The Mormon wife; a life story of the sacrifices, sorrows and sufferings of woman A narrative of many years' personal experience . solation. For one ofthe remarkable characteristics of this place, was the utterabsence of animal life. Not a bird visited these resplendentblossoms, not a butterfly or insect enlivened the solitude. Nei-ther hares nor pheasants lurked beneath their coverts. Eventhe Indians seemed to avoid the country. Once, and once only,we caught the glimpse of a troop of wild horses, skirting theHorizon. It was only a glimpse, and yet I shall ever rememberhe graceful agility of th
The Mormon wife; a life story of the sacrifices, sorrows and sufferings of woman A narrative of many years' personal experience . solation. For one ofthe remarkable characteristics of this place, was the utterabsence of animal life. Not a bird visited these resplendentblossoms, not a butterfly or insect enlivened the solitude. Nei-ther hares nor pheasants lurked beneath their coverts. Eventhe Indians seemed to avoid the country. Once, and once only,we caught the glimpse of a troop of wild horses, skirting theHorizon. It was only a glimpse, and yet I shall ever rememberhe graceful agility of their motions, and the sleek sparkle ofJieir flossy sides. But sadder sights than these awaited us. 1had de&cended from the wagon to walk, in order that I mightexamine the beautiful flowers. I was particularly charmed bytwo or three huge plants of the cactus species, which had grownso close together that they appeared compact. They were, atleast, ninety feet in circumference, and large scarlet blossomsdepended from the branches. But, while stooping to gather abouquet, my fingers inadvertently touched a relic, the sight of. Horrible Sufferings. 255 which filled me with horror. It was a human skeleton ; but thoskin, instead of falling away, still clang to the bones, showingthe veins, and muscles, and sinews, in a horrible state of preser-vation, yet with strict fidelity to nature. The long, lank, bonyfingers, yet held a paper clutched tightly between them. Curi-osity was stronger than fear, and I removed it. There were afew lines written with a pencil, which I had much difficulty inmaking out. They ran : We can go no further. My wife and fire children—all dying for want of water I Oh,God 1 this death is horrible I The poor fellow had evidently sought the shelter of the cactusto shield himself from the burning sun ; and there died fromburning, intolerable thirst. But the wife and children—wherewhere were were they ? A little further on, in the same stateof horrible attenuation,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookidmormonwifeli, bookyear1873
