It happened that when she came out of her home to attend her Sabbath
services the next Sunday, she found tall, silent John Stevens on her
doorstep, with a peculiar look in his eyes and a very fine new suit of
homespun gray clothing his tall form.
"Oh," she gasped. Then as with a sudden impulse, "Come on, I am going
to get Ellie as I go along. She must go to meeting with us this
morning."
Now, as John had not seen Diantha since the memorable ball, and as
he had certainly expected to get a greeting all his own without the
mention of anybody else, he saw occasion to be very much surprised, if
not a little annoyed. But as usual he said nothing, and they walked
along, Diantha laughing with a quick, metallic sound, as if she were
very happy or as if she were trying to conceal some undercurrent of
emotion. John chose to interpret her looks and her manner to mean a
rebuff to him, but he was slow to anger, and not easily disconcerted,
so they strode merrily along the frozen path.
Ellen was very much surprised to see them enter her door, and she
refused at first to go with them to church, as she had not made ready
therefor, nor did she care to go. Diantha would not hear any excuses,
and carried Ellen upstairs, to prepare hurriedly for the services.
As they approached the old--but then new--Tabernacle in the southwest
corner of the Temple block, they could hear the organ's strains,
accompanied by the united voices of the choir, as they sang the opening
hymn. They were too late to enter till after the prayer, and so they
stood outside on the step, and, as they stood there, they saw several
officers approaching the door as if to enter the sacred building.
John at once stepped up to them and inquired casually:
"Can I be of any service to you, gentlemen?"
"We wish to attend your divine service this morning," replied Colonel
Saxey, "and we presume it will not be offensive, as we wish merely
to listen to your beautiful choir, of which we have heard so many
complimentary things."
"Certainly, sir, you will be welcome." But out of John's eyes there
flashed a gleam of hatred and suspicion toward one of the officers who
lingered in the background. It was none other than Captain Sherwood.
Sherwood caught the look and at once was on his guard; with consummate
skill he directed his glances and his whole attention to Diantha. She
returned his looks of admiration with cold, proud contempt, and she
even went so far as to force herself between him and Ellen as they all
passed up the aisle.
John saw Captain Sherwood cast glances of admiration towards Diantha
Winthrop, and he saw, too, that she forced herself in between Ellen and
Sherwood, but he failed to see the expression on Diantha's face. What
wonder, then, that he drew a wrong conclusion? After this, his whole
thought was centered upon watching the soldier, and he heard nothing
of the eloquent sermon preached by Elder Heber C. Kimball. And very
little did he hear of the really fine singing by the splendid choir of
fifty voices led by Prof. C. J. Thomas, accompanied as it was by the
tender, tuneful playing of that most beautiful and accomplished of all
President Young's pretty daughters, Fanny Young.
Before the services were half over the officers withdrew, and John
quietly took up his hat and followed them out. He never lost sight of
them until they were mounted on their horses and well out of town.
John wondered what they had come to town for, but he was sure of one
thing, and that was that Diantha Winthrop had once more changed her
fickle mind. Well, John was as proud as he was silent, and he stroked
his beard with long, gentle passes, as he reflected upon life and its
uncertain meaning for him.
The weeks flew by, filled with excitement, parties, false rumors of
danger, and then again a few days' quiet would give the city a needed
rest and comparative peace.
Diantha kept so firmly to her resolve that John Stevens could not
secure her hand, even for a quadrille at a dance, as she was always
just engaged. She would not allow him to speak to her one moment in
private, and this so successfully turned his attention to Ellen Tyler
that she breathed freely and felt that the sacrifice had been accepted
and that her friend was saved.