Chapter 2 book, two of a study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle. This LibriVox recording is in
the public domain. Book 2 chapter 2, the flower of
Utah. This is not the place to
commemorate the trials, and privations endured by The
Immigrant Mormons, before they came to their final Haven, from
the shores of the Mississippi, to the Western slopes of the
Rocky Mountains. They had struggled on with a
constancy almost unparalleled in history.
The Savage man and the Savage Beast hunger, thirst fatigue and
disease. Every impediment which nature
could place in the way at all. Overcome with Anglo-Saxon
tenacity yet, the long journey, and the accumulated Terrors had
shaken. The hearts of the stoutest,
among them. There was not one who did not
sink upon his knees in heartfelt prayer.
When they saw the broad Valley of Utah, bathed in the sunlight
beneath them and learn from the lips of their leader, but this
was the promised land and at these virgin Acres were to be
theirs forever. More Young speedily proved
himself to be a skillful administrator as well as a
Resolute. Chief Maps were drawn and charts
prepared in which the future city was sketched out all around
Farms were apportioned and allotted in proportion to the
standing of each individual. The Tradesman was put to his
trade and The Artisan to his calling in the town streets and
squares sprang up as if by Magic in the country there.
Is draining and hedging planting and clearing until the next
summer, saw the whole country golden with the wheat crop,
everything prospered. In the strange, settlement above
all the Great temple, which they had erected in the center of the
city. Grew ever taller and larger from
the first blush of dawn until the closing of the Twilight.
The clatter of the hammer and the rasp of the sore was never
absent from the monument, which the immigrants erected to him,
who had led them safe through many dangers.
The to Castaways John Ferrier, and the little girl who had
shared his fortunes and had been adopted as his daughter.
Accompany the Mormons to the end of their great pilgrimage.
Little lucy, Ferrier was born along pleasantly enough in Elder
stangerson swaggin, her Retreat, which she shared with the
Mormons three wives and with his son, a headstrong forward boy of
twelve having rallied with the elasticity of childhood from the
shock caused by her mother's. She soon became a pet with the
women and reconciled herself to this new life in her moving
canvas covered home. In the meantime farrier having
recovered from his privations, distinguished himself as a
useful guide and an indefatigable Hunter.
So rapidly. Did he gain the esteem of his
new companions that when they reach the end of their
wanderings. It was unanimously agreed.
That he should be provided with as large and as fertile,
attractive land as any Of the settlers with the exception of
young himself. And of stangerson, Campbell,
Johnston and drebber. Who were the four principal
elders. On the farm, that's a quiet
John. Ferrier built himself a
substantial log house, which received so many editions in
succeeding years that it grew into a roomy.
Villa. He was a man of a practical Turn
of Mind, Keen in his dealings and skillful with his hands, his
iron Constitution enabled, him to work morning and evening at
improving and tilling his lands, hence.
It came about that his farm and all that belonged to him
prospered exceedingly. In three years, he was better
off than his Neighbours in six. He was well-to-do in nine.
He was rich and in 12, there were not half a dozen men in the
whole of Salt Lake City who could compare with him.
From the great Inland Sea to the distant Wasatch mountains.
There was no name better known than that of John Ferrier.
There was one way and only one in which he offended.
The susceptibilities of his co-religionists.
No argument or persuasion, could ever induce him to set up a
female establishment after the manner of his companions.
He never gave reasons for this persistent refusal, but
contented himself by resolutely and inflexibly adhering to his
determination. There was some who accused him
of lukewarmness in his adopted religion and others who put it
down to Greed of wealth and reluctance to incur expense
others again, spoke of some early love affair and of a
fair-haired girl who had pined away on the shores of the
Atlantic, whatever, the reason Faria remain, strictly celibate
in every other respect. He conform to the religion of
the young settlement and gained the name of being an orthodox
and straight Walking Man. Lucy Ferrier grew up with in the
log house and assisted her adopted father, in all his
undertakings. The Keen air of the mountains
and the balsamic odor of the pine trees took the place of
nurse and mother to the young girl as year succeeded to year.
She grew taller and stronger. Her cheek more Ruddy and her
step more elastic. Many, a Wayfarer upon the high
road, which ran by farriers Farm felt long-forgotten.
Thoughts revolved. Live in their mind as they
watched her little girlish figure tripping through the
wheat fields, or met her mounted upon her father's Mustang, and
managing it with all the ease and Grace of a true child of the
West. So the bud blossomed into a
flower and the year which saw her father, the richest of the
farmers left her as Fair. A specimen of American girlhood
as could be found in the whole Pacific slope.
It was not the father. However, who first discovered
that the child had developed into the woman.
It seldom is in such cases that mysterious change is too subtle
and to gradual to be measured by dates least of all does the
maiden herself? No it until the tone of a voice
or the touch of a hand sets, her heart thrilling within her.
And she learns with a mixture of Pride and a fear that her new
and a larger Nature has awoken within her.
There are few who cannot recall that day.
And remember the one little incident, which heralded the
dawn of a new life. In the case of Lucy, Ferrier.
The occasion was serious enough in itself, apart from its future
influence on her Destiny. And that of many Sides, it was a
warm June morning and the Latter Day Saints were as busy as the
bees whose high. They have chosen for their
emblem in the fields. And in the streets, Rose the
same hum of human industry. Down the dusty, highroads
defiled along streams of heavily Laden mules, all heading to the
West for the Gold Fever, had broken out in California and the
Overland route lay through the city of the elect.
That's who what droves of sheep and Bullock's coming in from the
outlying, pasture lands and trains of tired immigrants, men
and horses equally weary of their interminable Journey.
Through all this Motley assemblage threading, her way
with the skill of an accomplished Rider.
There galloped Lucy. Ferrier, her Fair face flushed
with the exercise and her long chestnut, hair floating out
behind her. She had a commission from her
father in the city and was dashing in as she had done many
a time before with all the fearlessness of Youth thinking
only of her task and how it was to be performed.
The travel-stained adventurers gazed after him.
In astonishment and even the unemotional Indians journeying
in with their Pelt, he's relaxed.
There are Customs stoicism as they marveled at the beauty of
the pale-faced maiden. She had reached the outskirts of
the city when she found the road blocked by a great drove of
cattle, driven by a half-dozen wild-looking herdsman from the
plains in her impatience. She endeavoured to pass this
obstacle by pushing a horse into what appeared to be a gap.
Scarcely had she got fairly into it.
However before the beasts closed in behind her and she found
herself completely embedded in the moving stream of fear.
Side long-horned Bullock's, a custom that she was to deal with
cattle. She was not alarmed her
situation, but took advantage of every opportunity to urge her
horse on in the hopes of pushing her way through the cavalcade.
Unfortunately, the horns of one of the creatures, either, by
accident or design came in violent contact, with the flank
of the Mustang and excited it to Madness in an instant.
It reared up upon its hind legs with a snort of rage and
pronounced and tossed in a way that would have unseated any
butter. Most skillful Rider.
The situation was full of peril. Every plunge of the excited
horse. Brought it against the horns
again, and go did it to Fresh Madness.
Was all that the girl could do to keep herself in the saddle
yet? A slip would mean a terrible
death under the Hooves of the unwieldy and terrified animals.
Unaccustomed to sudden emergencies her head began to
swim and her grip upon the Bridle to relax, choked by the
rising cloud of dust. And by the steam from the
struggling creatures, she might have abandoned her efforts in
despair, but for a kindly voice at her elbow, which he assured
her of assistance. At the same moment, a sinewy
brown hand, caught the frightened Horse, by the curb
and forcing away through the drove soon.
Brought her to the outskirts. You're not heard.
I hope Miss said her preserver. Respectfully.
She looked up at his dark Fierce face and laughed Source Early
ham. Awful.
Frightened. She said, naively, whoever would
have thought that Poncho would have been so scared by a lot of
cows. Thank God.
You keep your seat. The other said earnestly.
He was at all Savage, looking young.
Fellow mounted on a powerful Rowan horse and clad in the
rough dress of a hunter with a long rifle slung over.
His shoulders I guess you are the daughter of John.
Ferrier. He remarked.
I saw you ride down from his house when you see him ask him
if he remembers the Jefferson hopes of st.
Louis. If he's the same farrier, my
father and he were pretty thick. And she better come and ask
yourself. She asked to merely the young
fellow. Seemed pleased at the suggestion
and his dark eyes sparkled with pleasure.
I'll do so, he said we've been in the mountains for two months
and are not over and above in visiting condition.
He must take as he finds us. He has a good deal to thank you
for and so have I, she answered, he's awful.
Fun of me. If those cows are jumped on me.
He done never got over it. Neither what I said her
companion you? Well, I don't see that.
It wouldn't make much matter to you.
Anyhow, you ain't even a friend of ours.
The young Hunters, dark, face grew.
So, gloomy over this remark that.
Lucy Ferrier laughed aloud there.
I didn't mean that she said, of course, you're a friend.
Now. You must come and see us.
And now, I must push along or father, won't trust me with his
business anymore. Goodbye.
Goodbye, he answered raising his broad sombrero and bending over
her little hand. She wheeled her Mustang round,
gave it a cut with a riding whip and darted away down the broad
Road in a rolling cloud of dust. Young Jefferson Hope Road on
with his companions. Gloomy and taciturn he and they
had been among the Nevada mountains, prospecting for
silver and were returning to Salt Lake City in the hope of
raising Capital enough to work some loads, which they had
discovered. He'd been as Keen as any of them
upon the business until this sudden incident had drawn, his
thoughts into another Channel. The site of the fair, young girl
as Frank and wholesome as the Sierra breezes had stirred, his
volcanic Untamed Heart to. It's very depths when she'd
vanished from his sight. He realized that a crisis had
come in his life and that neither silver speculations nor
any other questions could ever be of such importance to him as
this new and all-absorbing. One.
The love which had sprung up in his heart was not the sudden
change of all fancy of a boy, but rather the wild Fierce
passion of a man of strong will and imperious temper.
He had been accustomed to succeed in all that.
He undertook he swore in his heart that he would not fail in
this if human effort and human perseverance could render him
successful. He called on John, Ferrier that
night and many times again until his face was a familiar one at
The Farmhouse, John cooped up in the valley and absorbed in his
work, had had little chance of learning, the news of the
outside world during the last 12 years.
All this Jefferson Hope was able to tell him and in a style,
which interested Lucy, as well as her father.
He had been a Pioneer in California and could narrate
many a strange tale of Fortunes made.
And fortunes lost in those wild Halcyon Days.
He'd been asked out to and a Trapper, a silver Explorer and a
ranchman wherever stirring Adventures were to be had
Jefferson. Hope had been there in search of
them. He soon became a favorite with
the old farmer who spoke eloquently of his virtues on
such occasions. Lucy was silent, but her
blushing cheek and her bright. Happy Eyes showed only too
clearly. But her young heart was no
longer her own her honest. Father may not have observed
these symptoms, but they were assured Lee.
Not thrown away upon the man who had won her affections.
It was a summer evening when he came Galloping down the road and
pulled up at the gate. She was at the doorway and came
down to meet him. He threw the Bridle over the
fence and Strode up the pathway. I am off Lucy.
He said taking her two hands in his and gazing, tenderly, down
into her face. I won't ask you to come with me
now, but will you be ready to come when I'm here again?
And when will that be? She asked blushing and laughing
a couple of months at the outside?
I'll come and claim you. Then my darling, there's no one
who can stand between us and how about father.
She asked he is given his consent.
Provided we get these mines. What can?
All right. I have no fear on that head.
Oh, well, of course if you and father arranged it all, there's
no more to be said she whispered with her cheek against his broad
breast. Thank God.
He said hoarsely, stooping and kissing her.
It is settled. The longer.
I stay the harder. It will be to go.
There waiting for me at the canyon.
Goodbye, my own darling. Goodbye in two months.
You shall see me. He tore himself from her as he
spoke and flinging himself upon his horse, galloped furiously
away. Never even looking around as
though afraid that his resolution might fail him.
If he took one glance at what he was leaving, she stood at the
gate gazing after him until he vanished from her sight.
Then she walked back into the house, the happiest girl in all,
Utah. End of chapter 2 book, 2.