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Show z6z THE MORMON LION " First Jet me call a witness whom even Brother Chilcott will believe," I replied. "Amanda, I ask you to tell the Prophet, as you would tell the Lord, exactly what you heard and saw and said in my room that night- not what you thought or what you thought we thought, either in our hearts or in our heads. I call on God to curse you if you fail to tell the truth." "Almighty!" swore Chilcott. "She couldn't have been there and never tell me! Mandy, tell him he's a liar!" " I'm going to tell God's truth," replied Amanda. "I don't care what you say, William. I did come in on them in his room. I caught the shameless critter making love to him. There ain't the least bit of doubt she was guilty in her heart. As for Dave, I ain't so sure. He wasn't hugging her and he wasn't kissin~ her. I can say that much." " It s true- it's true! " confirmed Cora. " He repulsed me. He said that we must wait until I was free. He did not kiss me- not once! But I am guilty! I ask to be saved! I have sinned in my heart! " "That's all it was, but that's enough," said Amanda. "You're sure there wasn't no more?" questioned Brigham. "Dead sure. Just the same, as to her--" " Brother Brigham! " broke in Chilcott, his voice hoarse with passiOn, "this woman, Amanda Chilcott, has deceived me. She has kept from me all these months this matter concerning my family honour. I ask you, who have the keys of time and eternity, to unseal me from her for both time and eternity. She has been false to me, her husband. I don't want her here on earth and I don't want her in Heaven." "William," said Amanda, " I'm mighty sorry you take it that way. We've stayed hitched-up all these years, and you ought to know I didn't mean no harm. But of course you've got the right to unseal me for THE MORMON LION time. Only thing, I'm '!raid you'll miss my cooking, William. Howsomeover, you know best." "You see, she consents, Brother Brigham," said Chilcott. The Prophet looked at him with a conciliatory smile. "Now, now, Bill. Mandy must have meant well, even if she was mistaken. Wouldn't it be enough if you was told she never was really sealed to you for eternity? " "Never what?" asked Chilcott, his jaw dropping slack. "Well, fact is, BiJI, her sealing to you was no more'n a form. She'd been sealed a' ready to Joseph. Your marriage never has been other than only for time." " Sealed to Joseph! When ? " "At Nauvoo, when you went on your first English mission.'' With a stifled cry, Chilcott put my Derringer to his temple, but lowered it as qutckly. It fell from his nerveless fingers as he turned his haggard face to Amanda. " Mandy-- Good God 1--tell me-- My children? " She answered him with unflinching austerity : "One is Toseph's- you can guess which- and both are hisn for eternity; and I'm to be a star in his crown of glory. I'd ruther it'd be yourn, William. I didn't want to be sealed to him. But he had a special revelation commanding it, and who was I to disobey God's will? " "Mandy- Mandy!" he brokenly muttered. " Leastways you're mine for time! " She took the hand which he held out to her and patted it between her hard palms. " That's more like," said Brigham. He lifted the report of the High Council and tapped it with his fin~er. ' Now, about this. I figger Brother Ford has made |
