STEEP TRAILS 



city, the next day, I met a grave old Mormon 

 with whom I had previously held some Latter- 

 Day discussions. I shook my big handful of 

 lilies in his face and shouted, "Here are the 

 true saints, ancient and Latter-Day, enduring 

 forever I" After he had recovered from his 

 astonishment he said, "They are nice." 



The other liliaceous plants I have met in 

 Utah are two species of zigadenas, Fritillaria 

 atropurpurea, Calochortus Nuttallii, and three 

 or four handsome alliums. One of these lilies, 

 the calochortus, several species of which are 

 well known in California as the "Mariposa 

 tulips," has received great consideration at the 

 hands of the Mormons, for to it hundreds of 

 them owe their lives. During the famine years 

 between 1853 and 1858, great destitution pre- 

 vailed, especially in the southern settlements, 

 on account of drouth and grasshoppers, and 

 throughout one hunger winter in particular, 

 thousands of the people subsisted chiefly on 

 the bulbs of these tulips, called "sego" by the 

 Indians, who taught them its use. 



Liliaceous women and girls are rare among 

 the Mormons. They have seen too much hard, 

 repressive toil to admit of the development of 

 lily beauty either in form or color. In general 

 they are thickset, with large feet and hands, 

 and with, sun-browned faces, often curiously 



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