Rose embraces a truth

"My dear daughter, this is a traveling group of Children of Israel. We're leaving our 'Egypt' to go to the Promised Land and the Lord and the P.E.F. have made it possible. It's a miracle like unto the parting of the Red Sea.
Rose, my Rose, I hope you find a new life out there!"
Rose sighed,
"I've already found a new life Mama, whether I like it or not. This is my new life.
But everyone here is so SERIOUS!
The men never smile. At least the men around the docks at Insley and the women smiled at each other."
"Yes, they probably did. And probably screamed and profaned at each other, Rose, and beat each other didn't they?
These are a new kind of man and woman you're seeing.
These who are also poor are betting their all on one more turn of the card. Some of them have been so foolish as to quit their jobs as soon as emigration with the cheaper handcart method was proposed. They didn't need to save up as much money as they thought, but took no thought for how far down the road they'd have to wait before ships could be chartered.
Some of these people were living on charity when they left, barely keeping back enough money to pay their way through. If they need anything on the journey they'll be out of luck."
"Mama, we'll all be out of luck if Utah turns out to be  something other than Zion."
"Rose, please don't tell me you -"
"Don't get me wrong. I'm glad we're going; more glad that I'm leaving Insley. I'm just hoping it won't be too hard there where we're going."
"Well child, you had faith to be baptized. Surely you can find enough to trust the Lord to get us there safely."
"Mama, Mama. I got baptized to make sure there wouldn't be any trouble with both of us going with the help from the P.E.F.”
"Then you still don't believe it's true?"
"I guess I believe part of it is true, but until I see for myself that these Elders are really what they say they are and that in Zion women are happy, I won't be able to do more than what I've already done.

Jacob on the risks of marrying Rose

"Jacob Hannah, you're a hard man."

              "Why?

              Cause I'm bein honest about it?  Turner, I don't ever aim to be asked to take more'n one wife and I'd be riskin a hell of a lot to take Rose, no matter how prettified she gits and how clean she repents herself to."

              "Why do you say risk? You mean you'd have a hard time trusting her?"

              "That and more. Albert says she's been a whorin for the most part a two years and not once has ever showed signs of gittin with child."

              "Albert thinks his daughter is barren?"

              "Yeah, it looks that way. If I made someone like that my woman I'd have two strikes agin me."

              "An ex-harlot you couldn't fully trust and the danger of a childless union?"

              "You got it."

              "I'd do it ..."

              "You'd what?

              You'd take a chance on her?

              Turner that's crazy! She ain't your type."

              "Why not? Besides, what makes you think we won't be commanded to marry more than one?"

              "Hah! You, maybe. I won't do it."

              "Oh yes you would. You might not feel that way now but by the end of your mission, when the labor of preaching is so full that your testimony is three times what it is now, you'll change your ideas. You'll do what the Lord asks."

"You mean to say that God gave that woman a revelation? What about your living prophet?" - Turner explains polygamy to Abigail

Furthermore, my father was four wives only after my mother, his first wife whom he loves very deeply, gave her consent and helped him choose the other three."

                This brought Abigail clear out of her chair, startling Rose.

                "You mean she agreed?

                His foolish first wife agreed to let him -"

                "Yes! Yes, Sister Blake, she agreed and I don't believe she was foolish. Neither she nor my father wanted to do it, but you see, when you have been blessed so much and given sufficient testimony of the divinity of this work, it's possible to possess a faith so powerful, one can conclude the rightfulness of a commandment and obey it, even if one is not inclined to favor it.

                In other words, knowing the gospel and knowing we have it in its entirety, including the plan of salvation, we must be a faithful people.

                `We accept the principle of revelation completely and honor a living prophet chosen by the Lord as His mouthpiece on earth. If the Lord tells his prophet to tell me to take more than one wife, it is as if He has told me Himself, just as He called me through His prophet to leave my home and come preach to you here."

                "But your mother! Your father's first wife," Abigail argued, "How ... oh, how could she agree to something so monstrous?"

                "Let me tell you about the wife of one of our current apostles, Heber C. Kimball, the one Reverend Charles talked about last night who first opened England to the gospel.

                Heber's wife's name is Vilate and after Joseph Smith made known the commandment and told Heber he must comply, Brother Kimball very nearly went crazy with worry and confusion. You see, his relationship with Vilate goes clear back into their childhood and their romance and affection for each other is legend in the church.

                Many's the time I've heard brethren exhort husband to love their wives and continue the courtship long after the wedding, just as Brother Kimball does with Vilate. How he feels about Vilate has always been obvious, even now when he's taken more than twenty five additional wives."

                It was Rose's turn to shout,

                "Twenty Five???

                My God!!"