[Helen Mar Kimball]
In a letter to husband Heber C. Kimball, Vilate Kimball writes about Heber's plural wife Sarah Noon,
"Our good friend S. [Sarah Noon] is as ever, and we are one. You said I must tell you all my feelings; but if I were to tell you that I sometimes felt tempted and tried and feel as though my burden was greater than I could bear, it would only be a source of sorrow to you, and the Lord knows that I do not wish to add one sorrow to your heart, for be assured my dear Heber, that I do not love you any less for what has transpired, neither do I believe that you do me; therefore I will keep my bad feelings to myself, as much as possible, and tell you the good. I can say with propriety that the most of my time I feel comfortable in my mind, and feel that I have much to be thankful for. I realize that the scenes we are called to pass through are calculated to wean us from the world, and prepare us for a better one...."
"I must leave room for Sister S. to write you a few lines."
Sarah Noon writes: "My very dear friend: Inasmuch as I have listened to your counsel hitherto I have been prospered, therefore I hope that I shall ever adhere to it strictly in future."
"Your kind letter was joyfully received. I never read it but I receive some comfort and feel strengthened, and thank you for it. You may depend upon my moving as soon as the house is ready. I feel anxious as I perceive my infirmities increasing daily. Your request with regard to Sister Kimball I will attend to. Nothing gives me more pleasure than to add to the happiness of my friends; I only wish that I had more ability to do so. I am very glad we are likely to see you soon, and pray that nothing may occur to disappoint us. When you request Vilate to meet you, perhaps you forget that I shall stand in jeopardy every hour, and would not her absent for worlds. My mind is fixed and I am rather particular, but still, for your comfort, I will submit."
"I am as ever"
[Whitney, Helen Mar, Jeni Broberg Holzapfel, and Richard Neitzel Holzapfel, A Woman's View: Helen Mar Whitney's Reminiscences of Early Church History, Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1997]
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