Twelve Mormon Homes : Twelve Mormon homes visited in succession on a journey through Utah to Arizona.

Twelve Mormon Homes, page 048

tween such sister-wives, as a closer tie than could be maintained between the most intimate friends living in different circum- stances. "Even sisters by blood," she said, "are parted, when they marry, by new interests independent of each other; and, fond as may be the affection that remains, the bond of daily habit and propinquity is broken. But, in our home, each of us has a friend whose interests are identical with her own, who can share all the joys and troubles of the family, and to whom she can impart her feelings regarding its head without fear of violating that sacred confidence which may not be shared with any outside friend." Can you imagine anything sober-more insane? I listened with perfect composure. I was under no temptation to laugh, with those two poor ladies looking into my face inquiringly, even when they spoke most confidently of their solution of life's problems.-" The pity of it, Iago! " The Steerforths were the first Mormon women who awak- ened sympathy in my breast, dissociated from an equally strong feeling of repulsion ; but afterwards, even when I was thrown among the Mormon Doras and Mrs. Nicklebys, in their absurd prattle about their family relations some chord of nature would be struck which moved anything but a smile. One day, in Salt Lake City, I chanced to remark to a visitor that I had just seen a funeral pass my window. "Yes," she answered, `it was young Mrs. R.`s. She was a sweet little creature. Did you know her?" "No," I said; "whose daughter was she?" Mrs. D. mentioned the name,-one well known to me,-and continued : "Sh e and her husband grew up little boy- and girl-