Faith Steed Howarth

[Teenage years]

So, I was the mother. [Because of her mother's condition, Mom had to take care of her younger siblings] I had five children. Let's see, Alta was older than I, but, Alta got married. Now, she liked boys. I couldn't care one hoot for them. I had more boys than I could take, just in the family. But, anyway, we were sitting there on 15th East at our new home. One spring morning after church, I was out with the boys. They had a new bicycle that mother had let them get. We were playing - kind of fooling around with it up off the street, across the lawn and across the big veranda (which was right across the whole front).

After my father died and my mother was ill for a very long time. After she got a little better, I was taking care of my mother and five children. One was a baby. Mother did most of the care of the baby because she could keep her in the bed with her. But, she let me in the summer-time take a job out at Saltair. You see, her sister was the wife of Apostle Richards and Apostle Richards' sons were the ones who were running different things out at the Saltair Pavilion at that time. It was a very nice place to be and she felt secure. So, she let me work out there. I was a cashier for two young men who were studying to be lawyers. Boy, were they nice to me. If it was possible, they'd send me home on the train before the last.

But, one time there was a day when there was something special an and there were so many people that boy, I barely got on the last train. It was late, evidently. I guess they waited to take the last people because when we got into Salt Lake City - when we pulled into where that train went - there was not a car. There was not a taxi - nothing in sight on Salt Lake City streets. As I looked around, you know, I didn't know what in world to do. I suppose a few other people were there in the same fix.

But, I lived at 1556 South 15th East, up on the hill. But, I knew within a few minutes there was nothing but to walk home. To walk home, I didn't dare try to cut through because I had never been to any of - the only way I knew to get there safely was to follow the street car tracks. It went clear up to the Temple place, then over and then up. That's where I walked.

I don't think that half the time I realized I was walking. I felt like I was swaying from side-to-side. I evidently was a good little walker. I walked and walked and walked. But, you know, all the way up there - I knew the only way to go was by the old brewery [located about on 4th South and 9th East]. When I got there, here was two men and two women. They were arm in arm and they were singing. I don't think they even bothered to see me. Whether they did or not, at least they did not in any way disturb me. But, they kind of scared me and I kept going. All I did was pray that mother wouldn't notice 'cause I knew it would make her really ill. When I got up to the house, got in and knelt down by the side of her bed, she said, “Oh, you're home, good. Go to bed and give me a kiss.”