A WRITTEN CONFESSION.
“A modest way of putting it, my dear young lady, but we will not claim
the credit in the least part of aiding you to discover how to overcome
the law of gravitation. When we are once more able to resume in our
former quiet way, our scientific researches, I want a full account of
how this knowledge came to you and how you accomplish the movement,”
said Guillermo Gonzales.
“With very great pleasure, Señor Gonzales, I will tell you all I know
concerning my ability to overcome the law of gravitation. There is so
much to be done for the afflicted before this uprising can be quelled,
that I, no doubt like yourself, feel that our first duty is to them,”
concluded Miss Hinckley.
“Upon that very idea I have thought much, and now wish to speak to you,
my friends. Ah, but excuse me one moment; a messenger is awaiting me in
the thought-condensing chamber,” said Governor Lehumada, and at once
left the room.
“It is from Juan,” said Helen Hinckley, “that the message comes. He is
no longer with Miss Marriet Motuble.”
“How strange, and yet it is not strange, that you should have the power
to procure that knowledge,” replied Señor Guillermo Gonzales. “That
power has always been denied me.”
Helen Hinckley made no answer to his remark, but said: “His Honor and
Juan will be here in an instant. His Honor wishes us to know all that
has happened.”
Almost at that moment Governor Lehumada entered the room, and a light
knock at the door leading into the hall, announced the arrival of some
one else. Señor Guillermo Gonzales opened the door, and as prophesied by
Miss Hinckley, Juan entered.
His face was ashen, and he trembled so violently that he was placed in a
chair by Señor Guillermo Gonzales.
“What is it, Juan?” asked the Governor, as he led Miss Hinckley close to
his chair. “What has frightened you?”
“Tell me,” said Juan, gasping for breath, “tell me, do you know that the
person who calls himself Doctor Jones, is not a man?”
“Who is she?” asked the Governor, with a smile.
“The big woman who has given me so many frights—I mean Señorita Marriet
Motuble,” said Juan.
“It is a fact,” replied Guillermo Gonzales.
“Do Señor Julio Murillo and Miss Motuble speak any language but
English?” asked Juan.
“Julio speaks the Spanish fluently. He is, you know, of purely Mexican
origin, like myself,” said Governor Lehumada. “But while I have never
studied it in my present existence, a complete knowledge of it came to
me after I used ‘Memory Fluid.’ Also, Julio had a similar experience.
Tell us, man, what caused your great fright,” concluded the Governor.
“You had no sooner left the room, your Honor, than Doctor Jones turned
to me and asked if I understood Spanish. I said no. Doctor Jones seemed
pleased that I did not, and said: ‘You are behind the times, Juan. You
are a full-blooded Mexican. Take “Memory Fluid,” that great “Liquid from
the Sun’s Rays,” discovered by one of your own countrymen, a
blue-blooded Mexican, and you will remember how to speak the language of
your ancient forefathers.’ I had a small bottle of ‘Memory Fluid’ in my
pocket—your Honor will pardon me for taking it without asking your
permission—I wished to become a subject without the knowledge of
anyone.”
The Governor replied: “You were justified, Juan, in taking the fluid.
Your desire to become a subject is sufficient excuse. Continue.”
“Doctor Jones immediately began talking Spanish to Señor Julio. I put
the vial containing ‘Memory Fluid’ to my lips, and while I was
hesitating about taking it, I inhaled it freely, and before I was hardly
aware of my act I drank the liquid. Almost instantly I felt as though I
were someone else. Then a voice seemed to say: ‘It is yourself and you
remember.’ Then I heard Doctor Jones say in Spanish to Señor Julio: ‘It
is no use in trying to fool you, friend Julio; no use in the least. Ha!
ha! That is a good joke on me.’ To which Señor Julio replied: ‘I knew
when your card was brought in, that you were disguised as Doctor Jones.
Also this fellow whom you introduced as Francis Maynard, is in disguise.
He is the “Plunger from Kansas.” Ah, Señorita Motuble, your little
tricks are known not only to myself, but to Governor Lehumada and Señor
Guillermo Gonzales.’ The ‘Plunger from Kansas’ jumped from his seat,
grabbed for his hat, and cried: ‘Señorita, I must make tracks out of
here.’ Señorita Motuble laughingly cried: ‘The cat is out of the bag, my
friend, so we will face the music!’ Señor Julio looked at the Plunger,
and said: ‘Be seated, sir. No harm can be done you. You are beyond the
pale of civil law. There is no law, civil law, I mean, in the United
States of America, that can cause a man to be arrested and punished for
crimes committed in a life gone by. There will be a law some day to that
effect, and you, my friend, will be the main instrument in making the
law.’ Marriet Motuble arose, walked the floor, her thumbs thrust into a
pocket on either side of her mannish jacket, and fairly screamed with
laughter: ‘Friend Julio, I knew I would be the means of making the
Plunger as famous in this life as he was one hundred and fifty years
ago, by stealing; or, to be more in line with the popular phraseology of
the time, as he was by manipulating successfully the sale of cattle,
which he had mortgaged as many as six times without lifting any one of
the mortgages. This is a great world, and to use the slang of the
nineteenth century, I will add that the Plunger always gets there, even
if it is on “the home stretch.”’ The Plunger smiled, and said: ‘I am
uneasy. Your words do not give me the assurance I would like to have.
The mental torture I have undergone for three existences is enough
punishment, without the clutches of the law being thrust upon me. I
desire to make a written confession of my misdeeds, refund the money I
took from my credulous friends, and call it quits.’ ‘It will be a
glorious day when that comes to pass, for the scientists who discovered
how to extract liquid from the sun’s rays will prove to the world the
use to which their “Memory Fluid” can be put,’ said Señor Julio.
Señorita Motuble patted the Plunger on the shoulder, and said: ‘That is
correct, sonny. Go up to the mourner’s bench and confess your sins.
Friend Julio, let me go after Rev. J. T. Note. Pleading with sinners at
the mourner’s bench when they are on the eve of being converted, is not
in your line. And the reverend gentleman is in his glory when making a
convert.’”
“Ah, but she is an audacious woman,” said the Governor.
“Considering that she ‘remembers,’” joined in Señor Guillermo Gonzales,
“makes the question of what disposition to make of her a serious
consideration.”
“My friends,” said Helen Hinckley, “do not give her one moment’s
thought. She will dispose of herself.”
“We will take your advice, Miss Hinckley. We will give our attention to
other matters, and hope that the aggressive señorita will dispose of
herself to our satisfaction very promptly,” said the Governor. “Is there
anything more, Juan, which you wish to relate?”
“Nothing more, your Honor, except that the Plunger is in an adjoining
room writing his confessions, and the señorita has left Señor Julio’s
apartments.”
“In that event,” said Señor Guillermo Gonzales, “I will attend to friend
Julio.”
At that moment a despatch was announced by a servant, and before it
could be opened a service messenger delivered a large, bulky envelope,
which looked to contain page after page of legal documents.
Juan left the room with the messenger and the household servant, and
hurried to Julio Murillo’s room.
The Governor handed the despatch to Guillermo Gonzales. He tore it open
and read:
“WASHINGTON, D. C.
“In every State where there is an uprising, the militia will be called
out to-morrow. If the rebels join forces and organize a large army, the
United States troops will be mustered out, and in a fortnight the rebels
will be subdued. And in ten days longer, peace and quiet will reign
supreme ‘over the land of the free and the home of the brave.’ Dear
Governor,” the message continued, “the effect of your ‘Memory Fluid’ on
me has been the most wonderful and delightful experience of my life. A
great wave from the spirit world has swept over the entire universe,
since your wonderful discovery was made known. People are thinking, as
they never have thought before, to my knowledge. I congratulate you upon
the result you have obtained in your scientific investigations, and I
will aid you in every way possible. I have seen the things not seen by
the eye and am convinced.
“Command me. I am your obedient servant,
“JAMES HENRY MORTINGO.”
“From more points of view than one,” said Governor Lehumada, “I am happy
to get that message.”
“And I,” said Helen Hinckley. “One needs sympathy in the spiritualistic
world more than on the physical plane. The former is lasting, the latter
is transient.”
“The results from our researches are being made apparent sooner than I
had hoped,” commented Señor Guillermo Gonzales.
“We have much for which to be thankful,” replied the Governor, then
added: “This voluminous document would better be opened now. Friend
Guillermo, am I not correct?”
“Certainly, Miguey. I will attend to it this moment;” and Señor
Guillermo Gonzales took the envelope and without further delay opened
it. “Be seated, friends; there is much length to this document, and it
will be tiresome to stand through the reading of it.”
Governor Lehumada and Helen Hinckley sat down on a small cane settee.
Señor Gonzales seated himself in a large armchair close by, and began
reading the document at hand.
“HIS HONOR, MR. MIGUEL LEHUMADA,
“GOVERNOR OF THE GREAT STATE OF CHIHUAHUA,
“UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
“SIR:—After having read the article in the great daily _Chihuahuan_, of
to-day’s issue, your petition in the House of Representatives, which you
are praying to become a law; and after long and grave meditation upon
the same, I have reached the conclusion which you will shortly know.
“Realizing for the first time in my life how fruitless it is for me to
dash my head against a stone wall, thereby losing my own self-respect,
and being the cause of keeping hundreds in ignorance and want that I may
live in the lap of voluptuous luxury, and increase the number of
converts to our faith, and the number of _centavos_ with which the
exchequer of the church already groans, I herewith write you this
confession. For some time I have seen the inevitable end of all
teachings which conflict with free thought scientifically demonstrated;
but I have followed the teachings of the church, and have held on with
the bulldog tenacity characteristic of the faith,—that same tenacity
which led the few teachers to the New Spain, which they held in their
iron clasp for more than four hundred years.
“But light dawned upon them, and our power began to wane. It is useless
to fight for a lost cause, particularly when you know that that cause
cannot ever bring good to the people.
“My great friend, Don Francisco R. Cantu y Falomir, and myself wish to
hereby confess that we are guilty of treason against our great
government, and are fully resigned to accept without a murmur the full
punishment of the law. It was a bitter struggle for us, for two people
who were taught, since remembrance began, to worship the religion and
customs of our long-lost Mexico, to hate our adopted mother and all her
fair sons and daughters, because of their Anglo-Saxon blood.
“Great and noble Governor, we are repenting to-day in ‘sackcloth and
ashes.’ Do not judge us too severely, for we are not wholly to blame.
“There are many things which weigh heavily upon my mind—things for which
I cannot account, or rather, impressions of things which have occurred
at some time in my life which do not seem definite to me.
“Since I began writing this confession, a beautiful little girl has come
into the room, and on entering exclaimed: ‘Ah! I have found you leaders
of this riot; I have found you.’ (We are in a vacant house at the foot
of Calle de Hidalgo, in hiding.) ‘And now that I have caught up with
you, I have not the heart to let the police know, for they will imprison
your bodies as your souls are now imprisoned. Imprisoned on account of
your own stubbornness and ignorance. Gentlemen,’ continued the pretty
child, ‘why do you stand in the way of your own development? It makes me
weep to see you caring only for physical enjoyment. Why did you bring on
this rebellion? Why did you want to take my papa away from this
existence? His work is not done.’
“I interrupted her by asking her name; she replied modestly: ‘I am
called Catalina Martinet, but his Honor, Governor Miguel Lehumada,
should be my papa, and he will be some day, and that day I wish were
here now.’ Rev. J. T. Note, sitting close by, said: ‘That’s a corker!
This child must have taken some of that accursed stuff that the three
citizens of Chihuahua, who claim to be scientists, call “Memory Fluid.”
Say, little Catalina, the freak who wishes she had been born the child
of the great and wonderful Governor of Chihuahua, tell me, how can you
prove that you are not his child? And come, darling, sit upon my knee,
and let me hear thy musical voice tell about the other lives you have
lived. For if you are a disciple of the famous Governor, you claim to
have lived many, many times.’ Then chuckling her under the chin, he
continued: ‘Come, pet, tell the Rev. J. T. Note all about it. Of course
he believes every word you say.’
“Catalina surprised us all by saying: ‘No, Reverend Hypocrite, I will
not talk about things you cannot understand. Excuse me, I can only say I
am sorry for you from the bottom of my heart. Should you ever be
inclined, take a few drops of the contents of this vial; then you will
see things not seen by the eye.’
“Handing his reverence, myself, and my friend, Don Francisco R. Cantu y
Falomir, a similar vial, she left the room. Our brother of Protestant
faith made the air reverberate with exclamations not complimentary to
the child, yourself, or your coworkers, Mr. Guillermo Gonzales and Julio
Murillo. Without his knowledge the cork came out of the vial he held in
his hand, and unconsciously he inhaled the liquid. In about one hour he
fell forward in a senseless state. We were afraid he was dead, and with
the assistance of Don Francisco R. Cantu y Falomir, I laid him on a
bench near by. We were soon relieved of our anxiety. In fifteen minutes
he arose, and after looking at us for a moment in a dazed manner, said:
‘I cannot face the world again, gentlemen, for I feel too heavily the
force of the long life of sin I have led, not only in this existence,
but in the life gone by. Gentlemen, the truth is, I _remember_. My
spirit is crushed and bleeding. Oh, thou Everlasting God! Take me to Thy
bosom, that I may soon return and live the life, the example for which
You set for us in the beginning. Help me to the bench again, gentlemen,
help me. A great force has taken possession of me which I cannot
resist.’
“We assisted him to the bench, upon which he stretched himself full
length. His face shone with a smile surpassingly beautiful, and in a
moment his soul had left its house of clay.
“My hand trembles, your Honor; I fear I cannot continue. Both Don
Francisco R. Cantu y Falomir and myself will in one second take ‘Memory
Fluid’ from the little vial given us by the strange child, Catalina. One
moment more, your Honor, before taking ‘Memory Fluid.’ A strange, large,
fair-haired woman came in unannounced this very moment. On seeing Rev.
J. T. Note lying silent, she said, making much noise with her loud
talking and laughing: ‘Brother Note has passed over. The grand panorama,
full of sights of his sinful life, which passed before his vision after
taking “Memory Fluid,” staggered him so completely, on seeing a picture
of the multiplicity of his sins, that he knew he could hardly rally, and
he asked to pass away, that he might come again. And he will come; there
is no getting rid of _him_, but I will wager a picayune he will not be a
missionary a third time. He has sinned and he has repented; now he
_sees_. Gentlemen, the object of my call is to present you with a vial
of ebony fluid. It is an easy way to preserve your figure after you
_will_ to pass over the river Styx. Good-bye. If my friend and lover,
the great Governor of Chihuahua, asks for me, tell him I am at the
hospital, but will soon be taken to the morgue.’
“She is gone. We have drunk ‘Memory Fluid.’ My pen drops away. I see.
Thank God, I see!
“FATHER HERNANDEZ.”
After the reading of the strange confession was completed, the two
scientists and Miss Hinckley remained completely absorbed in their own
thought for some time.
Señor Guillermo Gonzales walked the room, back and forth, rapidly, many
times. The shadows of the early evening were fast crowding over the
room, intensifying the somberness of the scene.
“The reading of the document has simply overwhelmed me with joy,” said
Governor Lehumada, as he wiped visible moisture from his eyes.
“It is sufficient cause, dear Miguey, if it be true,” said Señor
Guillermo Gonzales.
“If it be true!” exclaimed Miss Hinckley; “if it be true! The
authenticity of it cannot be doubted.”
“Oh, I thank you, Miss Hinckley,” exclaimed the Governor, “I thank you
very much! You relieve me of the terrible fear with which friend
Guillermo’s words seized me.”
“I have not the power to see the world of thought, as Miss Hinckley has.
Forget not, my friends, the short length of time I have had the power,
my age at present, and the grossness of my body, caused by a long life
of voluptuous living, and judge me accordingly.”
“There is no grim judge, Guillermo, in the physical world, who has the
power to judge of the unseen. And the Great Cause is not grim, but is
the embodiment of justice and kindliness,” replied the Governor.
“What you have always shown me, dear Miguey. I sometimes shudder at the
thought of what my future existence would have been had I not
_remembered_ in this life. I owe all of it to you, dear friend of my
other life,” said Señor Guillermo Gonzales.
“Do not let _fear_ enter your thoughts, Señor Gonzales. The Supreme is
the completion of Love. To those who are wholly in touch with the Hidden
_fear_ is a word unknown,” said Miss Hinckley.
“We do not know Law as you do, Miss Hinckley. The privileges long
accorded man and denied women, have made our beings less easy to be in
tune with the spirit world. A good woman, a pure woman—pure in thought
and action—one who reaches out daily for knowledge of life—the life of
Love and harmony—is the highest type of creation the world can produce.
To me, friend Guillermo, Miss Hinckley is that type; she is the other
life I have longed to meet on earth. She is the one for whom I sought in
two lives gone by, and on account of the grossness of my nature I was
unable to find her. Yet the knowledge of her existence possessed me
constantly, and I searched in vain.”
“You were not wholly living upon the physical realm, my own,” said Miss
Hinckley, with much feeling. “You were then endeavoring to discover a
means to perpetuate memory. You told me through the thought-world of
your desire. I hoped for you, I lived for you. I worked to perfect my
life, so when you could _see_ me, I would be worthy of your great love.”
Don Guillermo Gonzales reached forth his hand and clasping the
Governor’s hand, warmly said: “My Miguey! My beloved friend of my other
boyhood and manhood, this approaches the completion of earthly
happiness! She is the other self. She alone can satiate the longing of
your soul. Without her, your life is incomplete.”
Taking Miss Hinckley by the hands, which he kissed fondly, he placed
them in the large, strong ones of his friend, the Governor of Chihuahua,
and said: “Miguey, a parting must never be. She is the power behind the
throne, that has kept you from evil and led you in the path of purity.
To her is due the success.”
“No, no,” cried Helen Hinckley, through her tears. “Señor Gonzales, do
not, do not overestimate my knowledge of the law of God. I am only a
creature of the earth, who lives not the highest law of God, but the
highest she knows. Do not attribute to me qualities I do not possess.
Your Honor, I entreat you to see things only as they are.”
Señor Guillermo Gonzales stepped nearer to Miss Hinckley, and addressing
the Governor, said: “With your permission, Miguey, I will bestow a kiss
upon the brow of your future wife.”
The Governor did not answer him in words, but gave his consent by a nod
of the head, and said: “My Helen, he is my brother, the one I love next
to you. His life, next to thy own, is more in tune with mine than that
of any other being upon earth. He has kept me from falling by the
wayside, when my physical life was too rank to feel thy beautiful
influence, before my eyes were opened.” He gently wiped the tears from
her eyes, his hand trembling with emotion.
Señor Guillermo Gonzales embraced her after the fashion of a devoted
father, and bestowed a kiss of respect and admiration upon her brow.
Then, turning to the Governor, he embraced him after the fashion of the
men long, long ago in Mexico, before it became a part of the great
United States of America.
Governor Lehumada clasped the bride of his past, his present, and his
future physical and spiritual life, in his arms, and whispered in her
ear:
“_Thou art my other life I have longed to meet,
Without which life my own is incomplete.
Oh, dearer, sweeter self! Like me thou wert astray!
Straying, like me, to find the breast
On which alone can weary heart find rest._”