Though life was busy with us, we missed Charley. Brother Anthony had
returned from Green Bay, being delighted with his school, his uncle and
aunt were so kind to him. One evening I went to the beach to sit beside
the water. I wanted to hear its soft low whisperings again. I was not
there long before I heard some one sobbing. I turned and mother was
beside me. She said, "I came to look for you and I was thinking that
perhaps Charley may never come home." She sat beside me silent for a
time and then said, "Now we must not spend our time in sorrow. Sometime
Charley may come." And she told me how anxious she was about a sick
neighbor she was caring for, saying, "I shall depend on you, Elizabeth,
to help me, and I want you to be careful never to repeat anything we
talk about. There is much trouble among the Mormons themselves. Strang
has been gone all winter, and some of the apostles refuse to obey the
laws of polygamy. There are spies all about us and the Mormons are not
our friends any more." I promised her I would be careful. She said, "Mr.
Sinclair is afraid of his life, as he knows he may be made an example of
for refusing to obey Strang's laws. I have many things to think about
and do for this sick woman. And I want to tell you something else.
Elizabeth Crane is going to be married in June. Charles Angel will come
after her. Then her home will be in Saginaw and her sister Jennie will
come in her place to keep house for her father. So now do not worry
Elizabeth about anything, for she has lots of sewing and we must help
her all we can."
Life was busy; our summer people were with us. Elizabeth Crane had left
us never to return. Mr. Angel and she were married at Mackinac Island.
When the boat came back her sister Jennie, a beautiful girl of nineteen,
came to remain until fall, when she, too, married Mr. James Corlette of
the Headlands. Mr. Crane, with others, left the island early in
September, as the Mormons had taken every boat along the shore below
Cable's dock, with the nets from the lake and fish from their fish
houses. They left the island, never coming back again, just a few
months before we, too, were obliged to leave or become Mormons.