“Kezia, my darling, we will sit here under this old juniper tree.
Dearest, I want to tell of my experience last night. My soul left the
body and traveled away; far away, down into darkness. I was taken to the
underworld in the very depths of Purgatory. Darling Kezia, there is no
everlasting Hell, but this place was about the same. I talked with a
lost soul, his name was Alo Lamar. I read the electric aura around his
head, and saw he had just killed a wicked, low, heartless, negro woman,
called Lena Williams. Alo left his sick wife, Odal Lamar, in Rome,
starving; later he became a robber and bought and sold pure young girls,
some of their names I could read in his aura—his aura was black. Lena
and Alo Lamar had sold a poor girl called Minnie. Others named Ada,
Bertha, Fannie, Maud, and two named Georgia and Josephine, both were
insane now.”
“O! Persus darling, I dreamed I saw him kill Lena and then himself at
Monte Carlo. My vision was awful!”
“Kezia, my poor little dove, your words prove all I saw was a fact. I
saw him judged by the severe courts of the underworld. The Priest who
read his sentence wore long black sombre robes. This priest spoke in a
subdued, but deep, cold, stern undertone, his word was law there.
“‘Alo Lamar, you and this low, Lena Williams, will be insane here for
over one hundred years. Every day will seem a thousand years. After the
time expires you may both work your way out of here by degrees! No soul
shall ever be permitted to love or help you two fiends in any way;
during this time neither you or that wicked woman shall ever see one ray
of light. Come, black insane fiends, and obsess these cruel souls for
one hundred years and more! Dark spirits take these two low fools! Cast
them down into prison; bind them down with thorns and snakes!’ I saw
Lena and Alo Lamar severely punished for selling the souls of sweet,
pure young girls.
“O, woman! woman! when to ill thy mind is bent,
All hell contains no fouler fiend.”
“Alo Lamar and Lena had ruined the happiness of good women for years.
Why shouldn’t they suffer all they caused others to suffer? Kezia
dearest, it is only justice! They must reap as they have sown. Kezia, my
love, forgive me. You are pale and trembling like a leaf. We will talk
of our wedding day, then you will be happy again.”
“My darling Persus, next Sunday we will be married.”
“My sweet Kezia, will you wear my mother’s wedding veil? My mother asked
me if you would honor her by wearing it. Will you, sweetheart?”
“My own darling Persus, I would love to wear it.”
“Love, soon as we are married, we will work together for good, dear
Kezia, my pet, we are so happy together now, that we will devote all our
lives in making others happy. We will prove our gratitude to God, by
working for Him. I love Him for He has joined our hearts together in
perfect love and immortal happiness! It is a pleasure to serve Him with
you by my side. May God help us to love others more; the world craves
it. Above all things we need now is universal love. Sincere brotherly
love.
“The soul that loves, forever sings,
And feels as light as though it had wings;
The heart that trusts, forever prays,
A well of peace within it springs.
Come good or ill,
Whatever today, tomorrow brings,
It is His will.
“Kezia, my own darling, promise me that you will be brave, if we are
ever parted, will you little sweetheart?” We Indians are taught from
childhood never to fear death. ‘Death is better than one’s birth. If we
are true, good, sincere Catholics.’ Remember, pet, our love will live
beyond the grave. Love is life. ‘God is love.’ Love is all there is in
life, little girl.”
“Persus, darling, how lovely and perfect the world is to us. If we
should be parted now, it would kill me. Doctor, I love you fondly. I
worship you madly.”
“My own Kezia, little sweetheart, I love you more than you do me; I will
always adore you with all my heart and soul. Long before I saw you, I
often dreamed you were my wife, my only love, some times we were picking
beautiful flowers on the hillside; sometimes I would see you in a lovely
home playing with my children. My only love, will all those dear dreams
ever come true? Pet, I know in Heaven these dreams will all come true,
if our prayers are not answered here, God will answer them just over
there. My little dove, I will love you through all eternity. I worship
you, Kezia! My life, my love, my one idol! My only happiness.
Sweetheart, I wish every one was as rich and happy as we are now, dear.”
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[Illustration: chapter headpiece]