The Tragedy of Celestina, Part Ii

...It was two days before she lost them, and an arrow slashed her small finger, a small wagon train did take her in, but a doctor found gangrene in her, chopped her pinkey with barely a word. Fever set in and it was two weeks, she got so sick she could barely speak. At Denver she left the settler crowd, only to learn that Merlon was gone, he’d been absent about two years now, and his trapping has never been strong, that he would’ve gone bust before long. Celeste felt that her heart would soon break, but she heard word he was in Salt Lake. Once more on the trail Celeste did go, through frozen and rocky mountains high, taking hard paths she didn’t much know, in those cold peaks she often did find that her stomach was kissing her spine, lost fifteen pounds in that rocky span, but finally saw the Mormon lands… She soon learned where Merlon was living, rode towards his spread with a smile, couldn’t believe this was happening, she’d not felt such hope for a while, and prayed for rewards for her trials, but when she made it to his cabin she saw a woman standing with him. Celeste froze at this awful scene, Merlon gasped and ran up to her mare, he then cried out,”My dear Celestine… Please, oh will you come down from up there? You are looking half-dead, have a care.” Celeste was too broken to shed a tear, Merle just asked,”How did you end up here?” She cried,”I came to find my fiancé,” but said nothing of all the great harms, the woman came up and Celeste’s gaze fixed upon a baby in her arms, she was too broken to feel alarm. Merlon said,”But I thought you’d hate me, I’m a deserter, so unworthy…” She barely heard his words as he spoke, feeling as if her whole life was done, she couldn’t breathe, she wanted to choke, Heard him say,”But I am now Mormon, and God doesn’t limit wives to one. Yes, my dear, I think we’ll welcome her, another wife, to be your sister.” The wife just looked on, her face quite blank, Said,”Bring my sister in from the cold.” “Ah,”cried Merle,”Our family gives thanks!” Celeste numbly did as she was told, she was soiled, and thirty years old. not something most wanted in a bride, so she let this man lead her inside…