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Show Chapter 44 Sponsored by me respective chairmen of the Senate and House judiciary committees, it (Edmunds-Tucker bill of 1887) aimed not only at plugging the loopholes in the Edmunds Law of 1882 but included provision to destroy the Mormon Mor-mon Church politically and economically. Gustive 0. Larson, "The Americanization of Utah For Statehood" It was after dark when Ben knocked on the front door of the cabin, Grace's lifeless form in his arms. "No ! " Stella cried as she opened the door, the light from the lantern shining out on Ben and Grace. "Is she alive?" "No," Ben said, stepping into the cabin, gently depositing the body on Stella's cot. George, having heard Ben come into camp, followed him into the cabin, closing the door against the night chill. "Fell off a cliff," Ben said. "Died instantly." "Suicide?" Madge asked, standing by the stove, holding her sleeping sleep-ing baby close against her breast. "Can't be sure if she slipped or did it on purpose," Ben responded as he seated himself wearily on the edge of the cot. "Talked about killing kill-ing herself when I found her, but it happened so fast I can't be sure she did it on purpose." "Should we bury her here?" Priscilla asked, walking up to the cot to get a closer look at Grace. "Yes," said Ben. He couldn't just throw her over a horse and take her to Salt Lake. "When you get her cleaned up, I'll take her outside. WeH bury her in the morning." "I can't believe it," Stella cried. "She was so beautiful, so brave, so smart. How could she do it? Why?" Ben didn't answer. Stella began to cry. Priscilla, Madge and Flat Nose George just stared at the body. Ben turned towards the door, then stopped. He suddenly looked back towards the women, a look of concern on his face. "Where's Nellie?" he asked, an edge to his voice. None of them would look him in the eye. Madge spoke first. "She left while you were looking for Grace. Said she was going back to Salt Lake." "She didn't have any shoes," Ben said. "She had rags on her feet," Madge returned. "She took a blanket with her." "Why didn't you tell George?" "Five in one cabin is too many," Priscilla offered. "She promised not to tell anyone where we are." "And you believed her?" Ben asked, annoyed and disappointed the women hadn't trusted his judgement, hadn't supported his decision to keep Nellie with them through the winter. "I'm going to bring her back," Ben said, turning and marching out the door, George following close behind. "How you find her in the dark?" the Indian asked as Ben saddled both horses, one for himself and the other to bring Nellie home on. "Should reach the mouth of the canyon by daylight," he said. "If I don't find any tracks there, I'll work back until I find her. If she's gone further than that, I shouldn't be far behind. Can't take any chances of her getting to the trestle." A few minutes later, Lobo at his side, Ben rode down the dark canyon. ca-nyon. He didn't mind losing a night's sleep. After what had happened to Grace, he wouldn't have slept anyway. As he rode along, letting the horse pick its way in the dark, Ben wondered what Grace's spirit was doing. Had it really left her body and not been snuffed out on the rocks? Was she in some kind of spirit prison or paradise? Was she with loved ones who had passed on before? Was she being punished for her sin? Was what she had done as serious on the other side as it had been in mortality? Was she happier or sadder now that she was dead? Could she see ahead? Did she now know what was in store for her friends and the Church? Did she know how the polygamy persecutions would end? Would the Church be victorious, with the government backing off? Or would the church back off, giving up a divine principle under pressure? There were so many things Ben didn't know. He wondered how other people could be so sure about the world beyond death when they had never seen or visited the othe side. He only knew one thing for sure. When he thought of Grace Woolley there was a great sadness in his heart. There always would be. Her death was tragic and unnecessary. He also wondered how he would describe Grace's death to David Butler. Should he tell David what she had said about being deserted by the man she loved? Perhaps not. There had been enough suffering already. When Ben reached the Green River it was still dark and there was no sign of Nellie. He dismounted and stretched out on the soft, dry sand, waiting for the dawn when he could look for tracks. Sleep was still far away, so he listened to the soothing sound of the water as it churned over the huge boulders. Occasionally he could hear the muffled thumping thump-ing of a boulder being pushed along the rocky bottom. Lobo snuggled up next to him, the first time the dog had ever done that. Weeks of hunting, bringing in meat and coal and hiking the hills together, had finally won the dog's confidence. Lobo now spent more time with Ben than with Priscilla. A change had taken place. Lobo was Ben's dog now, not Priscilla 's, or even George's, though the Indian had been the first to win the animal's confidence. It wasn't that Priscilla had officially given the dog to Ben. She had not. Lobo had decided for himself that Ben was now his master. The dog was still polite and even friendly at times towards Priscilla, but if she and Ben were to take separate paths, the dog would follow Ben instead of his former mistress. At first light Ben led the horses away from the river towards the mountain, looking for Nellie's tracks. He half-believed he had passed her in the night and would have to head back the way he had come, but right at the very edge of the hill, along a deer and sheep trail, he found fresh smudges that he guessed were made by someone with feet wrapped wrap-ped in rags. Ben swung up on his black gelding, the same one he had taken from Owen, and trotted downstream, leaning over just enough to keep the tracks in view. Lobo loped ahead. Lobo was the first to find Nellie, wrapped tightly in her blanket, half buried in the soft white sand, shivering from the cold in a restless half-sleep that had just come upon her after a long, sleepless night. Because her face was buried in the blanket, and because she was near a noisy rapid, she did not hear or see Ben's approach. Nellie sat up with a jerk when Lobo began to pull at the blanket. She didn't look ready for visitors, her strawberry hair twisted and knotted, knot-ted, white sand sifting down over her shoulders. There were smudges of dirt on her tired, startled face, probably the result of falling during her midnight hike. There was a large bruise, half-covered with a fresh scab, on her left jaw. "I'm not going back with you," she said as soon as she saw Ben. "I don't want to take you any more than you want to go," he said in a tired voice. "You can get on the horse and let me lead you back, or I'll tie you across the saddle. The choice is yours." "You can't do this to me," she cried. "This is a free country. I have my rights. I can come and go as I please, and you can't stop me." Ben didn't feel like fighting, much less arguing. People wasted too much of life in conflict with each other. Life was too precious, too valuable, to waste by arguing. "I brought some fresh meat," Ben said, changing the subject. "You look hungry. Can I cook you some breakfast?" Nellie just looked at him. She didn't want to argue either, and the hunger pangs were gnawing away at her insides. She was hungry, very hungry. "Yes, I would like some breakfast," she said politely. "Then I would like to continue on my way to the railroad crossing." Ben debated for a few seconds whether or not to respond to the challenge or just ignore it and fix breakfast. He decided on the latter. "Did you find Grace?" she asked, as Ben began building a fire. He stopped what he was doing and looke d up at her. "Yes, I found her." "And? Why did she leave?" "She's dead." "No! " Nellie exclaimed, putting her hand to her mouth. "Killed herself. Jumped off a cliff." "But why?" ' 'She just wanted out, I suppose, and had the grit to do it. Not like the rest of us. Guilt and rejection probably helped her along. " "Where's her body?" "At the cabin. We were going to bury her this morning, but I had to come after you. Suppose we"U do it when you and I return. Neither spoke for a while as Ben handed Nellie a sharpened stick and a fist-sized chunk of deer mear. They began roasting the meat over the fires, occasionally biting off outside pieces as the meat began to cook. "I figured you'd find me," she said. "What I can't figure out is how you got so far ahead of me. Must have pushed the horses hard. I was really surprised when I saw the light of your fire so far down the canyon." Ben stopped chewing. "You saw the light of my fire?" he asked. "Sure, down the canyon." ' 'I didn't build a fire last night, and I wasn't down the canyon ahead of you." Nellie stopped chewing too. "Where?" asked Ben, standing up. She pointed to a spot about a mile away where the cliffs pushed close to the water's edge. Suddenly she was sorry she had said anything, thinking think-ing perhaps she was closer to help than she had supposed. Similar thoughts were going through Ben's mind. Should he leave Nellie tied up with the horses while he walked downstream to check out the newcomers, or take her with him? Suddenly Sud-denly she jumped to her feet and started running towards the cliffs where she had seen the reflection of the fire. She began calling for help, but the sound of her voice was swallowed up by the thunder of the rapids. In the soft sand, she couldn't go very fast, and the rags on her feet didn't provide adequate traction. Ben caught up with her quickly, wrestling wrestl-ing her onto the sand. He put his palm over her mouth when she tried to scream again. She struggled for a moment, then relaxed, too tired to fight anymore. Ben couldn't help but compare the feel of this live women with the dead one he had held in his arms just a few hours earlier. Life was; so precious, so beautiful. The warmth, her body against his, felt so good. He just wanted to forget about the people who had built the fire, bury his head between Nellie's full breasts, close his eyes and hold her close forever. He looked into her blue eyes, wondering if she was feeling what he felt. She spit at him. Ben jumped up, dragging her by the arm towards the horses. Grabbing Grab-bing a rope, he tied her hands behind her back, then to a small cotton-wood cotton-wood tree after he had pushed her down into a sitting position. He reached reach-ed for the hem of her dress, brushing her foot aside when she tried to kick him. He tore off a long strip of fabric, which he tied over her mouth. With the roar of the rapids her voice wouldn't carry far, but he wasn't going to take any chances. After tying the horses in the thick willows where they could not be seen from the trail, he headed towards the cliffs where Nellie had seen the light of a campfire. !ijLWfr1ftr (TUE, 6:00 DENNIS THE MENACE 63 DAYBREAK $ SUPERFRIENDS 63 MECHANICAL UNIVERSE THU) 63 TEACHING FOR THINKING: CREATIVITY IN THE CLASSROOM (FRI) 61 IN OUR OWN IMAGE (MON, WED) T) CARTOONS 5:10 MOVIE (FRI) 6:15 O DOWN TO EARTH 6:20 3 PAPER CHASE (WED) 6:30 II NBC NEWS CI MORNING STRETCH ) CBS NEWS LASSIE 61 BUSINESS DAY 63M.A.S.K.C? 63 WRITE COURSE (TUE, THU) 63 COMPUTERS AT WORK (FRI) 63 MONEY PUZZLE (MON, WED) 6:40 MOVIE (THU) 3 MESSIEST OF GALLAGHER (THU) 6:46 S3 MOVIE (FRI) 6:50 MOVIE (TUE) 6:65 3 MOVIE (TUE) 6:00NEWS (1 ABC NEWSg II CBS MORNING NEWS I J MECHANICAL UNIVERSE (R) g (THU) O NEW LITERACY: AN INTRODUCTION INTRODUC-TION TO COMPUTERS (R) Q (FRI) O (S3) AMERICAN STORY: BEGINNINGS BEGIN-NINGS TO 1877 (MON) O BUSINESS OF MANAGEMENT (R)(TUE) f UTAH GEOGRAPHY (WED) CI HOOKED ON AEROBICS j) JIMMY SWAGGART MOVIE (TUE) BELLE ft SEBASTIAN 63 DAYBREAK BOZO 61 CONGRESS: WE THE PEOPLE (TUE, THU) 63 COMPUTER SERIES FOR PROFESSIONALS PROFES-SIONALS (FRI) 63 PRINCIPLES OF ACCOUNTING (MON, WED) 6:05 MOVIE (WED) 61 I DREAM OF JEANNIE 6: 10 1 BEST OF BIZARRE g (MON) 6:15 GD PHIL COLLINS: NO JACKET REQUIRED RE-QUIRED - SOLD OUT (THU) 6:20 MOVIE (MON) 3 MOVIE (WED) 6:30 U MECHANICAL UNIVERSE (R) g (THU) O NEW LITERACY: AN INTRODUCTION INTRODUC-TION TO COMPUTERS (R) g (FRI) O AMERICAN STORY: BEGINNINGS BEGIN-NINGS TO 1877 (MON) O BUSINESS OF MANAGEMENT (R) (TUE) fl UTAH GEOGRAPHY (WED) C 1 (S3 BOOMERANG C3 G l. JOE (S3 MOVIE (WED) TODAY'S SPECIAL 63 SPORTSCENTER 63 FINANCIAL INQUIRY (THU) 61 COMPUTERS AT WORK (MON) 63 GREAT AMERICAN TRADE SHOW (TUE) 61 ENTERPRISE U.S.A. (WED) 6:35 & BEWITCHED MOVIE (FRI) 6:40 61 BOBBY AND SARAH (MON) 7:00 O TODAY GD MOVIE (FRI) O GOOD MORNING AMERICA (THU, FRI) O GOOD MORNING AMERICA Q (MON-WED) fl CAPTAIN KANGAROO C ) 3D FAMILY AFFAIR t j) 02) SCOOBY DOO (SZ) MOVIE (MON) (53) PINWHEEL 63 HORSE RACING WEEKLY (THU) 63 SPEEDWEEK (FRI) 63 BODYBUILDING (MON, TUE) 63 NBA TODAY (WED) 63 DAYWATCH 63 MICKEY MOUSE CLUB 63 ASK WASHINGTON 05 CALLIOPE P MOVIE (THU) 7:05 61 DOWN TO EARTH 7:30 GD THANKSGIVING IN THE LAND OF OZ (THU) fl SESAME STREET (R) g C I (53) TIMMY AND LASSIE C 3 TRANSFORMERS 6 MOVIE (THU) 5?) MAXTRAX (TUE) 63 AMERICA'S CUP: CHALLENGE DOWN UNDER (THU) 63 AUTO RACING FILM (FRI) 63 BASKETBALL (WED) 61 MOUSERCISE 63 BEVERLY HILLBILLIES 3 A THANKSGIVING TALE (MON) |