The stranger was of middle age, with hair already gray and face deeply furrowed.  In ragged garments, resting his bandaged feet, he sat propped in the sitting-room.  The warm air blowing from rich harvest fields came in at open door and windows.  Attentive before him, Ephraim and Susannah sat.

“You are one of the Latter-Day Saints?” Susannah asked.

“I am, ma’am, and it’s real strange to hear you say them words, for it’s ‘Mormons’ the Gentiles calls us.”

Then to her questioning he told the story of the downfall of Nauvoo.

“There was two causes for the persecution; we had got too powerful and too great for the folks in Illinois, just as we had done in Missouri; but there was another thing, and that was that wickedness crept in amongst us.  ’Twasn’t as bad as was reported, though, but ’twas there—­I’m afraid ’twas there.”

The man sighed.

“It’s twelve years now since I joined the Saints in Missouri and when we were driven out there I went with them to Illinois; and I can never believe other but that the Latter-Day Saints has the truth, for the power of it is always to be seen among them; and now that I’ve lost everything a second time, and know that I have a sickness that I’ll never get the better of, I have come east to see my folks once more and to testify to them of the truth.”

He was going on into Vermont, passing by that way that he might refresh his eyes with a view of the sacred hill, and had only remained at Ephraim’s request to relate his tidings to Susannah.

“After coming out of Missouri I never lived at Nauvoo.  I had a farm midways, between Nauvoo and Quincy.  As near as I can make out, the scandal they’ve got agen us, which they’ve always had agen us because of the wickedness of the Gentile mind, began to have some truth in it when Rigdon came out with his teaching concerning the nonsense of spiritual wives, which wasn’t new with him, for I hear that it’s held among all the folks as call themselves ‘Perfectionists.’  Well, our prophet made pretty quick work of that doctrine, and he rebuked Rigdon in public and private, and packed him out of the place, and no one can say that our prophet has ever done otherwise with any one as has had notions about marriage.”

Susannah sighed.  “I have heard that he has acted the same way in several other instances.”

“You have, ma’am?  Well, it’s strange, too, to hear a Gentile say a good word for our prophet, but perhaps, as he came from here, ma’am, you may be some relation of his; and I ask you, is it likely, as he’s always acted so severe in that matter, that he should have taught a false doctrine himself?  But even some of the Saints do say nowadays that he was led away by some strange doctrines before he died; but, for my own part, I believe that the tales have arisen from the sinful natures of many of the men that he trusted; for he was too trustful, and there’s apostles and bishops and elders amongst us that are servants of hell.  There’s been evil work since our prophet’s martyrdom, for there’s thousands of our people now deluded by them and going out after Mr. Brigham Young and his crew.