The Belle of Nauvoo - Book One

Chapter sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

“Meetings, meetings, meetings! All they ever have is meetings!” Mother complained. Indeed, we never saw Father unless it was to feed him or have family worship, and even then he was so preoccupied with the affairs of the Church, and men, and things of which he had no right to speak, that he hardly said a word before dashing off to another meeting. “There is such a thing as too many meetings, when men cannot even get their corn planted on the farm,” Mother said as she cleared the table of dishes.

“Hyrum has hired that done, sister,” soothed Aunt Mercy. Indeed, there were many meetings in the month of March. Twice the Female Relief Society met to approve “A Voice of Innocence from Nauvoo.” Twice more they planned to meet the next week, for so popular was the meeting that they had to repeat it in order to accommodate all the interested parties. Then Brother King Follett died, necessitating a funeral. Afterward Father’s unnamed council met, and met yet again that evening. Many men crowded into the lodge room over Henry Miller’s store for that gathering. We retired to our beds with Father still at the meeting.

“Awaken, my family! Awaken!” Father called when he returned and banged a spoon against the pot. “Come and witness the glory of the Lord!”

I jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs with my brothers and sisters.

“What is it, Hyrum?” Mother gasped.

“The sky is alight! It’s the Aurora Borealis!”

More practically, Mother said, “Children, wrap yourselves up well or go and put on your warm clothes. Then come out and witness the sight.”

Quick as a bunny can hop, I was dressed and down the stairs. Outside, the sky was indeed a glory-filled bowl of lights. Beginning at the north end of the sky, a blue, purple, pink, and yellow river of colors led to the south, with various tributaries branching out to flood all the heavens.

“Papa, is this the end of the world?” little Sarah asked, tugging at his coat.

Father picked her up in his arms. Smiling kindly, he said, “The things we accomplished this night for the kingdom of God are celebrated in heaven.”

“Like a party?” she giggled, infected with his joy.

Father laughed. “Yes, Sarah, like a party.”

“Like a party at night with lots and lots of candles!” Sarah pronounced. We all laughed.

“Hyrum, what was done at your meeting, if I may ask?” said Mother.

Turning serious, Father told her, “The final foundation stone has at last been laid for this dispensation. The work is done.”

Mother began to cry and had to wipe a tear away with her cloak. “And I complained about too many meetings!”

“There have been a great many. But all to the glory of Him who made both the heavens and the earth, as we stand here to witness.”

As we watched the lights move and change colors, other folks came out of their homes to see the sight – the Marks, the Laws, and the residents of the Mansion House. The Laws stayed close together in their own yard. My brother ran over to join his friends at the Mansion House. Lorin walked over to our home and held my hand in his. His hair was all rumpled up and his shirt was on inside out.

“Is this how you’ll look when we are married?” I teased him.

“Will you love me anyway?”

For an answer I moved closer to him and squeezed his hand tightly. “Always,” I whispered.

“Even if I lose all my teeth and grow a beard down to my toes and my eyes turn yellow?”

I nodded as I gazed into his eyes.

“You’ll be a beautiful bride,” he added softly.

“You’re supposed to be looking at the party, Lovina and Lorin, not at each other!” Sarah yelled.

My, was I embarrassed! I wanted those colored lights to fall down and cover me! I wanted to run into the house and hide my head under my pillow! But Lorin held onto my hand tightly and said, “Sarah, when you grow up and become a pretty girl like your sister Lovina, you’ll have those same lights reflected in your eyes. I can look right into Lovina’s eyes and see the party.”

“Let me see!” Sarah climbed down from Father’s arms. All the family was laughing again. “I don’t see any party there.”

“That’s because I’m the only one who can see it,” said Lorin.

Father picked her up in his arms once more and bounced her. “Lorin is right. Someday, someone will see the party in your eyes.” He looked at Mother with love.

That next week, other secret meetings were being held in the city. On Sunday night, many people were seen sneaking towards Brother Law’s house across the way. Others walked briskly through the wind, attempting to shield their identity from the world with their hats; but as several of those hats blew off, we were aware of who they were. My brother John watched all these proceedings from an upstairs window and reported them.

One of those men was Joseph Jackson. But as his clothes were always finer than other men’s in Nauvoo, he was unable to successfully shield his identity. “They can be up to no good!” I said when I heard John’s report. The wind howled through the cracks in the walls. It seemed as if nature was not celebrating that meeting.

Lorin came over that evening and we toasted apples, the last from our winter store, hanging them on strings before the fire. In a small crockpot I stirred a bit of sugar, molasses, and butter to make a candy for them.

“The new Seventies Hall fell down in the wind today.” Lorin always had some fresh news to impart. The Seventies Meeting hall was under construction and hadn’t a roof yet.

“All of it?” I asked with surprise.

“Part of the west wall. It’ll have to be rebuilt.”

“’Tis a shame, with all the effort going for the construction of the temple,” said Mother from the corner where she was stitching by the candle.

Lorin said, “That’s sure. Say, who are all those people going towards Brother Law’s house?”

“John’s upstairs keeping count on them. One was our Mr. Jackson,” I told him.

“That frontier dandy! I wish he’d leave town!” Lorin said as he slapped his knee and stood up.

I agreed and said, “So do I. I’m half afraid to go out of the house with him lurking about on the street, talking to people.”

Pacing in front of the fire as if already part of the family, Lorin said, “The Brigade boys have seen him strutting up and down Main Street passing the time of day with folks. I don’t trust that fellow.”

“Whatever he’s doing with the Laws, nature is testifying against it and is doing her best to call it to a stop. People can hardly gather for their meeting. They are working against the Lord,” stated Mother.

The wind blew and howled in its fury, and the snow began to fall.