pa will be lookin' for me." I see Miss Meechim
smotherin' a smile on her lace-edged handkerchief, and Dorothy's eyes
kinder laughin' at the idee of a bride callin' her husband "pa."

But the groom returned at jest that minute, and I introduced 'em both
to Miss Meechim and Dorothy, and we had quite a good little visit. But
anon, the groom mentioned incidentally that they wuz a goin' to live
in Salt Lake City.

"Why!" sez I in horrow, "you hain't a goin' to jine the Mormons are
you?"

And as I said that I see Miss Meechim kinder git Dorothy behind her,
as if to protect her from what might be. But I knew there wuzn't no
danger from the groom's flirtin' with any other female or tryin' to
git 'em sealed to him, for quite a spell I knew that he felt himself
as much alone with Baby as if them two wuz on a oasis in t