“I remember her now.  She pushed the cart with her father in it from the Platte crossing, at Fort Laramie, clear over to Echo Canon, when all the fingers of one hand came off on the bar of the cart one afternoon; and then her hand had to be amputated.  Brother Brigham, she shouldn’t be cheated of her place in the Kingdom.”

“Well, she ain’t capable, and she ain’t a pretty person, so what can she do?”

“I believe if the Lord is willing I will have her sealed to me.”

“It will be your own doings, Brother Rae.  I wouldn’t take it on myself to counsel that woman to anybody.”

“I feel I must do it, Brother Brigham.”

“Well, so be it if you say.  She can be sealed to you and be a star in your crown forever.  But I hope, now that you’ve begun to build up your kingdom, you’ll do a little better, next time.  There’s a lot of pretty good-looking young women came in with a party yesterday—­”

“All in good time, Brother Brigham!  If you’re willing, I’ll pick up my second on the way south.”

“Well, well, now that’s good!” and the broad face of Brigham glowed with friendly enthusiasm.  “You know I’d suspicioned more than once that you wasn’t overly strong on the doctrinal point of celestial marriage.  I hope your second, Brother Joel, is a little fancier than this one.”

“She’ll be a better worker,” he replied.

“Well, they’re the most satisfactory in the long run.  I’ve found that out myself.  At any rate, it’s best to lay the foundations of your kingdom with workers, the plainer the better.  After that, a man can afford something in the ornamental line now and then.  Now, I’ll send for Christina and tell her what luck she’s in.  She hasn’t had her endowments yet, so you might as well go through those with her.  Be at the endowment-house at five in the morning.”

And so it befell that Joel Rae, Elder after the Order of Melchisedek, and Christina Lund, spinster, native of Denmark, were on the following day, after the endowment-rites had been administered, married for time and eternity.

At the door of the endowment-house they were separated and taken to rooms, where each was bathed and anointed with oil poured from a horn.  A priest then ordained them to be king and queen in time and eternity.  After this, they were conducted to a large apartment, and left in silence for some moments.  Then voices were heard, the voice of Elohim in converse with Jehovah.  They were heard to declare their intention of visiting the earth, and this they did, pronouncing it good, but deciding that one of a higher order was needed to govern the brutes.  Michael, the Archangel, was then called and placed on earth under the name of Adam, receiving power over the beasts, and being made free to eat of the fruit of every tree but one.  This tree was a small evergreen, with bunches of raisins tied to its branches.

Discovering that it was not good for man to be alone, Brigham, as God, then caused a sleep to fall upon Adam, and fashioned Eve from one of his ribs.  Then the Devil entered, in black silk knee-breeches, approaching with many blandishments the woman who was enacting the role of Eve.  The sin followed, and the expulsion from the garden.