Saturday, May 13.
We drove only until noon, and stopped to stay over Sunday, so that we
can do our washing and baking, without violating the Sabbath. We do
not have collars and cuffs, and fine starched things to do up, but we
have a great many pocket handkerchiefs, aprons, stockings, etc. We have
pretty bead collars made of black and white beads, tied with a ribbon,
that always look nice and do not get soiled. We are in a beautiful
grove of trees. The boys have put up a swing. There is nothing in the
way of play that I enjoy as I do a good high swing. There are plenty of
boys to swing us as high as we want to go. I fear the Sabbath will be
desecrated with play to-morrow, if not with work, for the temptation
to swing will be hard to resist.
* * * * *
Sunday, May 14.
The horses went off two or three miles last night, the men were all off
bright and early this morning hunting them. Mr. Kerfoot found them,
and came back about nine o’clock. By the time they were all here the
morning’s work was finished and we were ready--for what?
A day to spend in rest and service for the Master? Oh, no. A day spent
in swinging, frivolous conversation, and fun. I am ashamed to tell it,
but it is nevertheless true, and I believe we all thought less about a
service of worship than we did last Sunday. It is so hard to get right,
if we do not start right.
We have visitors in camp to-night, two gentlemen from Clark County,
neighbors of the Kerfoots--Mr. Suitor and Mr. Rain. They started for
the gold mines in Montana two or three weeks ago. After reaching the
Missouri River they heard such frightful stories of Indian depredations
being committed on the plains that they sold their outfit for what
they could get, and are returning home on horseback. Poor fellows,
how I pity any man that has so little grit. I should think they would
be ashamed to show their faces to their neighbors, and say, “We were
afraid, so we came back home.”
I believe Mrs. Kerfoot is the only one of our party who would be
willing to turn back, and perhaps she would not if it were put to the
test. We would not like to be scalped and butchered by the Indians,
but it does seem so cowardly to run away from a possible danger. “The
everlasting arms are underneath.” God can, and will, take care of us as
well on the plains as anywhere. He is leading us through unknown paths.
We can trust Him. Heaven is as near one place as another.
Our second Sunday has not been much of an improvement on our first. The
first we worked, to-day we have played. The boys swung us all morning,
until we were ready to “holler nuff.” We had Sunday dinner between two
and three o’clock, then we wrote letters to friends at home, read until
sleepy, took a nap of an hour, then Mr. Suitor and Mr. Rain came, and
we listened to their frightful stories of what the Indians are doing to
emigrants.
I left them in disgust, to come and record our misdoings of this, our
second, Sunday on the road. It is almost bedtime, and I must make the
beds, for we are early to bed and early to rise while on this trip.