“I heard one night a whisper
Of an angel, sweet and fair,
Of a glorious, beautiful treasure,
Of a lovely child of care.
She was mine, so the angels told me,
I knew it over there;
I heard it once in evening
So gentle and so rare.”
—Frank Burke.
Addison and Cathy were at home, having just returned from their trip,
when both heard this song in the air close to them.
“Cathy, dear, I hear the song, but I do not see the singer.”
“I saw Cresto singing near us.”
“Addison that is a song I composed for Ruth. Cathy, please do not wear
black at her grave, or mourn for her; she will be so happy with me.
Please try to remember this little verse:
“There’s no destroying death frost here,
To nip the hope buds ere they bloom;
The bridal tour is through the spheres;
Eternity the honeymoon.”
Addison, you will be too busy to get lonely while Cathy is gone. Your
new mine will keep you very busy, and in time will make you a very rich
man.”
“I will give one-half of all I have to my Cathy to do as she pleases
with.”
“You will both put the money in a good cause.”
A week later Ruth was holding Cathy in her arms. “O! Cathy, do you love
me so much as to leave your husband and lovely new bungalow, just to
visit me, dear?”
“Yes, Doll, I love you just that much, and a thousandfold more. Ruth,
dear, let’s spend a month in talking and laughing our heads off? I have
been so busy the rest and fun will do me good.”
“Cathy, I wish I could tell you how happy your visit has made me.”
“You dear little sweetheart, I love you!”
“My sweet Cathy!”
“Here is a letter, honey, for Mrs. Cathy MacRay.”
“O! thank you, Aunty Mary.”
“Ruth it is from my husband. I will read it to you, dear.”
“Please do if it is a love letter.”
“My Dear Cathy, my own darling wife:
I was very anxious to find out if Cresto knew about that mine. So after
I kissed you good bye I took the next train out to hunt up the mine. I
found it just where he said I would. I find the mine very rich. All he
said is true. Finding this mine is a wonderful test for me. Please have
a good time and enjoy your old friends. I will send you five hundred
dollars to enjoy with Ruth. So go where you please and be happy. I am
very busy now. I will write more next time. Please write soon. With love
and a thousand kisses,
Your husband,
ADDISON.”
“Ruth, isn’t he a darling to send me so much money without my ever
asking for a cent? We will spend this money together, my sweet Doll.
Tomorrow we will go to New Orleans and buy some pretty dresses and get
some new books. I am so tired I must go to sleep now.”
Ruth was only partly asleep when she heard this song in her room. Ione
had taught the sweet song to Cathy and she was now singing it softly.
The sweet tune was more beautiful than the words. She never had heard
such wonderful music:
“I sat anticipating, yet awed, with that instinct alert,
Dreading but longing for I knew not what;
While he with the still swiftness, that bespeaks the All stirred
within,
Glided beside me;
And with tender arms around and about me, like the will o’ the wisp,
He drew me closely to his loving breast;
And he kissed me, and he kissed me,
In that gentle way,
Till the magic thrills, one after another
Opened wide all the closed up avenues of my soul.
And in a delirium of ecstatic joy,
My being heaved and heaved like the billows of an ocean roused from its
rest,
As if the elements had loosened their festive whirlwinds in a game of
life and death;
O love! O joy! Immortal bliss!
This was a kiss, a kiss!
That stirred the nerve fluids till they seemed like ruby wine aflame in
my veins,
And he grew so tender and loving, that it was as if an abyss had
swallowed us up in its mystic fold;
The hazardous past was forgotten,
Faded away from the hallowed now;
The present enough, O love’s tremulous ecstacy!
Life was veiled in a rosy mist of enchanted bliss.
O glory of glories!
The fairies had transported us to their love paradise center, uniting
our souls with a kiss! A kiss!”
Ione sang and prayed with the young girls until they fell asleep. Ione
was a perfect saint.
Cresto came again to Ruth that night in her dreams. I, Ruth, felt myself
being lifted up gently. I saw dear Cathy there below me sleeping
soundly. I wanted to take her with me. Cresto said she was not developed
enough to go this time. I reached out my arms to take her anyway.
Suddenly I was forced rapidly up, up, into terrible space again. Soon I
saw the light again. Cresto asked me if I would like to go with him and
see some of the beautiful homes and see more of the canals?
“Yes, I would love to go.”
“Doll, you may tell Cathy all about your visit, dear tomorrow, she is
not strong enough to be away so long.”
We stopped on one of the farms in Mars. I saw a lovely swimming pool, a
big, fine home, and many beautiful flowers in the front yard. Lovely
fruits and nuts, and vegetables in the back. Some of the tops of the
vegetables and many of the flowers were red. All the farms we saw looked
perfect. I soon saw that honest scientific farming was fashionable in
Mars.
“O Cresto, dear, our own Luther Burbank will be in his glory as soon as
he comes here.”
“Dear, there are many Burbanks in other worlds, and many Edisons, too.
The pure, cool, fresh air feels so refreshing and invigorating. Doll,
the mountains used to be very high here but for years the Martians have
cut the tops off to fill up the hollow places.”
“Our mountains are valuable cultivated hills now. There are only a few
high peaks left. The grass on the hills looked lighter than ours. All
flowers are more beautiful here and have more colors. Lovely birds sing
sweetly early and late. O! Cresto, look at those lovely bright rainbows
in the distance!”
“Darling, you see the lights of a beautiful city called Lastriste, it
looks from here as if it were many beautiful rainbows—the rainbows
looked as if they had a thousand different colors.”
I saw new shades of blue, green, violet and red, all mingled in one
grand, glorious glimmering light. It is all lighted by wonderful
electric lights. In this large city there are lovely flowers and trees
around the temples and each home. No two houses are close together, even
in the large cities.
“Ruth, my darling girl, the sun rises in beauty here and sets in more
grandeur and glory than you have just witnessed. Our sunlight is bright
and more vivacious than on earth. Our nights seem like twilight. Our
darkest midnight in summer is only a soft calm, gentle, subtle,
twilight. Our clouds float very high; we see each beautiful design
distinctly. Science and our many trees cause the rain to come
periodically. We have summer and winter, seed time and harvest, the same
as you do. We live a simple life here. We love one another and help each
other all we can. All those who own farms here are educated; they study
agriculture, and gradually work their way to wealth and happiness. A
farmer here is loved in the same manner as a banker or king on earth,
only more.
“Our temples, our schools are free. We are happy. We have no slaves.
Work is an honor here. Most commerce is carried on by means of these
wonderful connecting canals—many great minds have worked on these
perfect canals for years. These canals are the direct causes of our
great wealth. The rich could control the waters of the earth the same as
we do, in time. The money used for war alone would do it. Our big
airships, our boats, our cars, are all propelled by electrical energy.
Our airships carry from ten to one hundred people at once. All airships
can sail very high or low. Many airships are made just for two,—just for
lovers. I will order a little airship for two now, mentally. Darling,
you see I do not need to hunt up a telephone. All Martians carry their
own telephones in their heads. Long distance doesn’t cost us a cent.
There are about ten beautiful live salty oceans here. Remember, dear,
there is a natural law in all spiritual worlds. All water and land here
is now under perfect control. Now, babe, I will show you from our
airship the mighty net work of our vast great canals running from pole
to pole, from north to south. Near the center of Mars they also run from
east to west to irrigate little farms. High gates control these canals.
Our Martians are wonderful engineers. These great gates are raised by
wonderful machinery and operated by electricity. Doll, our public
schools are still more wonderful and more numerous than the canals. Why
not? We are a little higher than the earth; a little nearer Heaven.
Dear, we are traveling at the rate of 186,280 miles a second, about as
fast as wireless telegraphy. We are floating in space on electric waves
and can travel as fast as thought. Earth-bound souls cannot travel at
all beyond the first plane; they are wicked and have wasted their energy
in sin and idleness. Come, Doll, my sweet child, and put your pretty,
soft arms around my neck and kiss me, and I will show you the lovely
sacred temple where our own future marriage ceremony will be performed
as soon as you come home to me. Without law there is no happiness.”
“O Cresto, I wish I could always stay here in your arms.”
“Some day you can, pet. Your future happiness is very sacred to me,
love. Here is the temple.”
“O! darling, is it a real true church? What perfect Christians you must
be to build such a lovely high temple to worship in?”
“Darling child, there is no temple in any star, no matter how beautiful
or rich that temple may be, is perfect enough to worship God in. Doll,
next to my Father I love you—my own love, Doll! I hold the perfect
mating of two souls.
“Through blended love, to be the sum of bliss;
Long as Eternity rolls.
“My lovely child, my own Ruth, I will take you to my mother’s home and
introduce you to her; her name is Helios, my father’s name is Rupert; my
mother is a sweet little blonde. I am the perfect picture of my father.
She is keeping a few jewels I have bought for you, pet. The others you
may select for yourself when you come.”
We soon came to a lovely, large country home, with beautiful flowers and
a lawn. The side porch was covered with large black grapes. On the back
porch hung dark red grapes, among yellow and white roses. On the left is
a driveway, on the right is a small lake, a bath house, and a large
swimming pool. We found Helios feeding the graceful pet swans and ducks
on the lake. She was a pretty, dainty little woman, who led us into the
house to her private rooms. Helios took out a small casket from her
large cedar chest, and handed it to Cresto. He showed her a lovely
diamond engagement ring,—the stone was perfect; a rope of large pearls
with a brilliant ruby pendant. Cresto wound the pearls around Ruth’s
small, white neck several times; a marvelous little watch, inlaid with
emeralds and diamonds, Cresto’s picture was engraved inside, the watch
hung on a delicate, long gold chain; there were all kinds of perfect
rings, a handsome ruby bracelet, two big butterfly ruby pins, a
beautiful yellow amber colored diamond necklace; at last a stately, pure
gold crown inlaid with pink pearls and diamonds.
“Doll, I will place the tiara on your lovely head soon as you are my
bride.”
Cresto took a heavily chased bottle and asked me to drink to our health,
and wealth. It was a large, heavy quart-sized bottle. As soon as Cresto
removed the crystal stopper it foamed like liquid air. It was full of
electricity. It was sparkling and had the piquant taste of champagne.
“Babe, you will drink this as a tonic here instead of hot tea and
coffee. Doll, my love, please drink some more of this new ambrosia. We
have different kinds of ambrosia here, dear.”
“Cresto, I never tasted anything so delicious. We also have a liquid
copperas that is used as a tonic. It takes a highly educated chemist to
make these mineral beverages.”
The paper napkins were soft as silk—they burn all paper napkins and
handkerchiefs when soiled. They only eat one small meal a day. The bread
is slightly like our cakes in taste. It is airiated sweet bread, filled
with ground nuts and dried fruit.
“Ruth, my pet, we eat all kinds of delicious fresh fruit and nuts. We
drink milk and use lots of eggs. Sweetheart, you have been gone a long
time. I must take you home.”
We began to float upward in space. O! it is heaven to soar so high.
“We use mind power to float. The more intelligent the spirit, the better
they can soar,” said Cresto.
It was a strange new happiness to float in space with a man you respect
and worship.
“It was long and long ago our love began;
It is something all unmeasured by Time’s span;
In an era and a spot, by the modern world forgot;
We were lovers, ere God named us Maid and Man.
Like the memory of music made by streams,
All the beauty of that other life seems,
But I always thought it so, and at last I know, I know.
We were lovers in the land of Silver Dreams.
O, the land of Silver Dreams all about us shines and gleams,
Where we loved before God fashioned night and day.
We were souls in eerie, minds made of light;
Our love wings could speed from height to height.
All was glory, love and light, light with out a night.”
Cresto sang these soul-stirring words to me while he was holding me in
his strong arms and carrying me home.
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[Illustration: chapter headpiece]