Show 1 i Echoes from the dust Early days in the Utah-Northern Arizona 1929 A remarkable picture of the early days in the Utah-Northern Arizona of its wildlife and other colorful aspects is given in an address by Anthony W. Ivans of Salt Lake City in a booklet just printed by the Union Pacific system and sent to this paper with its now a member of the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day first saw the country he describes more than fifty-three years ago and has lived in it every His address was delivered at a formal opening of the Union Pacific's Grand Canyon Lodge at the Grand Canyon of the Colorado in Arizona September was not an said vision was confined to his own restricted He knew that other men found the Lord in temples built with hands just as he felt here under the stars in the solitude of these everlasting He was not a who magnified the faults of his fellowmen while blind to his own but one who acknowledging his own spread the mantle of charity over those of his was not one who sought the downfall of his that he might raise to greater but just a brave plain who asked only to be left to follow his own faith and knowing that the Lord is knocking at the doors of the hearts of all and that if they willingly leave the latch string on the as it always hung on the cabin door the Lord will come in and bring peace to their As an illustration of the many tragedies which have gone into the making of the Ivans had sold his ranch in Arizona and started for the state of Washington to make his He had a team of four fine mules attached to a wagon which was driven by a a buggy a fine pair of horses attached which he drove and a small band of loose horses which were driven by a young They reached this mountain and camped just above us for the Early the following morning while was lacing his the white man killed while the negro killed his who was still in The white man then took the property and compelling the daughter of the to go with them continued their journey until they reached a point where they were overtaken and arrested by officers who followed But beauty and joy mingled with these more tragic recollections of evening we drove into a mountain valley through which a stream flowed to the Following about two it dropped into a deep There were no roads and the descent was steep and but by careful driving we reached the bottom in safety In the fork of these streams on a spot of high ground covered with grass and shaded by scattered pine we established The stream was bordered with willows and there were meadows on either upon which cattle were gracing while the mountain sides were covered with vari-colored We unhitched our hobbled and put bells on them and turned them out to gathered some wood and pitched our by the time darkness set in were ready for the It was a beautiful The full moon rose over the ridges to the east and looked down throughout the pines like a great illuminating the until it was almost as light as Trout splashed in the stream frogs croaked and crickets chirped Myriads of insects fluttered round our many of them to be caught in the flames and Night hawks drummed as they passed swiftly through the air in pursuit of the insects upon which they the top of the giant dead pine just across the creek a horned owl and away off on the mountain side a coyote howled From the top of a juniper just above a mocking bird sang as only a mockingbird sings on a moonlit Changing he imitated all the notes known to his feathered companions and many peculiar to His song was like a medley of oil A whipporwill called from the bushes near camp and answered by another farther and off down the canyon we heard the bark of the gray following morning the sun rose warm and There was not a doud in the We walked up to the juniper tree where the mocking bird was singing and carefully drawing aside the inner branches we found a nest there with the mother upon She only flew when we almost touched and then just to a branch of the dead pine across the from she scolded our There were four young mocking birds in the little fluffy things with big heads and wide open As soon as we left i the nest the mother bird returned to while the male from his perch on the dead tree sang as through his throat would CALM AND THEN A STORM fished down the taking the trout from behind a rock a riffle or under a willow the fish taking the fly as I had never known them to do Just below the camp we disturbed a wild turkey hen and her brood that were scattering on the river bottoms and they scrambled up the mountain side and refuge in the A little farther on a flock of parrots flew from where they were feeding on the cones In the top of a pine tree and were away with a great chattering and flapping of the morning sun reflecting the red and green and yellow of their bodies burnished A doe and two fawns ran out from the mountain side looked back at us with their big hazel eyes as though wondering who we could As the day advanced the heat became Suddenly the fish ceased to the to the cattle left the meadows and hastily trailed off into the side a flock of crows flew silently over our heads and took refuge under a protecting cliff on the mountain All nature had suddenly become hushed and seemed knew it was the calm which precedes the summer storm and turned hastily back to As we did so clouds rolled up over the ridges to the south like great piles of popcorn and a breeze was blowing from that When we reached camp we found the horses already there backed up on the leeward side of the grove of We hastily tied and threw blankets on The dogs whined and crept into the tent and the mocking bird flew from his perch on the juniper tree and took refuge under the projecting rock We had scarcely time to gather out camp equipment and carry it into the tent and securely tied the door when the storm broke in all its The wind had increased to a The clouds were black and hail stones beating down the grass and flowers and tearing the tender branches from the A bolt of lightning struck a giant dead pine just across the creek and tore it into a thousand pieces scattering them all around and leaving the which was impregnated with pitch burning brightly while the storm The creek which a few minutes before had been a clear mountain stream was a raging Trees torn up by the roots floated while great boulders loosened from the mountain side by the which flowed rolled down into the canyon with noise like the storm was of short It ceased as unexpectedly as it had The cloud rolled away and the sun came out and shown complacently down on the wrought as though it had been an uneventful autumn THE MOCKING BIRD PROVES A TRUE FATHER we stepped out into the sunshine the mocking bird flew from his shelter under the projecting rock and hopped among the branches of the juniper tree uttering notes of We went over and drawing aside the inner branches found the mother bird upon her nest True to the instinct of all flesh she had protected her while the storm beat out her life-the little birds were We took the tiny body and digging a grave at the foot of the pine near camp carefully buried we left the camp the little mocking birds were Faithfully the male bird had fed day by and sheltered them at but there had been no more he had just done his duty with a heavy heart as many fathers have done before and and as he sat watching his young while they tried their wings in short flights from tree to I knew that he would soon lead them away to their winter home in the where he would find another mate to take the place of her who had given her life that his off spring might |