“Some god hath cast me forth upon this land,
And O, what land? So thick is the sea mist.”
The next morning Princess Kezia was up before sunrise. She dressed
quickly so she would have time to pray all alone in the dear old temple
before the others were up. On the way up the hill she accidentally met
the doctor going in the same direction.
“Princess Kezia, I was just going to the temple to pray also.”
“Doctor, how did you know I was going there?”
“I can read your thoughts, Kezia. Could you guess what my prayer could
be?”
“No, Doctor, I am sorry that I am unable to read your thoughts.”
“Come, and I will tell you on the way. I was going to pray that you
would be my wife, all my very own, forever. Do you love me well enough
to marry me within a month? I could not stand to have you leave me now.
My darling, I loved you the first time I ever saw your sweet face. Dear,
you are different from others, so fair and light. You are all love and
sunshine. Most girls I know are dark and all alike, you are different.
Have I the power to make you happy, dear? Will you marry me soon? I want
to own you as quickly as possible. Answer me please?”
“Doctor, I love you dearly. It is so strange I loved you too the first
time I ever saw you. I have been afraid some one would guess my secret.
For fear some one would read my very heart I was going to pack up and
leave for my home in Southern Egypt. My poor old parents live in
Pibeseth, an old city of Bastel. My folks live a few miles from the city
on a dear, lovely little farm, all fenced in. My mother is small and
dark, and was, when a girl, very beautiful. My mother was a beautiful
dark Indian princess. My father was a tall, light complexioned, Egyptian
king. I look like my father.”
“Yes, dear, but you haven’t given me my answer yet?”
“Doctor, we will be married as soon as you say. So I will do all in my
power to make you happy.”
As they stepped inside of the church, he held her passionately to his
heart. As they walked to the altar he kissed her a thousand times at
least. They both bowed their heads in silent prayer and gratitude for
such perfect love and happiness. In looking up they saw Hope (Kezia’s
lovely angel), holding out her little white arms, blessing them.
“Now, dear Kezia, do you see why we brought you here? God has made you
for each other. You are both one. After death you will meet again never
to be parted.”
The Doctor took off a beautiful ring from his little finger and gave it
to the Princess.
“Sweetheart, this ring my mother gave me when I graduated at Delhi. You
may call it your engagement ring, if you will?”
Hope kissed the ring and kissed her brow as the Doctor placed it on her
finger.
“O! what joy, what heaven, to be kissed by an angel like Hope; and to be
always loved by such a gentleman as the Doctor. Hope, dear, your sweet
lips feel just like a real mortal. Why not?”
“I am more real than you are. I am more alive than you are, as I am in
perfect health and I am immortal. I ask you both to continue praying in
the temple for a few hours without any food. Tonight we want to take you
to Rome, Paris, and Monte Carlo. If you don’t eat much your soul can
travel at will after you are well developed. I will guide you on the way
and teach your soul how much missionary work is yet to be done on earth.
Good bye, dear children, you will see me again tonight. If you can’t see
me you will know that I am with you.”
After prayers the Doctor took Kezia home, and announced their engagement
to his folks. They all received her with open arms as one of their very
own.
“O, Kezia, I am so glad you are my very own sister now. I always wanted
a sister to boss, and do as I pleased with, and you just fill the bill.”
That night all the household retired to rest peacefully. That night two
hearts were overflowing with love and happiness.
Kezia took Sita in her arms and kissed her fondly. The two lovely girls
went to sleep with a new sweet smile on their pretty young faces.
Soon Kezia’s soul seemed to be free, floating away in space. We visited
the Pope of Rome first. He was on his knees talking to his saints in
sweet love and harmony. We soon knew that he saw all of us
clairvoyantly. Part of His Holy saints joined with us. We soon saw the
bright lights of gay Paris below us. Down, down, we went into the very
heart of the city. The first sounds that reached our ears were the
prayers of the poor and broken hearted. We saw the old and young begging
in the streets at midnight. They begged from those that were dressed in
the latest fashion. I never saw such lovely clothes, and so many bright
colors in the moonlight. Those clad in rags had more light in their
souls than the rich that would now and then toss them a copper, just to
make a display in the eyes of their mistresses. Many poor, cold, hungry,
suffering creatures had no beds to get a moment’s rest on. Many were
never inside of a real home. The misery was awful! When we could not
stand it any longer we went to Florence, Italy; there the suffering
seemed about the same. Here we found great wealth and great poverty and
suffering. Wherever we find great wealth we found great poverty. Hope
said our love for all souls prevents great poverty in other worlds. Our
great schools of industry prevents poverty. We are taught to give the
laborer all he earns; each has all he can earn, all are paid in checks
and no money is ever used.
We soon went to Monte Carlo. We saw many men and women gamble for money,
as they smoked around the tables. We could see they were money mad. Many
lost great fortunes that night; many won. We noticed one short, dark,
little woman they called Lena, win every cent a light, tall blonde had;
they called him Alo Lamar. He offered her his hand and smiled. We could
read his thoughts and knew the reason. She invited him to her room a few
blocks away. He began to make love to her for her money only. She coaxed
him to write a short note to his mistress, Ada, telling her he had left
her forever. Soon they were both sound asleep, drunk. As we watched
them, our souls could read their thoughts, which were awful. We could
see very little light around them; this proves their souls were
undeveloped. The man called Alo Lamar soon awoke, staggered a moment,
then reached under the woman’s pillow and took all her money and jewels,
went over to the table and took up the carving knife and killed her! He
covered her up, and with a cruel smile washed his hands and surveyed
himself in the glass. There were no stains of blood on his clothes. He
smiled, locked the door and went out into the darkness. We saw angels
near him recording every act he did; we also saw fiends grabbing Lena’s
dark soul and dragging her down, down! Alo Lamar walked back to the
banks of Monte Carlo. He began playing cards madly. He lost every cent
he had stolen from his wicked mistress. He reached over the table, took
up a revolver and blew out his brains; blew his very soul into eternity,
all because he lost money. We all felt the shock from the awful shot! We
saw his dark soul go down, down! His astral form was much smaller now.
Again we saw awful wicked fiends drag him down to Purgatory. His mind
was absolutely insane now, and would be for years to come. If any one
shoots their minds away it ruins the soul. This is a scientific fact,
the Doctor said.
“Please let’s go home,” I cried, “I can’t stand to see any more crimes.”
Our angels at once took us up, up, on electric spiral waves; up we went
into the pure fresh air, up into the lovely soft moonlight, away from
all darkness and crime.
“O! how lovely to float in space like this. O! Hope, my sweet saint, can
the dear angels in Mars, Neptune, Venus, Saturn and Jupiter float in
such wild ecstacy as we do?”
At this question they all laughed, their merry voices of silver filled
the air.
“What is the matter, Doctor?”
“Just look back of you and see!”
I looked back, and saw two lovely angels, male and female, holding me up
by a long, strong, silk sash that I had not noticed until now. They
smiled and said: “We have carried you all the way.”
In all the higher planets they soon learn to float alone, as it takes
some people a long time to learn to swim, it takes some angels a long
time to learn to float. It was about dawn the next day when our angels
left us at our own home. I woke Sita up and told her all I had seen.
“Kez, my darling, how strange! I had the very same sad experience.”
After Sita and I had combed each other’s hair we went down to breakfast.
What a lovely sight met our eyes! The table was loaded with lovely fruit
and beautiful flowers. A beautiful venetian gold filigree vase of lovely
dark red roses was placed in front of the Doctor, and he took one of the
perfect red buds and pinned it in my hair.
“This beautiful morning is the dawning of a perfect love for us, dear.
After breakfast we will go for a long walk.”
We had many kinds of fruit and nuts, and instead of grape juice, we
drank a cup of warm new milk. We saw the boy milk the cow at our door
steps as we began to eat breakfast; we knew the milk was pure.
Everything tasted delicious. The longing for bread, cake and meat had
gradually left me. I had to give up my old habits of eating candy and
hot bread in order to see clairvoyantly.
Doctor and I were soon walking alone in the mountains together, talking
over our future life.
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[Illustration: chapter headpiece]