If Dr. Herschel’s courage weakened as he looked into Hernando’s face
his expression did not show it. Duty, once plain, had but one road
for him, and he had the happy faculty of doing a disagreeable one
gracefully. Hernando’s case was simply and truthfully stated to him.
He then related his discovery of “Old Ninety-Nine’s” will in the
stove at Kingston. In the will, no mention was made of gold, money or
jewels, but he bequeathed to his brothers a proven cure for leprosy;
as, in his younger days, he had contracted the disease in the West
Indies. “Extremely chronic as it is,” said the doctor, “he was not
aware of its true nature until in an advanced stage. He speaks of his
body as contorted by dry rot, but painless. This is why he kept hidden
from sight, believing the Great Spirit angry with him. In a dream his
guardian spirit guided him to Shushan to be bitten by a poisonous
snake whose venom was an antidote; but, to perfect a cure, he must take
vapor baths from the boiling waters of ‘Stinking Spring.’[B] He went
to Shushan, allowed himself to be bitten repeatedly by the venomous
serpents there, carried out the directions of his guardian spirit, and
in less than a year, his body became strong. One foot and three fingers
had dropped off.”
[B] Local tradition accredits the Delawares with some remarkable
cures of skin diseases through such means. Probably this spring
was sulphur.
For the first time Hernando became interested, but only for an instant.
“What does it matter now?” he said with dull apathy. “I have ruined
this entire family and God knows how many others! all because I was a
blind fool. Venomous snakes and ‘stinking springs’ cure a disease that
has baffled science since creation? A bullet through the heart is the
best antidote for me!”
“Will you put yourself in my hands?”
“Would a post mortem on my carcass further the cause of science?” said
Hernando bitterly.
“Tell me one thing,” Dr. Herschel asked, “have you ever suspected this?”
“Great God, no! Not this. Don’t think me worse than I am. Had I,
my body would have followed ‘Old Ninety-Nine’s’ rather than bring
destruction on these dear friends.”
“Listen, young man; on my professional word you have infected no
one. Faith on your part is unnecessary; all I ask of you is to go to
Shushan, take vapor baths, and allow me to inject the prepared venom
until you understand doing these things yourself according to my
directions. Do you consent?”
“There is but one other alternative.”
“And that would make you a murderer and me a felon. Do you hope to
pervert Justice or trick her of her dues! Is not one lesson sufficient?”
Hernando’s brain reeled. His agonized soul cried out in anguish against
the stern Power demanding years of torment in payment for one mistake.
His nervous tension was tremendous, and the swaying power almost beyond
control.
The doctor left him undisturbed to think it over for a few seconds and
then said kindly:
“It is quite impossible for our finite minds to comprehend a plan of
which we form an infinitely small part; but the slight glimpse we can
get of the universe, wonderful beyond comprehension, ought to make us
accept our fate gladly--as we must, blindly.”
After the doctor left, Hernando remained standing, the picture
of abject misery. Leaning his head against the window he said
bitterly,--“And for this I have striven! I, a leper, condemned to cry
‘Unclean, unclean!’”
A black hand fell lightly on Hernando’s arm and Reuben’s low voice
said: “God am a bery present frien’ in time ob need.”
“Oh, for your faith!” Hernando moaned. “Religion is a cold word and
means nothing to me.”
“An’ what am ’ligion, Massa?”
“I don’t know.”
“Den let me tell yo’, Massa: ‘Puah ’ligion an’ undefiled befo’ God an’
de fatha am dis,--to visit de fathaless an’ wida’s in de--in de’s
’fliction an’ to keep hisse’f unspotted f’um de wo’l.’”
Tears, welcome tears, at last. “Oh, Granny, Granny!” Hernando sobbed.
“Was that night prophetic? Did you foresee this, and can you help me
now as you did then? Intercede with your God for me, for my punishment
is greater than I can bear!” He threw himself on the bed and buried his
face in the pillows.
Reuben waited until the force of his emotion had spent itself, and
then, taking one of Hernando’s hands in both his own, he repeated the
Lord’s Prayer.
It may have been the effect of warm human sympathy, or the rich, sweet
cadences of Reuben’s voice that soothed and quieted Hernando; but is it
not reasonable to believe that Reuben, in his absolute self-abnegation,
at-one-ment with his Maker, “transmitted a wireless message” direct
to the Source of all being, and became a perfect “receiver” for the
“wireless current of God’s dynamics,”--received a direct answer to
that prayer? He arose from his knees and returned to complete the
preparations for Hernando’s departure.
How the weary hours dragged on no one could tell. Sounds of merriment
about the house were hushed and a blight seemed to have fallen on
everything; but like everything else, the day had an end,--sunset,
twilight, darkness; ten o’clock and Dr. Herschel; and the door closed
on Hernando, as all but Dr. Herschel and Reuben believed--forever.
* * * * *
All thought of the wedding had been abandoned by Elisha and Celeste;
but, on the morning after Hernando’s departure, Mr. De Vere received a
note from Dr. Herschel telling that Hernando hoped his absence would
make no difference in their arrangements for the wedding, and that they
would accept his congratulations. So the simple ceremony that made
Elisha Vedder and Celeste De Vere husband and wife was performed at the
appointed time and Celeste did not feel disappointed in deferring her
trip to Vicksburg, as Elisha filled the vacancy left by Hernando.
Though the miners marvelled, not one dared question the grave new
superintendent. It was generally supposed that Hernando and Mr. De
Vere had had some difference which resulted in the former’s dismissal
and the fact of his having gone to live at Shushan made the odds
against him. As he was no more seen, gradually he became in a measure
forgotten, and work at the mine went as usual.