DON^MIGUEL 
 
 -LEHUMADA 
 
 X ** 
 
 SUE 
 REENLEAF
 
 LI RY 
 
 UNIVi S TY OF 
 CALIFORNIA 
 SAN DIEGO
 
 3513 
 f^C 
 
 ox 

 
 DON MIGUEL LEHUMADA 
 
 DISCOVERER OF LIQUID 
 FROM THE SUN'S RAYS 
 
 BY 
 
 SUE GREENLEAF 
 
 NEW YORK 
 B. W. DODGE AND COMPANY
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1906, BY 
 B. W. DODGE AND COMPANY
 
 WITH SORROW IN MY HEART 
 
 AND 
 MUCH PITY FOR THE WEAK 
 
 WHO PUT STUMBLING BLOCKS IN MY PATH 
 
 AND 
 WISHED MY LIFE A PERPETUAL 
 
 SLOUGH OF DESPOND, 
 
 ! RESPECTFULLY DEDICATE THIS VOLUME. 
 
 THE AUTHOR.
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The Arrival of SeQor Don Miguel Lehumada from Kansas 
 City A Scene in the Scientist's Study, Chihuahua ... 9 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Harriet Motuble Tells Julio Murillo of His First Incar 
 nation 18 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The Death of President Diaz, the Annexation of Mexico 
 to the United States Helen Hinckley Becomes the 
 Private Secretary of Don Francisco R. Cantu y 
 Falomir , 27 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 The Plunger from Kansas Returns to Chihuahua and 
 Takes "Memory Fluid" and Remembers 42 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Governor Miguel Lehumada Lectures Upon "Liquid from 
 the Sun's Rays" 55 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Mrs. Grange Disports Herself before the Distinguished 
 Visitors, a Scene Ensues, and President Mortingo 
 Avows His Intentions of Becoming a Subject 70 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Catalina Martinet Surprises the President by Telling Him 
 She Remembered Him in a Life Gone by 85
 
 iv Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. PAGE 
 The Plunger from Kansas Confesses to the Crime He Com 
 mitted 150 Years Ago, in 1898 99 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Harriet Motuble Reports Herself Dead and Tells of Revo 
 lutionists' Intentions 114 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 A Day Full of Conundrums 131 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Governor Lehumada and Others Visit the Motuble Tomb 
 and Arrest the Leaders of the Conspiracy President 
 Mortingo Returns to Washington 146 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Harriet Motuble Addresses the Conspirators, in the Guise 
 of a Man Helen Hinckley Flies Through the Air, 
 Overcoming the Law of Gravitation, with Governor 
 Lehumada, and Saves His Life 162 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 The Peace of the Soul that Passeth all Understanding 177 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Helen Hinckley and Catalina Martinet Meet in the Alameda 
 Catalina Desires to Pass Away and Live Again .... 193 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Helen Hinckley and Catalina Martinet Help to Disperse 
 the Conspirators by Suspending Themselves in the 
 Air 210 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Harriet Motuble, Disguised as a Physician, Visits Julio 
 Murillo The Leaders of the Conspiracy Send a Writ 
 ten Confession to Governor Lehumada Then Will their 
 Souls Away While Taking Ebony Fluid 226
 
 Contents. v 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. PAGK 
 
 The Governor and Party View the Ebonized Bodies of 
 Marriet Motuble, Francisco R. Cantu, and Albert 
 Hernandez, and Demonstrate the Use of Ebony Fluid 
 Upon the Corpse of Reverend J. T. Note 241 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 The Trial of the Plunger from Kansas, and the Flight 
 of Catalina's Soul 258 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 Governor Lehumada Nominated President of the United 
 States His Marriage to Helen Hinckley and the Pass 
 ing Away of Mrs. Grange 275 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 The Celebration of the Seventh Anniversary of President 
 Lehumada's Marriage, Music by the Spirit Band 
 Little Helen and "Miguey," the President's Children, 
 Tell of Their Reincarnation.. ..292
 
 DON MIGUEL LEHUMADA 
 
 Discoverer of Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 ix THE SCIENTIST'S STUDY. 
 
 THE private study of Senor Guillermo Gonzales, in 
 the State House of Chihuahua, always had an air con 
 ducive to study. 
 
 His fame as a scientist, as a man of great moral 
 force, as a man who lived his daily life in a highly 
 spiritual manner, was broadcast in the land. 
 
 His most casual acquaintances unconsciously grew 
 thoughtful, studious, and better by knowing him. 
 
 He was of purely Mexican origin, and his friends 
 delighted in calling him "Senor" Gonzales as was 
 the custom of the people when Chihuahua was one of 
 the States of "The Republic of Mexico," a nation long 
 since only known as having existed by reading from the 
 pages of history. 
 
 The great love and respect constantly shown him 
 by his daily associates proved the exception to the rule 
 that "A prophet is not without honor save in his own 
 country and amongst his own kin/' 
 
 He was not honored as mankind was honored in the
 
 10 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 nineteenth century for his social, political or finan 
 cial position but for his moral, intellectual, and 
 spiritual development. 
 
 Julio Murillo, a fellow student who acted in the 
 capacity of office-man, was a small but well-built typical 
 Mexican, nearing the end of his fifth incarnation. 
 
 He spent no time regretting his past actions, nor fear 
 ing the future. 
 
 Every moment he lived the best in him, and studied 
 to make "the best" better on the morrow. 
 
 On the morning our story opens he had finished his 
 regular rounds of tidying the reception-chamber, and 
 was at work in a small alcove room adjoining, on the 
 properties extracted from the sun's rays, by means of 
 a glass chemical instrument. At the focus the rays 
 were liquidized, separated, and blended into "Memory 
 Fluid/' 
 
 Although the analysis under way was exceedingly in 
 teresting to him, he was not in the least disturbed, 
 when a noise much resembling the faint tingling of a 
 small silver bell announced that he must leave his 
 pleasant occupation and receive some visitor. 
 
 When he reached the reception-room he stood with 
 his hand upon the knob of the door, which he was about 
 to open to admit a visitor, when a beautiful smile over 
 spread his countenance and he murmured: "It is his 
 Honor/' 
 
 The door opened noiselessly and a man in every way 
 worthy the name of man stood before him. 
 
 "Your Honor," he said, extending his hand in greet-
 
 In the Scientist's Study. 11 
 
 ing, which was eagerly seized by the visitor, "pass, sir, 
 and be seated; Senor Gonzales will receive you in a 
 very short time. There the clock is striking the 
 half hour ; in fifteen minutes he will be at your Honor's 
 service. The morning paper, 'your Honor? Wonder 
 ful discoveries in Science, in Art, in Man." 
 
 The visitor thanked Julio Murillo as he took the 
 paper, and seating himself in one of the many com 
 fortable chairs in the room, he said: 
 
 "I have read the paper, sir ; others than our kind are 
 no doubt astonished at its contents. There will be more 
 convincing statements made within thirty days. In 
 fact, I believe our evidence will be so strong, that every 
 one will believe the history of the case and the matter 
 will be forever settled soon. 
 
 "I am sure your investigations, Julio, will strengthen 
 our case materially. Now, sir, I beg of you to con 
 tinue your absorbing study, and I will remain here in 
 meditation until Senor Gonzales grants me an inter 
 view. One cannot give too much time to thought, so do 
 me the favor not to detain yourself longer." 
 
 Julio Murillo shook hands with the distinguished 
 visitor, and with much the same smile he had on en 
 tering the room, he left to resume his scientific in 
 vestigations. 
 
 The large, handsome, princely looking visitor walked 
 the richly covered floor thoroughly wrapped in pleasant 
 and highly scientific meditations. 
 
 He was not long kept waiting for his host's welcome. 
 
 He stooped to pick up a nosegay which dropped from 
 his coat, and when he raised his head, Guillermo Gon-
 
 12 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 zales stood before him, by the side of his writing-table, 
 with outstretched hands. 
 
 The partition separating the two rooms had disap 
 peared as if by magic, and they stood alone in one 
 grand room. 
 
 A giant was not at hand, nor neither were the powers 
 of a magician employed to make the partition disap 
 pear so quickly. It was constructed on the same plan 
 as sliding-doors, but it moved with more rapidity and 
 much less noise. 
 
 The two distinguished men greeted each other with 
 the embrace and handshake characteristic of their 
 ancient Mexican ancestors. 
 
 In the privacy of his study Guillermo Gonzales 
 always addressed the friend of his youth, and his 
 friend during the other lives which they had lived gen 
 erations ago in the Eepublic of Mexico, ay, in the same 
 city where they now lived the capital of Chihuahua 
 in the most familiar schoolboy fashion. 
 
 "Miguey, my boy, this is indeed a most pleasant sur 
 prise. You returned when?" 
 
 The friend of the scientist was none other than the 
 renowned man of letters and the Governor of Chi 
 huahua, Senor Don Miguel Lehumada. 
 
 "Last night, only, my friend. I have much to tell 
 you, much to tell you." 
 
 The scientist drew a large, comfortable chair on 
 either side of the table on which he had been conduct 
 ing his most recent experiments, and motioning his 
 friend to the seat, they sat down facing each other. 
 
 "I, too, have things of importance to relate. Your 
 Honor, proceed; my whole attention is yours."
 
 In the Scientist's Study. 13 
 
 The Governor leaned his handsome head on the back 
 of his chair with a grace befitting the man he was, and 
 said: 
 
 "What I have to tell will not startle you, nor did it 
 surprise me when I learned it. 
 
 "A volcanic eruption could not have created more of 
 a sensation over the entire United States, or in all 
 Europe, than is now taking place on account of the 
 knowledge they have of our scientific discoveries. 
 However, to come to the point, I positively located, 
 during my recent visit to the North, 'The Plunger 
 from Kansas.' } ' 
 
 Guillermo Gonzales arose from his chair and clasped 
 his friend in his arms. 
 
 "Miguey, dear, dear Miguey, victory is ours ! Par 
 don my enthusiasm ! While I know we are working the 
 right clue, I am overjoyed that you should have the 
 pleasure of locating 'The Plunger !' ' : 
 
 The scientist did not resume his seat; but instead 
 walked somewhat nervously and in deep thought back 
 and forth before his honored guest. 
 
 The Governor continued : "I met him on the streets 
 of Kansas City. It was a mutual recognition. He 
 even stopped, and said in a confused manner: 
 
 " Tardon me, sir, but are you not Governor of Chi 
 huahua? You do not know me?' 
 
 "'Yes,' I replied, without a moment's reflection: 
 'You are the "Plunger from Kansas." ' 
 
 "He turned very white and shook like an aspen leaf. 
 
 " 'It is retribution/ he exclaimed, 'and it came after 
 death. God, is there no peace for me in this life or
 
 14 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 any future life? Am I to be an outcast and a wan 
 derer as I was in my second physical state, because of 
 the small offence I committed ? There is no justice in 
 torturing a man through several existences, because he 
 took a few hundred thousand dollars from his fellow- 
 man, and did some other similar tricks, which were 
 termed business shrewdness in those days. Governor, 
 I will now say good-bye. Ketribution seems to be fol 
 lowing me ; do not aid its progress, I pray you !' 
 
 "In a moment he was gone. With the assistance of 
 two detectives, we searched for him the greater part of 
 three days and nights. No clue whatever could we find 
 of him. 
 
 "Were I not convinced of the truth of our scientific 
 investigations, I would be annoyed by his sudden dis 
 appearance; but it is of no use to be disturbed, for we 
 know it is only a question of time until he will revisit 
 the city to which he fled, it being the capital of a State 
 of a foreign nation then, to escape the wrath of hia 
 creditors." 
 
 The scientist continued his walk back and forth, 
 listening intently to every word his friend spoke, now 
 and then smiling his approval and exclaiming : "True, 
 Miguey; true." 
 
 "For those in touch with the past and to whom the 
 Hidden is revealed, there is no mystery connected with 
 the appearance and sudden disappearance of the 
 Plunger," concluded the Governor. 
 
 Seating himself facing his visitor, the scientist said: 
 
 "Various lengths of time are necessary to teach 
 people of different degrees of spiritual development that
 
 In the Scientist's Study. 15 
 
 Nature demands her equilibrium restored, no matter at 
 whose seeming expense. 
 
 "In your book, 'Liquid from the Sun's Kays,' Restora 
 tion of Equilibrium is fully explained. True, my dear 
 Miguey, we must give people time to grow. The poor 
 little minds warped for centuries by credal teachings, 
 abandon of morals, cannot be expected to grasp Truth 
 at a glance. 
 
 "We must feed them 'Memory Fluid.' All knowl 
 edge of the Hidden must come through Self, and our 
 discovery so wonderfully described in your work, now 
 of international repute, is the only known means to that 
 greatly desired end. 
 
 "Come, Miguey, tell me of your reception in the 
 northern states. No such a wave of discovery has swept 
 across the world since the time of Galileo, as that pro 
 duced by our researches made known to the public by 
 your works." 
 
 "My reception," began the distinguished author, and 
 leader of his people, "was an ovation from my exit 
 from this city until my return. 
 
 "In my lecture at K , I hinted at the clue we were 
 
 at work on to right the wrongs committed by 'The 
 Plunger from Kansas.' Enthusiasm ran high, and at 
 the end of my lecture I was carried from the assembly 
 room in a white velvet chair, beautifully decorated with 
 flowers and lace, supported on the shoulders of the 
 mayor and three other prominent citizens. 
 
 "They wish to organize a society, under our super 
 vision, to experiment with our 'Memory Fluid.' The 
 masses are, I believe, intolerant with our discoveries, yet
 
 16 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 they read my work and the newspapers comments con 
 cerning it, no doubt out of curiosity alone." 
 
 "It makes no difference," added Guillermo Gon- 
 zales, "why they read it or by what means their at 
 tention is drawn to Truth; the result is the same, in 
 vestigations follow at no distant time. 
 
 "A desire to learn must be awakened in the mind of 
 every creature before he is in a condition to develop. 
 
 "Come, look through this window. See those three 
 men writing at that long table ?" 
 
 "I certainly do," replied the Governor; "what new 
 clue is this that you are at work upon? Ah, some of 
 those persons I certainly have seen before. Can it be 
 that they took part in the Plunger's drama, one hun 
 dred and fifty years ago ?" 
 
 "It is quite true, your Honor. Julio recognized 
 them on the street a few days after your departure for 
 the States." (A term Mexicans occasionally use.) 
 
 "They are men of some learning, and at Julio's in 
 vitation called here to take observation of our investiga 
 tions. He gave them a few drops of 'Memory Fluid' 
 every time they called, for one week, which was every 
 day. At the end of the week, the tall man at the right 
 of the other two, Mr. Niksab, called Julio aside and told 
 him in the most confidential air that he had undergone 
 a most wonderful experience. 
 
 "Scarcely able to control his joy at the information 
 about to be imparted to him, Julio asked him to write 
 his experience and give it to him for future reference. 
 Niksab did so, and on the file in Julio's study hangs 
 the written statement of his first experience after tak 
 ing 'Memory Fluid.'
 
 In the Scientist's Study. 17 
 
 "Since that morning the other two have made a sim 
 ilar confession to Julio. Now they come here every 
 morning and write their remembrances of the doings of 
 "The Plunger from Kansas/ which is put on our file of 
 evidence to be used at the final reckoning. 
 
 "Niksab is the man who found a hiding place for the 
 Plunger on the occasion of his flight from justice, to 
 Chihuahua in the year 1898." 
 
 "I remember the time well," said the Governor. "I 
 was then, as now, Governor of the State. How anxious 
 we were then for advancement. How proud we were of 
 our city. How eagerly our peons grasped the ad 
 vantages given them then for education. 
 
 "Look at their descendants and some of our then 
 most common menials, who are fortunate to be doing 
 their third and fourth existence since that time; how 
 they have developed ! 
 
 "Who are they now? Our most noted judges, 
 lawyers, teachers, men of science and letters. 
 
 "Come, Guillermo, I wish to pay a quiet visit to 
 the den of our coworker, Julio. Join me; otherwise 
 we will be delayed in bringing about the desired results 
 from investigations which will take place here and 
 elsewhere in the morning." 
 
 , Arm in arm the two great and noble men working 
 for the same cause, the spiritual elevation of man 
 left the studio of the Scientist Gonzales, and entered 
 the lesser apartment of their co-worker, Julio Murillo.
 
 18 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 CHAPTER H. 
 
 HIS FIRST INCARNATION. 
 
 EARLY the next morning Julio Murillo was un 
 locking the side door which led into his quiet study 
 adjoining the reception-room of the great scientist, 
 Guillermo Gonzales, when he was surprised to hear 
 some one, evidently a stranger, call him by his given 
 name. He pushed the door, he had been unlocking 
 open, and as he stepped inside, faced the person who 
 addressed him. 
 
 A tall, fair-haired, rather masculine looking woman 
 stood before him with extended hand. 
 
 "Good morning, Senor Julio; good morning. It 
 is with much pleasure I find you so well and so 
 famous. My card, senor." 
 
 "Pass, senorita, pass. You do me great honor. 
 Be seated. In what way can I be of service to you?" 
 
 He scanned the card closely, as he wheeled a com 
 fortable armchair in front of a large window which 
 he opened, and repeated: "Be seated." 
 
 The fair visitor stood in front of the open win 
 dow some minutes before taking the proffered chair, 
 gazing with great admiration at the rare and costly 
 flowers and foliage, growing in the patio. 
 
 She seemed to be in no hurry to tell the object of
 
 His First Incarnation. 19 
 
 her visit, if she had an object, neither did she seem to 
 be a stranger to the scene around her. 
 
 Julio Murillo stood a little at her back, his eyes 
 riveted upon her card. 
 
 "Marriet Motuble! Harriet Motuble," he mentally 
 exclaimed. "The name means nothing to me; it does 
 not even give me food for reflection. But the magnifi 
 cent senorita fills me with unpleasant memories of the 
 past. Can it be that she was in anyway associated in 
 times gone by with with " 
 
 His mental comments were suddenly brought to 
 an end by Miss Motuble seating herself, at the same 
 moment drawing a chair close to the one she occupied, 
 and saying: "Sit here by me, friend Julio. I want 
 to study your face while I talk to you. I am impressed 
 that we will not long be alone, and as there are many 
 things I have to say that must be known to no one but 
 yourself, I will delay no longer telling them." 
 
 Julio felt the truth of her statements, and bent his 
 head toward her, as he seated himself by her side, that 
 he might not lose a word she spoke. 
 
 "You are the son of Senora Suzzan Carriles, of 
 Colima. Your father was a priest, while the husband 
 of your mother was Seiior Carlos Carriles, a man of 
 quiet manners, but strong feeling and ardent senti 
 ment when convinced or aroused. 
 
 "Your strong resemblance to the priest, your father, 
 was so noticeable when you reached the age of six years, 
 that your mother's guilt needed no accuser, and in a 
 fit of religious enthusiasm she made a confession of 
 her guilt to her husband.
 
 20 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "Senor Carriles' sympathies in your behalf were 
 greatly aroused. He sought the priest, a man of much 
 wealth and prominence in the State, and told him of 
 his knowledge of the great sin he and your mother had 
 committed. 
 
 "Under the threat of publicly making known his 
 sins to the clergy and State, he agreed to take you 
 under his guidance and to rear you in a manner be 
 fitting his own son. 
 
 "This promise he religiously kept for five years. Up 
 to that age you were in ignorance of your birth. The 
 priest became very ill and fearing death near by, made 
 a full confession to you. 
 
 "He afterward recovered, and seriously regretted 
 having made you his confidant. 
 
 "Instead of treating you as a beloved son, his love 
 had during his short illness turned to hate and he com 
 pelled you to act in the capacity of the most common 
 menial. You rebelled at the change affairs had taken, 
 but by so doing you only made your existence the more 
 intolerable. 
 
 "A lady tourist came to your city one day, and 
 visited the monastery where you lived, it being one 
 of the many places of interest in the city. 
 
 "She overheard a conversation between yourself and 
 the priest, wherein he threatened to murder you if 
 you made known his treatment of you and the relation 
 he bore to you. 
 
 "This same lady met you on the street some days 
 later, and took you at once to the palace of the kind 
 and high-minded Governor.
 
 His First Incarnation. 21 
 
 "To him she told what she knew concerning you, 
 and besought the noble leader of the people to allow 
 you to speak, which he did. 
 
 "In a very quiet way he had the priest arraigned 
 before the Church and State, with the result of the 
 priest's condemnation and sentence of life. 
 
 "He was found dead the next day after he was 
 acquainted with the court's decision. , 
 
 "Half of his large fortune was given to you by the 
 Church and State, acknowledging you, thereby, his 
 legal heir. Is there anything I have left out of this 
 recital which you recall, Julio?" 
 
 Julio straightened himself in the chair, the first 
 move he had made since Harriet Motuble began her 
 recitation, and said: 
 
 "The gist of the subject you have told perfectly. 
 A few minor things happened which I will later re 
 count. How natural you seem to me now. How 
 astonishingly clear you have related that incident 
 which happened one hundred and fifty years ago, and 
 which caused me to go abroad to study; with the result 
 that I departed from the faith of my father. 
 
 "You caused much trouble then, but I have to thank 
 you for getting me out of the dreadful mire of igno 
 rance into which I was born and where the priest held 
 me. 
 
 "I will repeat your own words at that time. You 
 said: 'I will make things warm for the person who 
 commits crimes, and takes advantage of the inex 
 perienced, young or aged.' Crimes are various, how 
 ever. Your success in that life was not without laurels ;
 
 22 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 in this, I hope your mission is different and on a 
 higher plane. You did much harm. You are now 
 here to aid us in securing proof which will eventually 
 bring the Tlunger from Kansas' to meet justice 
 for spite. He went out of the other life like a flash 
 whether by his own hand or by the hand of some 
 wrathy creditor, man never knew. 
 
 "The many homes made desolate by his dishonest 
 schemes must eventually be compensated for their 
 losses. Time is the great adjuster of all wrongs; and 
 the Plunger's time is not far distant." 
 
 "Your statements are true, my friend Julio, in every 
 detail. You have partially only guessed my mission 
 to Chihuahua, however. Yes, I did harm. I am 
 searching for one I loved in that life, who suffered 
 much from the abuse of certain countrymen of her 
 own, then residing in Chihuahua, Aye, from myself." 
 
 "In truth," said Julio, "I am certain you will locate 
 her in this city before long." 
 
 "The great circle in which Time moves shows our 
 planet nearing its perihelion, and for the next ninety 
 days the great scientist, Guillermo Gonzales, and his 
 able assistant, to whom I am now speaking, will be 
 able to demonstrate to the world the effect of your 
 great discovery, 'The Liquid from the Sun's Rays,' or 
 perhaps better known as 'Memory Fluid,' " said Miss 
 Motuble. 
 
 "Aye," assented Julio. "No such means has ever 
 been in the hands of man, by which he can effectually 
 bring the perpetrators of crimes to justice." 
 
 "And it matters not," continued Miss Motuble, "of 
 how long standing the crime is."
 
 His First Incarnation. 23 
 
 "Not in the least; not in the least," continued her 
 host. "In fact, we are thinking of trying to run down 
 every person who participated in that ancient and" in 
 human crime of silencing the musical voice of Lot's 
 wife." 
 
 "If that is done," laughed Miss Motuble, "the truth 
 of the story will be proven; but to spend one's time 
 trying to prove such an absurd story is a sin. Besides 
 I admit that the story is of too long standing, for you 
 and me to interest ourselves in it. I am here for the 
 sole purpose of making existence warm for the many I 
 knew in other lives, who failed to get justice meted out 
 to them then. Indirectly only am I connected with 
 the punishment of the 'Plunger from Kansas.' Yet 
 revenge prompts the motive." 
 
 Further conversation between them was interrupted 
 by the entrance of first, a little girl with beautiful 
 flowers to sell, followed by Mr. Niksab, and two other 
 men, one an elderly, bald-headed, dissipated looking 
 man, who carried his hand on the side of his cheek. 
 His face was spotted and his mouth stood open. 
 
 His surprise was very noticeable when he saw Miss 
 Motuble. His lips quivered and tears began to flow 
 from his eyes, like water from a fountain. 
 
 Julio Murillo shook hands with the three men, asked 
 them to be seated, and then turned his attention to the 
 little girl, who stood modestly by the door waiting to 
 tell the object of her call. 
 
 "How many posies must I buy from my little flower 
 girl this morning?" said Julio. 
 
 "One," replied the child, "if it so pleases your honor,
 
 24 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 for it will please thy mother, Senora Suzzan Carriles, 
 for you to do so." 
 
 "Bless the dear one/' cried Harriet Motuble, "we 
 will buy every posy she has. Come, gentlemen, now 
 is the opportunity to show your gratitude to science 
 through this child, who is the living proof of our 
 friend's investigations. Come, gentlemen, who will bid 
 on this child's posies ? One dollar for each flower. One 
 dollar once, one dollar twice " 
 
 "Three dollars for each flower," cried a voice from 
 Guillermo Gonzales' reception-room. 
 
 Julio Murillo greeted the bidder as he stepped into 
 the little study, with great joy. He was accompanied 
 by the scientist, Guillermo Gonzales, who was no 
 stranger to the three men, they wasted no time to show 
 their good will and great respect for him. 
 
 The flower-girl curtesied to the two distinguished 
 men. She was something more than a simple child 
 to them. She was the living proof of their scientific 
 investigations. 
 
 The fair auctioneer continued crying: "Three dollars 
 for each posy once; three dollars for each posy twice; 
 three dollars for each posy " 
 
 "Four dollars I bid !" cried the blear-eyed, spotted 
 faced, bald-headed, dissipated looking man. "Four 
 dollars, I say. Four dollars, I say." 
 
 The pretty child made a curtesy to the fair auction 
 eer, and cried: "No, no, senorita, take not the money 
 of so bad a man." 
 
 Prostrating herself before the great benefactor of 
 his people, she continued:
 
 His First Incarnation. 25 
 
 "Your Honor, shield me from so bad a man! I 
 would go hungry and sleep en la calle sooner than 
 live well, from the Mnero of so bad a man. Tengo 
 liambre, tengo hambre! But let me die for want of 
 food; let me die. I cannot look in the face of so vile 
 a man." The child turned her face, so full of fright 
 and abhorrence, toward the man she loathed, and as she 
 cried in a voice full of agony : "Go, great demon, go !" 
 she fainted away. 
 
 The great good man to whom she so piteously ap 
 pealed, lifted her tenderly in his arms and laid Eer 
 on the couch in Julio Murillo's little study. 
 
 The fair auctioneer followed and devoted her time 
 immediately to restoring the child, aided by Julio 
 Murillo. 
 
 The Governor returned to the reception-room and 
 placing himself in front of the repulsive stranger, said : 
 
 "Give an account of the strange actions of the little 
 girl toward you. If you have done that fair child, who 
 is modesty and purity itself, an injury, it must be re 
 paired at once, and on your bended knees at that. Ex 
 plain matters, sir !" 
 
 "I do not know the child," began the man. 
 
 "That is not the case," quickly responded Guillermo 
 Gonzales and Mr. Niksab in one voice. 
 
 "I beg of your Honor, and you, my friends, to be 
 lieve me. I, J. Ecarg, have never injured a child in 
 my life. I never saw the girl until this moment. I 
 beg of your Honor to have faith in my statements. I 
 know nothing of this child whatever." 
 
 "Kemember," said Mr. Niksab, as he handed him a
 
 26 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 glass of liquid, which he put to his lips and quickly 
 drained. "Remember" he again repeated, as he took 
 the empty glass and placed it on the stand. "It is 
 Memory we are cultivating. Memory, John; Mem 
 ory." 
 
 "With your Honor's consent we will take this subject 
 into the reflection-room," said the great scientist. "He 
 is one with whom we have been experimenting/' 
 
 Mr. Fiksab and the scientist supported Mr. Ecarg on 
 either side. 
 
 "'Memory Fluid' is beginning to do its work, and 
 remorse of conscience makes him limp," said Mr. 
 Niksab. 
 
 "This is a great world a wonderful age of scientific 
 discovery. Pass, gentlemen, into the reflection-room. 
 Pass at once. I am rejoiced to know that we have an 
 other clue which may in some way lead to valuable in 
 formation concerning the one subject which is consum 
 ing the greater part of our present investigations/' con 
 cluded the Governor. 
 
 Mr. Ecarg very much resembled a man who, after 
 years of dissipation was now entering upon one of his 
 big monthly or weekly drunks. 
 
 As the trio was passing from the Governor's presence, 
 the scientist said: 
 
 "Does memory not recall this man, your Honor? I 
 am sure of him. A glorious victory is close at hand." 
 
 In a thoughtful mood the Governor followed them to 
 the door, through which they disappeared from view, 
 but he made no response to the scientist's question.
 
 The Death of President Diaz. 27 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE DEATH OF PRESIDENT DIAZ. 
 
 THE two great scientists, Senor Don Miguel Lehu- 
 mada and Senor Guillermo Gonzales, had been more 
 successful in their treatment with "Liquid from the 
 Sun's Rays" or "Memory Fluid," as their wonderful 
 discovery had become to be known than their most 
 sanguine hope for its success could have been in the 
 start. 
 
 Their belief in the first place was that they had 
 secured a fluid from the Sun, which would under 
 proper conditions destroy every species of bacteria in 
 man; that while the death of disease was taking place, 
 each of the mental faculties and the spiritual nature of 
 man as well, would begin taking on its normal condi 
 tion, and when the body became freed from all deplet 
 ing causes, these faculties would be in a condition to 
 rise to a high degree of development. Further, they 
 believed that the fluid they had discovered would have a 
 particular effect upon the memory ; not only in restoring 
 it to its normal condition, but in causing it to bring 
 to mind every incident in one's life. 
 
 But strange to say, their wonderful fluid went further 
 in its effect upon memory, than the present life of the 
 person upon whom the experiments were being carried.
 
 28 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 It penetrated the sarcophagus of every previous exist 
 ence and resurrected every thought and experience. 
 It mirrored all the physical, social and spiritual en 
 vironments, of each life of the person as plainly to him 
 as if they were occurrences of yesterday instead of the 
 rt-membrances of events in one's other lives; which he 
 had lived perhaps ages and ages ago. 
 
 It was not until many experiments had been per 
 formed successfully, and the remembrances of each sub 
 ject faithfully recorded, that they let the public know 
 of their wonderful achievements. 
 
 Then it received its first knowledge of the scientific 
 investigations and the results, of the two scholarly men 
 of Chihuahua through the medium of the work 
 "Liquid from the Sun's Kays" by the distinguished 
 Governor of the State. 
 
 The eyes of the entire world were centered upon them 
 at this time, watching intently for their great test case 
 to be concluded. A case which they claimed would fur 
 nish the world sufficient proof to convince it, that their 
 great discovery, "Memory Fluid," accomplished all they 
 claimed for it and very much more. 
 
 On his return from "the States," the Governor had 
 said, that in twenty-four-hours' time they would have 
 sufficient proof collected to enable them to give the re 
 sults of their test case to the public. And in truth, 
 they did have; but complications had arisen which 
 would result in them being able to give stronger proof 
 of the effect of "Memory Fluid" upon mind and matter. 
 
 But these very complications would require time for 
 arrangement, and the public must wait. The eager,
 
 The Death of President Diaz. 29 
 
 avaricious public, tale-bearing public, panted with sus 
 pense, caused by the delay. 
 
 The two great men were in no hurry; they had 
 reached their present plane of advancement by a suc 
 cession of lives carefully planned during one hundred 
 and fifty years. 
 
 Fifty years seems a long time for the single life of 
 one man, and it is. But when a person with a mind so 
 full of desire for knowledge is cut off at the end of fifty 
 years, the time seems short. He is cut off at an age in 
 which he is in a condition to begin to take on higher 
 and better knowledge. It is the desire for a continu 
 ance, on a higher plane, in a physical life that causes one 
 to return to earth and take up the new life where the old 
 left off. 
 
 The press spoke of the two scientists as marvels of 
 the day. It claimed that history did not record any 
 great discovery to have been made by men so young as 
 the discoverers of "Memory Fluid/' hence they were 
 spoken of not without satire, however as being in 
 spired and their discovery if it contained a grain of 
 truth as a miracle. 
 
 Ten years previous these two great men, living in the 
 the same city, meeting only occasionally and then as 
 strangers, had for many years secretly recognized each 
 other as a compatriot, a fellow-student ; a friend in other 
 lives, two other lives long since passed away. Yet for 
 the want of more confidence in self ; for the courage to 
 confront his fellowman and avow his knowledge of a 
 superior soul development and physical advancement, 
 each held aloof.
 
 30 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 The occasion for mutual acknowledgment arrived. 
 It was a supreme moment. They fell on each other's 
 necks and wept for pure joy. From that moment they 
 spent hours each day reviewing events of their past; 
 studying to develop the present, to bring about by 
 scientific discoveries, a means which would show to the 
 world that the sins committed in this body must be ap 
 peased on earth ; if not in the life in which the sins were 
 committed, then in another life. Perhaps the guilty 
 one would pass through several lives unmolested; but 
 the day of reckoning, however, certainly would come, 
 retribution would surely overtake every evil doer. 
 
 The result of their investigations was the famous 
 "Memory Fluid," which accomplished for them more 
 than they hoped. 
 
 It was with much amusement often, that the two wise 
 men discussed the subject of their youth, at which the 
 public marveled. How well they knew they were not 
 young in experience, or years. It was laughable to read 
 the statements of the credulous editors, credulous from 
 a materialistic point of view; but wholly incredulous 
 when it came to questions of spiritualistic discussion. 
 
 The age in which they now lived was more in sym 
 pathy with materialistic ideas than in any of their 
 previous existences. They were not surprised, for it 
 seemed prophetic that evil, that materialistic views, 
 should reach the pinnacle of fame before a revolution 
 would occur which would demolish their false ideas. 
 And they had hoped that the revolution was near at 
 hand and they prayed that it might be brought about 
 by their wonderful discovery. Victory was sure to fol-
 
 The Death of President Diaz. 31 
 
 low. And what a glorious victory it would be! A 
 victory of life over death; of health over disease; of 
 spirit over flesh; of the righting of all wrong; of the 
 assurance of everlasting life. 
 
 Events which pointed very plainly to materialistic 
 and spiritualistic controversy were taking place on every 
 hand, yet the masses adhered to materialistic views or to 
 the dogmatic teachings of the churches. 
 
 A hundred and thirty-eight years had passed since the 
 American Continent was convulsed by an internal revolu 
 tion. This revolution took place immediately upon the 
 death of President Diaz, of the Eepublic of Mexico. 
 
 It was a short and terrible conflict. At the earnest 
 solicitation of all State officials ; of the entire army ; of 
 a large majority of the professional fraternity ; of prom 
 inent people of wealth and business, the United States 
 interfered in behalf of the law-abiding citizens of the 
 Kepublic ; and quelled the internal revolt. 
 
 The mere presence of the army of the United States 
 upon Mexican soil, the fact of the army of so great a 
 nation occupying their soil, not by force, but by the 
 earnest pleadings of many of the best citizens of Mexico , 
 those who wished to see the republican form of govern 
 ment, established by General Diaz, continued, was 
 enough within itself to keep the small parties of revolu 
 tionists in each state quelled. 
 
 Only a small number of fights occurred, and in each 
 but very few lives were lost. 
 
 During the year the American army occupied Mexico, 
 and many of her best war ships were anchored off the 
 Mexican coast for further protection, the Mexican people
 
 32 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 convinced themselves thoroughly of their impossibility 
 to maintain a republican form of government when 
 there were so many small factions fighting for the 
 rulership of the nation ; and there was not a man in the 
 army or in any other vocation of life, who had the con 
 fidence of the educated sufficiently to unite them, or the 
 power to hold the peons and rabble in submission. 
 
 Toward the close of the year the state of their unset 
 tled condition was awful to behold. Something must be 
 done, and that quickly; or a fearful struggle, a long 
 war would take place. 
 
 It was finally decided to ask, to petition the Ameri 
 can government to annex the Mexican Eepublic to the 
 United States of America, without any delay, provided 
 three-fourths of the States of Mexico and a majority of 
 voters in the Federal District desired it. 
 
 The day set on which votes for and against annexa 
 tion should be cast was the same day of the month on 
 which occurred the birth of General Porfirio Diaz the 
 greatest leader they had ever known; the maintainer 
 of peace and progress in their land the fifteenth of 
 September. 
 
 The scenes enacted on the day of voting made another 
 black page in the history of the Mexican people. 
 
 The combined effort of the Mexican army in favor of 
 annexation and the army of occupation saved the coun 
 try from a most fearful homicide. 
 
 The rabble set to work by the priesthood, who seemed 
 to think the day especially set apart for them to gain 
 prominence by helping to defeat the annexation ques 
 tion, caused the trouble. Their people plundered, mur-
 
 The Death of President Diaz. 33 
 
 dered, set fire to the homes and business houses of 
 prominent people whom they knew were in favor of 
 annexation. 
 
 It certainly required months for the vast army of 
 rabble to be organized and drilled, to be able to accom 
 plish so much evil before their nefarious deeds became 
 known, before they started out upon their grand parade 
 of open revolt. Notwithstanding there was an organi 
 zation of this kind in the capital of every state in the 
 Kepublic, a very large majority of the States went for 
 annexation. 
 
 A petition for immediate annexation was presented to 
 the Government of the United States by a large and 
 representative body of Mexican citizens, which pleaded 
 for an extra session of Congress to convene, which oc 
 curred with results satisfactory to each nation. And 
 Mexico became a part of the United States of America 
 without further delay. More than one hundred years 
 had passed since the memorable event, and Mexico had 
 grown to be possibly the most important part of the 
 United States. 
 
 There had been a long reign of peace and prosperity, 
 and the fact that this part of the United States had 
 beea, long ago, a hot-bed for internal revolution, was 
 only known to the present generation by reading from 
 the pages of history an account of her brave people 
 struggling for independence struggling for enlighten 
 ment; for the maintenance of a republican form of 
 government. 
 
 The two great scientists and their most able coworker 
 were of purely Mexican origin; in no existence previ-
 
 34 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 ous to this one had there ever been any mixing of blood. 
 
 Governor Lehumada took no especial pride in the 
 fact that there was no Anglo-Saxon or other than bis 
 native Latin blood in his veins. 
 
 Neither did the other two great scientists Guillermo 
 Gonzales or Julio Murillo. They had no prejudices; 
 they were too intelligent and learned. They advo 
 cated intermarriage of the races. They believed that 
 it was necessary for a high degree of intelligence to be 
 preserved. 
 
 However, their own existence the very high degree 
 of their intellectuality and spiritual development was 
 an exception to the rule they advocated. 
 
 There are people who without apparent cause carry 
 prejudices in families for hundreds of years, and while 
 their real feeling may not have any publicity, is only 
 due to the fact that no occasion presented itself for them 
 to declare their opinions. 
 
 There are a few of this class of people living in the 
 capital of Chihuahua, who pride themselves on the fact 
 that they have never crossed the Rio Grande ; that they 
 do not speak the English language; that they have no 
 associates amongst the Anglo-Saxon American people. 
 These persons are not without influence, often being 
 people of wealth and position; and they now believed 
 their time had come to make known their views concern 
 ing the race question. 
 
 Many of the large newspapers were full of the absurd 
 ideas of these people. They claimed that the wonder 
 ful discoveries of their two townsmen were due to the 
 fact that through their veins coursed no foreign blood.
 
 The Death of President Diaz. 35 
 
 They claimed they could see through the shadows events 
 which foretold the complete extinction of the Anglo- 
 Saxon race on American soil and the re-establishment 
 of the Mexican Republic. Sensational papers pub 
 lished their articles, and wise people laughed at them 
 over their morning meal. 
 
 When questioned about the opinions of their country 
 men, the Governor and Senor Guillermo Gonzales im 
 pressed their interviewers with the fact that they were 
 perfectly intolerant of such restricted ideas. That it 
 was very embarrassing to them, being of purely Mexi 
 can descent, and striving to bring about a means for 
 the improvement of man, to be held up for a target at 
 which the known world would hurl its anathemas. 
 
 They now knew no nativity save the United States of 
 America; they knew no Master but God. 
 
 They held in esteem only such people who were striv 
 ing to improve their physical and spiritual state. They 
 held no one in contempt because he was poor, ignorant, 
 dissipated; full of disease and depravity. They knew 
 the time was close at hand when a desire would be born 
 within the soul of each for a knowledge of Truth ; that 
 the scales of disease which obscured the light from their 
 soul would decay, and victory would cry out. These 
 very people who secretly hated their foster-mother were 
 the stumbling-blocks to every enterprise, headed by a 
 person of Anglo-Saxon origin, particularly if the advo- 
 cator be of American parentage and was born in the 
 United States north of the Eio Grande. 
 
 They aided and abetted the clergy. They fought 
 strenuously against any modern improvements in the
 
 36 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Catholic Church. Their ancestors were so bold once, 
 that they held a meeting of indignation, when some of 
 their brethren of more modern ideas were determined 
 that the poor of the church, as well as the rich, should 
 have comfortable seats; they contended that it was a 
 relic of slavery and heathenism for people to prostrate 
 themselves on a dirty floor to worship. 
 
 The voluptuous, avaricious priests hated to see the 
 innovation. They knew it meant a waning of their 
 power. Yet when questioned by the advanced members 
 of their flock, they could not refuse their consent. 
 
 The opposing party were petted and pampered by the 
 priest, who consoled them by saying and truthfully 
 that upon them the salvation of the church rested. It 
 was a terrible, terrible day when the long, barren 
 church, save for the candelabras, the paintings of the 
 saints and images of Marie and Jesus, and its won 
 derful altar of purple and gold, was furnished with 
 comfortable seats for the poor; the very poor, who with 
 their centavos, centavos (which they obtained mostly by 
 begging and plundering), helped to build the mag 
 nificent cathedrals, and entirely supported a vast army 
 of parasitic creatures called priests, in idleness and vo 
 luptuousness. 
 
 The few in Chihuahua who were so unfortunate as to 
 have for their ancestors a class of people wedded to 
 Catholicism as practiced in Mexico in 1899, and adhered 
 to it, needed the sympathy of every enlightened person 
 seeking for spiritual knowledge. 
 
 Francisco R. Cantu y Falomir was the most prom 
 inent member of the few who resented the present
 
 The Death of President Diaz. 37 
 
 regime of things, simply because his forefathers did 
 a hundred and thirty-eight years ago. He was a man 
 of great wealth. He insisted on the "Don" before his 
 name and invariably signed his mother's name, Falomir, 
 to his own, as was the custom then. 
 
 His family ate tortillas and frijoles three times a 
 day; drank pulque, aqua, miel, mescal, and aguar- 
 'diente the latter two when they wished their troubles 
 drowned; both of which are powerful intoxicants. 
 
 The male members of the family wore sombreros, 
 short ornamental coats, sashes of many colors; and 
 skin-tight trousers of light colors. The women and 
 girls of the family wore black rebozos, and lace mantillas 
 over their heads ; the criada cooked on the brasero, and 
 never failed to serve ensaladas and tomales on holidays 
 and feast days as was the custom from time imme 
 morial up to the date the Eepublic became a part of the 
 United States. This family was spoken of by their 
 townsmen as oddities and were rather liked for their old- 
 fashioned ideas; they were hospitable to the extreme 
 with their own countrymen, and generous to a fault to 
 the poor of Mexican lineage who adhered to the religion 
 of their fathers. They were unobtrusive in social affairs 
 and political affairs, but interfered in everything com 
 mercial where it was possible. , 
 
 Their interference was always in a quiet way, how 
 ever, and attracted the attention of no one but those 
 directly interested. They inherited the cunning and 
 silence of their ancestors and acquired more uncon 
 sciously ; by long contact with races which held them 
 in submission. It required no effort to conceal their
 
 38 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 real feeling toward the country of which they were now 
 a part, which took them under its protecting wing at the 
 earnest solicitation of their best people at a time when 
 the growing Republic was bereft of its main support; 
 the great and noble leader, Diaz, who caused every 
 avenue of progress to be opened up for his people. A 
 man who loved the Mexican people, for whom he had 
 fought and labored, next to his God. The American 
 people claimed him as one of their heroes, and even 
 the present generation honor his memory with as much 
 fervor as if he had been one of them, as if the Republic 
 he established and maintained had been a part of the 
 States. 
 
 Don Francisco R. Cantu y Falomir's ancestors be 
 longed to the faction which strove to make the Church 
 stronger; to the faction opposed to Diazism, to prog 
 ress. He seemed to take an uncanny pride in nourish 
 ing the frightful skeleton he had inherited. 
 
 Little did he think that the very fact that he made 
 bold to step out and hold an indignation meeting, like 
 his ancestors, against the "powers that be," that the 
 cherished skeleton would be brought forth and aired 
 with a result of disaster to his present life, that is, 
 disaster in a certain way As much as Don Francisco 
 R. Cantu y Falomir hated, or pretended to hate, the 
 Americans and their language, he had now in his employ 
 a poor, but highly educated young American woman, 
 Helen Hinckley. She spoke his language and under 
 stood it as perfectly as if it were her native tongue. 
 
 She had no prejudices against the race from which her 
 employer claimed to have sprung. She rather admired
 
 The Death of President Diaz. 39 
 
 the quaint, old-fashioned customs to which he and his 
 family adhered. 
 
 She was evidently of strictly American origin. She 
 had no relative, no home, and no money but what she 
 earned. She described herself as a lost spirit roving 
 over the world in search of friends and a permanent 
 abiding-place. That was the only answer she gave her 
 self or anyone else, when questioned why she was alone 
 and in Chihuahua or any other place. She had been in 
 Chihuahua only one night, when she read in the great 
 daily, The Chihuahuan, the next morning, the adver 
 tisement of her present employer, which stated that he 
 wanted an educated American who understood the 
 Spanish as well as his own tongue, who was quiet and 
 unobtrusive, to act as secretary. He preferred a person" 
 with no family ties ; and one who would consent to live 
 in his family for a year. Whatever salary such a per 
 son required for his services would be forthcoming at 
 the end of each month. 
 
 When Helen Hinckley walked into the old-fashioned 
 adobe house standing in the center of a large garden, 
 around which was the old-time high adobe wall, and 
 stood in the magnificent patio gazing at the rare flowers, 
 beautiful birds and sparkling fountain, she felt as if 
 she were not a stranger to these very scenes. She was 
 startled and yet made very happy, neither of which feel 
 ings could she account for. 
 
 When shown into the long reception-room she showed 
 her surprise, to see it full of applicants eager to get the 
 position for which she had come to apply. 
 
 She was about to retire, for she was sorry for these
 
 40 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 earnest breadwinners, whose only happiness seemed to 
 be in material existence. Besides, she felt intuitively 
 that if she applied, all of those present, who needed the 
 position worse than herself, would go away with a heavy 
 heart, still she lingered in the patio. 
 
 To the left of the room where the many applicants 
 breathlessly waited to know their fate, was the small 
 but well-appointed office of Don Francisco R. Cantu y 
 Falomir, where, one at a time, he examined the appli 
 cants. 
 
 When he saw Helen, he stepped to the open door and 
 said: "Oblige me, senorita, by passing into my private 
 office." He immediately dismissed the other applicants 
 with the quiet and polite information that he had 
 secured one whose recommendations were all he re 
 quired. He further told them that he hoped they would 
 soon secure employment, as no doubt they were all com 
 petent, and (with a ring of satire in his voice), being 
 Americanos, were deserving. No great change had come 
 over Don Francisco B. Cantu y Falomir, yet judging 
 by the great enthusiasm and cordiality with which he 
 greeted Helen Hinckley, on his return to his private 
 office, it seemed to indicate quite differently. 
 
 "Pardon me, senorita," he said in greeting, "but I 
 took the liberty to say to the other applicants that 
 I had employed a competent person as my secretary, 
 meaning you. I hope you will do me the honor to 
 serve me in this capacity. In fact, you are the person 
 whom I have had in mind. Your duties will be light ; 
 in fact, for some time to come, all the day will be yours. 
 I have only one request to make, and that is, while in my
 
 The Death of President Diaz. 41 
 
 bouse, you will have no social intercourse with my wife 
 and children; that you will stay closely in your own 
 room or in some quiet spot in the garden which my 
 family do not frequent. When I want your services I 
 will send the mozo for you. A mozo, saddle horse, and 
 carriage are at your disposal. You are from this 
 moment to be at no expense. Every comfort of home 
 life we will supply you free, and your salary I will pay 
 now. How much do you require ? Will you stay ?" 
 
 Helen Hinckley replied without any hesitation: 
 "Sir, you are courteous and generous to the extreme. 
 I thank you. I will enter into your employment at 
 once. I want for my services, five hundred dollars a 
 month." 
 
 Don Francisco R. Cantu y Falomir stepped to his 
 desk and handed her the first month's salary in shining 
 gold; directed a dreamy-eyed criada to show the 
 eenorita to her room, and sent un mozo de cordel to the 
 hotel for all of her belongings.
 
 42 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE PLUNGER FROM KANSAS. 
 
 EVENTS of great importance were crowding them 
 selves thick and fast upon the attention of more people 
 in the capital of Chihuahua than the leader of his 
 people, the Governor, and his able coworker, Guillermo 
 Gonzales, and Julio Murillo, his assistant. 
 
 Governor Lehumada had long been practicing to 
 make his personal desires subordinate to a very high 
 standard of right. He had fixed his sole purpose of 
 thought upon a desire to bring about a means for the 
 recovery of memory. 
 
 He had received many impressions through the gift 
 he had of placing the spiritual world first in his 
 thoughts and his actions. 
 
 Evil he believed to be the result of a microbic con 
 dition of matter. The happy results obtained by the 
 rise of the "Memory Fluid," were turning the tide of 
 thought into a more spiritual channel, the fact of which 
 was in itself sufficient compensation for the years of 
 labor the great men had had in bringing about their 
 scientific discovery of "Memory Fluid/' 
 
 The name of Don Francisco R. Cantu y Falomir 
 had within the last ten days become a household word 
 At first most every one looked upon his ideas, as por-
 
 The Plunger from Kansas. 43 
 
 trayed by the press, as a big joke; but now the clergy 
 had made bold (for they believed their staunch sup 
 porter had a big following,) to attack "Memory Fluid" 
 as an enemy of life, as a messenger of evil. Yet they 
 hailed it as their mascot, for they claimed to believe 
 that, though a great evil within itself, through it 
 would come a revolution which would result in the re- 
 establishment of the Church and the Mexican Eepublic, 
 which would be controlled by the former. 
 
 The very audacity of such statements made the public 
 stop to pant; and a few stopped a little longer to think, 
 
 Governor Lehumada was reviewing the ideas ad 
 vanced by Don Francisco R. Cantu y Falomir, and 
 hoped to be given the light which would enable him 
 to see the outcome. So intent was he with "his feast 
 with his soul" as he termed his moments of abstraction, 
 that he did not notice that Mr. Niksab had returned to 
 the reception-room. "Your Honor/' spoken in a rather 
 loud voice, caused the Governor to start and look 
 around. 
 
 "Pardon me," he said, "I did not hear you, so intent 
 was I reflecting upon all that we have just witnessed." 
 
 Mr. Niksab bowed, and continued: "The scientist 
 requests me to say to you that the subject now under 
 treatment is undergoing some wonderful changes, and 
 your Honor will do him a great favor by witnessing 
 the workings of 'Memory Fluid/ " 
 
 "With much pleasure. We will enter at once. It 
 is the eternal spirit that is calling out to him. He 
 hears, thank God, he hears/' 
 
 Guillermo Gonzales waved the Governor and Mr.
 
 44 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Niksab to seats near the table upon which J. Ecarg lay. 
 His body was undergoing great pain; convulsion after 
 convulsion shook his frame. His face was ghastly and 
 his features contorted. 
 
 Mr. Niksab's whole nervous system was wrought up 
 to the highest pitch, out of sympathy for his friend. 
 Not able to sit by calmly and witness the fearful convul 
 sions, he arose: 
 
 "Great God !" he exclaimed. "It is death !" 
 
 "It is death/' quietly assented the scientist, Guillermo 
 Gonzales, which statement was approved by a nod from 
 the heads of the Governor and Julio Murillo. 
 
 Mr. Niksab knelt by the side of his friend, and cried 
 aloud: "Great God, spare him a while longer, that he 
 may have time to repent." 
 
 "Arise, my friend," said the Governor "This is not 
 the passing away of your friend. It is only the death 
 of diseases which have been holding him down to dark 
 ness more than two hundred years." 
 
 "Give yourself no uneasiness," added Guillermo Gon 
 zales "your friend is only reaching the point where 
 he can live." 
 
 "Hark !" said Julio Murillo. "Victory is close at 
 hand. Memory will assert itself soon." 
 
 The prophecy of the Mexican was soon to be ful 
 filled. J. Ecarg drew himself up and said without the 
 least hesitation: "I remember the circumstances per 
 fectly. I kept a hostelry of some repute in this city 
 then. That was in the fall of the year 1898. Being the 
 largest city within only a short distance of the Kio 
 Grande, the beautiful and progressive Mexican city had
 
 The Plunger from Kansas. 45 
 
 become known, and not without much regret from 
 the law-abiding Mexicans, as a rendezvous for many 
 Americans who were refugees from justice. As a rule 
 I was not in favor of shielding my countrymen ; but my 
 heart went out to a young man who was in such distress, 
 such great mental torture. He called upon me late the 
 very night of his arrival in Chihuahua, and on bended 
 knee begged me to shield him from the fury of the 
 law. He had no remorse of conscience for the wrongs 
 he had committed. His only fear was the juzado. 
 He most likely would have committed the same offences 
 upon Mexican soil the day of his arrival, if there had 
 been the slightest opportunity, and if he had not felt 
 sure that he would have to face the four bare walls of 
 a prison for the remainder of his life. There was a 
 man in the city an American, of good birth and edu 
 cation, a prospector and railroad man who was my 
 friend in every sense of the word. He spoke the Mexi 
 can tongue without a flaw. I appealed to him to find a 
 place of refuge on some hacienda, for our distressed 
 countryman. My friend said : 
 
 " 'Your will is mine. But tell me, John, what is the 
 name of this refugee from justice?' 
 
 "'He is known,' I replied, 'as "The Plunger from 
 Kansas." 
 
 A cry rang out through the room, as if some animal 
 of high mettle had been wounded. 
 
 Every one jumped to his feet and the look of pain 
 and surprise was quite visible on each face. 
 
 From whence had the unearthly cry come? was the 
 unspoken question on the white lips of all save Mr. 
 Niksab. They soon understood.
 
 46 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "He is my friend. John, do you not remember? It 
 was I, Niksab, who took 'The Plunger from Kansas' in 
 a coach, on a dark, rainy night, to a cabin in the moun 
 tains on the hacienda of Don Alberto Ulloa. I sup 
 plied him with the necessities of life, and there he re 
 mained for many weeks in fear and trembling. You 
 know me, now, John, don't you?" 
 
 John did not reply; he had lapsed into a cataleptic 
 state, and his anxious listeners were doomed to wait for 
 further evidence, which would help to conclude their 
 test case. 
 
 Mr. Niksab walked the floor and wrung his hands: 
 "He is dead now, I am sure," he cried; but the great 
 author of "Memory Fluid" put his hand upon his 
 shoulder in a brotherly fashion, and in a quiet, reassur 
 ing voice said: 
 
 "Again you are mistaken. It is only a further death 
 of the millions of microbes which breed disease in his 
 body." 
 
 "Ah, I forget," said Mr. Niksab. 
 
 "You are not freed from the awful gnawings of the 
 creatures yourself ; but it is not to forget that you are 
 here. It is, on the other hand, to remember," replied 
 the Governor. 
 
 Marriet Motuble had entered the room unobserved by 
 all, and now astonished them by saying: "You're 
 right, Governor; you're right. It is memory we must 
 cultivate while under your roof. It's a good thing for 
 John that he has sunk into his present state of semi- 
 consciousness, or I am afraid I would be compelled 
 to make him acknowledge his great sins by means of
 
 The Plunger from Kansas. 47 
 
 physical force, which is a shorter route to punishment 
 than your 'Memory Fluid.' I think a good thumping 
 would do John good ; or a bullet through his head might 
 be better." 
 
 These coarse remarks were not joined in by anyone, 
 but she was in nowise abashed. They pitied her for 
 her coarse, vulgar mind. They knew her time was not 
 far distant, however. The scientists busied themselves 
 quietly with their chemical instruments, now and then 
 glancing up (out of courtesy) at some remark she made, 
 to which, however, they made no response. 
 
 Mr. Niksab sat in a corner of the same room, his head 
 between his hands in deep thought, lost, it seemed, to 
 everything around him. The fair-haired, aggressive 
 senorita walked, or rather stalked back and forth in 
 the room, her thumbs in a pocket on either side of her 
 short coat. 
 
 "I remember, too, that blear-eyed reprobate, the 
 subject yonder that was the name by which the medi 
 cal students called such people in years gone by. They 
 called them that in the year of 1898-'99, did they not, 
 friend Niksab?" 
 
 Mr. Niksab started from his reverie, looked at the 
 senorita with a strange look in his eyes, and said: "I 
 believe so," and at once lapsed into another silence. 
 
 "You are correct," said the Governor. "You have 
 been, I believe, a Subject here also. I am not mis 
 taken, am I? For our 'Memory Fluid' we can claim 
 another victory, then." 
 
 Marriet Motuble stood in her favorite position, a smile 
 of amusement on her face, listening to the Governor.
 
 48 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 She openly respected and secretly admired him. All the 
 impulses of her loving heart, which were many, went 
 out to the great man. Hers was a terrible love, and woe 
 to the man who aroused her love and failed to recipro 
 cate it. She did not take her eyes from his handsome 
 face, her eyes which spoke volumes of love, and shone 
 with the light of a furious passion. 
 
 In this frame of mind she approached him closely, 
 and said: "Your Honor is mistaken. I have never 
 been a 'subject' in your illustrious institution." 
 
 "But," interrupted the Governor, "you remember." 
 
 "Yes, 'tis true ; and more, perhaps, than many would 
 care to hear," she replied. 
 
 "Can you explain how this great memory came to be 
 a part of you? Aye, it is possible you do remember 
 many things which evil-doers in the great life of the 
 past, did those who are here again for a purpose by Di 
 vine arrangement who would prefer not to have their 
 past brought to light. But the just management of all 
 things eternal cannot be changed. Physical man must 
 be the adjuster of all evil, through the awakening of 
 his soul. It matters not how strongly they fight against 
 it, it is the inevitable. And it is a struggle often." 
 
 "You are dead right there, Governor," replied Har 
 riet Hotuble, "Our friend John over there is undergoing 
 a great struggle now," and she laughed a fiendish 
 laugh, as she continued promenading back and forth in 
 the room. "Poor devil; if he were in his right mind 
 now, he no doubt, would prefer to die and go straight 
 to that place the orthodox ministers said existed, many 
 years ago, to terrify thtir flocks into submission
 
 The Plunger from Kansas. 49 
 
 possibly, if he thought he would be allowed to stay there 
 forever, rather than be a 'Subject' and undergo what is 
 now taking place." 
 
 In an earnest and serious tone Guillermo Gonzales 
 said: "Your argument, dear senorita, is false. A 
 seeking for the Eternal after the things not compre 
 hended by the senses cannot be brought about by com 
 pulsion; no physical force can make the change. It 
 is the desire for a knowledge of the Eternal ; for a com 
 munion with spirits, which causes the change; the 
 death of disease ; the return of memory, the final life." 
 
 Harriet Motuble, on hearing this, was again con 
 vulsed with laughter; but finally controlling herself., 
 said: "That is all very fine, and sounds well, and 
 might apply very well to most every one, but to John 
 ha ! ha ! to John never ! The only way to cure him, 
 to be sure of him, is to put him into a yawning abyss 
 of that Ebony Fluid you extract from the 'Sun's Kays,' 
 and which, I believe, you claim, if it can be produced in 
 sufficient quantities, would be able to destroy not only all 
 things physical, but those very things which are thought 
 now by everybody, except possibly your honored selves, 
 to be Eternal." 
 
 The three wise men dropped the instruments they 
 were casually examining, on the hard, polished floor, 
 where they were broken into a thousand pieces. Her 
 statement confounded them. With questioning looks 
 they gazed into each other's faces, and then at the im 
 placable senorita. They knew that besides themselves 
 no one on earth had been told of the "Ebony Fluid." 
 In fact, they had discussed the probable use to which
 
 50 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 it could be put in hushed tones, in the sanctity of their 
 most private study. 
 
 Julio Murillo was the first to gain control of himself, 
 and addressing the senorita, said: "If we were living 
 in the year of 1898 at that time when Hermannism 
 was in vogue, when the ignorant, the credulous often 
 employed these delvers in mechanical spirits, and paid 
 them large sums to look into the future and disclose 
 their fate I say, if we were back in that infant age of 
 spiritualistic progress I would at once avow that you 
 had been to see one of those prophets." 
 
 Marriet Motuble replied : "You forget, friend Julio, 
 that I, as well as yourself, existed years ago. Then you 
 were not so distinguished as now. We lived in the very 
 year about which you have just spoken. Women were 
 then said to be mysterious beings, as well as the beings 
 who could fathom all secrets. The Great One to whom 
 you pay silent tribute, has seen fit through all these 
 years to perpetuate the gentler (?) sex, and with much 
 the same disposition she then had. But really, genffe- 
 men, it is unbecoming in me to be telling three re 
 nowned scientists, discoverers of 'Memory Fluid,' about 
 what existed at a previous age, or how I came into pos 
 session of a knowledge of your 'Ebony Fluid/ Besides, 
 I am lingering longer than my time admits. Pour some 
 more 'Memory Fluid' down John, so he will call to 
 mind his own offspring lying in a semi-conscious state 
 in the adjoining room." 
 
 "What is the meaning of your words, Miss Motuble? 
 Let me entreat you to linger a few moments longer 
 and explain. You can aid us materially in making this 
 affair clear."
 
 The Plunger from Kansas. 51 
 
 Miss Motuble's eyes shone with love, and with out 
 stretched hands she started toward the object of her 
 affection, and in a low voice, yet plainly audible to all 
 present, said: "Dearie!" 
 
 Her whole nature changed outwardly in an instant. 
 She whirled her large frame around as easily as if it 
 worked on pivots, and walking to the door, said: 
 "There are other days, gentlemen, other days. Patience 
 is a necessary requisite to success. You will pardon me 
 if I leave now. Julio, thy mother's seducer, thy father, 
 is heading the present movement against the State." 
 
 "Impossible!" they exclaimed in one breath. "Ke- 
 tribution overtook him in his first existence. Impossi 
 ble!" 
 
 Again she gave way to a fit of laughter, and said: 
 "Impossible, hey? nothing is impossible. Don Fran 
 cisco R. Cantu y Falomir has evidently not been recog 
 nized by you. Ha! ha! Well, this is an age of dis 
 covery !" Stepping up to Mr. Mksab (who still sat on 
 a low chair, his face buried in his hands, seemingly un 
 conscious to everything taking place around him), she 
 slapped him soundly on the shoulder, a custom with 
 men of bad breeding, in the nineteenth century, who 
 were very friendly with each other and demonstrated 
 their friendliness by this coarse greeting. He sprang 
 to his feet and looked in a bewildered way all around 
 him. "Ha! ha! ha! ha! Friend Niksab, you can 
 have your hand in the righting of a few other wrongs, 
 if you say so." 
 
 "I am aiding the great scientists," he interrupted, 
 "by helping to find living proofs of the wrongs com 
 mitted by the 'Plunger from Kansas.' "
 
 52 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "The poor Plunger is getting it on every side; get 
 ting thumped by this scientific hail," she replied. 
 
 "In what way, Miss Motuble," quietly asked the 
 Governor," can Mr. Niksab be of further assistance to 
 our scientific investigations?" 
 
 She made him no immediate reply, but laughingly 
 said in a familiar tone : "Nicky, the fellow who mur 
 dered your brother, rifled your safe, stole all those cdn- 
 taras of pulque, and mescal, and skins of tequila, when 
 you 'kept bar' at the Palacio, is here now, less a notch or 
 so as things go in social affairs at present. You re 
 member him, don't you, Nicky?" 
 
 "There seems to be coming over me a dim remem 
 brance of the person you speak of and the circumstance 
 you relate; but I am not clear." 
 
 "Governor, give him more 'Memory Fluid/ and he 
 will nail the villain in twenty-four hours." 
 
 "What position does he now occupy?" asked Guil- 
 lermo Gonzales. "I am anxious to know, as you say he 
 is a notch higher in the social scale than in his other 
 life." 
 
 "He is president of the Maguey Paper Factory, and 
 is as dishonest now, in a polite way, as he was in that 
 memorable year, in an uproarious fashion. He is not 
 contented with the immense profit he derives from the 
 sale of the superior paper he manufactures, but he takes 
 the dry maguey leaves, boils them for days until they 
 are in a pulp strains it ; ferments the liquid and sells 
 it for a kind of rum, which he claims will cure insanity, 
 and I, for one, believe him. I have personally known 
 a dozen or more credulous people those who are
 
 The Plunger from Kansas. 53 
 
 always taking something to aid digestion or strengthen 
 the mind I say, I believe in this drink because they 
 lived only a few days after taking it 'according to direc 
 tions.' The poor demented creatures are now 'cured' 
 for one existence at least. It is called 'Perpetuity 
 Miel.'" 
 
 "Ah, let me think," said the Governor ; "let me think. 
 I have received some samples of this rum, with a re 
 quest to partake of it sparingly, and recommend it to 
 the public." (He opened a small glass cabinet and 
 took out a large bottle). "Yes, here it is: 'Per 
 petuity Miel.' A strange name, composed of a Latin 
 and Anglo-Saxon word, meaning a sweet, endless dura 
 tion." i 
 
 "Do you, Miguey, recall the name of the president of 
 the 'Maguey Paper Company'?" 
 
 "I do not ; I do not. Strange, I do not know, he be 
 ing so prominent a man in the various commercial 
 fields," replied the Governor. 
 
 Julio Murillo said: "His name in a previous exist 
 ence was Henry Lexort." 
 
 Mr. Niksab cried, as he clutched his fists and fought 
 at some unseen foes in the air, "The same, the same; 
 he was killed at the Jockey Club for cheating in rou 
 lette. He had returned to the city, in disguise, after 
 successfully evading the rurales for many months. 
 The great desire again to see the scene of his crime led 
 him back to Chihuahua, with the result I have just men 
 tioned." 
 
 "That is a strange truth," said the Governor, "that 
 criminals more often than otherwise return to the scene
 
 54 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 of their crimes. More than one has walked to his doom 
 by such rash actions." 
 
 "That is why I have such perfect confidence that the 
 'Plunger from Kansas,' although living his third life 
 since the date of his life in which he committed his 
 famous cattle robbery, will return to the scene of his 
 operations and to the city to which he fled to escape the 
 clutches of the law. But to return to the president of 
 the Maguey Paper Factory. It is quite unusual that 
 the name of so prominent a man in our midst is un 
 known to five peopla of intelligence and education." 
 
 "I will ascertain at once," said Julio. "I will speak 
 over the fluid and have his secretary to give me his 
 full name and address. "We may need it for future 
 reference." 
 
 "Do not give yourself so much useless work, friend 
 Julio. I know the man's genealogy as well as his pres 
 ent name. I make it my business to find out the pedi 
 gree of all such animals, such scorpions, and to- air their 
 old skeletons, in the hope of helping them to take on a 
 new life ; to hide their dry, marrowless bones with new 
 flesh and blood." 
 
 The "Subject" on the table moved ; then sat upright ; 
 rubbed his eyes; looked beseechingly towards the door 
 and cried out: "Harriet, Harriet, have you forgotten 
 that I loved you in that time long ago?" 
 
 The four other occupants of the room turned to face 
 the woman he was thus beseeching, and behold, she 
 was gone.
 
 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 55 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 LIQUID FROM THE SUN'S RAYS. 
 
 EARLY the next morning the beautiful and progres 
 sive capital of Chihuahua was in a state of more than 
 usual bustle. 
 
 Some time previous to this day a large body of 
 her representative citizens, amongst whom were more 
 than a thousand progressive women, had called upon the 
 Governor en masse, and secured his consent to lecture 
 upon, "Liquid from the Sun's Rays." 
 
 Chihuahua is a magnificently built city of over more 
 than one-half a million inhabitants. It is a large min 
 ing center, railroad center, and educational center. Re 
 cently its fame had spread abroad. The eyes of the en 
 tire civilized world are riveted upon it. It is the home 
 and abiding-place of the greatest scientists the world 
 had ever known. 
 
 Scientific men and women from all over the world 
 came every day to see the city ; the country which pro 
 duced such marvels of scientific wonder and spiritualis 
 tic progress. The object in gathering such a large body 
 together to call upon and entreat the Governor to deliver 
 an address upon his and his coworkers' great scientific 
 discovery, was their knowledge of his great timidity ; of 
 how he personally disliked to appear before the public
 
 56 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 and recount the wonders accomplished by their 
 "Memory Fluid." 
 
 Through his book, "Liquid from the Sun's Rays/' 
 they had gained their first and only knowledge of their 
 brilliant townsmen's discovery. Committees of from 
 ten to one hundred had at various times since reading 
 the Governor's wonderful book, besought him to deliver 
 a public address upon the subject, for their benefit. In 
 variably he put them off in a polite way, saying: "At 
 some future time." Hoping, of course, that they would 
 weary at his many refusals, and cease to ask for a per 
 sonal explanation; that they would be satisfied with 
 reading his work. 
 
 Such was not the case. Persistence on the part of his 
 fellowcitizens won. 
 
 Now the early morning was alive with the persons 
 constituting the various committees who were appointed 
 to make the large theatre an Eden of loveliness ^ a place 
 befitting the great man who was to address them that 
 night, and the distinguished guests. The President of 
 the United States, accompanied by his entire family; 
 ministers from foreign countries who felt themselves 
 especially favored by their own country in being granted 
 a leave of absence from their post of duty, and to the 
 committee of Chihuahuans for the invitation, arrived 
 that morning on a special train, which was a veritable 
 drawing-room on wheels. This party was at once quar 
 tered at the "Mexican Annex," a magnificent hostelry, 
 containing more than one thousand rooms. "It occu 
 pies two blocks of ground; it faces East on the Ala- 
 meda ; it is five stories high, and built from the ground
 
 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 57 
 
 to the roof, of a greyish-white marble/' said a prominent 
 member of the reception committee. "The magnificent 
 pillars in the rotunda and those on the outside, which 
 support the five stories of open-air promenades around 
 the hotel, are solid onyx, carved in the most wonderful 
 designs. This famous hostelry is the private property 
 of the Governor, and is known throughout the States. 
 It is lighted and heated by a means known only to him 
 self and his two scientific coworkers. In each room 
 there are several small instruments, curiously designed, 
 back of pictures which represent, respectively, the face 
 of the sun, glaciers, and small furnaces. They are of 
 much interest to every person who visits the magnificent 
 hostelry, yet no one can conceive for what purpose the 
 curious little pictures are fastened so securely in the 
 walls and ceiling. By certain mechanical action, a 
 liquid extracted from the rays of the sun unites with 
 other Iquids obtained from the same source, which is 
 concealed behind each picture, respectively. Then, if 
 light is desired, a miniature lever is moved which causes 
 the liquid concealed back of the picture of the face 
 of the sun to unite with another fluid with the result 
 that a soft, mellow light spreads over the house, which 
 gradually increases in power until a light of the bright 
 ness required is obtained. On the same principle, if 
 heat is required, another lever is moved which unites a 
 fluid with another situated back of the small furnace, 
 and gradually the air rises, balmy and fragrant like the 
 air on a summer day in a garden of fragrant flowers 
 after a light shower. The small pictures of glaciers 
 represent the source from which cold is generated," con-
 
 58 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 eluded the gallant Chihuahuan. More detailed in 
 formation as to the lighting, heating and cooling of the 
 hostelry, were unknown to the reception committee who 
 were showing the distinguished visitors the many places 
 of interest in their famous city. 
 
 While they expressed their great delight with the en 
 tire city, they unanimously voted the "Mexican Annex" 
 to be the most magnificent and beautiful hotel building 
 they had ever seen at home or abroad, and the most mag 
 nificent building they had yet beheld in Chihuahua. 
 
 It was well that the last clause was added, for the 
 committee held in reserve a greater surprise for them. 
 Those who had never heard of their auditorium, their 
 great State theatre called "The Goddes"," could scarcely 
 have imagined in their advanced day even, such a place 
 to have existed; a place of such great dimensions; of 
 such grandeur; of such beauty. 
 
 Chihuahua is honored by being the home of thou 
 sands of beautiful women, who are likewise known for 
 their virtue and great intellects. These women indulge 
 in the amusements, the popular amusements of the 
 day, but never dissipate. 
 
 Many of them help to support large institutions of 
 learning by practicing various professions for that pur 
 pose, and they do not think they are doing charity either. 
 They contend that they owe their efforts to the further 
 enlightenment of the age, that their own soul may grow 
 stronger. There are, on the other hand, thousands of 
 women in the city, beautiful women who have many of 
 the lighter accomplishments, who indulge in the most 
 hilarious forms of dissipation. Many of them likewise
 
 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 59 
 
 move in the most distinguished, intellectual circles. 
 Yet these very circles are kept down ; their progress re 
 tarded from the very fact of the presence of these 
 women ; women who have never felt the Divine power. 
 
 The entertainments given by these women teem with 
 brilliant repartee and sparkling wit. Wit made spark 
 ling, by the use of high-class wines. 
 
 The advent of so many distinguished people to the 
 capital of their state was a welcome opportunity for 
 them. All the morning they had paraded themselves 
 back and forth through the route taken by the reception 
 committee to best show off the city to their guests. 
 
 Most of them were becomingly attired in fashionable 
 gowns for morning outdoor wear. They sped along 
 noiselessly over the smooth streets in their chariot-like 
 carriages, that swayed back and forth in a most deli 
 cious fashion. 
 
 Their vehicles were put into motion by means of 
 the simple effort of pressing the thumb against a small 
 button set in the center of the dash-board; and they 
 were turned in any direction by means of a small lever, 
 which required the slightest effort imaginable to handle. 
 
 These women succeeded in attracting the attention of 
 the President and his party, just what they were out 
 for, and were often close enough to hear the bursts of 
 admiration which unconsciously fell from the lips of 
 some of the gentlemen of the party who were very 
 susceptible to the charms of feminine beauty. 
 
 They returned to their homes in ecstasy, to refresh 
 their beauty by an afternoon siesta and bath ; ready to 
 array themselves in their most gorgeous attire, in the
 
 60 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 hope of meeting the distinguished visitors at the banquet 
 to be held immediately after the close of the Governor's 
 lecture; to make further conquests, to gather fresh 
 laurels. 
 
 No one in the city was as little concerned over the 
 event about to transpire as the Governor. Getting 
 his own consent to appear before his people in the guise 
 of a scientist, of a wonderful discoverer, was the strug 
 gle. It being over he looked upon the prospective lec 
 ture seemingly with no more concern than if he were 
 about to make a Fourth of July speech. Yet such was 
 not quite the case. He was greatly conerned about the 
 result of his evening speech. Events had come in quick 
 succession, since his arrival home ; important ones, that 
 dwelt directly upon the great chain of evidence he and 
 his coworkers were intent upon bringing to a close, and 
 he was now on the alert. He knew not at what moment 
 to expect the climax. Strict orders were given the 
 attendants at his home, that he was not to be molested 
 at any hour during the day. That the day must be his 
 own for thought. 
 
 The day before, he had caused the child Catalina 
 Martinet, the child who swooned in the study of the 
 scientist, to be removed to his own home, where she was 
 placed in charge of his housekeeper. He kept up the 
 most magnificent private home in the city. Many were 
 the mothers who sighed as they drove by, for some power 
 to entrap him for their daughters. They thought it a 
 sin for so beautiful a home to remain without a mis 
 tress. The Governor was not disturbed by any of the 
 sighs or enticing looks. He pursued his scientific in-
 
 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 61 
 
 vestigations and at the same time he felt that through 
 them there would come to him a love that would make 
 his life, his soul, his spirit, a paradise on earth. 
 
 Catalina Martinet seemed to have no remembrance of 
 the strange occurrence of yesterday. When she awoke 
 from the peaceful sleep into which Guillermo Gon- 
 zales and Julio Murillo had succeeded in getting her, she 
 was bright and gay. Instead of the careworn child of 
 yesterday out seeking her living, she looked and acted 
 like the happy child of wealthy and indulgent parents. 
 She clung to the Governor, embraced him fondly, and 
 called him "Papa/' All day long he had been commun 
 ing with self and silently watching the child, whose 
 every movement was a source of great wonder and de 
 light to him. 
 
 Dressed in a becoming gown of very fine texture, she 
 alone accompanied the great man to the theatre. 
 
 The large auditorium of the theatre was full, every 
 seat occupied, and most all available standing room was 
 rilled with the small, but strong spring seats that came 
 up from the floor by a touch, when required to help seat 
 the great crowds that thronged to the auditorium when 
 ever the Governor was billed to address his people. 
 
 Applause after applause went up from the large 
 audience when the person for whom they waited in 
 breathless silence appeared upon the stage. 
 
 Exclamations of surprise and admiration were heard 
 on every side when the people saw the pretty child. 
 She sat facing them with the complacency of a queen, 
 throughout the entire lecture. 
 
 In the large private boxes sat the President of the
 
 62 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 United States and the representatives from foreign 
 countries which came with him. 
 
 It was an event of great annoyance to the Governor 
 to find, in one of the most conspicuous seats of the 
 private box where the President and family sat, Harriet 
 Motuble. 
 
 On his way to the theatre he had called for a few 
 moments at the Mexican Annex, to pay his respects to 
 the Chief Executive and the distinguished represents 
 tives of foreign countries present. 
 
 Now he only bowed to them, and wondered how the 
 aggressive senorita made the acquaintance with the 
 party; by whose invitation she had a seat in the box. 
 
 He felt his mind wandering and it was with much 
 effort he was able to concentrate his thoughts upon the 
 subject of his lecture. His discourse led up in a modest 
 way to "Memory Fluid," by mentioning the many dis 
 coveries they had made before they began to experiment 
 to find a fluid, directly from the source of light which 
 would perpetuate Memory through all time. That 
 while working with the instrument which condensed the 
 moisture from the sun's rays to a liquid, they discovered 
 it had a very strange effect upon whichever one of the 
 three workers who always conducted the experiments, 
 when the fluid had reached a certain stage. A generous 
 sample of the fluid at that peculiar stage was put away 
 for future experiments. In the meantime they per 
 fected their "Heat and Light" fluid and put it into prac 
 tical use. 
 
 At this point in the history of their discoveries, 
 Guillermo Gonzales stepped upon the stage. He was
 
 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 63 
 
 received with a storm of applause. He returned the 
 greeting with a smile and low bow. The Governor con 
 tinued: "My able coworker will show you one of the 
 uses to which we have put this fluid in our own city." 
 
 Then while Guillermo Gonzales turned the light off 
 and on, and made the room very hot, then cool, the 
 Governor pointed to the large picture of the face of the 
 sun in the center of the ceiling and told them that it 
 was the source of the artificial light which they saw in 
 the room, and the heat they felt. 
 
 "Back of the face," he explained, "is a small glass 
 bulb which holds two ounces of liquid, which, to make 
 very clear to you, I will call the Principal liquid. This 
 fluid is used in the production of heat, light and cold. 
 Extending from the bulb are ten thousand small 
 glass tubes, through some of which this liquid flows to 
 the center of each miniature picture of the face of the 
 sun on the ceiling and wall, through others to the cen 
 ter of the miniature furnaces placed in the four walls 
 of the room two feet from the floor, and still through 
 others to the small glaciers which so beautifully adorn 
 the walls twenty-four inches from the ceiling. In the 
 center of each small representation of the face of the 
 sun is a hollow glass button filled with another form of 
 liquid obtained from the sun's rays, which we call 'Light 
 Fluid/ When light is required in a certain part or in 
 the entire part in any room or hall in this building, a 
 small lever is moved by pressing a button, conveniently 
 situated for that purpose, which brings in contact the 
 principal liquid and the 'Light' liquid, with the result 
 you now see; the soft, mellow light spreading over the
 
 64 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 room, increasing in intensity until the amount of light 
 required is had. 
 
 "Heat is likewise produced by causing the principal 
 fluid to unite with a liquid confined in the miniature 
 furnace, which we term 'Heat Fluid/ " 
 
 Guillermo Gonzales touched a button, and the room 
 gradually became very warm; so warm, in fact, that 
 the audience was uncomfortable; murmurs of com 
 plaints were heard on every side. All the dainty fans 
 carried by the ladies for effect only, were immediately 
 put into use. 
 
 The Governor fanned himself vigorously and wiped 
 perspiration from his brow. 
 
 "The efficiency of 'Heat Fluid' is well demonstrated, 
 my friend," said the Governor, addressing the scientist. 
 "Make us cool; this heat is overpowering." 
 
 The intense heat gradually gave way to the cool 
 breeze, which the Governor explained, "was caused by 
 the uniting of the principal fluid with the fluid called 
 'Cold Fluid/ concealed within the small glaciers." 
 
 Every one in the room turned his face toward the 
 ceiling to see the representation of glaciers, and was 
 greatly surprised to feel the cold air falling on his face 
 as the heat ascended. 
 
 Cheer after cheer went up from the much pleased 
 assembly. Their delight knew no bounds. It was the 
 first knowledge they had of the means by which this 
 magnificent auditorium was lighted, heated and made 
 cool. 
 
 "The strange influence the liquid had at the certain 
 stage before mentioned," continued the Governor, "upon
 
 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 65 
 
 us working to bring about desired results with it in 
 other conditions, gave rise to serious study of self while 
 under its influence, and further experiments in making 
 the same fluid stronger. On inhaling some of the 
 stronger fluid we lapsed into a cataleptic state, and on 
 our return to consciousness each astonished the other by 
 relating wonderful and strange experiences. And 
 strange to say, each of us had received the same remem 
 brances of strange experiences which happened right in 
 this city one hundred and fifty years ago. When we 
 knew from our own personal knowledge that the liquid 
 was perfectly harmless and capable of bringing about 
 such wonderful results, we were determined to experi 
 ment upon others, and, if possible, find out if others had 
 lived at the same time. And if the fluid caused those 
 upon whom it was tested to recall one certain incident 
 which we remembered to have occurred in the year 1898. 
 in this city. This new fluid or liquid we call 'Memory 
 Fluid,' and upon others it likewise worked marvels. 
 They too recalled at once the same incident which we 
 had recorded in our register. And now our great test 
 case is about to be closed. The 'Plunger from Kansas' 
 has positively been located. All the evidence of many 
 persons now living who knew him in this town one hun 
 dred and fifty years ago, is about collected. He re 
 members himself. Eetribution is overtaking him. 
 See ! this is his picture. Through a similar process to 
 the one used in making this auditorium light, another 
 has been used in producing from memory's picture-gal 
 lery of the past, the picture you see of 'The Plunger 
 from Kansas/ now before you/'
 
 66 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 For an instant a hushed silence fell upon the large 
 audience. Then as if by unanimous vote they at once 
 cried out in the most tumultuous cheers. 
 
 The cries of: "Down with him, I remember him; 
 he robbed my father in another life." "Punish him." 
 "Catch him." "Hang him." "Put him in prison." 
 "Make him repent." "See that his just due is meted 
 out to him." "Yes, for he escaped in the other life," 
 rang out. 
 
 One of the orthodox ministers Eev. J. T. Note 
 there are still a few who hang on to their creeds with 
 the same tenacity that Don Francisco K. Cantu y Fal- 
 omir and his few followers do to the ancient customs 
 and religion of their long-lost and beloved Eepublic of 
 Mexico ; arose and cried : "The wrath of God be upon 
 such unholy teachings. Oh, God, spare our great 
 nation, about to be plunged into an abyss of darkness 
 and despair." 
 
 When Father Hernandez, the best known priest in the 
 city, cried: "Jesus and Mary protect us from evil," 
 Marriet Motuble arose from her conspicuous position in 
 the box she occupied with the President, and cried: 
 "Carry that scorpion, the Eev. J. T. Note, out. I know 
 him of old. He tried to convert the 'Plunger 5 to his 
 faith, to get some of his ill-gotten gains, no doubt. He 
 was a missionary then, practicing his arts of conversion 
 in Chihuahua. It is upon him the wrath of the go'ds 
 should fall. And that priest, Father Hernandez," she 
 continued, as her body swayed back and forth, convulsed 
 with laughter. "That priest, that priest, he was a 
 voluptuous lout. Oh, the hangers-on he had. Clangity
 
 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 67 
 
 clang, clang, clang, every fifteen minutes went the bells 
 in the towers of his ancient church, to call the peons to 
 prayer to get their centavos. Oh, you viper, you 
 scorpion, get out of here !" 
 
 "Hush!" came out the clear, distinct voice of the 
 Governor. 
 
 Harriet Motuble sank quietly into her seat, at the 
 sound of his voice. 
 
 Julio Murillo stepped on the stage, and in a quiet, 
 reassuring voice said: "Eternal Truth, the Sublime 
 Law of Eight, will be asserted. The voice of my 
 mother, Senora Suzzan Carriles, of Colima, cries out 
 for a resurrection. Through her desire for a new life, 
 for a knowledge of truth, yonder priest, whom I pity 
 from the bottom of my soul, will see the folly of his 
 ways, and will desire also to live the life of spiritual 
 purity." 
 
 A pitiful cry, "Oh, Joseph, oh, Mary, spare me, spare 
 me !" rang out, as the priest fell forward. 
 
 He was carried out admidst the cries: "Impostor," 
 "Give him 'Memory Fluid/ " on one side, and "Our kind 
 priest is persecuted," on another. "Spare him, ye 
 blessed Virgin Mary!" 
 
 "Jesus y Maria, Jesus y Maria!" cried Don Fran 
 cisco E. Cantu y Falomir. "This is. the beginning of 
 the war about to be waged. The sanctified Catholic 
 Church will win. These blasphemous scientific impos 
 tors will meet their just reward. I knew it would come 
 through the means of the fake 'Memory Fluid.' It is 
 necessary for a vast amount of evil to be thrust upon 
 man at one moment before he is brought to his senses; 
 before a much needed revolution takes place."
 
 68 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 The keynote to his thoughts was struck when he saidl 
 the word "revolution," as it acted like wild-fire upon the 
 wrought-up assembly. 
 
 Progressive women and men arose, and their cries of : 
 "Down with the revolutionists! Down with the 
 progeny who opposed the noble Diaz !" 
 
 "Drag the scorpion out and cut his wind off," cried 
 Harriet Motuble. 
 
 The President of the United States arose, and with 
 hands outstretched toward the Governor, sent forth a 
 silent appeal. This was the first exhibition of fear 
 noticed during the entire commotion. 
 
 The Governor understood the mute appeal of the head 
 of the nation, arose, and with a proud toss of his 
 handsome head, spoke in a clear, high voice : "Captain, 
 let the soldiers enter, and take the disturbers of peace 
 away !" 
 
 No one up to this time had noticed that the doorways 
 and vestibules leading into the auditorium were 
 thronged with the city police force and the state mili 
 tia. The wise Governor had, through the assistance of 
 his able coworkers, Guillermo Gonzales and Julio 
 Hurillo, arranged thus for the protection of those 
 present at the first outbreak of the evening. 
 
 The Captain whom he addressed had been in the audi 
 ence, within close distance of the Governor, for some 
 time, and only waited for the sign from him to quell 
 the disturbers. 
 
 At the same moment the auditorium was filled with 
 officers of law, the boxes occupied by the President and 
 family and other visitors were completely surrounded 
 with soldiers armed to the teeth.
 
 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 69 
 
 Friends of the priest, Father Hernandez, had carried 
 him out the moment he fell in a faint; others, in sym 
 pathy with Don Francisco R. Cantu y Falomir, ushered 
 him out quickly, so the police restored quiet by their 
 presence. 
 
 Some nervous sensationalist was so bold as to cry out : 
 "God save the President ! This occasion is for the pur 
 pose of getting him here to murder him. It is the old 
 story repeated. Abraham Lincoln was shot by a 
 traitor while in a theatre two hundred and fifty years 
 ago. We must protect our President with our lives." 
 
 The person who gave vent to this cry was at once 
 put under arrest, and taken by force out of the theatre. 
 
 Quiet was once more restored and by a few words 
 i ? rom the Governor, the people were assured of protec 
 tion and that the banquet would take place.
 
 70 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MRS. GRANGE AND THE PRESIDENT. 
 
 IT was the powerful influence of the minds of the 
 Governor and his able coworkers upon the people 
 which produced quiet. 
 
 Even the aggressive Senorita Harriet Motuble leaned 
 back in her chair with a dreamy faraway look on her 
 face. 
 
 The Governor had spoken longer than he intended, 
 and on looking at the timepiece, which occupied a con 
 spicuous place in the room, he was greatly surprised to 
 find the hour of midnight. 
 
 The President of the United States dismissed the 
 assembly with a few complimentary and brilliant re 
 marks, but strictly avoided making any allusion to the 
 affair just ended, or rather, I would better say, which 
 had just been quieted; for the scene had not ended, 
 it was only the beginning of a fearful struggle, which 
 would not end in a day, a week, a month, a year. 
 
 The committee having the arrangements for the ban 
 quet in hand, passed into the hall, some leading the way 
 escorting the guests who came in first with invitations, 
 others with those who came in last. 
 
 Everybody felt greatly impressed with some impend 
 ing trouble, yet each endeavored to hide his anxiety 
 behind a smile.
 
 Mrs. Grange and the President. 71 
 
 The subjects upon whom the scientists had been ex 
 perimenting and from whom such great results had 
 been obtained, were special objects of interest at the ban 
 quet. J. Ecarg looked greatly embarrassed; most of 
 the evening, however, at times he seemed to lapse into a 
 semi-conscious state. He only appeared to be at ease 
 and contented when talking to Harriet Motuble. 
 
 Several times during the evening he was heard to 
 laugh out merrily at some jest made by her. 
 
 Mr. Niksab was often the center of a large crowd, 
 whom he entertained with stories of the effect of 
 "Memory Fluid" upon himself and others. 
 
 Occasionally he stole a glance from his eager listen 
 ers in the direction of Harriet Motuble and his friend 
 John Ecarg. He felt a deep interest in him, and in a 
 measure responsible for the result of his present con 
 dition, of his awakening. 
 
 There were so many people present that it was im 
 possible for each to meet the other during the evening. 
 All the most prominent citizens were presented to the 
 President and other invited guests from abroad. The 
 Governor tried to have a few pleasant words with all 
 visitors and newcomers to the city. 
 
 Toasts were proposed in which response was made in 
 the most brilliant and appropriate manner. 
 
 The toast, "Our Beautiful Women/' was proposed by 
 a gallant visitor, and the Governor was called upon to 
 reply. 
 
 With his usual gallantry he responded. Crowds of 
 beautiful women, many of whom belonged to the fast 
 set before mentioned, drew near.
 
 72 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 One in particular made herself conspicuous by get 
 ting very near the President and clapping her hands at 
 everything the Governor said words complimentary to 
 women. 
 
 She was the wife of a Scotchman who, having failed 
 as an opera singer, was obliged to try his hand in other 
 lines, railroading and commercial fields. Having 
 secured, at a small salary, a place in a railroad office, 
 with the high title of "Assistant Freight Agent," he 
 was forced to depend upon his form, his pretty fac-3 
 and his voice, (which by way of apology, he always ex 
 plained, he hoped to recover), as well as his wife's win 
 ning ways, and her ability to "act" in amateur dramatic 
 performances, for their social position. 
 
 Mrs. Grange made the most of her winning ways. 
 She flirted, and smiled, and danced and drank wine 
 with every man of position and wealth, who paid her 
 the slightest attention, and hinted only at such favors. 
 
 In the little game she played she very often came out 
 winner; that is, winner in a way. She received for 
 herself and husband an invitation for the next swell 
 function, and often the present of a new gown for the 
 occasion from her latest conquest, who also assured her 
 that he would use his personal influence with the presi 
 dent of the railroad where her husband was employed, 
 to have him retained in his position. Quite frequently 
 these admirers of hers hinted that through their influ 
 ence there was likely to be a raise in his salary. Tho 
 raise, however, never came, yet the promise of it did 
 them good; it was something to which they could look 
 forward.
 
 Mrs. Grange and the President. 73 
 
 It was probably the hope of securing such a promise, 
 by the aid of some of the famous men present, that 
 Mrs. Grange disported herself so bewitchingly before 
 them. 
 
 To herself her charms as reflected from her mirror, 
 seemed irresistible, and it was a source of constant won 
 der to her why any man failed to become her victim. 
 
 In her case the formality of an introduction was never 
 necessary. Yet she realized the prestige a formal in 
 troduction gave her, and by intriguing with those who 
 did not know her arts, she very often was presented to 
 people of influence by their own friends. She affected 
 a retiring manner, and made her blushes to order. 
 
 Those to whom she was first introduced thought her 
 a combination of beauty, modesty and purity, and her 
 entertaining powers superior to anyone whom they 
 had seen. Her great bashfulness enhanced her abil 
 ity to entertain, they thought. The President of tha 
 United States certainly seemed to think so, from the 
 way his face shone with pleasure as he gazed into her 
 half upturned face, full of blushes that came and went 
 as she talked. 
 
 The Governor had just concluded his response to the 
 toast, "Beautiful Women/' which was eliciting a storm 
 of applause. Guests were collected in twos and threes, 
 discussing the brilliancy of his remarks. 
 
 Some of the gentlemen were discussing which one of 
 the many beautiful women present would be thought the 
 most beautiful, by the greatest number of persons at 
 the banquet, if a vote were taken. 
 
 The President wished the woman into whose face he
 
 74 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 gazed with evident admiration might be chosen as the 
 queen of beauty, and in a voice only meant for her ears 
 told her so. 
 
 But Harriet Motuble stood close by and had been 
 an eye-witness to the little, quiet game of flirtation, 
 which they did not dream had attracted the attention of 
 anyone. 
 
 She also heard the pretty compliments paid Mrs. 
 Grange by the President, and at the time most inoppor 
 tune for them, she stepped closer to them, and in a tone 
 which carried much satire, said : "A pretty compliment 
 indeed, Mrs. Grange; but pardon me, please, it was not 
 meant for my ears." 
 
 The President was evidently annoyed, although he 
 tried hard to hide his real feeling, and said : "We, too, 
 Miss Motuble, were discussing the Governor's able 
 speech. He paid beautiful tributes of appreciation to 
 the many charming women present." 
 
 "Your Honor, that is quite true; he is a great 
 Chesterfield. He knows how to be gracious to the 
 ladies, homely ones as well as beautiful, timid ones," 
 said Mrs. Grange, as she turned her face full of earnest 
 pleading up to his. 
 
 The President did not reply in words, but the look 
 he gave her, as he bent his head until it nearly touched 
 hers, was proof enough to Marriet Motuble that he was 
 afraid to trust his voice. His chest heaved with tender 
 emotions inspired by Mrs. Grange, and one word would 
 betray his real feeling. 
 
 On neither of those two did the stirring events just 
 passed, seem to have left any impression.
 
 Mrs. Grange and the President. 75 
 
 Harriet Motuble well knew the mental calibre of the 
 woman, and was not in the least astonished to find Mrs. 
 Grange in the affected state she always assumed when 
 with men. 
 
 "But the President ! the President !" exclaimed Har 
 riet Hotuble, mentally. "I cannot understand how the 
 leader of our great nation can carry on a sentimental 
 conversation with a brainless beauty (?) when the great 
 city of Chihuahua is in such a state of excitement. 
 There is no telling where the events just transpired will 
 end. I for one am sorry this terrible calm is taking 
 place. It seems to me a time of preparation for a 
 greater shock. He is a great actor if he is mentally 
 disturbed and can so completely disguise his true feel 
 ings. I will test him." "Say, President," she cried, as 
 she whirled her huge frame in front of the two, and in 
 terrupted the low conversation, "Governor Lehumada is 
 a fine actor, is he not ?" 
 
 "In what way, pray, Hiss Hotuble?" 
 
 "In the disguise of his real feelings." 
 
 "He is a heroic actor," said Hrs. Grange. 
 
 "He is, indeed," curtly replied Hiss Hotuble, address 
 ing herself to Hrs. Grange ; then in a complete change 
 of voice, said, speaking to the President, with her 
 back half turned to Hrs. Grange, "I mean, your Honor, 
 that the noble man yonder is in a high fever of excite 
 ment caused by the disturbance in the auditorium for 
 he realizes that it was just the beginning of a long con 
 flict, the end of which cannot be seen by mortal eyes. 
 Yet the noble man is able to conceal his feeling out of 
 his great love for his people, and his desire to have the 
 banquet end successfully."
 
 76 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "You know your people here better than I, Miss 
 Motuble, this being your home ; and pray, do you antici 
 pate any further trouble?" 
 
 "I know the city but little better than yourself, your 
 Honor, except possibly in the way of remembrance/' 
 
 Mrs. Grange, arousing herself from her passive state, 
 said in a voice loud and cutting: "A subject of that 
 fluid also !" 
 
 Ignoring her altogether, Marriet Motuble continued: 
 
 "With your Honor's permission, I do remember many 
 persons present as having lived in lives gone by. Some 
 here to-night lived in this city one hundred and fifty 
 years ago." 
 
 "May I ask whom?" 
 
 "Most truly." 
 
 "Not I, I hope," again ventured Mrs. Grange. 
 
 "The child," continued Marriet Motuble, 'lived 
 then." 
 
 "What child?" inquired the President. 
 
 "Ah, 'tis true, you do not know. What a pity ! The 
 beautiful little girl who sat by the Governor during his 
 lecture. Catalina Martinet. Dear child!" 
 
 "Can it be possible !" exclaimed the President. 
 
 "Quite true, your Honor. She remembers. She 
 died at the age of eighteen of a broken heart." 
 
 "How sad," remarked Mrs. Grange, persisting in try 
 ing to join in the conversation. 
 
 "Was her death the result of a disappointed love?" 
 asked the President. 
 
 "On the other hand," replied Miss Motuble, "quite 
 the contrary. Her heart, poor child, was broken when
 
 Mrs. Grange and the President. 77 
 
 she learned of the cloud under which she was born that 
 she was an outcast a waif. She died in my arms." 
 
 "Impossible," exclaimed Mrs. Grange. 
 
 "Not at all," quietly replied the President. "One is 
 as likely as the other, while neither is impossible" 
 
 Marriet Motuble continued as though there had been 
 no interruption : "She died in my arms. I buried her 
 at my own expense in a tomb befitting a queen. And 
 truly she was a queen. The deed to the ground I built 
 her tomb on I have in my safe amongst my legal 
 documents. Every word is legible. I could not bear to 
 think that her precious body, possibly before the flesh 
 had decomposed, would be thrown out of the grave to 
 make way for a new corpse, as was the cruel custom in 
 Mexico then. Her tomb is in a state of perfect pres 
 ervation yet. I hope soon to finish this cycle and have 
 made arrangements to have the destructible part of me, 
 or that part of me recognized by those not initiated, 
 laid away there." 
 
 "How interesting. Quite uncanny, though !" ven 
 tured Mrs. Grange, as she peered around her as though 
 expecting to see a ghost. She evidently saw something ; 
 for her face turned very white and she trembled with 
 fright as she sank into a chair. 
 
 The President saw but paid no attention to her. He 
 was interested in Marriet Motuble. The story she was 
 telling was a revelation to him. 
 
 She, too, saw that something unusual had happened to 
 Mrs. Grange, but paid no attention to her, and con 
 tinued: "I know the child's genealogies, of both her 
 past and present existence. She, like myself, is here for
 
 78 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 a purpose. There are many who have congregated here 
 for the same purpose. While the prime cause for the 
 great meeting here was the same, many great results will 
 be obtained other than the one hoped for in the begin 
 ning." 
 
 "Can it be that you are here also to aid the scien 
 tists in getting proof to bring the 'Plunger from Kan 
 sas' to justice?" asked the President, with much sur 
 prise, and showing great interest. 
 
 "Indirectly only. I am here for the direct purpose 
 of finding one whom I loved in that same time a 
 young, beautiful woman, whose poverty was the result 
 of the doings of the 'Plunger from Kansas,' and who 
 suffered much loss financially and great abuse from the 
 slanderous tongues of jealous Americans living in Chi 
 huahua." 
 
 "Are you certain that the lady of whom you speak is 
 living now ?" asked the President. 
 
 "It must be true. I feel her presence, yet I have 
 not been able to find her. She will come. She will 
 come. A young woman, beautiful and talented. Must 
 I wait much longer? I " 
 
 Her last remark was cut short by some one calling, in 
 a low, sweet tone: "Senorita Motuble. Ah, here you 
 are. I have been looking for you for two hours. I am 
 Catalina Martinet. It was my tomb you had built 
 long, long ago. You remember now, don't you ?" 
 
 She caught the beautiful child in her arms, kissed 
 her in her passionate way, and cried: "Yes, dearie, I 
 know you. You are happy now, are you not ?" 
 
 "Oh, yes !" exclaimed the child. "Since I know that 
 justice comes to all, I am happy. And you?"
 
 Mrs. Grange and the President. 79 
 
 "Dearie, I too am happy in a way. But do not worry 
 about me. Let us talk about other things. Catalina, 
 this gentleman, Mr. Mortingo, is President of the 
 United States." 
 
 "Your Honor, it is with much pleasure I meet you 
 again," Catalina smilingly replied. "I remember you 
 quite well. I met you when you were here before." 
 
 "Impossible!" exclaimed the President. "Dear 
 child, I was never in this city before. This is my first 
 visit." 
 
 "Too bad, he does not remember," addressing Miss 
 Motuble. Then to the President she said: "In your 
 other life. I will call the Governor to give you some 
 'Memory Fluid';" and with a wave of her hand, before 
 they could realize what she was going to do, she was 
 gone. 
 
 The President's conversation with Miss Motuble had 
 not been carried on without many interruptions. 
 While he realized that he was the most prominent per 
 son present, and that he owed part of his time to all, 
 yet so intensely interested was he in the aggressive Miss 
 Motuble, that he was determined at any cost to hear her 
 story through. 
 
 The remark of Catalina Martinet was heard by many 
 near by, some of whom were intimate friends of the 
 President. They now stepped forward and began to 
 banter him about taking "Memory Fluid." 
 
 The President took their jests in good part, at the 
 same time avowing his intention of experimenting with 
 the wonderful fluid. 
 
 While those around the President listened with much
 
 80 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 merriment to him, as he related the little incident with 
 the child, Harriet Motuble turned her attention to the 
 beautiful, retiring Mrs. Grange, who, so far as the 
 President was concerned, had ceased to exist. 
 
 "This/' she exclaimed, as she held up Mrs. Grange's 
 lifeless head, "is an example of coming memory." 
 
 The President looked at her for a moment in mute 
 astonishment. 
 
 "Oh, your Honor, it is true." 
 
 "But the fluid, Miss Motuble. Who gave her 
 'Memory Fluid'?" asked the Spanish Consul, who had 
 been an eager listener only for the present time. 
 "I, your most humble servant. I did." 
 "But when and how?" asked the President's daugh 
 ter, who just came up. 
 
 "Possibly I would better not say," Miss Motuble 
 answered. 
 
 "Oh, do ; oh, do !" came from all sides. 
 "Yes, let us hear, Miss Motuble, how you came to be 
 such an expert in handling our fluid," quietly asked the 
 Governor, who came up leading Catalina Martinet. 
 
 Marriet Motuble dropped the lifeless head of Mrs. 
 Grange on the back of the chair where she sat, and in a 
 pleading voice said : "Dear Governor, I must first have 
 your promise that you will forgive me for making tests 
 of your fluid without the consent of yourself or the 
 great scientist, Guillermo Gonzales. Don't tell me, I 
 pray, that I have taken too much liberty with your great 
 discovery." 
 
 "On the other hand, Miss Motuble, I am personally 
 delighted that you are thus experimenting, and I feel
 
 Mrs. Grange and the President. 81 
 
 confident my able coworkers too, will be grateful to you 
 for taking so much interest in our 'Memory Fluid/ ' ; 
 
 "Bravo ! Say, gentlemen and ladies, that is the kind 
 of stuff to make governors out of, and scientists, too. 
 Well, so long as the culprit is not to be punished, I will 
 confess. While 'Memory Fluid' has no odor, a simple 
 inhalation of it will cause a cataleptic state, such as the 
 state in which we now find the beautiful (?) Mrs. 
 Grange. When she comes out of this state, in which she 
 has been about five minutes, she will begin to remember. 
 And if I am not mistaken, she will begin to regret the 
 life of deceit she has been leading." 
 
 Catalina cried: "Senorita Motuble, she will remem 
 ber and yet will be punished for her ill treatment of me 
 in that unhappy life of mine, long, long ago." 
 
 Everyone stood around in breathless surprise. 
 
 Marriet Motuble kissed the child Catalina, standing 
 by her side and holding in tight clasp the Governor's 
 hand, and said: "Dearie, she will remember, and I 
 hope that her first regret will be of her ill treatment of 
 you. See ! she moves." 
 
 The crowd stood back in breathless expectation. 
 
 Secretly the Governor and the other two scientists 
 rejoiced at what was now taking place. It was the 
 realization of a long-looked-for opportunity. A public 
 exhibition of the effect of "Memory Fluid" and the 
 proof of its harmlessness. 
 
 "She moves again," came in subdued tones from some 
 one standing by. Much the same effect seemed to be 
 produced upon those witnessing the scene, as would 
 take place if Mrs. Grange had been dead and they were 
 waiting to see her return to life.
 
 82 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "She moves again," said the Spanish consul, stepping 
 closer. "The fluid has caused no change in her com 
 plexion, and her circulation is very little wrong," he 
 concluded, as he let her wrist drop, but gazed with 
 evident admiration into her face. 
 
 He tarried a little too long. She opened her eyes, 
 and finding a strange face so close to hers, exclaimed at 
 the same moment as she threw out her hands and pushed 
 him away : 
 
 "The impudence of you, you ill-bred scamp !" 
 
 "But, madam," said the President, "it was his anxiety 
 for your return to consciousness that caused the consul 
 to be peering into your face." 
 
 "Your explanation is satisfactory, President. But 
 are you not mistaken about me having been uncon 
 scious ?" 
 
 "In a certain sense, madam, you were," replied the 
 Governor. 
 
 "But, you remember, do you not, Mrs. Grange, 
 Aunty Inez ?" asked the child. 
 
 Mrs. Grange sprang to her feet. "Have I been living 
 a dream all of my past life, or am I now dreaming?" 
 
 "Neither, dear madam," replied the great scientist, 
 Guillermo Gonzales ; "neither, madam. You are simply 
 confused with the remembrances of two lives." 
 
 In an abstracted manner she took the hands of Cata- 
 lina Martinet in her own, and gazing intently into her 
 face for a moment, said: "It is the same child. The 
 other life is plain to me now. Am I to be punished? 
 I did ill-treat her then; I did. But spare me, spare 
 me !" She pleadingly called out to some invisible per-
 
 Mrs. Grange and the President. 83 
 
 son. Turning her face away from the child, she looked 
 straight into the laughing face of Harriet Motuble, who 
 said: 
 
 "I thought it would come, Sister Grange. In fact, I 
 knew it would come." 
 
 "Such torture," she cried, turning from first one to 
 the other, "such torture; save me, save me!" 
 
 "We cannot do that, dear madam; we have no such 
 power. You need have no fear. It is the awakening 
 of your soul, and only good can be the final result," said 
 the Governor. 
 
 "Your words only harrass me. There are so many here 
 to chide me for my unjust treatment of the child there, 
 in that other life." Spying a new face close by, she 
 fairly screamed: "What, you here?" 
 
 Everybody turned to see who it was that caused the 
 half crazy woman crazy with guilt to cry out so, 
 when a queenly young woman stepped forward and said : 
 
 "I certainly am sorry my presence has created such 
 an uproar. Ladies and gentlemen, I now apologize." 
 
 "Have you ever met the woman?" asked the Presi 
 dent. 
 
 "Not in this life, your Honor." 
 
 "She remembers me, though," said Mrs. Grange, 
 "and I her." 
 
 "If that be true," said the Governor, "present me, 
 dear madam. I have not the honor of her acquaint 
 ance." 
 
 As Mrs. Grange sank into a chair she put her hands 
 over her eyes, as if to hide from view of every one, and 
 said: "Your Honor, the lady was Helen Hinckley, in
 
 84 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 that time long past," then sank into her former state of 
 unconsciousness. 
 
 Helen Hinckley, with a pleasing smile, advanced with 
 outstretched hands to the Governor, and in her charm 
 ing voice, said : "By which name I have the pleasure to 
 present myself to your Honor now." 
 
 The Governor took her two beautiful hands into his 
 own, and as he looked into her open countenance, and 
 beautiful eyes, he realized that at last he had met his 
 fate.
 
 The President Surprised. 85 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE PRESIDENT SURPRISED. 
 
 IT was the intention of the Presidential party to spend 
 one day and night in Chihuahua, and to leave the fol 
 lowing morning before eleven o'clock for Saltillo, where 
 they would spend a few days visiting her large and 
 famous educational institutions, of which the United 
 States is justly proud. 
 
 But instead of carrying out the plan for the tour, 
 he sent a message, saying his visit would be delayed, to 
 the president of the most renowned of the ten schools, 
 which had made the beautiful city of Saltillo, away up 
 in the Sierra Madre mountains, five thousand feet above 
 the sea level, the envy of all pedagogues all over the 
 East and North. The hub of learning was no longer 
 said to be in the old, puritanical town of Boston, 
 as was credited to it a hundred and fifty years ago. 
 
 A strange shifting of scenes had taken place, not only 
 in the fall of Boston from its educational pedestal, but 
 in the shifting of the axis of the earth, changing the 
 positions of the poles, and creating in different parts 
 of the world a different climate from what had been in 
 years gone by, as well as different animal, vegetable life 
 and mineral deposits. 
 
 The great school, "For Hidden Thought/' of which
 
 86 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Francisco de Urdinola was president, was the institution 
 of greatest note in Saltillo, and the only one of its kind 
 in America. It was to the president of this University 
 that the President of the United States sent a message, 
 saying that the date of his arrival in Saltillo would bo 
 delayed. 
 
 President Mortingo had a short conversation with 
 Governor Lehumada at the close of the banquet the pre 
 vious evening, in which the President declared his inten 
 tions of becoming a "subject" the following day, to see 
 if he could fathom the mysteries of the evening. 
 
 He made an appointment also to meet the child, 
 Catalina Martinet, at the Governor's home, at nine 
 o'clock, after which meeting he would go to the studio 
 of the scientist, Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 As the President sped through the beautiful streets 
 of Chihuahua, from the Mexican Annex, to the palatial 
 home of Governor Lehumada, his thoughts travelled 
 with surprising rapidity from one occurrence to another 
 of the last evening. 
 
 He had never taken life seriously, and notwithstand 
 ing the fact that he had thought last night that the 
 "Memory Fluid" possessed an uncanny element, he 
 laughed to himself now, and declared the whole scene 
 was an uproarious comedietta, in which he was about to 
 present himself before the public as the buffoon. He 
 chuckled at the thought of the prominence from a new 
 point of view it would bring him, by submitting himself 
 as a subject for the great scientists to further experi 
 ment upon. He had always been ambitious to shine 
 before the public. He was chosen President of the
 
 The President Surprised. 87 
 
 United States, not because he was a great politician, or 
 a man who had distinguished himself in the service of 
 his country; quite the contrary. He came by chance, 
 as it were, into the presidential chair. He had great 
 wealth and good nature combined, and he allowed him 
 self to be used by his friends. It was a great plum he 
 had secured by being good-natured, and his face con 
 stantly glowed with evident satisfaction. 
 
 The two great political parties had ceased to agree 
 amongst themselves, and on the eve of the great na 
 tional election a black horse had been run into the ring 
 and won the race. 
 
 Each party was glad the other had not won the race, 
 and each felt assured that the blade horse would not 
 prove a serious stumbling-block to the many projects 
 each party hoped to accomplish by the election of a man 
 from its own party. 
 
 Far beyond the most sanguine expectations of the 
 people, he had proved a benefactor. His good-nature, 
 coupled with his desire to do no one a wrong person 
 ally, and produce all the good possible to the nation, was 
 a balm to the hurt minds of the two defeated parties. 
 
 All of these things Mr. Mortingo knew very well, and 
 reflected over them now with much satisfaction. It 
 was the pleasant things of life he was seeking, and he 
 had his full share. He accepted all favors shown him, 
 even those from persons whom he knew to be enemies, 
 and whose object in showing him courtesies was for the 
 sole purpose of gaining some political favor or social 
 prestige. He smiled as he stepped from the carriage, 
 and thought of the sensation the step he was about to 
 take would make upon the people.
 
 88 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Governor Lehumada received him in his wonderful 
 drawing-room, with the respect due his position, and at 
 once presented the child, Catalina Martinet. She cur- 
 tesied prettily and gave her tiny hand to the President. 
 He kissed her bright face and asked her to sit on the 
 chair placed by the one he was to occupy, and to excuse 
 him one moment. Then he drew his arm through the 
 arm of the Governor, and as they walked a few steps 
 away, said: "Your Honor, does the child know I have 
 come to see her?" 
 
 "She does not, sir; at least she does not know by be 
 ing told. I have, however, a feeling that she divined 
 you were coming, and that you. would talk to her upon 
 the subject of a past existence," replied the Governor. 
 
 "I am sorry she suspects the object of my visit. I 
 am afraid the mere fact of it will make me incredulous 
 of her statements," said the President. "However/' he 
 continued, "what led you into the belief you have just 
 stated ?" 
 
 The Governor walked a few steps further away with 
 his friend, and in a lower tone said: "The child has 
 taken a great fancy to me, and notwithstanding the fact 
 that I tried to persuade her not to call me 'papa/ she 
 persists in so doing. She is a child a man in any posi 
 tion in life would be proud to claim as his own, yet 
 being a bachelor I feel a certain timidity in being 
 addressed as 'papa.' Now to answer your question, 
 what led me to suspect that she knew you would call this 
 morning and the object of your call as well ? While I 
 was taking my breakfast she ran into the room, and 
 after throwing her arms around my neck and kissing me
 
 The President Surprised. 89 
 
 fondly, she exclaimed: 'Dear papa, dear papa, the 
 great man will be here presently ; I will run to the house 
 I used to have for a home, and get the philopena he gave 
 me in the other life. I promised to keep it always, and 
 I want to show him I still have it. Then he will remem 
 ber.' 
 
 " 'Is the President coming to see you, Catalina ?' I 
 asked. 
 
 " 'Dear papa, you Tcnow he is ; may I go for the philo 
 pena now?' 
 
 " 'No, child/ I replied, 'not now ; but if our President 
 comes and wishes to see the philopena, you may go for 
 it.' " 
 
 "Oh, thank you; thank you. Do let the sweet child 
 go at once," said the President. 
 
 "Do you want me ?" cried Catalina, starting from her 
 seat toward them, as they turned around to call her. 
 
 "We certainly do," replied the Governor, as he caught 
 the happy child in his arms. "We certainly do, do we 
 not, President?" 
 
 The President looked at the two for a moment in 
 mute astonishment, then replied: "We do want you, 
 dear, but how strange!" 
 
 "I wear the philopena, President; you remember it, 
 don't you?" 
 
 The Governor looked at her questioningly, to which 
 she replied: 
 
 "I slipped away, papa, just for a moment, to get it. 
 I knew the Presdient would want to see is;" with that 
 she handed him a curious coin suspended from a small 
 silver chain.
 
 90 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "What is it?" asked both men, as they examined it 
 curiously. 
 
 Catalina looked serious as she replied : "He does not 
 remember. It is speiss, a five-cent piece, you gave me 
 for winning the second game of checkers I played after 
 you taught me how. You said you would never see it 
 again, for I would give it to the priest some day when 
 I went to confess ; playing checkers for a philopena." 
 
 "This is an old coin," said the President ; "it is dated 
 1898." 
 
 "And the day we played the game is cut on it also," 
 said Catalina. 
 
 "A date is on it December the seventh. But who 
 put it there?" asked the President. 
 
 "Why, you cut the letters on it, your Honor," Catalina 
 replied, "with a little pearl-handled knife. I have it 
 also. You used many big words to me then, but I re 
 member them all very well. Do you remember what 
 you said the priest might do with the knife, if I were 
 not a good girl?" 
 
 "You forget, child, the President does not remember ; 
 but tell us about the knife," said the Governor. 
 
 "Do; I am all curiosity," said the President. 
 
 "It is a big word you used," said Catalina, "and if 
 you do not remember, I will have to tell you what it 
 means. You said if I were not a good girl, the priest 
 would perform phlebotomy upon me." 
 
 "We do not know explain, child," said Governor 
 Lehumada. 
 
 "He meant, the priest would open a blood-vessel, and 
 all of my blood would run out," laughed the child.
 
 The President Surprised. 91 
 
 "But were you so bad that I had to be constantly 
 reminding you of the fact ?" asked President Mortingo. 
 
 "I was not bad then/' said the child; "it was only 
 after I knew of the disgrace of my birth that I got to 
 be disagreeable and bad. It is now time for you to take 
 'Memory Fluid' from Senor Guillermo Gonzales. I 
 will tell you about other things when you remember. 
 I am now going to meet Helen Hinckley in the Ala- 
 meda." She shook hands with the President; kissed 
 the Governor fondly, and with the air of a queen swept 
 from the room. 
 
 "How strange," said the President; "a child and a 
 queen in one;" while Governor Lehumada, with a 
 smile on his face, murmured: "Helen Hinckley, my 
 long-lost love, found at last, at last. Would that I, too, 
 could hasten to her." 
 
 "The President heard the Governor's confession of 
 love, but gave no sign that his secret had been betrayed. 
 "With your permission, Governor, I will go at once to 
 the studio of Senor Guillermo Gonzales. I wish to be 
 come a subject immediately, the child has enthused me 
 very much ; in fact, I never believed it possible for any 
 one to arouse my curiosity to such an extent." 
 
 At that moment Senor Guillermo Gonzales was 
 shown into the drawing-room, and as he greeted the 
 President, said: "To keep the matter of you becom 
 ing a subject very quiet, I came at a suggestion just re 
 ceived from the Governor, to administer the 'Fluid' 
 here." 
 
 "How considerate," said President Mortingo. "I 
 really felt a little delicacy in going to your laboratory.
 
 92 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Let the experiments begin now, I pray you. I really 
 am getting nervous over it. I hope I will not be 
 affected, on my return to a conscious condition, as was 
 poor Mrs. Grange last night/' 
 
 "Have no fears, President; it is not likely you com 
 mitted any evil deeds in a life gone by for which you 
 will now suffer remorse. Your presence in this life is 
 no doubt due to the fact that you desired knowledge 
 desired to reach the highest plane, without any waste 
 of years." 
 
 "That is most likely/' said the Governor. "Friend 
 Gonzales is quite right. To avoid any further delay, 
 please follow me into my private study. As soon as 
 the 'Fluid' is administered, I will leave you with Senors 
 Gonzales and Murillo, until the period we desire is 
 reached. Then I will return. A matter of great im 
 portance has come up recently, within the last hours, 
 which I wish to attend to personally." 
 
 "You are quite excusable, Governor, quite excusable," 
 replied the good-natured President. He thought he 
 knew what the "important business" was that had re 
 cently come up, to which the Governor wished to give 
 his personal attention. 
 
 His vein of humor produced a hearty laugh from the 
 three men besides himself in the room when he received 
 the small glass containing "Memory Fluid" in his hand, 
 and holding it aloft, said: "I drink, oh, thou Great 
 Eevealer, to the health of all my present enemies and 
 friends, to all friends and enemies I had in those lives 
 I am supposed to have lived ages and ages ago! Oh, 
 thou Muse, bring me Memory, that I may know myself
 
 The President Surprised 93 
 
 now as I was then! Was I then a mule driver, or a 
 bootblack in America; a mozo in Mexico, or an Em 
 peror of Germany?" 
 
 He sipped the tasteless liquid and lapsed into silence. 
 
 Guillermo Gonzales nodded to Governor Lehumada 
 significantly, and the Governor at once made his exit. 
 
 He hurried to his dressing-room and began to make 
 some changes in his toilet. Satisfied with himself, from 
 the reflection he saw in the mirror, he rang for the 
 coach, and while waiting for it to be announced, ex 
 claimed : "The greatest moment in my life has come ! 
 Dearest Helen, thou wilt be mine! You must! You 
 shall ! I have lived sadly through one existence search 
 ing for you, and several times during this life I have 
 been on the very verge of despair because I could not 
 find you and I would have despaired, were it not that 
 even in a past life I knew a power would be given to me 
 to discover an element from Nature which would be in 
 strumental in bringing you to my arms. The insincer 
 ity of humanity has, since the beginning of time, caused 
 more heartaches and trouble than any other one thing. 
 To the great Creator I certainly give thanks for the germ 
 of sincerity he sowed in my breast, and the proper nu 
 trition he placed there to make it grow. There, Juan 
 says my coach is ready; I must hasten to meet my 
 love." 
 
 With a sweeping glance at his mirror, he hastened out 
 of the room and down the long stairs. On nearing the 
 drawing-room door, Juan said : "Your Honor, a senor- 
 ita awaits you in the drawing-room." 
 
 The Governor took the large white card from the
 
 94 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 silver tray his man held out to him, and with a look of 
 dismay upon his face, read aloud: "Miss Harriet 
 Motuble." "A very great disappointment, dear, dear 
 Helen. When will I ever have another opportunity to 
 see you? It is unjust for me to feel this way. I will 
 enter at once, and not keep the senorita waiting. Juan, 
 tell Miss Motuble I will be in at once." 
 
 While Juan entered the drawing-room Governor 
 Lehumada removed his gloves and hat, and was glad to 
 have the opportunity to collect himself, and when Juan 
 reappeared, he asked: "Do you see any signs of dis 
 pleasure on my face?" 
 
 "No, your Honor ; your face is as serene as the morn 
 ing sky." 
 
 "Thanks, Juan. It is another victory. Take my 
 hat and gloves, and tell the coachman to go to the Ala- 
 meda. The child, Catalina Martinet, is there; should 
 she desire to use the conveyance, take her wherever she 
 wishes to go. Tell him to say to her that I had started 
 for her, and at the last moment was disappointed at be 
 ing unable to go," whispered Governor Lehumada, into 
 the ears of his trusty man. Was all the long message 
 sent to the child meant only to be delivered for her 
 ears? 
 
 "Certainly not," mentally remarked Juan. "I kind 
 of have a suspicion that there is something more than 
 'Memory Fluid' bothering the Governor for several 
 days; but then I am only Juan, and not a great 
 Governor, author and scientist. I will experiment one 
 day, if I can, and help to solve the great problem of 
 life. I wonder if it is probable that the Governor has
 
 The President Surprised. 95 
 
 fallen in love with some beautiful young woman? I 
 will find out, if it can be done. I will from this 
 moment camp on his tracks, and when I have a chance 
 I will slip some 'Memory Fluid/ for I has a notion in 
 my old head that I lived before. I has a notion that 
 Mr. Niksab and J. Ecarg, were known to me somewhere, 
 long, long ago/' He smiled to himself as he went out 
 to give the Governor's orders. 
 
 On his return to the house he stationed himself con 
 veniently near the drawing-room door, so close that 
 every word uttered by the aggressive senorita was heard 
 by him. 
 
 When Governor Lehumada entered the drawing- 
 room, he felt very much like a schoolboy who had been 
 punished for not wanting to enter the parlor and be 
 pleasant to callers. He was ashamed of himself, and 
 tried to make amends for his actions by being more 
 gracious than was necessary. 
 
 Miss Motuble mistook his gallantry and great hospi 
 tality for demonstrations of love, and after greeting the 
 object of her affections, she sank into a chair close by, 
 much overcome with emotions. She believed she had 
 won a conquest. She was unable for some minutes to 
 speak. Her face became red and white by turns, her 
 breast heaved with great convulsions, while her hand 
 trembled so violently that she had no power over the fan 
 she was trying to move. 
 
 The Governor saw the condition she was in, and from 
 the bottom of his heart he pitied her. The object of 
 his heart's desire affected him much the same way when 
 he saw her. "But I need no sympathy," he argued to
 
 90 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 himself, "for my love is reciprocated; my Helen is 
 mine, and I am hers. It is the law of the inevitable. 
 It could not be otherwise. Miss Motuble," he contin 
 ued, "is there any way in which I can serve you this 
 morning? Can it be you are not well?" 
 
 The tone in which he addressed her, more than what 
 he said, was the tonic Miss Motuble needed. She failed 
 to hide her irritation, and sitting erect in a moment, her 
 face, crimson with rage, said : "How can you serve me 
 this morning? I need no assistance whatever, sir. I 
 am neither in need of money or advice: on the other 
 hand, I came to proffer certain valuable information I 
 have recently obtained. I ferreted it out. I admit it 
 cost me considerable time and expense, but I learned of 
 the scorpion's movements, as well as his entire pedigree. 
 I have it all here the written statements of many who 
 knew him. He was not an opera singer in the life long 
 past; he was a vocalist in a missionary choir, and he 
 wafted his dulcet tones high and loud every Sunday for 
 the edification of the congregation which, by the way, 
 was very small. I know them all, the scorpions. Then 
 to think I came here to tell you of my remembrances 
 and the many written statements I have from others 
 to aid you in your great experiments, and am ap 
 proached by you as the aggressor, the one to whom a 
 favor needs to be shown. No, Governor Lehumada; 
 no, sir, I will not tolerate any such impudence even 
 from you. I will not further state the object of my 
 call. I now have the pleasure to bid you good morn 
 ing." She arose to her feet, and with one turn of her 
 huge frame had swept past the Governor.
 
 The President Surprised. 97 
 
 She had spoken so fast and so fiercely, after she came 
 out of the half-crazed condition into which her great 
 love and passion had thrown her, that the good 
 Governor knew not what to do or what to say to quiet 
 her. As she passed into the hall he called to her: 
 "Miss Motuble, I pray you, my good young lady, to stay, 
 if only for one moment. You do not understand me. 
 I certainly am clumsy in my expressions. Dear miss, 
 pardon me; if you have inferred a discourtesy by any 
 remark I have made, pray, forgive me. You are a 
 source of great wonder and delight to me, and carry a 
 fund of valuable information." He approached her, as 
 she stood near Juan panting like a tiger at bay, and 
 gently laying his hand upon her arm, said: "I am 
 forgiven, am I not? I certainly never intentionally 
 offend anyone, particularly a woman." 
 
 She turned her face, full of shame and regret, to 
 him, and with tears in her eyes, said: "Dearie, I am 
 so lonely; you do care for me, don't you? It is not 
 true, as I suspected, that your whole love is centered in 
 Helen Hinckley. Is it, dearie?" 
 
 With that she threw her massive arms around his neck 
 with such great force, that his body swayed to and fro 
 like a babe in the paws of a lion. 
 
 With her head on his shoulder, she sobbed: "Dear, 
 dear Miguey, my dearie, forgive me for mistrusting you. 
 I was frenzied with what I thought unrequited love. 
 Great Kevealer of Light, I thank you for making me see 
 my mistake." When her petition was ended she loos 
 ened her arms from around his neck. Governor Lehu- 
 mada sank helplessly against the wall, and Juan sprang 
 forward and exclaimed:
 
 98 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "Your Honor, the senorita has choked you." He 
 supported the Governor, and addressing Harriet Motu- 
 ble, said: "You are accountable, miss, for the helpless 
 condition of my master. You seem to remember too 
 much." 
 
 All the time he had spoken to her, his back was 
 turned. Now, facing the place where she had stood, he 
 said : "I take charge of the house, now that my master 
 is unconscious, so, you git !" But to his great dismay 
 she was gone. 
 
 He rang for help, and soon the Governor was lying 
 comfortably in his own bed.
 
 A Confessed Crime. 99 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A CONFESSED CRIME. 
 
 GOVERNOR LEHUMADA did not faint, nor was he in 
 the least injured by the passionate embrace of Miss 
 Motuble. He was speechless from surprise only, and he 
 allowed his men to assist him to his room, realizing that 
 a few moments of quiet for reflection was what he 
 needed. 
 
 He assured Juan that all was well, and that he wished 
 to be alone for a few minutes. Juan shook his head as 
 though he had many misgivings, and quietly left the 
 room. He walked slowly down the hall in deep medi 
 tation. He wished that he were off duty, so he could 
 follow the strange senorita. He went into the yard and 
 gazed wistfully up and down the street, in the hope of 
 seeing her. Heaving a sigh, he turned to enter the 
 house again, and murmured to himself: "It must be 
 the evil in the fluid that is causing the trouble." 
 
 Some one startled him from his reverie, by saying: 
 "You are his Honor's man Juan, are you not?" 
 
 "I certainly am," he replied. 
 
 "I was told to give you this letter, and request of you 
 to give it to his Honor at one o'clock this afternoon 
 sharp." With that he handed Juan an official-looking 
 envelope, and hurried away.
 
 100 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Juan turned the large letter over and over, and read 
 the address on the back, several times: "To His 
 Honor, Governor of Chihuahua." "Humph! Well, 
 for once in my life, I wish I was 'His Honor.' I would 
 make quick work of seeing on the inside of tnis letter. 
 Association with these scientists has caused me to be a 
 man of much thought. I, too, have great ideas. I 
 know a thing or two. Ha ! ha ! It does not take a 
 scientist ; a Governor or a President, to know that 'His 
 Honor' is in love, or that there is pending (he straight 
 ened himself up and smiled at the big sentence he was 
 framing) a fearful calamity, and the greatest violence 
 of it will fall upon this town." 
 
 At that moment the child Catalina ran up to him, 
 and said: "Oh, Juan, let me go to him at once. He 
 is in great trouble; the town has gone wrong. Juan, 
 guard his Honor night and day. Do not let anyone 
 enter the house without his knowledge. Watch for 
 Don Francisco E. Cantu y Falomir. You know him, do 
 you not ?" 
 
 "The great Don, ha ! ha ! I do know him, senorita." 
 
 "And the priest, Father Hernandez?" 
 
 "Him, too, nina. I tell my sins to him every week," 
 said Juan. 
 
 "Oh, Juan, how can you?" 
 
 "Because, nina, I am still a Catholic. It is not popu 
 lar to be, I know; but so long as 'His Honor' knows I 
 am, and still keeps me in his service, I will be true to 
 the religion of my fathers." 
 
 "His Honor is too wise and too great a man to inter 
 fere in anyone's religious beliefs," said Catalina.
 
 A Confessed Crime. 101 
 
 "Yet he is a man, and loves/' quietly remarked Juan, 
 with a twinkle in his eye. 
 
 "He does love. His is a great love; it extends over 
 all humanity. Had you lived before, Juan, and re 
 membered it, you would understand," replied the child, 
 with deep pathos in her voice. 
 
 Juan laughed heartily, and said: "Pardon me, 
 nina, but what can a child know of another life? If 
 'Memory Fluid' makes senoras viejas out of ninas, it is 
 not good. What would homes be without the innocent 
 coo and laughter of babies ?" 
 
 "I am happier now than before I remembered, Juan. 
 It is because you do not understand what it is to remem 
 ber, that makes you say such things." 
 
 "Maybe so ; maybe so, nina, but Juan is glad he does 
 not remember" 
 
 "My dear hombre viejo, you must remember what I 
 told you about Don Francisco E. Cantu y Falomir and 
 the priest," cried Catalina, as she ran into the house. 
 
 "Good-bye, Juan; watch out for the minister, J. T. 
 Note the Eev. J. T. Note, as he calls himself, and his 
 followers. He is also a foe to progress. Guard him, 
 Juan; guard him well. No harm must come to his 
 Honor." 
 
 Juan's reply was upon his lips, but the charming 
 child was gone before he could voice it. He looked 
 curiously at the big envelope in his hand, and while 
 reading the address again and again, disappeared into 
 the house. 
 
 No sooner had Juan and the Governor's other man 
 left him alone, than he arose from the bed upon which
 
 102 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 he was reclining and walked back and forth rapidly in 
 an abstracted manner. He was a man who prided him 
 self upon his personal appearance, and now as he 
 stopped before the long plate-mirror and surveyed him 
 self he said : "Dearest Helen, is there anything in my 
 manner of dress, my gait, or tone of voice that dis 
 pleases? If so, I will rectify it to suit you. I cannot 
 see myself as you see me; oh, my love, that I could! 
 Oh, for the power to see into the future as I now can 
 look into the past. Ye wise and everlasting Force, 
 grant me the boon of greater knowledge. All I get will 
 be used for the uplifting of humanity. I feel the pres 
 ence of a great force in our midst, which will bring 
 about a change; a change so wonderful that were I to 
 prophesy, no one would believe me. Each would de 
 clare that the day of miracles is past. Poor, deluded 
 creatures, there will nothing happen which will be of a 
 miraculous nature. Simply the natural results of the 
 present condition of affairs will take place. The mere 
 fact that President Mortingo submitted himself as a 
 subject, to further demonstrate the use of 'Memory 
 Fluid/ will hasten the change. We must be prepared 
 to meet it. We must be able to preserve peace at home 
 and abroad. I must not defer 'till morning to tell my 
 fears to the heads of departments." He stepped to an 
 ivory tube by the side of his great mirror, and said, 
 speaking through it : "Convey to the head of each de 
 partment the following : 
 
 " 'Prepare for trouble. Try to avert it. Help me 
 generate a great soul wave, that we may quell the dis 
 turbers of peace and enemies of progress without force
 
 A Confessed Crime. 103 
 
 or bloodshed. If trouble comes, it will be by the brew 
 ing of Don Francisco E. Cantu y Falomir, Father Her 
 nandez, Eev. J. T. Note, and the husband of Mrs. Grange, 
 who is assistant Freight Agent of the Chihuahua Air 
 Motor Eailroad Company, at this city. If he joins the 
 peace disturbers it will be in an underhand way. He 
 has not the courage of the other gentlemen just men 
 tioned. The prime movers in any trouble that may 
 arise will be the three first mentioned. Others will join 
 them. Many well-known and prominent citizens, who 
 writhe in envy at the success of our administration, be 
 cause the one in which they figured was a failure from 
 more points of view than one, will be glad of the op 
 portunity to join the rebels and to assist in a cause 
 against us. Not because they believe in the leaders, 
 Don Francisco E. Cantu y Falomir and faction not by 
 any means it is because they are our enemies and wish 
 to make us trouble, to create discord, to overthrow our 
 rule. No blood must be shed. We do not care to re 
 peat the old story. The theories we advocate and prac 
 tice must not be thrust upon humanity at the point of 
 the bayonet. In ages gone by, the Christian religion 
 was carried into all lands, the sword in one hand, and 
 the cross they wished to implant, in the other. There 
 must be an awakening of the spirit of God within man 
 first. It never comes by force. Love is the upbuilding 
 of the race. It grows within the breast of man after its 
 awakening, and spreads its perfume all around, like a 
 beautiful, fragrant rose in a well-attended garden. Ee- 
 member, force must only be employed to protect the 
 lives and property of our citizens, should an uprising
 
 104 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 occur. That is all the instructions I care to give. 
 Adios, gentlemen/ " 
 
 At the moment he ceased talking, Catalina Martinet 
 entered the room, unannounced. "Dear papa/' she 
 said, "I thought I never would find you." 
 
 "But you succeeded. Come, tell me how you en 
 joyed yourself in the Alameda," replied the Governor, 
 placing a chair by his side for the strange child. He 
 felt a delicacy in asking about Helen Hinckley, yet he 
 secretly hoped she would speak only of the object of 
 his heart's desire. 
 
 "Oh, your Honor, it is about what I heard at the Ala 
 meda I came to see. First, does J. Ecarg repent ? Is 
 he doing any good now?" said Catalina. 
 
 "I have secured an excellent position for him. He 
 works early and late, and has not been known to fre 
 quent any low places of resort since he first took 
 'Memory Fluid.' He has certainly repented of the 
 great wrong he did you in your previous existence, as 
 well as your mother. A criminal at the bar of justice 
 could not feel any greater remorse of conscience than he 
 now does from the mere fact that he in nowise gave aid 
 to your support or to your mother's. He now wishes 
 to help you." 
 
 "I cannot have help from him; my soul is yet sore. 
 Dear papa, Helen Hinckley, the most beautiful and the 
 truest of women, is to adopt me." 
 
 "Bless her," cried the Governor. "That is a happy 
 thought." 
 
 "She says that Don Francisco E. Cantu y Falomir 
 and followers are excited very much this morning
 
 A Confessed Crime. 105 
 
 Hundreds and hundreds of people have been there to 
 day to see him. She was asked, late last night, after 
 the banquet closed, to spend the day away from the 
 house, but to return not later than eight o'clock to 
 night. Before she left, those people began to come. 
 She believes their object is to formulate plans to over 
 throw the state rule. She fears your life will be in 
 danger. She asked me to say to you to use every pre 
 caution to avoid evil," concluded Catalina. She 
 seemed to possess the very soul of Helen Hinckley. 
 
 The Governor looked into the face of the beautiful 
 child, and as he wiped a mist away, that seemed to 
 gather in his eyes, said: "This is the return of love. 
 I am contented. She loves me now, I am certain. All 
 is well; all is well. It could not be otherwise in the 
 end. Truth is everlasting ; it endureth forever and for 
 ever. In the end it triumphs. The waiting for the 
 end often seems an eternity. Without the one I love, 
 every day is as an eternity. The end is near at hand. 
 Yet before it comes, a fearful struggle will take place. 
 Thou great One, from whom all light comes, bear wit 
 ness to my integrity of purpose." 
 
 The Governor spoke aloud and gesticulated much, yet 
 he was unconscious, seemingly, of the fact, or that he 
 had company. A slight knock at the door stopped his 
 soliloquy, and glancing around the room in a confused 
 manner, he discovered the child sound asleep upon the 
 chair on which she sat. "Poor little darling; after all, 
 you are a healthy, natural child. Exhausted from last 
 night's dissipation, nature demands her rights, and is 
 now getting them. If my Helen has adopted you, dear,
 
 106 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 you are mine, too, I will be your papa after all.'' He 
 kissed her fondly on each full, red cheek, and quietly 
 opened the door. 
 
 It was Juan who was seeking admittance. He 
 stepped quickly into the room, after looking up and 
 down the hall nervously, and closed the door. 
 
 "Your actions, Juan, are strange. Explain," said the 
 Governor. 
 
 Juan stood shaking and speechless, and glaring with 
 wide-open eyes at Catalina. 
 
 "What is it, man, what is it? Why do you stand 
 gaping like a man from whom all reason had fled? 
 Come, good man, be natural. I cannot lose my old 
 friend. Come, come, sit down; I must do something 
 for you," entreated the Governor, getting very nervous. 
 The only sign of life Juan had shown since he entered 
 the room, now appeared. He raised his long, gaunt 
 hand, and pointed with his index finger to Catalina. 
 
 "Ah!" exclaimed the Governor. "You are surprised 
 to find the sweet child here. She is no cause for your 
 being so frightened. Come, Juan, explain yourself," 
 he entreated, taking his old servant's arm. 
 
 "Your Honor," he whispered, "she is not a child 
 she is a woman, and a ghost-woman at that." 
 
 "Nonsense; nonsense, man. Now I am afraid of 
 your reason. She is very much of a child. See how 
 soundly she sleeps, and the glow of health upon her 
 cheeks," the Governor replied lightly, notwithstanding 
 the fact that he felt slightly annoyed by the strange 
 actions of his man, as well as his remarks concerning 
 the child.
 
 A Confessed Crime. 107 
 
 "She may be a child, your Honor, but she prophesies. 
 And I am afraid of people of her size, who make 
 prophecies that come true." 
 
 "Explain yourself, Juan, explain yourself; do not 
 talk in riddles. What did the child prophesy?" 
 
 "It was this way, your Honor. You remember I car 
 ried her in my arms from the carriage into the 
 house, when you and her came home from the banquet 
 last night?" 
 
 "I certainly do/' assented Governor Lehumada ; "also 
 how surprised you were to find her wideawake, instead 
 of sound asleep." 
 
 "I was, your Honor; but was more surprised when 
 she whispered in my ear, and said: 'Juan, I saw the 
 "Plunger from Kansas" to-night/ 
 
 "'Who is he ? I asked. 
 
 " 'Have you not heard of him, Juan ?' 
 
 " 'No/ I said. 'Does he plunge in a Kansas river ?' 
 
 " 'Oh, how stupid. No, he does not plunge at all 
 now. He made a big plunge about one hundred and 
 fifty years ago but not in a river oh, no, not in a 
 river. You are a funny man, Juan; but then, you do 
 not remember.' 
 
 " 'Yes, I do remember much ; but not anything about 
 this man who plunged, and not into a river, one hun 
 dred and fifty years ago. Say, chile, you is dreaming, 
 honey. Come, Juanita will put the precious nina in 
 bed/ I led her to the housekeeper's room, and as we 
 went, she said: 
 
 " 'You are funny, Juan. I am awake, not dreaming. 
 You will see the "Plunger from Kansas" to-morrow/
 
 108 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 " 'How will I know him when I see him ?' I asked. 
 
 " 'Oh, he will come to this house to see Governor 
 Lehumada in the morning, and when he gets here he 
 will say: "You are Juan, the Governor's man? Is 
 his Honor in?" and when you say he is, the Tlunger' 
 will reply : "I came to see him, but I will not call this 
 day. Please hand him this, with my compliments," and 
 he will hand you a package.' 
 
 "Well, he did come, and he did say just what the 
 child prophesied, and he did give me this package, 
 your Honor. Take it, please. I am afraid of it. The 
 devil is let loose, as certain as fate. And I think this 
 fluid you tell about in your great book, is the cause of so 
 much trouble." 
 
 The Governor had an interested and amused smile 
 on his face as he opened the package handed him by 
 his man. 
 
 "You are no doubt quite right about the book I wrote, 
 and the public demonstrations and proofs we have given 
 of the results of our great fluid upon matter and mind, 
 being the cause of so much trouble. On that score, 
 Juan, you are right. But there have been no evil re 
 sults, and there will be none. But what is this ? Look, 
 Juan, look; who is this the picture of? Don't be 
 mistaken, man; don't. Be sure you speak correctly. 
 Have you seen the face before?" 
 
 "My sight is not good, your Honor. It's failing," 
 replied the frightened man, getting further away from 
 his master, out of pure fear. "My sight is nigh gone, 
 your Honor." 
 
 "Can it be? Can it be the face of the one I loved? 
 Of the one I now love?"
 
 A Confessed Crime. 109 
 
 "It is Helen Hinckley's picture, papa, taken in that 
 life long gone by," cried Catalina, grasping the 
 Governor's hand. 
 
 "Child, how do you know? You have not seen it." 
 
 "Oh, I do know, I knew last night he was going to 
 bring it. I heard him say so at your lecture last night. 
 He remembers, you know. He is trying to palliate the 
 wrongs he did in that day long gone by. He is afraid 
 that retribution will overtake him, that he will be re 
 duced to poverty." 
 
 "Did I not tell you, your Honor, that she was no 
 child. That she is a ghost a-talking like a grown 
 woman philosopher," ventured Juan, edging nearer the 
 Governor, while he glared at Catalina as if she were a 
 spook. 
 
 "Be sensible, Juan. Be sensible. I do admit, 
 however, that the child is a wonder even to me; that 
 she has a power of speech that would be the envy of 
 many a collegian. But she is a child of flesh and blood, 
 nevertheless, and a wonderful creation, too," concluded 
 the Governor. 
 
 Catalina put an end to further remarks by him, by 
 saying : "What is it, dear papa, written on the back of 
 the picture?" 
 
 The Governor turned the photograph around, and 
 said : "To be sure, child, there is something written on 
 it. It is very dim. One moment I will use some of 
 our restorative liquid, and then read it." 
 
 In the center of his bedroom stood a beautifully 
 carved rosewood table, on which was a magnificently 
 beautiful piece of sculpture. It represented a little
 
 110 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 girl, about eight years old, distributing the olive leaves 
 from a branch which seemed to be always full. The 
 Governor placed his hand fondly upon the head of the 
 statue, and at the same moment held the back of the 
 photograph over the mouth of the marble representation 
 of the child. A vapor spread over the pasteboard, yel 
 low and stained by time, and in three seconds, every 
 word written thereon stood out in bold relief. 
 
 He read aloud: "My baby girl, Helen Hinckley, 
 July 3d, 1898. Boston, Massachusetts. Age, eight." 
 
 "The same, the same," replied the Governor, his voice 
 full of emotion. "But it does not tell me enough! 
 How am I to know that this was brought here by the 
 'Plunger from Kansas/ '"' 
 
 "On the paper in your hand," said Catalina, "is a 
 message from the 'Plunger/ y ' 
 
 "She is no child, I say," cried Juan, his knees fairly 
 shaking with fright. "With your Honor's permission, 
 I will go out of the room. That child is too much for 
 me." When he opened the door to leave, Governor 
 Lehumada called: 
 
 "Juan, I will not repeat what I have said to you, twice 
 before within the last few minutes. The child is of 
 flesh and blood as ourselves. There is nothing uncanny 
 about her; so I command you to remain in this room 
 until I dismiss you." 
 
 Catalina looked up pathetically into the face of fhe 
 Governor, and said: "Don't scold him, papa; he does 
 not remember." 
 
 The Governor pressed her hand, and kissed her rosy 
 cheek time and again. "You are right, sweet child. I
 
 A Confessed Crime. Ill 
 
 should not be harsh with Juan. He does not remem 
 ber," he kindly replied. 
 
 "How much is written, papa dear?" 
 
 "To be sure, child; I have not read what is written 
 on the paper. This is a strange handwriting also. It 
 reads : 
 
 " 'The photograph was given to me by the father of 
 the child, Honorable E. Willard Hinckley, in his own 
 home in Kansas City, August, 1898. That very day I 
 got more than one-half million dollars from him, and 
 gave him as security a mortgage on fifty thousand cattle 
 I never owned. In less than sixty days he was a 
 bankrupt; in ninety days he was dead; his wife and 
 child were penniless and homeless. Despite the long 
 number of years which have passed, that photograph has 
 been preserved in a way nothing short of a miracle. 
 Five times have I put it on the burning coals; three 
 times in black, muddy water. Out of each it came un 
 sullied. Out of a superstitious fear I resolved to 
 keep it, to preserve and guard it with the same care as 
 one would an ancient heirloom of untold value. It has 
 ever been a thorn in my side. In that life one hun 
 dred and fifty years ago the time I made my memorable 
 plunge in cattle, the thought that I could not get rid 
 of the picture of little Helen, drove me wild with rage. 
 It was in a fit of frenzy, brought on by not being able to 
 destroy the picture, that made me take my life. I was 
 then in South America. My wife had perished in an 
 epidemic shortly before, and no one knew just what 
 destiny befell me, "The Plunger from Kansas," and no 
 one but those whom I had wronged, cared. Before com-
 
 112 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 mitting the deed that sent me out of the body to try to 
 find relief, I sent a large package to a relative in Kan 
 sas. Amongst the things it contained was the picture. 
 Thus it was preserved in the great iron safe in which 
 various documents and family curios were put for 
 safety. On my return to earth after an absence of half 
 of a century this photograph fell to my part of the 
 family keepsakes. And while in that life I never 
 knew its history, it always filled me with fear and trem 
 bling when I saw it. At the age of thirty-five I 
 passed again out of the physical body and lay in a 
 state of unconsciousness for fifty-six years. I was awak 
 ened by a voice which seemed to say: "Helen is here. 
 Have you no desire to rectify the wrongs you did her in 
 that life long since passed away?" I did not under 
 stand, yet I prayed to be allowed to live, that I might 
 be better and wiser. And I was born again. Fortune 
 favored me from my birth. I was born to wealth, and 
 the faculty I have of acquiring it is a wonder to many. 
 I am now twenty-eight years old, the same age I was 
 when I performed the feat in cattle-plunging. I bring 
 you this photograph with the strange feeling that to 
 you it belongs, and wEen it is securely in your hands, 
 the dreadful nightmare the sight of it gives me, will 
 leave me. This town has a fascination for me, of which 
 I cannot get rid. I feel nervous, as I did one hundred 
 and fifty years ago, when I was here a refugee, whenever 
 I see an armed officer of the law, or a strange face that 
 gives me more than a passing glance. Eetribution, 
 you say, is going to overtake me. If the law can get 
 me, handle me; but to use a slang phrase of the nine-
 
 A Confessed Crime. 113 
 
 teenth century, I will close by saying: "Catch me if 
 you can ; but I think I am too swift for you in this life, 
 as well as I was then." 
 
 " 'I am, your obedient servant, 
 
 "'THE PLUNGER FROM KANSAS.'"
 
 114 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 HARRIET REPORTS HERSELF DEAD. 
 
 THE Governor heaved a sigh when he had finished, as 
 if a burden had suddenly dropped from his shoulders. 
 
 "How long since he gave this to you, Juan ?" 
 
 "About fifteen minutes before I entered this room, 
 your Honor." 
 
 "Did it take you fifteen minutes to get up the stairs ?" 
 
 "I am an old man, your Honor, but am yet spry. 
 When the Plunger left, I was called to your private 
 study, where Senor Guillermo Gonzales wished to speak 
 to me. If your Honor cares, I will tell you everything 
 he said. First, he sent a message to you, which I have 
 not had an opportunity until this moment to deliver. 
 He told me to say to you, that though the President has 
 returned to consciousness he desires to be left alone that 
 he may write a full account of his past, provided he re 
 members/' 
 
 "Very well, Juan," replied the Governor. "I will 
 not interrupt his Excellency. And as for you telling 
 me all the scientist said to you, there is no necessity for 
 you telling anything, except the message you have just 
 delivered." 
 
 "Since the 'Plunger* came, I feel it my duty to tell 
 you that Senor Gonzales cautioned me to guard you
 
 Marriet Reports Herself Dead. 115 
 
 closely ; to allow no one to pass into the house without 
 you knowing the person and giving your consent. That 
 trouble is brewing in the city, and your life would be 
 threatened/' said Juan. 
 
 "It is certainly kind of him and others to be so in 
 terested in my welfare. I am least concerned about my 
 own safety. I have a strange presentiment that I will 
 not be harmed. It is the safety of the people, the great 
 multitude around us, Juan, about whom I am con 
 cerned. Eest assured, good man, I will protect my 
 people, no matter what the cost." 
 
 "But, dear papa, the people would not be able to pro 
 tect themselves, if you were gone. Dear papa, do not 
 court danger," cried .Catalina. 
 
 "That child ! She makes me afraid, your Honor. I 
 wish she were more like my own little granddaughter," 
 said Juan, stepping closer to the marble statue and 
 further from the child. 
 
 "Poor man," said Catalina, "he does not remember. 
 He is afraid of me, is he not, papa ? How strange that 
 anyone is afraid of a little girl." 
 
 "It is strange, dear ; but Juan is an old man and has 
 never taken 'Memory Fluid,' " replied the Governor. 
 "Juan, I will remain in my room with Catalina. Serve 
 us a luncheon here promptly at twelve-thirty, one hour 
 hence. I have a presentiment that I will be seriously 
 occupied about one o'clock. Tell the chef to prepare a 
 luncheon for two persons, in a manner befitting his Ex 
 cellency, and send it promptly at half -past twelve to my 
 private studio." 
 
 "Yes, your Honor," he replied, with a low curtesy, as
 
 116 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 he left the room, while he mentally exclaimed: "If I 
 am not a fool, he will be seriously occupied at one 
 o'clock. The big letter I have is to be delivered to him 
 at that time. I wish it were one now ; I want to get rid 
 of it. It seems to be burning a hole into my body. I 
 thought I would 'speriment with 'Memory Fluid' this 
 morning. But now I will do nothing rash. I will let 
 the past rest, so far as I am concerned, until I see the 
 result of the present unsettled state of affairs. In the 
 meantime I will take the matter of being a subject un 
 der grave cosideration. If I was just ten years 
 younger, strangers would take me for a great scientist. 
 At sixty it is difficult for a man to take on new ideas." 
 Juan had not been commenting aloud, consequently was 
 very much surprised by hearing the familiar tones of 
 Julio Murillo saying: "Don't bother about your age, 
 Juan. You will live again, if you desire ; then you may 
 be a very learned man." 
 
 Juan did not reply, and the great scientist's assistant 
 went on. 
 
 With his head low upon his breast, frightened and 
 trembling, Juan hastened to the kitchen. 
 
 Governor Lehumada and Catalina were reclining in 
 large, comfortable chairs in the room where Juan had 
 left them. The Governor in deep meditation, the child 
 thumping upon the arm of the chair with a small 
 stick, and singing softly, the words, "Be it ever so hum 
 ble, there is no place like home ;" and the exquisite tone 
 in which they were sung caught the ear of the Governor 
 and unknown to the child, he watched her intently until 
 her song ceased.
 
 Marriet Reports Herself Dead. 117 
 
 "Those words, Catalina, sound strangely familiar to 
 me. Is it a new song, or an old one revived ?" he asked. 
 
 "It is an old song, your Honor," replied the child, as 
 she curtesied prettily to him, in the same manner she 
 did the day she came to the State House to sell her 
 flowers. It was only a few days ago, yet it seemed to the 
 Governor that a year or more had passed. In fact, the 
 child had grown to be so great a part of his life that 
 it seemed incredulous that she had ever lived elsewhere. 
 
 "Where did you learn it, dear ?" asked the Governor. 
 
 The child was startled at first, and looked frightened ; 
 then, throwing out her arms, she rushed to the Gov 
 ernor, crying: "For a moment I was the Catalina of 
 long ago. I was unhappy. I had ceased to remember 
 myself as I now am. I thought I was the poor Catalina 
 of disgrace and despair whom the President taught to 
 sing that song so long ago. He sang it to me the night 
 he left for 'the States/ in the other life that I knew 
 him." 
 
 "Was he kind to you, dear ?" asked the Governor. 
 
 "Indeed he was, papa; kinder than any man had 
 been. Sometimes he vexed me greatly. I did not un 
 derstand him, and he was a constant tease." 
 
 "He was an American tourist in Mexico then, was he 
 not?" asked the Governor. 
 
 "He was an American, I am quite sure ; but I do not 
 think he was in Mexico for pleasure," replied Catalina. 
 
 "Possibly not," commented the Governor; "at that 
 time many Americans were coming to Mexico to pros 
 pect. He no doubt was a mining man." 
 
 "I do not think so," confidently replied Catalina.
 
 118 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "No ? What idea have you then, child ?" 
 "He had much money to spend, and every time he 
 came, and he came often, he gave me money ; sometimes 
 food and clothes. My mother washed for several people 
 who stayed at the big white hotel facing the principal 
 plaza. He knew this, and whenever he came he ques 
 tioned me about these people he wanted to know what 
 I saw in their rooms. I always went with my mother to 
 help her carry la ropa limpia home. I had a sharp eye 
 and usually saw everything in view in the room," she re 
 plied. 
 
 "I cannot understand," replied the Governor, "why 
 he questioned you about what these people had in their 
 rooms. He must have been consumed with idle curi 
 osity/' 
 
 "He asked me/' continued Catalina, "if I could bring 
 him the 'phiz* of a certain man, who with his wife stayed 
 at the hotel/' 
 
 "The phiz f What did he mean, child ?" 
 "I did not know then, and told him so, and he said : 
 'Well, I will tell you what I mean by a phiz/ He took 
 a pencil and note book from his pocket, made a few 
 strokes on the paper and handed me a picture of myself. 
 'Oh, no,' I said, on seeing what he meant, 'I cannot 
 make pictures/ He left the house, saying he would be 
 back in one-half of an hour. He came as he promised, 
 and brought a little black box, which he said was a 
 camera. He showed me how to use it, and I consented 
 to take it with me the next time we went to carry la 
 ropa to the hotel, and take a picture of the man and 
 woman, also one of the room. I did so, and here it is.
 
 Marriet Reports Herself Dead. 119 
 
 Also my phiz." She handed the pictures to the Gov 
 ernor, and while looking at them intently, he said : 
 
 "Can it be possible, child, that this is the picture of 
 the great counterfeiter who operated in Mexico for so 
 many years, and whom I delivered into the hands of the 
 United States authorities? It is, it is. I remember 
 him well. And this, dear child, is your 'phiz/ is it? 
 It is not unlike you now. But you were older then than, 
 at present, were you not?" 
 
 "I was older. I am eight now, and I was eleven when 
 that was made." 
 
 "Mr. Mortingo, the President of the great United 
 States of America," laughed Governor Lehumada, "was 
 a secret service man in the year 1898. I remember him 
 well. He was a jolly, generous chap, and on coming to 
 Chihuahua I remember the remark he made when he 
 first called upon me. He said: 
 
 "'Uncle Sam has sent me down here to catch some 
 birds who are in your city. They are molding and shov 
 ing the queer/ " 
 
 "Yes," said Catalina, "that is what he kept telling 
 me that they were 'shoving the queer' " to which the 
 Governor replied: 
 
 "I understood very little English at that time, but the 
 official interpreter put it into the best Spanish he could 
 and I at once saw the point. The Americans were much 
 given to the use of slang then, much of which had a 
 singular fitness. I committed the phrase to memory and 
 never forgot it. Let me see the other picture; the in 
 terior of the room." 
 
 The child handed him the picture, and pointing to a
 
 120 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 certain place in it, said: "There is the lump of silver 
 they were chopping up as we went in. In the kettle 
 over the fire is lead." 
 
 "Ha! ha! ha! ha!" laughed the Governor. "That 
 is very interesting to know. I wonder what will be the 
 feelings of the President, should he remember ?" 
 
 "I have several packages of spaghetti he gave me to 
 use on feast days. He showed me how to cook it. We 
 learned to like it so well, he declared that my forefathers 
 were Italians. And sure enough, my mother began to 
 hunt up old family history, and she discovered that her 
 great-grandmother, was an Italian noblewoman," said 
 Catalina. 
 
 "Child," replied the Governor, "you have always been 
 something more to me than an ordinary child, a child 
 of entirely plebeian birth. The mere fact of your 
 wounded pride on learning that you were born out of 
 wedlock, that broke your heart and caused your un 
 timely demise, proved the question of your blood to be 
 other than plebeian." 
 
 "I do not cry any more now, over the past," said Cata 
 lina, "for I believe in the righting of all wrongs. It is 
 worked out by Nature and Nature's help to man." 
 
 "Come, child, my little philosopher, kiss your papa; 
 kiss me fondly. A strange fear is crowding over me," 
 he said, holding out his arms to her. 
 
 She did his bidding with much fervor, and whisper 
 ing in his ear, said: "Juan is coming with our 
 luncheon. I will open the door." 
 
 The faithful old man entered and set before them a 
 dainty meal, and stood quietly back of the Governor's
 
 Marriet Reports Herself Dead. 121 
 
 chair while he ate heartily of the food. The meal was 
 quite contrary to the usual customs of the household 
 that is, without any conversation and with much dis 
 patch. 
 
 The Governor arose when he had finished, looked at 
 his watch, and said: "It is now one o'clock. Juan, 
 remove the dishes, and take the child to the house 
 keeper." 
 
 "Yes, your Honor," replied Juan. "Here is a letter 
 I was told to give you at one o'clock." 
 
 The Governor took the letter, and kissing the child 
 fondly, said: "Go with Juan, dear, and tell Juanita 
 you need to sleep." 
 
 As they were leaving the room, she said: "I am 
 sleepy and will take a nap hut will show you the way 
 to Marriet Motuble, when you go." 
 
 "A strange child," mentally commented the Governor, 
 as he tore the envelope open. "As if I intended to call 
 upon Miss Motuble, the massive giantess ; the aggressive 
 senorita. No, no, Catalina, dear, sweet child, you are a 
 wonder in many ways, hut this time you are mistaken. 
 Dearest Helen, would that I could visit you! What, 
 what is this?" holdinr tfie letter he pulled out of the 
 envelope at arm's length. "What is it ?" 
 
 "I, Marriet Motuble, nearing the end of my third 
 existence," he read, "wish you to bear in mind the fol 
 lowing : that by the time you have finished reading this 
 note which I have ordered to be left with you at one 
 o'clock this very day, I will no more be a mortal. By 
 my own hands will the great chasm which separates the
 
 122 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 physical from the spiritual of man be reached. Such 
 an act has been recorded, since the beginning of time, 
 as a crime against the great Creator as well as against 
 self. Be it further known that I, Harriet Motuble, this 
 moment confess to my many faults, the greatest of all 
 my sins to my mind being my pretensions to having 
 been a subject of 'Memory Fluid/ or of having remem 
 bered a previous existence. I only made this pretense 
 to ingratiate myself into your favor, knowing your great 
 belief in your wonderful 'Memory Fluid,' to make you 
 return my great love. My labors were in vain. I am, 
 on the other hand, repulsive to you so I this day, at 
 one o'clock, make an end of this earthly existence." 
 
 The Governor looked at his watch. "Ah! he ex 
 claimed, "it is one o'clock this very moment. Can it be 
 that she is now taking this step? What can I do to 
 prevent this mad act? I will send her a message 
 where does she live? I have not the faintest idea. I 
 will have Juan inquire." 
 
 Juan appeared almost instantly after the Governor's 
 call. 
 
 "Do you know where Miss Motuble lives? The 
 lady, I mean, who called here early this morning?" 
 asked the Governor. 
 
 "No, sir, I do not," replied Juan, eying the Governor 
 curiously. 
 
 "Find out, immediately. If necessary, employ a de 
 tective. I must know if there is any possible way of 
 finding out." 
 
 "I will do my best, your Honor, my very best," re-
 
 Marriet Reports Herself Dead. 123 
 
 plied Juan, as he left the room, shaking his head dubi 
 ously. The Governor followed him to the door engrossed 
 with his own thoughts. 
 
 "Juan," he called, "here one moment.'* 
 
 Juan returned and looked questioningly into his face. 
 
 "Go to my private study at once, and say to Senors 
 Guillermo Gonzales and Julio Murillo to do me the 
 favor to meet me here this moment, if they have the 
 leisure. With dispatch, Juan, with dispatch." 
 
 "Yes, your Honor," replied Juan, as he hurried away. 
 
 Such a request had never been made to the scientists 
 before, and without any delay they hurried to the 
 Governor, curious to know the object of the call. 
 
 The door leading into the room was wide open, and 
 as they entered, the great author of "Liquid from the 
 Sun's Bays" stood in the middle of the floor re-reading 
 Marriet Motuble's letter. He greeted them warmly, and 
 without any delay said : "I have received a very strange 
 letter no stranger, however, than the person by whom 
 it is written the aggressive senorita Marriet Motuble." 
 
 "Marriet Motuble!" exclaimed both men in a low 
 voice. 
 
 "Your surprise cannot possibly be greater than mine," 
 replied the Governor. "Please reserve your surprise for 
 what I will read you. In fact, I am inclined to believe 
 most anything, if what I have read of this long letter be 
 true. I am yet in ignorance of the nature of the re 
 mainder of the letter. Be seated, friends, and I will 
 start at the beginning." 
 
 The three great men sat down in a circle, and when 
 the Governor had re-read the first part of the letter
 
 124 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 and various comments had been made, the Governor be 
 gan reading where he had previously left off : 
 
 "I repeat that I, Harriet Hotuble, this day at one 
 o'clock will make an end of my present earthly exist 
 ence. Farewell, farewell, my adored one, farewell. 
 Although my great love for you was not reciprocated in 
 this life, I will live again and again. In the next life 
 I hope to have sufficient power to compel love to grow in 
 your heart, in your great noble breast, for me for me 
 alone. > 
 
 "My life is not lived upon the highest plane, for I 
 long for revenge; for revenge upon the one you adore. 
 Her name is upon your lips at this moment, and you 
 breathe a prayer for her protection. Beware ! if I have 
 the power, her downfall will come shortly. She upon 
 whom I wish for revenge to fall, is Helen Hinckley. 
 And I am the one who adores you. 
 
 "HARRIET HOTUBLE." 
 
 "That is not all/' said the Governor, "but before 
 I read this, which is entitled, 'A Hatter of Business/ 
 I will ask you what I would better do in regard to 
 the case. It seems so perfectly absurd that anyone 
 would kill himself for such a foolish reason. I cannot 
 imagine one loving another for whom he knew the other 
 had no regard." 
 
 "Love," replied the great scientist, "is a strange thing. 
 It goes out toward the object of its desire, prompted by 
 no other motive, it would seem, than to do the will of 
 the person upon whom it is lavished. Hiss Hotuble
 
 Marriet Reports Herself Dead. 125 
 
 has my sympathies, most certainly, because she is 
 in error. What she terms love is a misnomer. How 
 ever, we must investigate. If self destruction has not 
 taken place, we must use every means known to science 
 to prevent it." 
 
 Julio Murillo was walking back and forth, as was his 
 custom, his hands clasped tightly behind him, intent 
 upon what was being said, and forming his own con 
 clusions. 
 
 "Have you no suggestions to offer, friend Julio?" 
 asked the Governor. 
 
 "Yes, your Honor," he replied, facing the two men; 
 "I would suggest that you do not let this matter annoy 
 you in the least. Miss Motuble will never take her own 
 life!" 
 
 "You speak so positively, I am encouraged. But 
 what makes you think so, friend Julio ?" 
 
 "The reasons he will give, Miguey, will be scientific 
 ones, and you can rely upon them," said Guillermo Gon- 
 zales, as he embraced Julio and said: "Tell us upon 
 what grounds you base your statements." 
 
 "I am at this moment," replied Julio, "en rapport 
 with the bewitching, aggressive senorita. She is half 
 reclining in a beautiful lounging-robe, on a couch so 
 rich that Cleopatra would have envied it in her days of 
 splendor. Now she lifts a goblet to her lips and cries : 
 'The drink of the gods ! What a joke it is to play upon 
 the credulity of the Governor. What the result will be 
 when they search for me and find me peacefully taking 
 my siesta, instead of being no more a mortal, no more of 
 clay, I cannot say. Ha ! ha ! If I cannot secure his
 
 126 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 love, I will create an uproar. I will be prominent yet 
 before I die. I will crush the life out of all the scor 
 pions around here. I will, I will !' She now falls over 
 amongst her pillows embraced in the arms of sleep." 
 
 "If there is no doubt about what you tell me, I will 
 certainly hold this young woman accountable for her 
 little confidence game. I have sent Juan to find her 
 address. Should he succeed in finding it you will ac 
 company me to see her," said the Governor. 
 
 "You must go in disguise, your Honor, as a phy 
 sician; we three will go disguised thus. It is not 
 necessary to wait for the return of your man. I know 
 perfectly well the place where she now is," said Julio. 
 
 At that moment Juan entered the room, panting and 
 frightened. "Your Honor," he cried, "I employed a 
 detective; he has this moment returned to say that 
 Miss Motuble is dead by her own hands. Her body was 
 laid, less than an hour ago, in the old private family 
 vault of the Motubles." 
 
 "Everyone knows the place. It was there the child 
 Catalina Martinet was buried," cried the Governor. 
 
 "The detective's statements are false," said Julio 
 Murillo. "I mean he has been misinformed. Someone 
 may have been placed in the Motuble tomb, under the 
 name of Marriet Motuble, but the real person is alive 
 and is as strong to-day as anyone of us three." 
 
 "Juan," asked the Governor, "are you sure no mis 
 take has been made by you in repeating this message ?" 
 
 "I am sure, your Honor, and I am sorry Senor Julio 
 thinks she is not dead," said Juan. 
 
 "How inhuman !" exclaimed Guillermo Gonzales.
 
 Marriet Reports Herself Dead. 127 
 
 "Ma} r be so, your honor; but women who make men 
 afraid should die." 
 
 "You have strange ideas of getting rid of annoy 
 ances," said the Governor, trying to hide a smile. "I 
 will ring for you, Juan, when I need you again." 
 
 Juan was getting intensely interested in the affair on 
 hand, and was secretly congratulating himself that he 
 would hear everything; consequently, was very much 
 crestfallen when the Governor very politely invited him 
 to leave the room. 
 
 "That part of Miss Motuble's letter which relates to 
 the deception she practiced by pretending to have been 
 a subject of 'Memory Fluid,' is false also ; there was no 
 pretension about it. She actually came disguised as a 
 drunken man, and entreated me to give her 'Memory 
 Fluid/ Her figure was a splendid disguise, but her 
 actions and voice betrayed her sex to me. By no sign 
 from me did she ever know that I had penetrated her 
 disguise. She certainly is a strange mixture of God's 
 creation a strange mixture," concluded Julio. 
 
 "I know of no case as interesting as hers, unless it 
 is the case of 'The Plunger from Kansas,' " said the 
 scientist, Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "You are correct, my friend," said the Governor. 
 "As soon as I finish reading Miss Motuble's letter, or I 
 would better say letters this one is entitled, 'A Matter 
 of Business' we will disguise ourselves as doctors and 
 ferret out the mystery of the tomb, after we convince 
 ourselves that she is alive. She used a different tone in 
 writing this :
 
 128 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 " 'To His EXCELLENCY, GOVERNOR or CHIHUAHUA : 
 Be it known that on the day which shall from hence 
 forth be known as "Memory Fluid Day/' that I, 
 Marriet Motuble, being an attentive listener to the lec 
 ture, and a guest at the banquet, where all I saw and 
 heard consumed me with interest, and where the follow 
 ing plot I overheard, which I now relate to put you on 
 your guard that I may show to you my great appre 
 ciation of your wonderful discoveries and the great love 
 and esteem in which I hold the lives of my fellowman. 
 The words that first attracted my attention were spoken 
 by Don Francisco E. Cantu y Falomir, well known to 
 yourself, to a man who wears the garb of a priest, 
 Father Hernandez by name. He said : "The nefarious 
 works of this man Lehumada, a man of purely Mexican 
 origin, whom we elected to fill the highest office in the 
 hands of the people of Chihuahua, has betrayed the con 
 fidence imposed upon him to such an extent that it now 
 behooves us to put our shoulders to the wheel and stop 
 the downward run he is hurrying us to perdition. The 
 time-honored institutions and customs of our once great 
 and beloved Mexico have fast disappeared. And now 
 it is left to one of our own race; one of our own dear 
 Mexican blood, to pretend to discover a liquid which will 
 restore and perpetuate memory to be used to get evi 
 dence of crimes that poor souls are said to have com 
 mitted in lives gone by, that they may now be brought 
 to justice. There is no telling how far these accursed 
 doings will be carried. It will not stop at the trial of 
 'The Plunger from Kansas/ " The priest replied : 
 "Your story I will spread far and wide. I will raise an
 
 Marriet Reports Herself Dead. 129 
 
 army from amongst the priests, and our followers and 
 our sympathizers. Money will buy a great following 
 who at present are seeking work, and have no scruples. 
 To these people I will paint the intentions of the pres 
 ent makers of 'Memory Fluid/ as black as midnight. 
 I will have our own priesthood falling by countless thou 
 sands into a yawning abyss filled with the blood of our 
 own downtrodden. Complete organization is absolutely 
 necessary. That can be done in this city within twenty- 
 four hours. Through our secret code we will advise 
 our sympathizers over the entire continent of America 
 of our intention. They will be ready to come to our 
 assistance at the moment of our call. The first step we 
 will take in this city to-morrow night, when we hope to 
 arrest and put to death the three instigators of this 
 great evil that seems to be spreading over the entire con 
 tinent. This is the beginning of a long and bloody war 
 which will be waged between Free Thought and the 
 dogmatic teachings of the churches. Particularly do I 
 hope for the re-establishment of the ancient and time- 
 honored institution of our long-lost Mexico." The two 
 men arose, embraced each other, and hurried away to 
 spread their evil intentions amongst their followers pres 
 ent. If this information proves a warning to you, I will 
 be greatly repaid for the slight service I have rendered 
 you. May the great Power above guide you safely 
 through the conflict about to be waged between Scien 
 tific Thought and those wedded to the creeds of the 
 churches to the dogmatic teachings of every denomina 
 tion and society on the face of the earth. 
 
 " 'Your aider and abettor in all your scientific invest! -
 
 130 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 gations in this life and those other lives we will live 
 together in the future, yours, through all time, 
 
 "'HARRIET MOTUBLE.' 
 
 "A strange woman," said Governor Lehumada, as he 
 folded the letter and placed it within the envelope. 
 
 "There may be much truth in her statements. We 
 have received many warnings since nine o'clock this 
 morning, about this same affair. I hope we may be 
 able to avert it," said Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "It cannot be done/' came the emphatic prophecy of 
 Julio Murillo. "So I beg of you to waste no time. 
 Trouble is gathering thick and fast on every side. Let 
 us prepare our disguise at once and hasten to the tomb 
 and to Harriet Hotuble." 
 
 The two men left the Governor to prepare a disguise, 
 and Juan entered to assist him.
 
 A Day of Conundrums. 131 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 A DAY OF CONUNDRUMS. 
 
 IN thirty minutes the Governor and his two scientific 
 friends disguised as physicians, stepped into a private 
 cab propelled by air. 
 
 Julio Murillo gave directions to the motorman to take 
 them through the streets slowly to the Mexican Annex. 
 
 The cab was circular in form and around it extended 
 a glass window which magnified everything seen through 
 it from the interior of the cab, while from the street 
 nothing in the interior of the cab could be seen. 
 
 Governor Lehumada leaned back amongst the com 
 fortable cushions, by the side of Senor Guillermo Gon- 
 zales, and engaged him in conversation, the coach glid 
 ing noiselessly through the street the while. 
 
 Julio Murillo sat upon the high observation stool in 
 the center of the circular cab, where he saw, through the 
 window near the top of the cab, everything in the streets 
 through which they passed. 
 
 Occasionally he gave directions to the motorman, who 
 was comfortably seated in the center of the top of the 
 cab, through the speaking tube, to turn in this direc 
 tion and that direction. Three-quarters of an hour had 
 passed since they left the Governor's mansion, and still
 
 132 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 they were winding in and out from one street to the 
 other, and yet they seemed to be no nearer than they 
 were at first to the Mexican Annex. 
 
 The two men talked unceasingly and were not in the 
 least disturbed by not reaching their destination. 
 They had never known Julio to do an act without being 
 able to give a good reason for it, and now they did not 
 question his object in taking them through various 
 streets, back and forth, instead of directly to the hotel. 
 
 The cab came to a stop in front of a large drug store. 
 
 It being the physician's cab belonging to the Gov 
 ernor's mansion, and on account of its peculiar con 
 struction, it attracted much attention wherever it went. 
 
 The motorman descended from his conspicuous seat 
 and entered the drug store to fulfill the orders of Julio 
 Murillo. 
 
 "Friends," said Julio, when their cab had come to a 
 standstill, "do me the favor to watch closely out of the 
 window. A curious little play is going to take place in 
 front of this store within a few minutes." 
 
 "With much pleasure, friend Julio," replied the Gov 
 ernor, as the two men arose to look out of the window. 
 
 "The All- Wise has been kind to you, my compatriot, 
 to give you the power to read the thoughts and know of 
 the actions of those around you," said Senor Guillermo 
 Gonzales. 
 
 "I am grateful, my friend, for all the progress I have 
 made. Get in tune with Nature and her mysteries you 
 can read. The divinity of Her force, Her influence, can 
 be felt by all," replied Julio seriously. 
 
 "What a strange looking man is now entering the
 
 A Day of Conundrums. 133 
 
 drug store that big swaggerer there to the right/' said 
 the Governor. 
 
 "Yes, to be sure," said Senor Gonzales. "He makes 
 me think of one of those ancient Northmen sailors, or 
 a big, raw-boned Irishman of more recent days." 
 
 "What a strange gait he has," remarked the Gov 
 ernor; "there is something familiar about the fellow. 
 I wonder if I have met him before." 
 
 "Yes, your Honor, you have met her before," said 
 Julio. 
 
 "Her?" exclaimed his companions in a breath. 
 "Her?" 
 
 "Yes, you both have met her. That person is no 
 other than Senorita Harriet Motuble, the lovesick 
 maiden of less than two hours ago, who claimed to have 
 committed suicide because her great love for you was 
 not reciprocated. Watch her closely. I will put on the 
 sound condenser; then we can both see and hear what 
 is going on," said Julio. 
 
 "Who is the man, with whom she is talking?" asked 
 the Governor. 
 
 "Don Francisco E. Cantu y Falomir, your Honor," 
 quietly answered Julio. 
 
 "He also is in disguise, then. What can be the mean 
 ing of all of this, Julio ?" questioned the Governor. 
 
 "Your questions can be answered more definitely 
 when I turn the lever of the sound condenser," said 
 Julio. "Every five minutes one of the tubes is filled 
 and ready, when the lever is turned, to repeat every word 
 spoken within ten feet from the center of its radius. 
 The five minutes is up. Watch the two while we listen,
 
 134 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 and we can more fully comprehend the meaning of 
 their conversation." 
 
 Julio turned the lever, and the three scientists heard 
 the following conversation, Harriet Motuble being the 
 first to speak. 
 
 "It is pathetic to know that one so young and so fair 
 would take her own life. She is the young woman, I 
 believe, who is private secretary to the well-known 
 Don Francisco R. Cantu y Falomir, is she not?" asked 
 Marriet Motuble, as she puffed a cigar in regular man 
 fashion. 
 
 "If the person is Marriet Motuble," said Governor 
 Lehumada, with much concern, "why does she ask such 
 a question?" 
 
 "It is a ruse," replied Julio, "to find out something 
 about the young lady to whom she refers. She is ex 
 ceedingly fond of Miss Hinckley, and at the same time 
 insanely jealous of her. What is it her companion is 
 replying?" concluded Julio. 
 
 "No doubt Don Francisco E. Cantu y Falomir would 
 be glad if such were the case. He believes, I under 
 stand, that this young woman will be the means of much 
 domestic unhappiness and outside trouble, unless that 
 by means other than his own she can be induced to 
 leave his employment. This blue-blooded Mexican is a 
 royal friend of mine, and I will take it upon myself 
 to offer one thousand dollars in gold as my friend 
 would say. You know he has never yet acknowl 
 edged Mexico to be a part of the States. Yes, I will 
 pay one thousand dollars in gold to the person who will 
 induce Miss Hinckley to leave my friend's employment."
 
 A Day of Conundrums. 135 
 
 "Indeed," replied Harriet Motuble. "I wish I knew 
 the charming lady. A fellow could not easier make one 
 thousand in gold, and perhaps get the lady as well. 
 Say, sir, it's settled, I'll get her away. Have this cigar, 
 and let's go in and have a large glass of the old popu 
 lar drink of the ancient Mexicans to celebrate the 
 blue blood, the royal Mexican blood, of your friend 
 Don Francisco E. Cantu y Falomir," said the aggres 
 sive senorita. 
 
 "Improbable it seems to me that the person can be 
 a woman," said the Governor. 
 
 "Hard to believe, yet as true as fate," replied 
 Julio. 
 
 "Thanks," replied Don Francisco E. Cantu y Falo- 
 mir, taking the proffered cigar; "with your permis- 
 ' sion, we will drink to the royal blood of my friend 
 a little later." 
 
 "As you please," replied Marriet Motuble. 
 
 ''First," said her companion, "let me introduce my 
 self. Jose M. Martinez my card, please. Of Mexican 
 extraction also, you see." 
 
 "Ah, I see the connection a sympathizer. Well, 
 well, this is royal blood too, and mighty glad I am to 
 know you, Senor Martinez. Let me present myself. 
 Leo Leander my card, please. I also pride myself upon 
 my lineage. I am a lineal descendant of the Northmen. 
 But it is not family genealogy we are here to discuss," 
 replied Leo Leander. 
 
 "You are right, Senor Leander; yet it fills one's 
 bosom with pride to be able to trace blood." Getting 
 very close to him, he continued: "I'm sure your
 
 136 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 sympathies are with nay friend in the uprising in which 
 he is about to be the instigator. Can I trust you? 
 You seem to be such a royal fellow." 
 
 "I do not quite comprehend you, my friend; but if 
 you or your friend are in trouble, command me. I 
 am your most obedient servant," said the pretender, 
 Leo Leander. 
 
 "I am content," said Mr. Martinez ; " 'muy contento' 
 as my ancestors would have expressed it. Now, friend 
 Leander, this is the point I wish to make. Miss Hinck- 
 ley must be gotten away from the house of my friend 
 before nightfall. She knows too much about his rever 
 ence for the ancient customs of his long-lost Mexico. 
 She must be gotten rid of do you comprehend ?" 
 
 "I grasp your meaning, I am quite sure. Leave her 
 to me ; I will put her beyond the sight of mortal eye." 
 
 Mr. Martinez shook his hand warmly, and said : 
 "There is one thing more, then we will drink the health 
 of my royal-blooded friend, who, I hope, soon will be 
 your friend also. The author of 'Liquid from the Sun's 
 Rays' that accursed fluid which they claim restores 
 memory and his would-be scientific associates, must be 
 killed before morning. We are determined to have a 
 revolution. We are determined to rend this part of 
 the country, so long known as Mexico, from the 
 rule of the United States of America. We are assured 
 now of a following of ten thousand from each State 
 that was at one time a part of Old Mexico, or the Re 
 public of Mexico. You know the history, do you not, of 
 that long-suffering, brave and downtrodden people? 
 We wish to sever our relations from the people who 
 united us to them without our consent."
 
 A Day of Conundrums. 137 
 
 "We certainly do," said a voluptuous man who had 
 been standing close by, an attentive listener. 
 
 "Ah, old fellow, here you are," exclaimed Mr. Mar 
 tinez, in true democratic style. "On time to the 
 second. Let me present you to my friend Senor Leo 
 Leander, Don Enrique Arellano/' The two men shook 
 hands cordially, and Don Enrique Arellano embraced 
 him after the fashion of the nineteenth century Mexi 
 cans. 
 
 The three men in the cab turned from the scene in 
 front of them, and gazed in astonishment at each other. 
 
 "What deception they are playing," said Julio. 
 "The fellow introduced as Don Enrique Arellano is 
 none other than the priest, Father Hernandez. 
 
 "Is it possible?" cried the Governor. 
 
 "This is a strange affair," said Senor Guillenno 
 Gonzales ; "a strange affair." 
 
 "The priest is talking," said Julio. We must not lose 
 a word he says." 
 
 The three men again turned their faces toward the 
 street, and listened intently to what was being said: 
 
 "I caught my friend's last remarks as I came up," 
 said the man introduced as Don Enrique Arellano. 
 "We must sever the existing relations between the coun 
 try known as the Eepublic of Mexico, long, long years 
 ago, and the United States of America. We are de 
 termined to re-establish the Eepublic." 
 
 "And how are the latest reports?" asked Mr. Mar 
 tinez. 
 
 "I have been assured the support of every bishop 
 in the states that once were a part of long-lost 
 Mexico."
 
 138 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "Our power I mean the power of the Church, as 
 wielded in the nineteeth-century Mexico, is only known 
 by reading history," said Mr. Martinez. 
 
 "I see where you are correct, my friends. The rela 
 tions must be severed. The civil law must be revised. 
 It is sad, sad, sad to see the poor, downtrodden priests, 
 poorly fed, poorly dressed those, I mean, who have to 
 depend upon the church only for support. They strug 
 gle bravely on and uncomplainingly, hoping and pray 
 ing, no doubt, to regain the long-lost power they had 
 over the people during the life of Pope Leo XIII." 
 
 "Quite true;" replied Don Enrique Arellano, wiping 
 a tear from his eye, "quite true. Then the priests were 
 clad in purple and fine linen ; then they received fifteen 
 dollars for every marriage ceremony they performed 
 now only one; then the many feast days brought them 
 thousands of centavos', now they are so few that the 
 increase in the church treasury is hardly perceptible. 
 The people are too much enlightened in the ways of the 
 evil world, and not enough in the ways of the church, or, 
 I would better say, this Government does not teach them 
 submission there is no head. Each goes his own way ; 
 each thinks for himself; hence the priest has lost his 
 power, and I say it must be recovered," vigorously 
 concluded Mr. Arellano. 
 
 "Let us drink to the health and wealth of the priests, 
 and to the recovery of your long-lost Mexico," said 
 Leo Leander, evidently hoping to spring something 
 new on them. 
 
 The three actors passed into a bar near by, out of 
 sight of the three scientists in the cab.
 
 A Day of Conundrums. 139 
 
 "So much has transpired since we stopped in front of 
 this drug store, it seems to me that it must be night," 
 said the Governor. 
 
 "On the other hand," replied Julio, "the time is only 
 ten minutes later than the moment we arrived here." 
 
 "Shall we proceed to the tomb of Harriet Motuble ?" 
 asked Senor Guillenno Gonzales, with a smile. 
 
 "When the two return," said Julio, "we will get some 
 more information; then we will start." 
 
 <f You say we will start. Will something prevent us 
 from reaching the place, Julio?" quietly asked the 
 Governor. 
 
 "We will reach the tomb, but not for several hours 
 yet," he replied; "and now I must have the motorman 
 return to his seat. We must be prepared to follow wher 
 ever they go." 
 
 The exquisite notes of a bird close by, went out upon 
 the air. People passing stopped and looked for the 
 bird in every direction. Failing to see it they hurried 
 on. At the first sound the motorman came out of the 
 store carrying a large package, which he handed to 
 Julio, and without a word climbed to his seat on the 
 top of the cab. 
 
 "That was your secret signal, was it not, Julio, which 
 you told me you had invented?" asked Senor Guil- 
 lermo Gonzales. 
 
 "It was, my friend, and it works to perfection. I 
 will explain the principle of it later. See ! the trio are 
 coming from the bar," replied Julio. 
 
 Once more they were intent in their thoughts and 
 looks upon the three strange people in disguise.
 
 140 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Leo Leander said, evidently continuing a sentence 
 she had begun at the bar: "Oh, yes, I know quite well 
 the way to the Motuble tomb. After her tragic death 
 was noised about, I met a friend of hers to whom I ex 
 pressed a desire to see the old tomb and to know its 
 strange history. He told me the story of the Harriet 
 Motuble who lived in a life gone by, also the pathetic tale 
 of the child, Catalina Martinet, for whom the tomb was 
 built. I expressed a desire to see it. He gave me this key, 
 which was presented to him by the deceased senorita, 
 who begged him, if it fell to her lot to pass away first, to 
 visit the tomb often, and grant the same privilege to his 
 friends. Curious to see the tomb, I hurried out to the 
 city of the dead, and had just arrived, when two men 
 clothed in black, and carrying a large, heavy metallic 
 coffin, entered the tomb, deposited their burden and has 
 tened away. No one was present but myself, and they 
 evidently took me for an officer of law. For they had 
 not gone very far when one of the miserable cowards 
 came running back; he handed me a paper and re 
 quested me to sign it. At first I refused ; but the poor 
 devil insisted that I was the proper person to sign it, 
 and if I refused they would be imprisoned on their re 
 turn without my name. So intent were they, that I 
 was worked up to the belief that I was the person who 
 should sign it, and I mustered up courage and wrote the 
 first name that came to me, other than my own." 
 
 "And what name was it?" asked Mr. Martinez. 
 
 "Julio Murillo," calmly replied Leo Leander. 
 
 The three men in the cab threw up their hands in 
 astonishment, and Mr. Arellano cried: "Jesus and
 
 A Day of Conundrums. 141 
 
 Marie ! Jesus and Marie ! You saved the poor wretches 
 from present trouble, but should this act of yours be 
 come known, which will be sure to happen, your life 
 will be in danger." 
 
 "I am fearless. You cannot frighten me, friends, 
 with the law as practiced in Chihuahua," said Leo Lean- 
 der. "If it is now your pleasure, we will visit the tomb, 
 gentlemen," he concluded. 
 
 "A brave fellow," said Mr. Arellano, "a brave fellow. 
 You will lead and thousands will follow. Ah, friend 
 Martinez, we are to be congratulated on having this 
 great leader on our side. Lead; we will follow to the 
 tomb. The work we desire to have accomplished to 
 night is in the hands of the proper person." 
 
 "You will please accompany me to the Mexican An 
 nex; there we will take a cab a physician's cab, like 
 that one there, if one can be secured. Come, gentlemen, 
 we must be off, or the bloodhounds will be on our scent," 
 concluded Leo Leander, walking off at a brisk pace. 
 
 At the same moment the Governor's cab started on 
 at a rapid rate after them. 
 
 "No scientific investigation ever puzzled me more 
 than this present affair," said the Governor. 
 
 "Nor me, friend Miguey. These disturbers of the 
 law must be placed under arrest before sunset," said 
 Senor Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "True," replied Julio; "they must be put under 
 arrest, but not until we see what happens at the tomb." 
 
 "Order ten policemen to come to the tomb at once. 
 Say for them to come in disguise and quietly," said 
 the Governor.
 
 142 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "You do the proper thing at the proper time always, 
 Miguey. We must get their entire story, then capture 
 them. This bloody war they are trying to raise will be 
 nipped in the bud/' concluded Senor Guillermo Gon- 
 zales. 
 
 "Would it not be well for us to reach the tomb before 
 them, examine it thoroughly, and be on the eve of leav 
 ing at their arrival?" asked the Governor, of Julio. 
 
 "Our best policy, I believe, is to follow them at a 
 slow pace, and be alighting from the cab as they enter 
 the tomb. The law is on our side, and if we so desire, 
 the arrest can be made inside the historic tomb," 
 replied Julio Murillo. 
 
 "We will not be connected outwardly with the arrest. 
 On coming out of the tomb the police must know that 
 the time to make the arrest has arrived/' replied the 
 Governor. 
 
 "Here is the Mexican Annex, gentlemen," said Julio 
 Murillo, looking out of the window, "and our disguised 
 friends are coming. They are more than a block away 
 yet. We will move a block to the side to avert sus 
 picion, from which point we can see them quite as well." 
 
 The cab moved slowly and noiselessly away and soon 
 disappeared amongst a hundred or more. 
 
 The great hotel was filled to overflowing, and the big 
 crowd of fashionably-dressed people surged back and 
 forth through the entrances. 
 
 Julio's trained eye scanned every face, and now and 
 then he uttered low exclamations of surprise. His two 
 companions asked no questions, but arose from their 
 seat and remained standing by his side, that they too 
 might see what was going on around them.
 
 A Day of Conundrums. 143 
 
 "Ah, there is J. Ecarg, and Niksab, and Mr. and 
 Mrs. Grange, out on a dress parade. I wonder if they 
 are staying in the Mexican Annex now, or are they just 
 hanging around trying to impress strangers with their 
 importance," said the Governor. 
 
 "Partly yes, and partly no," said Julio. "Mrs. 
 Grange has convinced herself by this time that she does 
 not remember, and has met these men by appointment, 
 which of course her husband made with them, not to 
 arouse their suspicions. For had they known that it 
 was Mrs. Grange who wished to see them, to interview 
 them on 'Memory Fluid/ they never would have met." 
 
 "See how she tosses her head and smiles at Mr. 
 Niksab. She has probably heard of his good fortune 
 and hopes to be presented with another costly frock," 
 said Senor Guillermo Gonzales. "Strange how sus 
 ceptible some men are to such women's charms." 
 
 "It is the town talk to-day how she enchanted the 
 President. She does not care for peoples' tongues, 
 however. She is, no doubt, out on this dress parade in 
 the hope of seeing the President again and to make a 
 further and more lasting impression on him/' said 
 Julio. 
 
 "Who is the short, stout man dressed in grey, coming 
 out of the hotel now ?" asked the Governor. 
 
 " I do not recognize him," said the scientist, Gon 
 zales. 
 
 "No, not in his present guise !" exclaimed Julio, with 
 a laugh that shook his entire frame. "No, not in his 
 present guise. If he were to take off the large grey 
 beard and grey wig, the difficulty of identification would 
 be removed."
 
 144 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "Whom would we recognize ?" asked the Governor. 
 
 " 'The Plunger from Kansas,' " quietly replied Julio. 
 
 "A day so full of conundrums as this has been, I hope 
 will not fall to my lot again in this life. I am a large, 
 strong man ; the greater part of me the objective part 
 is human, and I am confident I cannot hold up 
 under another strain as severe as this one which 
 began well on to twenty-four hours ago. The arrest of 
 this man must be made soon, and this great farce being 
 enacted by the terrible senorita and her two associates 
 we have just seen, must be put to an end," said Governor 
 Lehumada. 
 
 " 'The Plunger from Kansas/ " quietly remarked 
 Julio, "will accompany the trio to whom we have just 
 been listening, to the tomb. Harriet Motuble knows 
 who her two companions are, also the disguise of the 
 'Plunger.' There is no one's history she will not ferret 
 out, no matter how dark and deep the veil is surround 
 ing them. The step she is now taking is one too 
 far. She is taking herself and her companions into 
 the very hands of the law." 
 
 "Sure enough, friend Julio, here is the trio; the cab 
 now coming up to the main entrance is the one they 
 have employed. It is likewise similar to yours, Mig- 
 uey," said Senor Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "If upon investigation, I find that that cab is an 
 infringement upon the patent of mine, the manufac 
 turer will suffer to the extent of the law," replied the 
 Governor, very much annoyed. The strain of the day 
 and the previous night was telling on him. 
 
 "Something must happen to divert him or a physical
 
 A Day of Conundrums. 145 
 
 collapse will result," mentally commented Julio, while 
 aloud he said: "Your Honor, 'The Plunger from Kan 
 sas' is being invited by the aggressive senorita to ac 
 company them to the tomb." 
 
 "I see," said the Governor. "They are now entering. 
 Do not let the cab get from our view, Julio. We must 
 make a sure thing of it this time. We must put a 
 stop to this disgraceful farce." 
 
 "Trust me, your Honor. The police will be on hand 
 when we arrive, but in hiding. And when they hear 
 the beautiful song of my mechanical bird, they will 
 rush forth and make the arrest."
 
 146 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 AEEEST OP THE CONSPIRATORS. 
 
 THE cab the four men in disguise were in took a cir 
 cuitous route to the necropolis. 
 
 Julio directed the motorman to keep far enough away 
 to avert suspicion, but not to lose sight of it at any cost. 
 The Governor's cab was not in a place easily to be seen 
 by Harriet Motuble and her assistants in the little farce- 
 comedy they were playing, when they entered their cab, 
 which stood in front of the Mexican Annex, and while 
 it only now and then followed directly back of them, 
 there was one hawk-eye within the cab that saw they 
 were being followed. 
 
 Leo Leander was the occupant of the cab who saw 
 they were being followed, and knew intuitively that 
 trouble would result unless some way out of it could 
 be invented quickly. 
 
 "Gentlemen," the aggressive senorita in disguise said, 
 "gentlemen, I took the liberty to add another to our 
 party to visit the ancient tomb a gentleman by birth, 
 a gentleman by education and social environments; a 
 student and writer on anthropology, and a devotee to 
 archaeology. Friends, it is he you see, the Rev. Isaac 
 Tombstone, Senor Enrique Arellano, and Don Jose M. 
 Martinez."
 
 Arrest of the Conspirators. 147 
 
 It was quite evident from the expression on the faces 
 of the pretenders introduced to Kev. Isaac Tombstone, 
 that they would rather he were not one of their party. 
 
 Leo Leander saw this, and very quickly remarked: 
 "Brother Tombstone is better informed than any other 
 man alive on prehistoric Mexico; on the written and 
 unwritten history of Mexico up to the nineteenth cen 
 tury; and from that time on he has been an eye-wit 
 ness to everything that has taken place upon the soil 
 known as Mexico in the nineteenth century, and he fully 
 sympathizes with the descendants of the Latin race who 
 lost their country, their time-honored customs and re 
 ligious stronghold. Gentlemen, the Eeverend Tomb 
 stone is true to principle; rely upon him. He will 
 fight to the finish to help down the present regime" 
 
 The assertion that the Eev. Isaac Tombstone had 
 lived through two hundred years, and now sat before 
 them a well preserved man, apparently not over sixty 
 years old, in full possession of all his senses, was the 
 only thing in the statements of Leo Leander which 
 seemed incredulous to the listeners. However, they 
 congratulated the Eeverend Tombstone on being so 
 hale and hearty at his great age and said they were de 
 lighted that he had joined their party, and hoped in the 
 near future that they would become staunch friends. 
 Leo Leander was delighted at the effect his words had 
 created, and smiled serenely to himself as he watched 
 the maneuvers of the Governor's cab. 
 
 He was leading them a lively chase. So lively, in 
 fact, that the motorman of the Governor's cab often was 
 undecided just which way to turn.
 
 148 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "We are discovered," said Julio; "the aggressive 
 senorita knows she is being followed, and it will take 
 more than the quick eye of a hawk to keep her from 
 eluding the law/' 
 
 "Her cab certainly is not capable of swifter movement 
 than ours," said the Governor. "I do not think it pos 
 sible for them to escape us." 
 
 "We will not lose sight of the cab entirely," said 
 Julio, "yet it is likely to lose one of its occupants on 
 the way without our knowledge." 
 
 Senor Guillermo Gonzales did not make any comment, 
 but gazed with much interest upon the remarkable 
 panorama before him. 
 
 "We certainly are not going directly to the city of 
 the dead," said the Governor. 
 
 "In most every other way but the direct road to the 
 necropolis, we are going. The fact is, your Honor, the 
 person in yonder cab disguised as Leo Leander suspects 
 us of following them, and is going to ascertain if such 
 be the fact by this method," concluded Julio. 
 
 In the meantime Leo Leander was formulating a plan 
 for escape, while the Eev. Isaac Tombstone discoursed 
 upon various topics with the other two occupants of 
 the cab. He played his part well, to the great de 
 light of Leo Leander, who had no idea that the man 
 had the learning he now displayed. 
 
 "Yes," he said, in answer to a question propounded 
 by Senor Enrique Arellano, "I am certainly grateful to 
 the Father Divine who saw fit to let me live through 
 out two centuries and more, and retain complete use of 
 my senses, and yet am in feeling a gay, healthy young 
 man as well."
 
 Arrest of the Conspirators. 149 
 
 "Upon what ground do you base your information 
 concerning prehistoric Mexico?" asked Senor Jose M. 
 Martinez. 
 
 "Upon the fact that all light since the beginning of 
 time has come to man from the East. Knowing such 
 to be the case, early in the nineteenth century, then a 
 young man eager for knowledge, I journeyed to Cal 
 cutta, and from thence to the remotest of the Himalayas, 
 where I studied with the most learned of the Hindoos. 
 They taught me from charts, maps and sign-writings, 
 that centuries before, a people had gone from Persia 
 and settled along the west and southwest coast-line of 
 Mexico. But this new country was like the 'Vale of 
 Siddim, full of lime-pits/ and the leaders of this tribe 
 fell to fighting amongst themselves, after having 
 founded large cities. Excavating amongst the ruins of 
 their once great and populous cities, I discovered they 
 had made great progress in science, art and literature. 
 Those of the Persian tribe left, fled to the mountains 
 and valleys of the interior, where they show evidence of 
 having united with different races, by whom they were 
 afterwards extinguished. These facts, friends, are of 
 profound interest ethnologicall}*," concluded the learned 
 doctor of divinity. 
 
 "To be sure, to be sure," repeated Don Enrique Arel 
 lano. "What a wonderful fund of knowledge you have, 
 Eeverend Tombstone. Some day not far distant I hope 
 to have you at my house as a guest, when dear Mexico 
 is restored to us again and we are happy." 
 
 "And my guest as well, when that good time comes," 
 joined in Senor Martinez; while Eeverend Tombstone
 
 150 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 ,, mentally added: "Then I will never be your guests, 
 gentlemen. Ah, but this is a great comedy some others 
 besides myself are helping to play. These two men are 
 a puzzle to me, as well as Leo Leander. I was afraid 
 not to accompany him because he pierced my disguise. 
 He said : 'You are "The Plunger from Kansas." Walk 
 right up, young man, and take your medicine. I need 
 your help in the little farce I am playing, and woe is 
 your name, if you betray me.' Well, I walked up, and 
 here I am taking my medicine. Such seems to be life 
 in this the twenty-first century. I pulled through two 
 other lives without getting behind the bars, and they will 
 have a lively chase if they overtake and arrest me in this 
 life, 'Memory Fluid' or no memory fluid, notwithstand 
 ing the great advance there has been since my previous 
 life, in scientific investigations. Well, what is going to 
 happen now? The cab is stopping." Then aloud he 
 asked: "The cab stops; is this the city of the dead?" 
 "No, your Keverence," said Leo Leander, "this is not 
 the necropolis. However, I will leave you here and join 
 you in a few moments at the Motuble tomb. Here is 
 the key to the tomb, Senor Jose Martinez. It admits 
 you to the tomb with one turn. If I am not there on 
 your arrival, enter at once do not wait for me and 
 gaze upon the placid features of Marriet Motuble seen 
 through the glass on her metallic coffin. Gaze upon 
 her and envy her brave act, but pity those of us left 
 without her benevolent heart and sweet influence. Gaze 
 upon her, friend, and do not wait for me. I may over 
 take you, however. Good-bye; good-bye for a short 
 time," he concluded, as the cab came to a standstill 
 and Leo Leander stepped from the carriage.
 
 Arrest of the Conspirators. 151 
 
 Almost instantly the cab with its three occupants 
 bound for the city of the dead moved rapidly on, and 
 Leo Leander disappeared from sight. 
 
 "How unfortunate for us that Mr. Leander felt duty 
 bound to leave us at a time so propitious for seeing the 
 ancient tomb," said Senor Martinez. 
 
 "It is unfortunate for us/' calmly replied Rev. Isaac 
 Tombstone; "although the bad fortune does not fall 
 upon us alone." 
 
 "How is that, friend ?" asked Don Enrique Arellano. 
 
 "He was in good company, I mean," smiled the 
 preacher; "in very learned company, and with old 
 friends ; or I would better say, with those whom I hope 
 some day to be classed as old friends. Heigh-ho, here 
 comes a physician's cab at breakneck speed," concluded 
 Eev. Isaac Tombstone. 
 
 "Some one is very ill, no doubt," said Senor Mar 
 tinez. "I wonder who the patient is, that causes the 
 physician's cab to travel so swiftly. There are three of 
 us, witnesses to the fast travelling through a crowded 
 thoroughfare. See the people falling over each other 
 nearly, to get away from the path of the cab." 
 
 "A fair example of the present rule of things," said 
 Don Enrique Arellano. 
 
 "But I believe, my friend," said Eev. Isaac Tomb 
 stone, "that exceptions to the law are made, in cases 
 of physicians going on missions of mercy." 
 
 "How can anyone say that such is the case now?" 
 asked Senor Martinez. 
 
 "Not I, for one," replied Don Arellano. 
 
 "Nor I," added the preacher.
 
 152 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "One cab is certainly chasing the other now. We 
 must prevent it ; such doings are not lawful. We must 
 prevent it. We must prevent it," cried Senor Mar 
 tinez, rising to his feet and calling loudly to the motor- 
 man. If he heard the cries of "Stop, Stop," he paid 
 no attention. The cab fairly flew through the streets, 
 and before anyone was aware of the fact, they had ar 
 rived at the cemetery gate just behind the cab the motor- 
 man had been trying to overtake. 
 
 Rev. Isaac Tombstone was not less surprised than his 
 companions to see the other cab stop at the Motuble 
 tomb. 
 
 The three men alighted first, however. Mr. Martinez 
 unlocked the tomb and they entered, leaving the door 
 wide open. The tomb was in the form of an octagon 
 at the base, the diameter being twenty feet; from the 
 center of the base to the highest point of dome measured 
 one hundred feet. The interior was of highly polished 
 marble, in which were set large mirrors. The small 
 coffin in which rested the body of Catalina Martinet 
 stood in the center of the tomb on two marble pillars. 
 A silence fell upon the three as they read in bright gold 
 letters on the casket, "Catalina Martinet, age sixteen. 
 Died of a broken heart." 
 
 "By the gods, I will have revenge upon the man who 
 caused her illegal birth to be, and her untimely death 
 to come. Marriet Motuble. Her Friend through all 
 eternity." 
 
 "She is dead, but lives," solemnly said Reverend 
 Tombstone. "She is dead, but lives." 
 
 "Impossible," angrily replied Don Arellano. "Im 
 possible."
 
 Arrest of the Conspirators. 153 
 
 Without making any reply the Keverend Tombstone 
 stepped to the large casket recently placed in the tomb, 
 and said, looking in the glass face plate : "The classic 
 features of Harriet Motuble! She whom I knew in a 
 life long since past lies before me." 
 
 "Don Arellano/' cried Senor Martinez, "we have been 
 deceived. This man is a believer in that accursed 
 'Memory Fluid.' The sooner we get away, from this 
 tomb, back to the city, the better for us." 
 
 They each glanced nervously at the waxen face before 
 them, and without further comment started hastily to 
 leave the tomb. 
 
 Rev. Isaac Tombstone made no sign that he heard 
 them, but stood by the head of the metallic coffin, his 
 eyes riveted upon the face he there saw. 
 
 As his two companions left the tomb, three men 
 dressed as doctors of medicine entered, and stood with 
 uncovered heads around the coffin. The cab in which 
 the Eeverend Tombstone and party had arrived stood 
 in front of the door of the tomb. 
 
 At the moment the two men were stepping into it 
 three policemen stepped forward, as the song of a bird 
 rent the air, clapped iron bands around their wrists, 
 and said: "You are prisoners of law. Make no dis 
 turbance or you will be roughly dealt with." 
 
 Senor Martinez threw his head back haughtily, and 
 asked: "Does the present regime permit the arrest of 
 quiet, law-abiding citizens?" 
 
 "Certainly not, certainly not," replied the officer. 
 "It is not becoming to your present disguise for you to 
 ask such a question."
 
 154 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Attracted by the noise outside, Eev. Isaac Tombstone 
 walked to the door of the tomb to see the cause of the 
 disturbance. 
 
 Julio Murillo followed him and said, addressing the 
 officer of the law: "Bring the prisoners here, into the 
 Motuble tomb/' 
 
 His orders were instantly obeyed. It was an op 
 portune moment for Eev. Isaac Tombstone, so he 
 thought. He stepped aside to allow the law and its tres 
 passers to pass into the tomb. And as he bowed in a 
 very dignified manner to them, mentally exclaimed: 
 "Now is my time!" and ran to the end of the tomb, 
 jerking off his false wig and beard and his spectacles as 
 he went. He turned his coat inside out, either side 
 made to wear outside, lit a cigar, and before anyone was 
 conscious he had left his place by the door of the tomb, 
 his disguise was completely changed, and at a bound 
 he was in the cab. 
 
 At that moment the song of the bird was again heard, 
 and the officers of the law rushed out to make another 
 arrest, but the cab was fairly flying away from them, 
 and they cried: "It is too late; the bird has flown. 
 We must have one more chance at the fellow." 
 
 "Were it not necessary to examine the contents of 
 this metallic coffin," said Julio, "which is supposed to 
 contain the remains of one Harriet Motuble, we would 
 pursue this man in the physician's cab." 
 
 "One of my men," said the captain of the force 
 present, "can follow on my air cycle, get assistance, 
 and make the arrest in the city." 
 
 "That is a splendid idea," said the Governor; "a
 
 Arrest of the Conspirators. 155 
 
 splendid idea. This man is too valuable to science to 
 be allowed to escape. His capture and open confession 
 is the only thing necessary for us to have to convince 
 the entire world of the truth of our wonderful discovery, 
 'Memory Fluid/ " 
 
 "What do you, a common physician of the State, 
 know of 'Memory Fluid,' that fake discovery of the 
 Governor's and his scientific friends ?" asked Senor Mar 
 tinez, in a highly sarcastic tone. 
 
 To whom Senor Guillermo Gonzales replied: "We 
 are not here to discuss what his Honor knows about 
 'Memory Fluid,' but to fully examine the corpse in this 
 box. Stand close by, friends. I will make the first 
 incision." 
 
 Aghast with horror, the two prisoners and the remain 
 ing officers of law stepped back. 
 
 With an instrument that seemed to be made especially 
 for the purpose, Julio Murillo removed the glass plate 
 from the coffin. 
 
 As he passed his hand over the face of the object 
 before him, he smiled to himself and the two men 
 shivered. 
 
 "Now, my friend," he said to Guillermo Gonzales, 
 "now is your time." 
 
 Unflinchingly the scientist pressed the sharp edge of 
 the large knife against the waxen-like neck of the ob 
 ject before him with the result he expected. Instead 
 of dissecting a corpse, Julio cut into a wooden model 
 over which was a thin coating of wax. 
 
 "See," he said to the Governor, "see; the prophecy 
 of Julio is true. The aggressive senorita is surely not 
 in the Motuble tomb."
 
 156 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "Nor for that matter/' said the Governor, "in any 
 other tomb. I am fully convinced, and the law must 
 take its course immediately. A model of wax only oc 
 cupies the Motuble tomb." 
 
 Senor Guillermo Gonzales fastened the glass plate 
 securely on; the policemen led their prisoners out of 
 the tomb; the Governor and Senor Guillermo Gonzales 
 followed, and Julio Murillo locked the tomb securely 
 and placed the key in his pocket. As an extra assur 
 ance that no one could enter the tomb and carry away 
 the proof of Harriet Motuble's dual action, the Gov 
 ernor ordered two extra policemen, who had arrived in 
 the cab ordered for the prisoners, to guard the tomb, 
 and under no circumstances to let anyone enter. 
 
 Strange to say, Senor Jose M. Martinez and Don 
 Enrique Arellano entered the policeman's cab without 
 any protest whatever, and at a rapid rate were taken to 
 the central police court when their disguises were at 
 once removed, and their names were entered as follows r 
 Jesus Marie Hernandez, occupation a priest, alias Don 
 Enrique Arellano ; Francisco E. Cantu y Falomir, occu 
 pation a gentleman, alias Jose M. Martinez. After the 
 above registration was completed, they were placed in 
 separate cells and left to their own reflections. 
 
 The Governor and his two companions were quickly 
 taken to his own private home, where they soon learned 
 that many callers had been there during his absence, and 
 several left, very angry, because he was not to be seen. 
 
 The President had sent to the Governor, a few min 
 utes before they arrived, a large envelope which con 
 tained many sheets of paper closely written.
 
 Arrest of the Conspirators. 157 
 
 The three men took supper together, and over their 
 meal discussed their experiences of the day, and at 
 its close went straight to the Governor's private study 
 to read the President's statement. The Governor 
 handed the envelope to Julio, who opened it carefully 
 and read as follows: 
 
 "FRIENDS AND COMRADES: A wonderful change has 
 come over me within the last eight hours. A change 
 so delicious that no one but he who has experienced 
 the same feeling can begin to understand it. It is the 
 knowledge that comes to one of a previous existence. 
 
 "To be plain, my friends, I remember, thanks to 
 your wonderful 'Memory Fluid/ 
 
 "I was in this city one hundred and fifty years ago, 
 in the employ of the United States Secret Service. I 
 arrested, by the assistance of a little girl Catalina 
 Martinet a counterfeiter who had evaded the law for 
 years, all the while living in the Eepublic of Mexico 
 in the guise of a mining man. 
 
 "That arrest was a big feather in my cap. I was 
 promoted and my salary raised largely. 
 
 "I wish to thank you, my friends, for the great serv 
 ice you have done me by bringing to my notice this 
 wonderful discovery the most wonderful scientific dis 
 covery of this or any other age. I could write on and 
 on and on, telling you about what I remember, but it 
 is of no use to burden you with so much reading. 
 
 "I will now return to my apartments at the Mexican 
 Annex, at which place I hope to see you privately be-
 
 158 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 fore I leave the city, which will be at twelve o'clock 
 to-night. 
 
 "Yours fraternally and faithfully, 
 
 "JOSEPH MORTINGO." 
 
 "He leaves to-night, at twelve. Ah, he returns to 
 the capital; his plans are changed since morning. I 
 will go immediately; you will accompany me, friends, 
 I hope," said the Governor. 
 
 "With much pleasure; we will make our toilet at 
 once/' said Senor Guillermo G-onzales, speaking for 
 himself and Julio Murillo. 
 
 "I will in the meantime," said the Governor, "speak 
 to him. I will say we will be there in half an hour." 
 
 In a very short space of time the three scientists 
 were on their way to the Mexican Annex. The hour 
 was ten P.M., yet people seemed to be assembling there 
 from all quarters of the city. 
 
 Several times before reaching the hostelry the three 
 scientists heard angry cries as they passed through the 
 streets. 
 
 The Governor thought nothing of the matter until 
 he was leaving his cab to enter the hotel, when an angry 
 crowd cried: "There is the traitor! Kill him! 
 Kill him !" 
 
 Many blows were aimed at the Governor, but were 
 warded off by the timely arrival of the soldiers and 
 police. 
 
 "Come, Miguey, come. Enter by this private en 
 trance. This mad crowd is likely to make an end of 
 all of us if we do not get out of sight," said Senor
 
 Arrest of the Conspirators. 159 
 
 Guillermo Gonzales, as he hurried the Governor into 
 the hotel. 
 
 "The uprising has begun," said Julio, "and earlier 
 than I expected. You gentlemen go at once to the 
 President's rooms. I will see what news can be learned 
 in the rotunda. It is my opinion that the President 
 should be sent to the station to-night under heavy 
 military guard. He must get out of Chihuahua in dis 
 guise, and to-night at that. If I am not mistaken, we 
 have an ugly affair on our hands. This is no place 
 to talk. I will go in search of the latest news." He 
 hurried away amongst the surging crowd, while the 
 Governor and Guillermo Gonzales were shown to the 
 President's rooms. 
 
 "This is a terrible state of affairs," said the Presi 
 dent, as he greeted them on entering. 
 
 "The instigators of the uprising," quietly spoke the 
 Governor, "are behind the bars, and when their sym 
 pathizers learn the fact, it will put an end to the un 
 lawful doings of the rabble." 
 
 "My life has been threatened three times since my 
 arrival at the hotel. And see, gentlemen, the cipher 
 despatches I have received from the Capital." 
 
 Senor Guillermo Gonzales took the despatches from 
 the hands of the President, looked them over curiously, 
 and said: "Has the news of this affair reached 
 Washington ?" 
 
 "It has more than reached the city. A fearfully 
 large following has not only been raised there, but in the 
 metropolis and capital of every State in the Union. 
 Unless the militia and police force can quell the dis-
 
 160 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 turbers in a few days, much trouble will follow," said 
 President Mortingo. 
 
 The Governor extinguished the light in the room, 
 and stepping to a window, said : "See the mob in the 
 street ! What is it they are crying ?" 
 
 Above the sounds of the mob, a voice cried: "That 
 is his room; they are all there. Shoot the pretenders 
 down without a word !" 
 
 At that moment Julio Murillo entered the room 
 quietly, and going close to the two near the window, 
 said: "His Excellency must be taken from the hotel 
 immediately ; there is no time for delay." 
 
 "But his life is in danger, if he be seen," said the 
 Governor. 
 
 "To be sure," calmly replied Julio; "but not any 
 more than your own." 
 
 "They intend to harm every one who is a believer in 
 'Memory Fluid,' " said Senor Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "There is no time to be lost, gentlemen," said Julio. 
 "I have disguises here for his Excellency and your 
 Honor. Friend Gonzales and myself will be lost in 
 the crowd." 
 
 The two men of national repute disguised themselves 
 with the various articles Julio brought with him, left 
 the room unobserved by anyone but the soldiers guard 
 ing the room, and were soon safely quartered with 
 those of the President's party who had not left the city 
 that morning in a palace car ready to be hurried away 
 to Washington. 
 
 The Governor and his two scientific friends returned 
 to his residence, but could only get within one block 
 of it in the cab, for the rabble and soldiers.
 
 Arrest of the Conspirators. 161 
 
 They left the cab and mingled with the crowd, and 
 soon were safely in the house by a private entrance. 
 
 In a sense they were safe ; but how long safety would 
 last they could not say. All night the Governor and 
 his two scientific friends in company with many high 
 officials of State, discussed the present state of affairs 
 and laid plans for immediate action should further 
 trouble come. 
 
 The President had promised that United States troops 
 would arrive at the shortest notice possible and put an 
 end to the uprising if the State troops were insufficient.
 
 162 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 A LIFE SAVED. 
 
 THERE never had been such excitement in Chihuahua 
 as that caused by the arrests of Don Francisco R. Cantu 
 y Falomir, and Father Hernandez. 
 
 Not even the execution of Hidalgo, the good priest 
 who sought to free the people of Mexico from the ter 
 rible slavery in which the church held them, created 
 the same fervor. The mad rabble and the church 
 fanatics were too ignorant to realize the awfulness of 
 their deed. They believed what they had been told by 
 the church, that whoever advocated freedom of thought 
 must die. And few were the tears shed when, in the 
 year of 1810, the life of the great and noble Father 
 Hidalgo was taken in Chihuahua. At least, it was the 
 few who shed tears. 
 
 Don Francisco R. Cantu y Falomir had been known 
 as a quiet, law-abiding citizen, very wealthy and ec 
 centric. It was generally known that he prided him 
 self upon the fact of his blue Mexican blood, and per 
 sisted in signing Falomir, his mother's maiden name, 
 to his own surname, as was the custom in Mexico up 
 to the close of the nineteenth century. Yet no one ever 
 dreamed that he nursed any ill-will against the law of
 
 A Life Saved. 163 
 
 the land of his birth against the United States of 
 America. 
 
 Everyone seemed to think that he had a right to his 
 peculiarities, and while Chihuahuans smiled when the 
 name Don Francisco K. Cantu y Falomir was spoken 
 they were always ready to point out this wealthy, aris 
 tocratic and eccentric citizen to visitors in Chihuahua 
 and obtain an introduction to him for them, if possible. 
 
 It was not strange that the citizens of Chihuahua 
 wondered that their fellow-citizen, thought to be quiet 
 and law-abiding, and the priest, well known in the city 
 for his many charitable deeds, were behind the bars on 
 a charge of treason. 
 
 The calm of the early morning, produced by reading 
 the full account of the charges and the arrest of these 
 two well-known citizens, in the great Chihuahuan, 
 was now giving way to noisy discussions of them, by 
 small and large crowds of citizens of all classes, assem 
 bled on the street corners, and in public and private 
 houses. At nine o'clock the jail in which the two 
 offenders of law were held was almost surrounded by 
 what looked to be the rabble of the entire country. 
 
 The great and progressive city of Chihuahua had 
 never had such a large crowd of ungainly and sus 
 picious looking creatures assemble since it became a 
 part of the great Eepublic of the United States of 
 America. From whence had they come and for what 
 purpose? were the questions propounded on every side 
 by the uninitiated. 
 
 At first no particular attention was paid to the miser 
 able looking beings hanging around the jail. But as
 
 164 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 their number increased so rapidly, although they sel 
 dom spoke and made no disturbance, the number of 
 police usually on beat near the jail was doubled, and a 
 company of one hundred soldiers were stationed close 
 
 by. 
 
 The rabble questioned no one, and no one questioned 
 the rabble. 
 
 The police and soldiers kept their eyes riveted upon 
 them, but as they only looked suspicious, and did 
 nothing, they were allowed to remain and no arrests 
 were made. 
 
 Such were the orders received from the Governor, 
 and no officer cared to disobey them. During the fore 
 noon several priests and friends of Don Francisco K. 
 Cantu y Falomir came to the jail and begged for ad 
 mittance. Each person was refused and went away 
 angry. Some of them openly vowed vengeance. 
 
 One priest ventured to return, and asked the guard 
 why his friends were confined in jail, and if an early 
 hearing would be granted them. Unable to get any 
 satisfactory answers, he turned away, his white face 
 showing the terrible rage he was in. 
 
 The Governor and his scientific coworkers had not 
 been seen on the street during the day, and as night 
 approached and no official word could be had as to the 
 probable fate of the prisoners, the rabble around and 
 near the jail showed signs of great uneasiness, and in 
 bodies of threes and fours wandered away. As each 
 party left it was quietly followed by an officer, who 
 thought himself in a condition impossible to be sur 
 prised, no matter how unusual an occurrence which 
 would happen might be.
 
 A Life Saved. 165 
 
 However, his thoughts in that direction were wholly 
 in error, as what occurred will demonstrate. 
 
 As the sun sank behind a tall peak of the Sierra 
 Madre, and a still darkness crept over the beautiful 
 scene, and hid it from admiring eyes, the strange 
 crowd that had wandered off in small numbers from the 
 jail now collected themselves in a large, empty storage 
 room in the southwestern part of the city, a distance of 
 about four miles from the Mexican Annex, and the 
 Governor's residence. Before nine o'clock it was filled 
 to overflowing, and still ragged, dirty creatures full of 
 disease kept on coming from every direction. From 
 the stillness of everyone the meeting and its object 
 evidently was meant to be kept a secret, at least for a 
 season. 
 
 When it was seen that not another person could find 
 standing room in the large wareroom, the door was 
 securely fastened; a dim light was turned on, and a 
 tall, raw-boned looking man stepped on top of a high 
 drygoods box, and said: 
 
 "Friends and Countrymen: It is with a sad heart 
 I stand upon this platform and look out upon the many 
 hundred faces before me, faces that show the ravages of 
 disease, the pangs of hunger, and the no-hope expres 
 sion of those who have been downtrodden; neglected, 
 mentally, morally and spiritually, on account of pecu 
 liar environments. It is with a sad heart I see you 
 thus before me and join you in your silent prayer for 
 deliverance. For deliverance! Does not that word 
 partake of Divinity? Does it not seem to bring you 
 closer to the great Giver of Justice? Does there not
 
 166 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 seem to be a start toward the adjustment of all evil? 
 Cannot you who have despaired of hope, see the light 
 of the Divine, the expression that comes from a super 
 ior knowledge, upon my face? I am your deliverer. 
 By the help of all influence Divine, I will see that just 
 ice is meted out to you. Away back in that life known 
 only to myself when I was a fat, freckled-faced, bare 
 footed boy of ten, building mud houses and paddling 
 in the rippling streams, I saw strange things and 
 heard strange voices. One day while sitting on a 
 large moss-covered bowlder in the clear waters of a 
 placid, cool and shallow stream, I had a vision. I saw 
 the words, 'You must be the deliverer of the oppressed 
 and downtrodden in Chihuahua in this year, the year 
 of our Lord 2049/ written in letters of fire, out over 
 the water. I was frightened, and started to run, when 
 a voice said to me: 'Stop; look and fear not.' I took 
 my seat upon the highest point of the bowlder and 
 riveted my eyes upon the spot over the water where I 
 had seen the letters of fire. Very soon I saw a large, 
 magnificently built city. I saw it grow and grow until 
 it became unparalleled, for grandeur, and for the 
 number of advanced-thought people. I saw the glory 
 and power of one rise, while others sank lower and 
 lower into the very depths of poverty, disease and 
 ignorance. I saw a coterie of blue-blooded people, 
 educated and wealthy, arise like guardian angels in the 
 night and go forth to defend the oppressed; to take 
 from his throne of power, the pretender; one of their 
 own royal blood who had betrayed the confidence im 
 posed in him, and now sought by the arts of a magician
 
 A Life Saved. 167 
 
 to make the people believe that he had made wonderful 
 progress in scientific discoveries. I saw the two noble 
 defenders of the downtrodden thrust into jail ! I saw 
 a small army of believers in the two defenders of noble 
 birth, start out confidently to overthrow the govern 
 ment; to try to sever that part of the United States of 
 America once known as the Kepublic of Mexico, from 
 the Union to which it sent a petition less than one hun 
 dred and fifty years ago, asking for annexation, which 
 was in due time granted." 
 
 "Yes," piped out the voice of an infirm old man, 
 "we want our Mexico back; we want our priests re 
 stored. Them was good old days, and we want them 
 back." 
 
 "We will make war against all these high notions of 
 scientists, who, the priests say, are leading the people 
 to hades," ventured another old man, bent with age and 
 infirmities. 
 
 "The Church ain't much power, but it still has many 
 followers, and all of us can fight for it," continued the 
 old man. 
 
 The revolutionary sentiments expressed began to 
 show effect upon the crowd. They moved about un 
 easily, and low curses and threats were being voiced 
 on every side. 
 
 The speaker again began to talk and the noise sub 
 sided somewhat. 
 
 "Yes," he said; "I saw ourselves plunged into an 
 internal war. It was carried on between all adherents 
 to the dogmas of the orthodox on one side, and advo- 
 cators of free thought on the other side. And my
 
 168 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 vision ended, with part of this nation fighting the other. 
 The assembly no doubt thinks that thoughts as ex 
 pressed by some of your would-be learned men are 
 too free." This remark elicited a great applause, and 
 the speaker, after mentally congratulating himself upon 
 the impression he had made, continued: "Everyone 
 knows to whom I refer particularly." A hushed silence 
 followed this remark. "I refer particularly to the 
 Governor of this great State, the man who claims to 
 have discovered a fluid directly from the sun's rays, 
 which will perpetuate memory throughout all time. 
 The main purpose for which this fluid is intended, is 
 to aid officers of law in securing evidence against all 
 who have committed crimes, and to bring such people 
 to justice. Study upon this feature of the case, 
 friends. Imagine yourself being compelled to believe 
 in such stuff. That is what constitutes part of the 
 doctrine of Free Thought. You must be a scientist to 
 advocate free thought as they wish it. It tramples 
 down all the idols which you have bowed to for cen 
 turies. The faith of your fathers must be superseded 
 by facts obtained from scientific investigations. You 
 must believe that memory can be restored and pre 
 served through ages; that the annihilation of diseased 
 matter can be accomplished by means of 'Ebony Fluid/ 
 That all miraculous deeds of the Christ of Bible fame 
 can be done to-day, not only by one, but by many; all 
 of whom, however, must be initiated. Well, friends, I 
 have been talking thirty minutes. You have my senti 
 ments ; think, think, think ! Never act: without study 
 ing over the past results of just such action you are on
 
 A Life Saved. 169 
 
 the eve of taking. Eemember the condition of the 
 times. You will fight against many odds. It will be 
 ten against one. But do not be discouraged; bear in 
 mind that a handful of men and women who desired 
 to practice their religion according to the dictates of 
 their own conscience severed themselves from England, 
 their mother country, with much bloodshed; with 
 much bloodshed, it is true, yet they gained the object 
 for which they fought their freedom and hence the 
 right to serve God as pleased their fancy. I will not 
 suggest what step for you to take, but if you will tell 
 me your plan, I will lead you to success." 
 
 This time the high notes of a voice which showed 
 training in public speaking, arose up from the great 
 crowd, and startled everyone by exclaiming: "I, the 
 Eev. J. T. Note, do this moment declare that there is 
 but one way to adjust matters as they now stand; to 
 rectify the great injustices done to the followers of the 
 orthodox, to those who believe in and follow the pre 
 cepts of the inspired works of biblical writers. I say 
 there is but one way to recover our waning power and 
 that is, to fight for right/' 
 
 Hurrah after hurrah went up. The crowd grew less 
 and less under self-control. 
 
 The minister continued: "Do not delay; make the 
 first strike to-night. Listen," he cried in hushed tones. 
 "Listen! I will assist yon noble speaker to lead you 
 to the front to face the foe in battle." 
 
 At the conclusion of his speech, and before another 
 word could be spoken by anyone else present, the lights 
 in the room went out and the mad cries of the audience 
 went up in protest.
 
 170 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 A strong breeze, which could only come through an 
 open door or window, swept through the room. 
 
 It needed no voice to tell that trouble was at hand, 
 but not the kind they had been talking about trying 
 to create. Quick orders were given by some one in 
 authority, in a low voice, and responded to by others 
 in curses. Everybody tried to get to the door and into 
 the street. 
 
 In less than ten minutes after the lights went out, 
 the large room seemed to be empty; but it was not 
 quite empty there was one person left and he was the 
 speaker of the evening. The night was intensely dark, 
 and the large crowd got as near together as possible, 
 and planned for a night of carnage. Until one o'clock 
 they remained quiet, except for planning. 
 
 By some one the Eev. J. T. Note was missed; but 
 no one felt alarmed, for those who missed him thought 
 he was somewhere amongst the crowd, helping to carry 
 out their proposed plan of attack. Now that the hour 
 had arrived that they had agreed upon to attempt to 
 tfke the life of the Governor and his two scientific 
 friends, a company of three hundred men, led by the 
 old man with the piping voice, cautiously wended their 
 way in that direction. Others started in various direc 
 tions to carry out their nefarious ideas. 
 
 The tall, raw-boned person remained, almost breath 
 less, in his crouched position on the floor back of a 
 big empty box, until thoroughly satisfied that no inter 
 loper, or friend, as for that, was in the room. Cau 
 tiously walking to the back door, the position of which 
 he must have been well informed, he opened it noise-
 
 A Life Saved. 171 
 
 lessly and quietly stepped out into the dark night. 
 For five minutes more he strode back and forth, his 
 thumbs securely thrust into the band of his trousers, 
 in deep meditation, now and then chuckling to himself. 
 "Let me see," he said aloud as he suddenly came to 
 a stop, "let me see. It is now fifteen minutes after 
 one o'clock. Whew! What did Helen Hinckley think 
 when I failed to meet her at the appointed place and 
 time. The result of the meeting just closed was the 
 most unexpected event of my life. It is all day with 
 these would-be revolutionists if the city police and state 
 militia are onto this meeting. It is all up with you, 
 Eeverend Note, I am quite sure. Chihuahua's police 
 force took charge of you, I'll bet a copper. You are 
 languishing in a small cell, behind the iron bars, as a 
 nineteenth century romance writer would say, on a 
 charge of treason. It will go hard with these three 
 transgressors of law. It is a strange affair, and I have 
 done my best to help both sides accomplish what they 
 are out for. Ha! ha! It is a great world, and Free 
 Thought, based upon scientific reasoning, is sure to 
 win. As sure as fate. The poor deluded creatures 
 here to-night have my sympathies, and also had my 
 assistance to-night. I did all within my power to make 
 the fire of revenge burn bright within their bosom. 
 Some people may say I am a hypocrite. Well, I am 
 in a way; but when one can make others happy by 
 practising a little deception, the wrong cannot be last 
 ing. And what if it is, what if it is? The beautiful 
 creature who has so completely captivated the bachelor 
 heart of the Governor, was disappointed, no doubt, by
 
 172 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 not finding me at my apartment at the Annex, at ten 
 o'clock. But not so disappointed, I fancy, as when 
 she reads in to-morrow morning's Chihuahuan, an ac 
 count of the murder of the Governor, whose love, I 
 imagine, she reciprocates; and of Don Guillermo Gon- 
 zales, and of Julio Murillo, the son of Senora Suzzan 
 Carriles, of Colima, as well. 'Memory Fluid' will 
 go over the board, if that wholesale slaughter is effected. 
 Their great test case will be laid over for another in 
 carnation. 'The Plunger from Kansas' will have one 
 more chance for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happi 
 ness, without living in mortal fear of being dragged 
 up before the bar of civil justice and politely requested 
 to make amends for a deed done in the body in at least 
 two existences past. Yes, poor fellow, he will have a 
 little rest and peace of mind; for there is no one who 
 will concern himself about presenting to the world 
 proofs of the results obtained by the use of their great 
 discovery. Helen Hinckley will pine away, and the 
 grave will claim her for another victim before the 
 summer is over. Their spirits will voice a desire to 
 enter again into a physical condition immediately, and 
 before twenty years of their new life has passed away, 
 those two hearts that this moment beat as one, soon to 
 be so ruthlessly severed, will be united forever and for 
 ever, and as they glide along and form one of the 
 many scenes in life's grand panorama, they will cause, 
 by their subtle philosophy, the 'Plunger from Kansas' 
 to adjust the wrong they are now trying to right. Ha ! 
 ha! ha! Keally I must move on, and cease my 
 early morning soliloquy. I really believe I am get-
 
 A Life Saved. 173 
 
 ting to be a prophet. Certainly I have been talking 
 aloud. In the nineteenth century, when one fell into 
 the habit of talking aloud to one's self he was said to 
 be loco; but no such a fear need be entertained now, 
 for this is the age of scientific revelation. No one can 
 accuse the other, for every queer action is attributed to 
 his knowledge of science. And either everyone is a 
 student of science of course that science which per 
 tains to the soul of man, particularly or everyone is 
 loco or crazy. Adios, all ye demons of darkness, soon 
 to be superseded by the angels of light, adios. I cer 
 tainly hope the messages you bring will be such that 
 my sad heart will be avenged. Now, with feet as fleet 
 as the wild goat that once roamed the mountains over, 
 I will reach the Mexican Annex, quietly steal into my 
 apartments, quickly conceal all of my disguise, and to 
 morrow no one will be any the wiser for my night's 
 escapade. Ha ! ha ! no doubt, that on in the day while 
 the revolutionists are playing havoc in the great, pro 
 gressive city, I will be shedding tears, mingling mine 
 with those of the Plunger of Kansas over the biers of 
 our lately departed friends. Only friend Julio will I 
 grieve for the loss of. Poor Senora Suzzan Carriles, 
 of Colima, had no idea when she and Father Hernan 
 dez, now languishing in jail, committed the crime of 
 adultery in a former existence that their progeny 
 would rise up nearly two centuries afterwards and 
 make them repent of their folly. Ha! ha! Ye vigils 
 of darknesss, I am gone!" 
 
 The person who had just concluded the lengthy 
 soliloquy, passed away, without further delay or com 
 ment, in the direction of the Mexican Annex.
 
 174 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Near by stood unseen, Helen Hinckley, who had 
 heard with bated breath every word of the soliloquy. 
 "The person," she cried with smothered voice, "cannot 
 be other than the friend of my other life. The voice 
 I recognize as that of Harriet Motuble. Strange 
 creature! She whom I grieved for as dead, until her 
 note reached me at nine o'clock to-night, and gave 
 satisfactory explanations, is here plotting against the 
 great and noble Governor and his able coworkers. 
 Oh, thou annihilator of evil, bear me witness to the 
 doings of this strange woman. I will warn him for 
 whom I have looked through two lives. He shall be 
 preserved, and when his true state is confessed to me 
 in words, I will unite my life to his, and then what 
 should have come to pass two hundred years ago will 
 take place now. There is no worry in my soul, for the 
 righting of all wrongs is certain to come to pass." 
 
 As swift as the wings of a bird could waft itself 
 through space, she glided through the still, cool air of 
 the early morning, at a distance of twelve inches from 
 the ground, to the Governor's home. By means of her 
 own great psychic power she conveyed to him even in 
 his deep sleep the knowledge of her coming, and where 
 to admit her; at a door opening out upon a balcony on 
 the second floor, to the rear of his home. 
 
 She was dressed in a close-fitting black dress and hat, 
 so that in the intense darkness of the night she was 
 not observed. 
 
 When the Governor first received the mental message 
 stating her intention of visiting him on important 
 business, his body shook with a great emotion, and his
 
 A Life Saved. 175 
 
 heart beat wildly with joy at the prospect of seeing 
 and talking with the object of his heart's desire. 
 
 But when he reached the door she expected to enter, 
 and stood ready to open it for her, he was again a 
 man of reason, and an overwhelming love for the spir 
 itual woman had taken the place of his baser love. 
 
 He held the door slightly open, and eagerly gazed 
 into the darkness he could not pierce. 
 
 He felt a strange vibrating of the air, and then a 
 presence which glided over the balcony and into the 
 room and sank into a heap at his feet. 
 
 He caused the room to be instantly lighted, and 
 stooping, raised the prostrate figure at his feet. 
 
 "A little water, if you please," she said. "I could 
 not compute the height, so the flight was a little hard 
 for me." 
 
 The Governor handed her a, glass of cool water, and 
 said : "I am sorry your solicitude for my safety has cost 
 you such a great physical effort." 
 
 "No, no, no; do not mind. It would not have hap 
 pened could I have seen the house and computed the 
 distance from the ground to this door. Do not be in 
 the least concerned about me, your Honor. The law 
 is apparent, but I had nothing on which I could base 
 my calculations," said Miss Hinckley. 
 
 "I do not understand," said the great Governor and 
 great discoverer of "Memory Fluid," "how you came in 
 this door directly from the street without any visible 
 means of ascending to this height?" 
 
 "Is it possible, your Honor, that you forget when 
 you and I in that life gone by, hoped we might be able 
 to overcome the law of gravitation so far as our own
 
 176 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 bodies were concerned, as well as to discover a means 
 by which we could perpetuate memory?" 
 
 "I certainly recall our meditations along those lines, 
 but I have made no investigations along the line of 
 the former," replied the Governor. 
 
 "But I have," said his fair listener, "and while you 
 were perfecting your wonderful 'Memory Fluid' and 
 other liquids obtained from the source of all light, 
 and which may prove to be equally as great scientific 
 revealers to man I have been delving in the realms of 
 the hidden and praying for light. It came, and oh, 
 glorious was the day when I felt myself lifted up a 
 few inches from the ground and gliding along as easily 
 as a bird on the wing !" 
 
 "How astonishing, how wonderful! ~Xoi~ must at 
 once become a Fellow in our Eoyal Academy for Scien 
 tific Investigations. Your discovery is the most re 
 markable in the history of man. You will do me the 
 honor, I hope, to first explain the modus operandi. My 
 soul yearns for knowledge of Nature, of God," cried 
 the great man of science, his voice full of emotion. 
 
 "My hand, your Honor. Depend upon it, that the 
 limited knowledge I have shall be conveyed to you at 
 the earliest moment possible. The man who is so well 
 in tune with the Great Light, the Source of All, will 
 comprehend the subject in a moment," said Helen 
 Hinckley. 
 
 The Governor pressed her firm brown hand between 
 his two, and lifting his eyes to the invisible Ruler of the 
 universe, said: "The blending of two harmonious 
 lives, oh, Thou Great and Everlasting Cause; this 
 seems to me to be the fulfillment of Thy desire."
 
 The Peace of the Soul. 177 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 THE PEACE OP THE SOUL. 
 
 HELEN HINCKLEY raised her beautiful face, shining 
 with a light divine, and said: "It is the fulfillment, 
 your Honor. It is the peace of the soul that 'passeth 
 all understanding.' }i 
 
 At that moment the Governor dropped her hands; 
 extinguished the light in the room, opened the door a 
 little wider, and strained his ear to catch the unusual 
 sound that came in from the street below. 
 
 Helen Hinckley knew at once the meaning of the 
 sound, and said : "I must not delay longer telling you 
 the object of my call." 
 
 As these two people (whose souls had sought each 
 other through two other lives and failed utterly to 
 find the other, from the simple fact that their material 
 environments were such that their very souls had no 
 power to break through the terrible prison house in 
 which they seemed to be encased, and fly to the arms of 
 its counterpart) stood in the dark doorway, Helen 
 Hinckley told the Governor all that had happened be 
 tween herself and Harriet Motuble. 
 
 It was the dearest moment of his life when he felt 
 her warm breath upon his cheek, while she whispered 
 the story in his ear.
 
 178 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "A strange creature, that Harriet Motuble; a 
 very strange creature," he whispered in reply. 
 
 "She is more daring now than in the other life. She 
 is a woman to be avoided. When one is so constituted 
 that the association with a person harms him, instead 
 of doing him good, the best plan is to keep at a re 
 spectable distance, and do the person all the good possi 
 ble from that distance. But hark ! What is that ?" 
 she concluded, as she clutched the Governor's arm in 
 her fright. > 
 
 They stepped out on the small balcony and both lis 
 tened breathlessly. 
 
 The Governor replied : "It was the Deport of a gun. 
 Ah, there is another, and another. Hark! the police 
 are after them." 
 
 "The Executive Mansion is well guarded by the sol 
 diers. I do not believe that they will be able to enter 
 the house. The unguarded moment is the dangerous 
 time, your Honor," said Helen Hinckley, as she 
 stepped into the room and gently led the Governor with 
 her. 
 
 "On the subject of guarding my house," replied his 
 Honor, "I gave strict orders that no extras should guard 
 me or be placed around my property. It is my duty, as 
 the official head of this great State, to protect the lives 
 and property of private citizens. The officers of the 
 law will do their duty if there be an uprising, which 
 I can hardly believe will take place. I am not a 
 coward. I will not run and leave my people to face the 
 trouble alone." 
 
 "What you have said is quite true, and no one would
 
 The Peace of the Soul. 179 
 
 expect any less from your Honor," replied Helen 
 Hinckley; "but there is an old law concerning self 
 preservation. Your Honor recalls it, does he not? 
 Yes? Well, then, you may be compelled, in order to 
 carry out the law, to keep out of sight of these fanatics 
 these would-be revolutionists until they are taught 
 to remember until they see the power of the Light 
 Divine." 
 
 "Hist! hist!" both the Governor and Helen Hinck 
 ley heard the warning which came through a door that 
 led into the room where they stood, from an adjoining 
 room. 
 
 In another instant, the clear, piping voice of the old 
 man who had uttered such revolutionary sentiments at 
 the meeting of these disturbers of peace, called out in 
 hushed tones: "Find him, boys; find him. He's not 
 in his bed. I thrust daggers all over it. Then I 
 climbed on it and crushed my heels on every part of 
 it; but he was not there. Our brave leaders are be 
 hind the bars, boys, and we are handicapped. Now this 
 imposter and enemy of the church must die! Come, 
 boys. Forward, march!" 
 
 Helen Hinckley pulled the Governor's ear close to her 
 mouth, and said: "Your Honor, to stay here means 
 instant death. The physical power of two people 
 against one hundred or more is of no avail. Come; 
 you must leave this room with me through the outside 
 door. You must this moment feel the force of being 
 able to overcome the law of gravitation. Slip your 
 hands under the strap across the back of this small 
 propeller; step on top of the railing on the balcony;
 
 180 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 trust me ; do what I whisper into your ear, and we will 
 escape. You must come, if not for your own sake, for 
 mine," she concluded. 
 
 "I will go, my life, for your sake," said the Governor, 
 his voice full of emotion. 
 
 At once Helen Hinckley led him onto the balcony. 
 He stepped with her on top of the railing. He put 
 the cap of his long black dressing gown over his head, 
 and with no support except the arm of Helen Hinck 
 ley, which she had quietly slipped through his, he 
 walked out with his companion into space. 
 
 The leader of the revolutionary party and his many 
 followers, who were seeking his life, at that moment 
 stepped into the room they had just left. The cool 
 breeze of the early morning rushed in through the open 
 door, feeling which, the old man at once exclaimed: 
 "He has escaped ; a door is open, if I am not mistaken. 
 A light will soon settle the question." 
 
 No sooner was the idea given voice, than several of 
 the men present pressed the end of the miniature torches 
 they carried in their pockets, and instantly the room 
 was ablaze with light. With these small torches in 
 hand they rushed to the open door, with the vain hope 
 that they might catch the runaway. 
 
 "We are misled," piped the old man. "No human 
 being could have escaped from this small balcony, with 
 out the use of ropes and ladders. And none are here. 
 We are misled! We are misled. Forward march!" 
 he cried, after military fashion. "We will search 
 every nook and corner of this great mansion, until we 
 find him. We will not be stopped. We are powerful,
 
 The Peace of the Soul. 181 
 
 and will slay every one in our path who objects to the 
 course we are taking." 
 
 The old man was frantic frantic from the thought 
 that they might fail in taking the life of the Governor. 
 
 He stalked into the hall followed by the other 
 marauders, all of whom seemed determined to de 
 molish and otherwise ruin as much of the house fur 
 nishings as possible. 
 
 After completing the entire circuit of the rooms on 
 that floor, they started toward the wide staircase to 
 descend to the floor below for further search. 
 
 At the head of the stairs they suddenly came to a 
 standstill, and all trembled with fright at what they 
 saw. 
 
 The brave old man who was only a moment ago so 
 courageously leading his warriors to battle beheld a 
 child in white standing at the head of the stairs, with 
 arms outstretched, and he cried : "Jesus and Mary de 
 fend me ! This spirit is sent to warn us of death. 
 Oh, oh." He immediately fell upon his knees and 
 buried his face in his hands. His followers stood still 
 and watched the figure before them in breathless fear. 
 
 "I am no spirit," said the child, Catalina Martinet 
 for it was she who stood before them "but I have 
 been one, and in that other life which ended so 
 strangely for me, I knew you, poor old man. How 
 well I remember seeing you in the yard of the cathedral 
 and watching you and a boy pull the rope which rang 
 the bell in the high tower of the cathedral. At the 
 same time you helped to pull the rope, several boys in 
 the tower beat the big, old bell with sticks."
 
 182 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "Ah, Jesus and Mary, save me! This is a spirit, I 
 am sure," cried the old man. 
 
 "I repeat," said Catalina, "I am not a spirit now, 
 but I was once. Now I live again, again! Old man, 
 I recall how the very sight of you pulling the old rope 
 made me tremble with fear, if I had committed the 
 slightest deed contrary to the priest's teachings and 
 had not confessed. You remember, do you not, old 
 man?" 
 
 The only reply vouchsafed was a shake of the head 
 and a groan. 
 
 "No?" she continued. "Then you shall remember, 
 Senor Antonio Noriega, the time you broke your leg 
 when you were a very, very old man, and you lay in the 
 little dark adobe room back of the cathedral and died 
 for want of attention. Say, Senor Noriega, you need 
 to remember. There needs be an awakening of your 
 soul; now is a good time for the beginning. Arise, 
 sir; leave this house this very moment and cease your 
 evil designs." 
 
 The old man stricken with horror, arose and in a 
 trembling voice, said: "It is the voice of a spirit. I 
 am warned. Oh, that my eyes were open, that I might 
 see !" 
 
 "Here, old man," cried one of the fellows present, 
 "don't get scared and leave us at this early stage of the 
 game. Remember, we are out for revenge." 
 
 "Come," said the clear, sweet voice of the child 
 Catalina. "You must leave the Governor's house this 
 very moment. Arise ! Forward march ! Take this 
 bottle, Senor Antonio Noriega, and when you step your
 
 The Peace of the Soul. 183 
 
 foot on the public street, drink its contents. Then re 
 member; you will live again, and you will see things 
 not seen by the eye, and hear things not heard by the 
 ear." 
 
 The old man clutched the bottle tightly in his hand, 
 and started down the steps at a lively pace. 
 
 Quietly and without a word the men followed. On 
 reaching the door that led into the vestibule, the en 
 tire party were surprised on being commanded to sur 
 render. 
 
 Antonio Noriega gave up his arms at the first com 
 mand ; but such was not the case with the others. For 
 a few moments a hard fight was waged between the 
 officers of law and the revolutionary party. 
 
 In the confusion and darkness, several offenders of 
 law escaped from the house, but were closely pursued 
 by officers. The others were taken in custody by the 
 soldiers and policemen present, and conveyed to jail. 
 
 At the moment the old man stepped from the Gov 
 ernor's Mansion onto the public street, Catalina Mar 
 tinet cried: "Senor Antonio Noriega," and he raised 
 the small bottle to his lips and drained it empty. 
 "Remember, remember" 
 
 Different members of the revolutionary party cursed 
 in an undertone, "Memory Fluid," all occult s^ence, 
 its devotees, and the administrators of law in general. 
 
 Astheflast man disappeared from view, Catalina Mar 
 tinet cried: "I will make them all live. I will get 
 many vials, fill them with 'Memory Fluid/ and when 
 the sun makes the day very bright, I will take them 
 iD a small basket, and go out amongst these people,
 
 184 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 who are alive, yet do not live, and as I hand a vial to 
 each man who looks vicious, I will say: 'Drink this 
 and live.' And when enough men drink the fluid, the 
 war which is going to be will be stopped. Come, Juan, 
 take me upstairs. I am sleepy and I want a bowl of 
 milk." 
 
 Juan had stood close by during the affray, possibly 
 too frightened to move; and now that Catalina spoke 
 to him, he moved forward and cried: "Your Honor, 
 the child is not human. I must leave your service." 
 
 Catalina clutched his arm tightly, and in a fit of 
 childish glee, said : "See, Juan ; I am Catalina, a big, 
 healthy child. I was a spirit once, but now I am flesh 
 and blood. Come on, Juan, take me upstairs; then 
 get me a bowl of milk. I am hungry. Come on, 
 Juan; I am not a ghost. I am poor Catalina. I am 
 tired and hungry, Juan. Carry me." She raised her 
 arms up to him. Without a word he lifted her in his 
 arms, and hurried with her to the little room adjoin 
 ing the housekeeper's; which was on her arrival fur 
 nished with every article for childish comfort and 
 pleasure that could be found in Chihuahua. Strange 
 to say, the house which only a few moments ago was 
 filled with violators of the law whose intent was mur 
 der, was now so still, that a person stepping into the 
 home of the Governor, could hardly imagine that such 
 a state of affairs ever could have existed in such a 
 quiet and magnificently appointed home. Catalina 
 fell asleep in Juan's arms, and the slumber of the 
 healthy child whose breath fell gently on his cheek, 
 was the one demonstrated fact that she was a child of
 
 The Peace of the Soul. 185 
 
 flesh and blood and very human, notwithstanding she 
 might be a novice in spiritual attainments. He was 
 convinced of the human part, however, and smiled to 
 himself, as he laid her on the bed, at the fright she 
 had given him. Her head had no sooner touched the 
 bed than she opened her eyes, and said : "Juan, bring 
 me a bowl of warm milk, please. I am hungry 
 hungry hungry." 
 
 Juan replied, at the same moment turning his head 
 to hide a smile: "Muchacha mia, Juan will bring you 
 a bowl, muy grande, at that, de lecJie caliente." 
 
 "Stay, Juan," she cried, as he stepped into the hall. 
 "You are not afraid of me now, are you?" 
 
 "No, no, child. You are a very, very lively little 
 girl and no spirit. Of that fact I am fully satisfied. 
 I am going now for the milk. Good-bye, sweet child. 
 Juan is your friend." 
 
 "Juan is a strange old fellow," said Catalina, as she 
 cuddled down on her little bed. "He was afraid of 
 me because he thought me a spirit. I wish my dear 
 papa was here. I will go and find him as soon as it is 
 very light. If all these people could only rem*. Briber, 
 there never would be a bloody war. I must find Miss 
 Helen Hinckley and Miss Marriet Motuble. She be 
 friended me in the other life and built a very large, 
 nice tomb for me when I died. She was very, very 
 good to me, but she is queer; silly, I think now. I 
 heard papa and Senor Guillermo Gonzales and Julio 
 Murillo say she pretended to die and be buried in the 
 Motuble tomb, where I was placed, and when they went 
 there to see the body, they found in the coffin only
 
 186 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 a waxen figure. I wonder why she pretended to die 
 and didn't. I wonder if she thought some one would 
 cry my papa, I suspect and she would only make 
 believe she was dead, to see who cared or would cry. 
 Papa would cry, I know, if I were dead. I believe I 
 will die and see. I will wait, though, till Juan gets 
 my warm milk; for I am awful hungry. It is think 
 ing about the ugly war and those wicked men who were 
 just here, that made me want my hot milk this early 
 in the morning." At that moment Juan entered the 
 room, bringing a bowl of hot milk and a plate of 
 shredded graham bread, and placed it on a little table 
 by the side of her bed. 
 
 She drank part of the milk, and laying her head 
 back on the pillow, said: "Juan, would you cry if I 
 were to die now ?" 
 
 Juan was startled, and replied: "Now you are go 
 ing to scare me again. Because you remember, and say 
 you lived here once before, it's no sign that if you die 
 now and ever live again, that you will remember. You 
 would better hold on as long as you can, now that you 
 are here. You are a little girl, and young; you have 
 no business talking about dying. God did not make 
 you to kill yourself. You drink the rest of the milk 
 before it gets cold, and go to sleep." 
 
 "Juan," continued Catalina, "if you would be sorry, 
 then how much more sorry my papa and Miss Hinckley 
 would be." 
 
 "I suppose your mamma would be very sorry too; 
 and his Honor would be most distracted if you died 
 so young. He has taken the greatest fancy to you of
 
 The Peace of the Soul. 187 
 
 anyone since I came into his service; and that was 
 when I was a very young man. You don't know what 
 a good place you have, little girl, and my advice is to 
 stay close to it while you can," concluded Juan, with a 
 bob of his head. 
 
 "Listen, Juan," continued the child. "I feel like I 
 must die. I will die at once. Come close to me. Sit 
 in this chair, and you can see how I do it." 
 
 Juan took a seat by her little bed, not because he 
 wanted to, but from the fact that he could not resist 
 her influence. 
 
 "I mean, Juan, his Honor, the Governor. He is 
 my papa, you know, and would be very sorry if I were 
 to die. The man and woman into whose family I 
 was born are nothing to me now. I never cared much 
 for them, nor they for me; so no one there will cry. 
 Why, Juan I took them a bottle of 'Memory Fluid/ 
 and tried to get them to take it, so they could remem 
 ber and we all could be happy. I could not be staying 
 with people who only care for this life. Persons who 
 see the things only seen by the eye." 
 
 "Goodness !" exclaimed Juan, rising. "How can 
 anyone see except with their eyes ? Child, you are talk 
 ing about things you know nothing of. Drink your 
 milk and go to sleep. I can't stay here much longer 
 a-humoring you. I've got to attend to Serior Murillo," 
 concluded Juan, rising. 
 
 "Sit down, Juan, sit down," quietly said Catalina; 
 and Juan obeyed meekly. 
 
 "Great One, who lives here and everywhere, who 
 knows all and causes all, speak to me. Advise me.
 
 188 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Will I be interfering with my soul, will light be shut 
 out from me; will I be in the way of anyone seeing 
 things not seen by the eyes, if I leave the matter we call 
 a body, and go to you? The people into whose family 
 I was born are harming me, and I, a little girl, am not 
 strong enough in will or in knowledge of law to make 
 them follow me." Turning to Juan she continued: 
 "I have not been answered yet, Juan, but I feel as if 
 I must go; but I will come back, I will come back, 
 and his Honor, his Honor will be my papa. See, Juan, 
 I am going." 
 
 "Oh, don't go yet," cried Juan; "there is the bell. 
 I must answer it." 
 
 Catalina sat up in bed, and as Juan left the room, 
 called: "Don't be gone a moment, Juan. I want to go 
 away." Then to herself she continued : "It is not right 
 for me to have been born into a family that do not 
 know me, that do not know the other world, and who 
 do not remember. I cannot be happy. I must live 
 again. Great One above, shall I come?" She leaned 
 her head upon the little pillow encased in a dainty 
 linen slip, and remained perfectly silent. When 
 Juan opened the door a few moments later, and rushed 
 into the room, she sat upright, and before he had time 
 to speak, said: "Juan, I am not going now. I can 
 help his Honor. I can help others. I can give many 
 'Memory Fluid'; but before the cruel war ends, I will 
 leave and come again." 
 
 "I am almost out of breath, I hurried so fast to get 
 back before you could die. I got some terrible news. 
 It came from the President, and as his Honor was not
 
 The Peace of the Soul. 189 
 
 here, Senor Julio Murillo opened the dispatch and 
 translated the ciphers. He believes there will be trouble 
 all over the States. He says he will telephone him per 
 sonally in a few hours, and on his arrival in Washing 
 ton if the revolutionists are gaining in number and 
 giving more trouble, the army will be called out, and 
 peace will soon be restored. His Honor is not in the 
 mansion, and everyone but Senor Julio Murillo fears 
 that some harm has befallen him." 
 
 "Oh, no; not everyone," cried Catalina. "I am 
 not afraid he is harmed. He is with Helen Hinckley 
 and safe. She loves him. Senor Julio knows where 
 they are, but I do not; but I can find them. Go on, 
 Juan. I am going to sleep; the warm milk is taking 
 effect. I will sleep, but not die for some time to come ; 
 not until I feel that I have done all possible good. 
 Then I will go and come back again, and then you will 
 know me; you will not be dead, but you will remember. 
 Go on, Juan; I am going to sleep. Tell his Honor, 
 if you should see him before I do, not to be alarmed, 
 if he does not see me for a few days. T will be very 
 busy while the struggle lasts; at least, while it lasts in 
 Chihuahua. Many are needed to spread 'Memory 
 Fluid.' It will have more effect in spreading truth 
 abroad and quelling the war at hand, than millions of 
 guns. I am needed to keep my eye upon several ' 
 whom his Honor will pass by, now that the lives of 
 his people are in danger. I will be a detective, Juan, 
 and because I am a child no one will mind me being 
 around. There is 'The Plunger from Kansas/ Mrs. 
 Grange, and Marriet Motuble, who need the eye of the
 
 190 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 law upon them, but on account of the trouble caused 
 by Don Francisco R. Cantu y Falomir, Father Hernan 
 dez and Rev. J. T. Note, they will be forgotten. It is 
 my duty to see to them, and I will perform my duty 
 well. Go on, Juan; I am very sleepy." 
 
 The little fair head again fell back against the pil 
 lows, and in the few moments Juan stood by silently 
 watching, she fell into a sound slumber. 
 
 "She is flesh and blood," he soliloquized, standing 
 quietly by her bedside looking upon her plump, childish 
 face. "Yes, she is flesh and blood ; but she has a great 
 spirit in her. She is unlike other children. I am 
 afraid of her, yet I know she is only a child. She is 
 a prophet. I will take 'Memory Fluid,' then I can see 
 things not seen by the eyes. Ah, there is the bell 
 again, again, again ; something out of the usual is hap 
 pening." Juan quietly and quickly left the room. In 
 the hall he met Julio Murillo, walking faster than he 
 had ever known him to walk before. On seeing Juan 
 he cried: 
 
 "I leave orders not to admit anyone to the house 
 to-day. Under no circumstances will this order be 
 countermanded. I will leave by a private entrance. 
 No one will see me go nor return. Senor Guillermo 
 Gonzales alone will occupy the Governor's private study 
 until my return. Under no circumstances intrude on 
 him. He must not be worried about me, nor by anyone 
 asking questions; and it is your business to keep quiet, 
 and guard the house well, and his Honor's interests in 
 general, until I return." 
 
 Juan replied: "Trust me, senor. I have never yet
 
 The Peace of the Soul. 191 
 
 betrayed his Honor or his interests. The hour is very 
 early; you have not had your morning meal. His 
 Honor would not forgive me if a guest left his home, 
 even if the hour be four, without his customary meal. 
 Recline here, senor, and in a very few minutes I will 
 return with a lunch just fitted to this early hour." 
 
 "Your advice is good, Juan. I will accept your hos 
 pitality. But be quick; every moment counts now. I 
 have located the three men who were last night con 
 fined in jail, on a charge of treason, and who escaped 
 less than an hour ago. While I had no trouble in 
 locating them, there will be much difficulty in getting 
 them again behind the prison bars. You are right, 
 Juan ; I will need my morning meal before attempting 
 their arrest. Bring me a bowl of hot milk, a plate of 
 buttered toast, and two soft-boiled eggs, and bring it 
 quickly, Juan. The revolution is inevitable, and we 
 must face it like men and stop it; if possible, without 
 bloodshed. Yes, I will wait, Juan, just fifteen min 
 utes." 
 
 As Juan passed from the presence of Senor Julio 
 Murillo, he gave a sharp, low whistle, his only means to 
 express the great surprise he had just received. 
 
 "Well, this is a nice state of things. The Governor 
 spirited away, the prisoners escaped, Catalina on the 
 eve of dying, 'The Plunger from Kansas' gone again, a 
 woman arising from the dead, and a war on hand, all 
 at the same time. Yes, a strange world. I don't 
 believe I will know as much as I do now, if I do not 
 stop thinking so much about all of these strange things. 
 1 don't believe I will take 'Memory Fluid.' I will have
 
 192 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 no time then to do anything but remember everything 
 that happened when I lived before. I really wonder if 
 I have lived before, or more than once. How funny it 
 would be to remember four or five different lives. As 
 soon as I get Senor Julio Murillo's breakfast to him, 
 and he is well out of the house, I will experiment with 
 'Memory Fluid/ I will be a subject. Oh, I wonder 
 who I was when I lived before? Ha! ha! ha! ha! 
 Wouldn't it be a great joke if I was in my first life a 
 president? Maybe I was George Washington, or the 
 Mexican President, Santa Ana. Yes, that is a great 
 joke. I have my own curiosity up, and will drink a 
 gallon of that 'Memory Fluid/ if it will make me re 
 member." 
 
 Juan strode on toward the kitchen hurriedly, to give 
 the order for Senor Julio Murillo's breakfast, and then 
 sat down on a stool and deeply meditated, upon the 
 subject of "Memory Fluid."
 
 Meeting in the Alameda. 193 
 
 CHAPTEK XIV. 
 
 MEETING IN THE ALAMEDA. 
 
 SENOB JULIO MURILLO reclined on a comfortable 
 couch in the large reception-hall on the second floor 
 of the Governor's stately mansion, to await the return 
 of Juan. 
 
 "I see," he mentally commented, "the end of this 
 revolution which has just begun. If those who pre 
 cipitated the mad act were told now what the final 
 would be, they would have no faith in what was told 
 them being true, and would leave nothing undone to 
 carry out their present intentions. There is no way of 
 dealing with those who have no knowledge outside of 
 physical self, except by physical force. It is a 
 lamentable condition of affairs to those who cannot see 
 the end. To me it is of no concern whatever, except 
 that I hate to see the suffering of humanity. There is 
 always a certain sympathy, which the initiated have 
 with those who do not know the Law. The spread of 
 Free Thought during the last century, caused by scien 
 tific investigations, particularly in the spirit realm, has 
 been wonderful. Such a very great decrease in crime 
 has never been known, or at least has never been 
 recorded since the beginning of time, as that shown
 
 194 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 during the last fifty years. The wane of the power of 
 the priest and the pastor, and the great diffusion of 
 scientific truths concerning the realm of the hidden 
 is accountable for it. I will not do my duty if I fail 
 to relieve the sufferings of those who do not know, of 
 those who can only see the things seen by the eye. 
 Here comes Juan, poor fellow. I wish he could see the 
 hidden. He is on the road and will soon know, however. 
 Is it he ? Are my physical eyes failing me ? It cannot be ; 
 the figure is too large and does not move like a domes 
 tic; still, Juan has much spirit. It is Senor Guil- 
 lermo Gonzales. Ha ! ha ! what a start he gave me." 
 
 He started to rise to greet the person coming toward 
 him whom he thought to be his scientific coworker, 
 when he uttered a startled exclamation and fell quietly 
 back in the deep shadows, amongst the pillows on the 
 couch. 
 
 "It approaches with the caution and tread of Mac 
 beth. It is not a spirit. It is of flesh and blood, and 
 is here for no good purpose. To me it will be amus 
 ing from this moment on, to watch the many nefari 
 ous people who will try to end this physical existence 
 of the good and great Governor. If they knew what 
 I know, they would certainly save themselves the 
 trouble. The light in the early morning is very un 
 certain, yet the outlines of face and figure I cannot dis 
 cern with the physical eye, is plain through the eye 
 of intuition. And I see the much-disguised figure of 
 Harriet Motuble, the invincible. I must not be dis 
 covered here, or half the pleasure of knowing the ob 
 ject of her early call will be lost. From a physical
 
 Meeting in the Alameda. 195 
 
 sense of view, to follow her over the house will be inter 
 esting. Ah, where is she going now ? She stops. She 
 listens. I wonder what she hears ? Can it be that she 
 hears my breathing, or feels the vibrations of my 
 thoughts? I hope not; for if either be the case, this 
 interesting scene will be denied me. She goes toward 
 his Honor's private bedroom. The lay of the rooms 
 are well denned in her mind. What is it she carries 
 in her right hand? Now she raises it. The door is 
 opening. She will not waste a shot, I am quite sure. 
 When she finds the Governor is not in his apartment, 
 she will be disappointed, and hurry out for fear of be 
 ing discovered, but not by this door; the more private 
 one at the end of the suite will suit her purposes, I 
 fancy, much better. I will have Juan follow and 
 catch her if possible. I will have him fasten all the 
 doors securely and bar the windows. She will lead 
 him a lively chase; but then he will be otherwise occu 
 pied than studying and worrying over the absence of 
 his Honor. Here he is now." 
 
 Juan placed the breakfast on a table near the couch, 
 and said: "Fifteen minutes is a long time to spend 
 in preparing so simple a meal. I hope, I hope I have 
 not tired your patience." 
 
 "It makes no difference; in fact, I am glad I was 
 detained. I have another commission for you," said 
 Seiior Julio Murillo. "You know the large, aggressive 
 senorita Harriet Motuble, do you not?" 
 
 "I do, sir; I do. She frightened me badly once. I 
 will tell you about it," said Juan. 
 
 "At some other time, Juan," replied Senor Julio
 
 196 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Murillo. "We have no time to lose. She is in the 
 house at this moment, intent on no good purpose. See 
 that she does not get out of the house. Tell her you 
 have orders not to open the doors under twenty-four 
 hours. Follow her, Juan. She must not escape." 
 
 "But you, sir. I cannot leave you unserved," 
 pleaded Juan, expressing the hope that he might not 
 have to follow Harriet Motuble. 
 
 "I need no more service, Juan. In ten minutes I 
 will have completed my breakfast and he gone. You 
 have no time to lose; the house must be securely fas 
 tened, for the senorita is as sly as a fox, and will 
 escape if double caution is not quickly secured. It is 
 necessary to detain this woman, from more points of 
 view than one. I have nothing more to say, Juan, 
 except for you to go." 
 
 Juan's head fell low, and without a word he walked 
 slowly in the direction Harriet Hotuble had disap 
 peared. 
 
 Julio Hurillo finished his meal quickly, descended 
 the stairs noiselessly, and in an instant had disap 
 peared from the house. 
 
 Juan encountered the aggressive senorita sooner than 
 he had calculated. Evidently the many rooms and 
 openings on the floor had confused her, and she had 
 lost her bearings. And now as she was retracing her 
 steps, no doubt in the hope of finding the private 
 stairway which led to a door opening onto the back 
 lawn, she faced Juan before either was aware of the 
 presence of the other. 
 
 The invincible senorita was equal to the emergency,
 
 Meeting in the Alameda. 197 
 
 but Juan fell over against a wall, trembling and 
 frightened, and prayed that she would pass him unob 
 served. 
 
 Again he was doomed to disappointment, for in 
 stead of passing him unobserved, or if observed, hur 
 rying by him in the hope of escaping without being 
 detected, the very instant she saw him she walked 
 bravely up, and slapping him on the shoulder, said: 
 
 "Hello, Juan. You seem to have been on guard all 
 night, or else something unusual has happened to get 
 you up at this early hour. Come, Juan, you are my 
 friend ; let me into your secret. I mean, of course, the 
 secret of the household." 
 
 "Well," replied Juan, with some spirit, as he pushed 
 her hand off his shoulder and moved away from her, 
 "you seem to know more about this house than I do." 
 
 "Ha ! ha ! Juan," laughed the senorita. "Ha ! ha ! 
 there are tricks in all trades, and by the time you have 
 lived through five existences and remember everything 
 in each life and take advantage of your learning, you 
 will know more about some things than some other 
 people who do not remember. Ha! ha! Juan, why 
 don't you drink some of your master's 'Memory Fluid' 
 a gallon or so, to start on? Ha! ha! That 
 'Liquid from the Sun's Bays' is wonderful! It could 
 not be otherwise, as his Honor is such a wonderful man. 
 But come, Juan, tell me where he is. In which 
 room? And see, this is for your trouble." She held 
 up a twenty-dollar gold coin, which shone brightly in 
 the dim light of the early morning. "A twenty-dollar 
 gold coin cannot be picked up every moment, Juan. 
 Do you know a good thing when you see it?"
 
 198 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "See me; do you, miss, see me? Well, I will stand 
 here until I starve to death, or am killed, before I 
 would tell you anything about his Honor's affairs, 
 if you offered me ten times that amount of money. 
 I don't need any money. I have plenty to eat and 
 wear. But I haven't time to stand here in his Honor's 
 private bedrooms talking to a lady at this early hour 
 in the morning or at any other hour of the day." 
 
 "Well, well, omego, you are a loyal servant. I only 
 wanted to know if his Honor has recovered from the 
 fright I gave him a few days ago. I really do not re 
 call to mind the exact date," persisted Miss Motuble. 
 
 To which Juan replied: "The Governor is not so 
 easily frightened as you seem to imagine. You never 
 frightened him; you simply overpowered him 
 by means of your superior physical force." 
 
 "Whew !" was the surprised beginning of Miss Motu- 
 ble's reply. "Whew! think of this great logician 
 living all these years in Chihuahua and until this mo 
 ment undiscovered. I have done humanity a great act 
 of kindness by coming up here, even if my original 
 object in coming was what the physical world calls 
 villainous." 
 
 "There has been more than one person here to-night 
 for the same purpose. But the Governor is alive and 
 well, and will so remain until the end of time." 
 
 "Juan," tantalizingly replied Miss Motuble, "you 
 are fast becoming a man of science. Association has 
 done it all, Juan done it all." 
 
 At that moment a small figure in white appeared in 
 the room where they stood.
 
 Meeting in the Alameda. 199 
 
 "It is the ghost of Catalina," said Juan. 
 
 "It is no ghost. It is Catalina herself. She is a 
 somnambulist. You do not know what that word 
 means, do you, Juan ? It means she walks in her sleep. 
 Come; we will follow her," concluded Miss Motuble. 
 Catalina walked quietly to the far end of the room in 
 the direction she was going, then, turning around, she 
 retraced her steps and entered her own room. She 
 was closely followed by Harriet Motuble. Juan took 
 advantage of the occasion to slip away unobserved and 
 to carry out the instructions of Julio Murillo. 
 
 Catalina climbed upon her little bed, and to all ap 
 pearances went to sleep. Marriet Motuble wanted to 
 speak to the child, yet hesitated. Going close to the 
 bed and gazing intently on her upturned face, she said : 
 "She is very much of a child, indeed. I will not speak 
 to her. Juan, show me over the house.'' Juan made 
 no reply, and turning around, she discovered for the 
 first time that he was not present. "That is a cool way 
 of treating a guest. I will report the actions of this 
 domestic to his Honor the first time I meet him. 
 Think of it. I, Marriet Motuble, in her sixth life, 
 with a full and complete remembrance of each, being 
 left to pilot myself through the grand mansion of the 
 great Governor of Chihuahua. It seems that the man 
 ners of domestics, and some people who are not domes 
 tics, to-day are as much out of order as they were in 
 the nineteenth century. The nonprogression of some 
 people is not to be accounted for; at least, I shall not 
 occupy my mind trying to figure it out. There are 
 other things of more consequence. For instance, were
 
 200 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 the revolutionists successful in killing his Honor, and 
 his coworkers ? If so, where are their bodies ? If not, 
 where are the revolutionists? There are no signs of 
 any disturbers of peace having been here. I'll make a 
 hasty search through the house, and quietly make my 
 exit." 
 
 No sooner had Harriet Motuble passed from the 
 room, than Catalina sprang from her bed, quickly put 
 on a street dress, and in a few minutes was out of 
 the house. She passed on without attracting any at 
 tention. 
 
 The streets were alive with trades-people hurrying 
 to their respective places of business. In the great 
 bustle, no one noticed the child. Harriet Hotuble, too, 
 evaded the guardianship of Juan, and was soon lost in 
 the crowds on the streets. Everywhere there were 
 large numbers of policemen, and now and then small 
 squads of soldiers hurried by, all of whom evidently 
 had a place in view which they were bent on reaching 
 at an early hour. 
 
 As she wandered on and on through one crowded 
 street after another, she met here and there a face 
 whom she recognized as a revolutionary sympathizer, 
 many of whom had been amongst the crowd in the 
 store room the evening before, and heard her deliver 
 a sympathetic speech, disguised as a man. Now none 
 of them recognized her. How could they, when no 
 one had any suspicions that the speaker of the previous 
 evening was a woman in disguise. Harriet Hotuble's 
 face wore a look of serious disappointment. 
 
 Approaching a small group of men she inquired the
 
 Meeting in the Alameda. 201 
 
 hour, and on being told it was five o'clock, she then 
 asked if the morning paper was out and what news 
 there was about the persons intent on disturbing the 
 peace. Several expressed themselves as considering the 
 condition of affairs very alarming; while others who 
 joined the crowd thought the affair would be of no 
 further consequence. 
 
 While the small crowd were talking, the cry of: 
 "All about the Kevolutionists," "Prisoners accused of 
 Treason against the United States of America," from 
 a hundred or more news-carriers, rang out loud and 
 long. 
 
 Every person present bought a paper, the great daily 
 Chihuahuan. 
 
 Harriet Motuble opened her paper, and as she walked 
 hurriedly toward the Mexican Annex, read to herself: 
 
 "Seventy-five of the revolutionary party traced by 
 detectives to the home of Governor Lehumada, where 
 all but a few, who escaped during the trouble which 
 occurred while the arrests were being made, are now 
 lodged behind the prison bars awaiting trial. The ob 
 ject of these fanatics was to take the life of the Gov 
 ernor, which would precipitate the State into a fearful 
 excitement, and aid them in getting a hold upon the 
 ignorant, and in increasing their nefarious deeds. 
 The promoters of the revolutionary sentiments: Don 
 Francisco K. Cantu y Falomir, Father Hernandez, and 
 the Eev. J. T. Note, who were arrested and placed in 
 jail on a charge of treason against the Government, 
 have escaped." 
 
 "Escaped!" exclaimed Harriet Hotuble. "Escaped,
 
 202 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 and I did not know it till now. Well, I never will tell 
 The Chihuahuan where I got the first knowledge of 
 the affair. Ha! ha! I would bet on J. T. Note every 
 time. He was slick in the other life that I knew him. 
 He was a foreign missionary. He came down to this 
 country, which was then a part of the fastly waning 
 Eepublic of Mexico, to teach the descendants of the 
 Aztecs and the Spanish conquerors the Protestant faith. 
 He represented a large body of proselytes who were 
 jealous of the hold the Catholic Church had on the 
 Mexican Eepublic. He exhorted and pleaded with the 
 poor, downtrodden people, to believe as the Protestants 
 believed; to renounce their faith in Catholicism. He 
 without question wanted the centavos the ignorant crea 
 tures stole and begged for, and he got them, many of 
 them at that. And he built himself a fine place of 
 worship and clothed himself and family in purple and 
 fine linen, as the Bible expresses it, and lived off the 
 fat of the land from the sale of the zarapas which were 
 donated for the use of the poor, ignorant peons whom 
 he had converted. Yes, he is slick. Now he is in the 
 same boat that the priests were in then. The faith 
 in the teachings of the lazy creatures is waning. There 
 should be more corn-fields to plough and ditches to dig, 
 and everyone who subscribes himself priest or pastor 
 should be compelled to dig so many hundred feet every 
 year, even if they missed part of their prayers and con 
 fessions. Yes, J. T. Note will wiggle out of this 
 affair somehow, as he has out of jail. It may be, 
 through the instrumentality of the present regime he 
 and his associates will be ebonized and put in a
 
 Meeting in the Alameda. 203 
 
 museum, where they will be of much interest to the 
 future generations. 
 
 "The treatise on 'Uses of Ebony Fluid/ which I found 
 lying on the Governor's desk in his private office the 
 first day I called there, speaks of using it to preserve 
 the body in its present shape, after the spirit of life 
 has passed out. The use of a few drops of 'Ebony 
 Fluid' turns all such animal matter black as ebony, 
 and preserves it through all eternity. This gives me 
 an idea. The copy of his treatise on 'Mental 
 Fotography,' which I took with me from the room, will 
 enable me to experiment with this lightning process of 
 fotography known only to his Honor, Messrs. Julio 
 Murillo and Guillermo Gonzales, and to spring a sur 
 prise upon them. Well, these meditations will save for 
 another time. What is this: 'The Governor Spirited 
 Away ! He has not been seen at the Mansion since 
 eleven-thirty last night. Much fear is entertained that 
 foul play has been done. At this hour no news of his 
 whereabouts can be had. Much rioting and plunder 
 ing by sympathizers from both the Catholic and Prot 
 estant faith in many of the States. Those who are 
 opposed to free thought and the scientific demonstra 
 tion of spiritualistic advancement constitute a large 
 body of the revolutionists/ " 
 
 Folding up The Chihudhuan, and placing it in her 
 coat-pocket, after the fashion of business men, she 
 increased her pace. 
 
 "Ah!" she exclaimed, as she turned a corner which 
 put her on the street facing the Mexican Annex; "if 
 there is not the child Catalina. Something is taking
 
 204 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 place which I cannot ferret. She mnst not see me. 
 I will hurry to the Annex, disguise myself, and follow 
 this child, who is wiser than her years," concluded 
 the invincible Marriet Motuble, as she hurried on with 
 lightning tread. 
 
 Catalina Martinet walked slowly on, now and then 
 glancing around as if she expected some one. On 
 reaching the Alameda she increased her steps and 
 walked up to the magnificent statue of George Wash 
 ington. After viewing it intently for a moment, she 
 sat down on a rustic seat near by. "I will sit here and 
 watch for her. She must be punished in this life for 
 her misdeeds. She, as well as 'The Plunger from 
 Kansas,' escaped in the other life. She was a peace dis 
 turber then, and who can say she is not a peace dis 
 turber now? Ah, here comes a person who makes one 
 feel like there is no ill in the world. Her presence has 
 the same effect on me, after seeing Marriet Motuble, 
 that oil does on a deep burn. It heals and cools the 
 fever caused by evil thoughts. I love her; she is my 
 angel of light," concluded Catalina Martinet, as she 
 sprang from her seat in eager excitement, and ran to 
 meet the object of her love. 
 
 Helen Hinckley clasped her fondly in her arms, and 
 exclaimed: "It is a very early hour, sweet child, for 
 you to be out and alone. I knew you would be here; 
 that is why I came this way." 
 
 "I expected you, Miss Hinckley. You must help 
 me as you did the Governor, if I need help. He is 
 safe, is he not?" said Catalina. 
 
 "You expected me, you say? Well, that is a coin-
 
 Meeting in the Alameda. 205 
 
 cidence. Yes, child, the great Governor, author and 
 scientific man is safe and unharmed. He is beyond 
 the pale of the revolutionists. No great harm can 
 attend; the great Divine Influence will protect him 
 from physical destruction, but often his existence 
 physically will be in danger of annihilation. Come, 
 dear, tell me why you are out, and in what way I can 
 serve you. We are both working to accomplish the 
 same result," said the beautiful Helen Hinckley, as 
 she pressed the child's soft white hands to her lips. 
 
 "I am out," answered Catalina, "to look after several 
 people; those who should be compelled to repent of 
 their evil ways in this life, that others in a life to come 
 may not be imposed upon by them." 
 
 "So far," said Helen Hinckley, '"your answer is 
 logical and full of feeling. But who are the people 
 about whom you have reached such a conclusion?" 
 
 "The main person is 'The Plunger from Kansas.' 
 He is in hiding and in disguise. He lingers and 
 lingers in this city ; yet it is hard to get him to the bar 
 of justice." 
 
 "That is true, child; there is a great mental magnet 
 that holds him here in spite of himself. And if by 
 some means he becomes a subject, he will walk up by 
 his own free will and acknowledge the debt he owes to 
 me and others, and will proffer the money. The day 
 of reckoning is sure to come. Do not let the Plunger 
 give you one moment of uneasiness, dear," added Miss 
 Hinckley. 
 
 "I am not uneasy. I am only anxious to get out 
 of the body again; and I wish to serve his Honor all
 
 206 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 that is possible before I go," was the rather serious 
 reply of Catalina. 
 
 "You are unhappy, child. Why is it, when you 
 are surrounded by every comfort, and are dearly be 
 loved by his Honor? He could not love a child of 
 his own any more. Do not wish to leave. I will be 
 lonely when you are gone. And his Honor, I cannot 
 say how badly he will feel. I do not like to see a 
 little girl so serious." 
 
 Helen Hinckley took the strange child on her lap aa 
 she concluded, and pressed her face to her bosom. 
 
 Catalina put her arms around her neck and as she 
 kissed her fondly on the cheek, said: "Before I re 
 membered, I was not serious; but I took spells of cry 
 ing, and without any reason whatever I cried to be 
 called Catalina Lehumada. Then on the day I went 
 to sell flowers and saw the bad, bad man who caused 
 me grief in the life gone by, I remembered. Senor 
 Julio Murillo says he put a small bottle of 'Memory 
 Fluid' near by, so I could not help inhaling the fumes, 
 and that is what made me remember. Then I knew 
 why I felt as I did about not being his little girl. 
 It is enough to make any one serious to be born into 
 a family in which there is no harmony whatever with 
 one's life. When I see the Plunger repentant, and 
 hear Harriet Motuble confess her sins, and the man 
 who made me faint, mend his ways, I will go, and 
 return, I hope, into a sphere of harmony. There 
 comes Harriet Hotuble. I must follow her instead of 
 her following me." 
 
 "Where is she, child? queer, interesting, lovely,
 
 Meeting in the Alameda. 207 
 
 spiritual darling that you are, tell me, where is Har 
 riet Motuble?" quickly spoke Catalina's companion. 
 
 "Do you see that large man dressed in steel-grey 
 clothes, who walks like a lawyer? Yes? That per 
 son is not a man. Harriet Hotuble is the name of the 
 person. She is out for no good. Less than an hour 
 ago she was in his Honor's mansion." 
 
 "Impossible! How did she enter?" cried Hiss 
 Hinckley, as she arose to watch Harriet Hotuble, the 
 friend of her other life, now parading nervously be 
 fore the great Hexican Annex. 
 
 "Stranger in this life than in the life she lived in 
 the nineteenth century. She is kind-hearted enough 
 and true in a way. Her strange actions are due to 
 her inability to control her violent temper, on the one 
 hand, and to temper her jealousy, on the other." 
 
 "It is her love for his Honor, and the assurance 
 she has that he cares not for her, that causes her strange 
 actions in this life. She is looking for you. She be 
 lieves you know where his Honor is, and if she follows 
 you she will find him. Look, Hiss Hinckley, look; a 
 dreadful fight is taking place yonder, I want to go. I 
 may be needed," cried Catalina. 
 
 "Quite true, child. We will go. Listen to the re 
 ports of the guns. How horrible to send one out of 
 the body in such an uproarious fashion. Why can't 
 they use the noiseless guns? This is simply barbar 
 ism." 
 
 "I want to go," impatiently cried Catalina. "I 
 must go. Hiss Hinckley, come with me. I am im 
 patient to finish my work here and go. I cannot longer
 
 208 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 endure the family relations into which I was horn. 
 It is a living death to me. Look at the crowd ! His 
 Honor may be there and in danger. His work has only 
 begun; he must not be retarded in it." 
 
 Helen Hinckley took the strange child, strange to 
 the uninitiated, by the hand, looked intently into her 
 sweet up-turned face, which she kissed fondly, and 
 without a word they started briskly toward the street 
 where the fight was taking place. 
 
 "Oh, I wish I were there," impatiently cried Cata- 
 lina. "If I had wings I would fly." 
 
 "Stop, dear; put your right palm on my left palm 
 and slip your left hand under this strap. That is cor 
 rect. We cannot fly like birds in the sky, but we can 
 sail along at a slow, steady rate, much faster than we 
 can walk; and if necessary, we can rise above the 
 crowd and escape." 
 
 "How splendid!" cried Catalina, as she felt herself 
 rising from the ground. "How splendid ! Miss Hinck- 
 ley> you are m y angel. You will carry me safely. 
 His Honor cannot live much longer in this life un 
 less you are with him. My dear papa! I love him, 
 oh, so much! He will be my papa some day, when I 
 return." 
 
 "He loves you now, as if you were his child, and 
 so do I," whispered Helen Hinckley to Catalina. 
 
 "I will be your child, too. Yours and hisHonor's" 
 answered the child, happy in the thought that she 
 would have in a life to come harmonious environments. 
 
 The crowd grew greater, and by the time Miss 
 Hinckley and her little companion reached the place
 
 Meeting in the Alameda. 209 
 
 where the trouble was occurring, ten thousand people 
 had collected themselves together, and from the threats 
 and cries against the Governor and his scientific co- 
 workers, many amongst them evidently were of the 
 revolutionary party. 
 
 Miss Hinckley and Catalina quietly pushed them 
 selves into the thickest of the crowd, and had it not 
 been for the fact that they could hold themselves above 
 the crowd, both would have suffered for the want of 
 pure, wholesome air. 
 
 At first no one paid any attention to them, but 
 when Miss Hinckley saw men fall back dying, she 
 cried : "Stand back, gentlemen !" and everyone looked 
 at her in surprise.
 
 210 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 CHAPTEK XV. 
 
 THE CONSPIRATORS DISPERSED. 
 
 "IT is only a woman !" exclaimed one man. "Finish 
 the job, boys. She cannot prevent us. Finish your 
 slaughter, boys; then we will triumph. Do not mind 
 the voice of a woman. One of the makers of 'Memory 
 Fluid' lies dead now, and the others will be laid in 
 the grave at the same time, if they can be found." 
 
 At that moment the entire crowd was surrounded by 
 police and soldiers, and the voice of a general rang 
 out : '^Revolutionists, surrender or die !" 
 
 Still, curses, threats and shots from the disturbers 
 of peace rang out. The soldiers were drawing 
 nearer and on the point of rushing into the 
 revolutionists, determined to quell the uprising with 
 their noiseless guns and poisoned bayonets, when 
 Helen Hinckley arose far above the heads of all, with 
 Catalina by the hand, and cried: "Colonel, no blood 
 must be shed. The principles of truth must not be 
 established by bloodshed. People cannot be forced to 
 see the inner life. It can only come through an 
 awakening of self. Orthodoxism has been carried into 
 every country with the sword in one hand, and the 
 cross in the other. No lasting good has resulted. A 
 knowledge of things not seen by the eye cannot be
 
 The Conspirators Dispersed. 211 
 
 forced on man. Come forward; the disturbers will 
 give up their arms. Take them prisoners, and if they 
 will be subjects, if they will take ''Memory Fluid' freely 
 and without force, the evil in them will be overcome. 
 They will remember and when they remember they will 
 see the things not seen by the eye" 
 
 To the initiated the sight of Helen Hinckley and 
 Catalina Martinet suspended in the air wholly with 
 out any visible support, in consequence of overcoming 
 the law of gravitation, was the cause of much rejoic 
 ing. On the other hand, the great mass of people pres 
 ent whose knowledge of the great law of God was 
 limited, or more often wanting, stood back in awe. 
 Some of the revolutionists cried: "Save us, save us! 
 The wrath of God is upon us. The end of the world 
 is near." 
 
 The captain of one of the regular companies stood 
 near by, and seeing the effect of Helen Hinckley's words 
 and the sight of her and Catalina now moving slowly 
 from one part of the crowd to another, suspended in 
 space, concluded to take advantage of the occasion, and 
 quietly and without bloodshed make prisoners of the 
 worst of the leaders of the trouble. At the most op 
 portune moment possible for him to be assisted in car 
 rying out his intentions, Helen Hinckley cried: "Lay 
 down your arms, you disturbers of law! Surrender 
 before it is too late." The soldiers rushed in and with 
 very little trouble disarmed those who had uttered the 
 revolutionary sentiments, those who were considered 
 the most dangerous, and the leaders of the party. 
 
 With the assistance of the police, several hundred
 
 212 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 men were marshalled away from the crowded street, 
 some imprisoned and others put under strict surveil 
 lance, where they would be kept until peace was 
 finally assured in the city, and the rebellion in general 
 had been quelled. 
 
 While the throng was dispersing, Helen Hinckley 
 and Catalina sought the wounded, and had them re 
 moved to the great hospital, while the dead were taken 
 to the morgue to await identification and be prepared 
 for burial. 
 
 Julio Murillo was discovered, when they were leav 
 ing to follow the wounded to the hospital, jammed up 
 against a large stone, several bullet holes through 
 him and one leg broken. A litter was soon at hand by 
 Miss Hinckley's order, and the great man of science 
 was carried hurriedly to the Governor's Mansion, where 
 every attention known to science was given him. 
 
 Not for several hours after his leg had been set, the 
 bullets removed and the poison counteracted by means 
 of "Liquid from the Sun's Kays," did he return to 
 consciousness. 
 
 Senor Guillermo Gonzales, assisted by Helen Hinck 
 ley, performed the entire operation, and sat quietly 
 by his side discussing in subdued tones the present 
 state of affairs. When he again had control of his 
 mental faculties, he addressed himself first to Helen 
 Hinckley. 
 
 "You saved me from many long days of suffering 
 by discovering my condition when you did, and at 
 tending to my wounds so promptly. And I thank 
 you very much."
 
 The Conspirators Dispersed. 213 
 
 "I was out to do my duty, friend Julio; there is no 
 occasion for thanks. Many believed that you had left 
 us; but I was determined not to take any chances. 
 It seemed impossible that you would pass away at the 
 very moment your services are the most needed. Now 
 that you are with us again, and I am assured of the 
 fact, I will go to the hospital, where my hands may 
 be needed to care for the wounded and dying." 
 
 At that moment, Juan quietly entered the room, 
 bringing a card which he handed to Senor Guillermo 
 Gonzales. 
 
 He scanned the card closely and read : " 'William 
 Jones, Physician and Surgeon.' A very plain, in 
 offensive name. I will receive Doctor Jones; he may 
 be able to render some assistance at the hospital. Show 
 him up to the reception-room, Juan. Hold a min 
 ute/' he said, turning the card over ; "here is a message 
 written on the back." 
 
 "Your Honor," it began, "I wish to offer my pro 
 fessional services. Let me help care for the wounded 
 and dying. Call me. I am your servant." 
 
 "Those are noble sentiments. I will receive him im 
 mediately. Miss Hinckley, remain with friend Julio 
 until I return," concluded Guillermo Gonzales, as he 
 arose to leave the room. Julio Murillo detained him 
 by saying: "Doctor Jones has no doubt made this 
 call partly to find out my condition. I will consider 
 it a favor if you let him come to this room, and I 
 insist that Mis Hinckley remain." 
 
 "As you like, friend Julio. You know your condi 
 tion better than anyone else. If you do not fear any
 
 214 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 evil results from having this stranger present, Juan 
 may show the visitor here, to this room," concluded 
 Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 No sooner had Juan disappeared from the room, than 
 a light tap was heard on the door. Helen Hinckley 
 opened it quietly and his Honor stepped into the room. 
 
 He clasped her hand warmly, and said in tones only 
 heard by herself : "My soul, my life, my preserver ! I 
 must speak to you alone. .When and where? I want 
 to know now." 
 
 "When the interview at hand is over, I will take you 
 to our retreat, found this morning. Hark ! they are 
 coming," concluded Miss Hinckley, going slowly with 
 the Governor to the bed on which lay the wounded scien 
 tist. 
 
 Senor Guillermo Gonzales greeted the Governor cor 
 dially, and explained the condition of Julio. 
 
 The Governor sympathized heartily with the sufferer, 
 and assured him that the mere fact of his escape from 
 death, or rather of his being wounded in the affray, 
 would serve as proof of the real intentions of the rebels, 
 and be a means of helping to bring the trouble to an 
 early end. 
 
 "I have for the last two hours been closeted with the 
 officers of war, and constantly in receipt of messages 
 from Washington. The Government is determined to 
 put down these small cliques of rebels. The condition 
 of affairs in some of the States east of the Mississippi 
 Eiver is worse than in our own city. The President 
 will arrive in the national capital to-morrow night, and 
 a council of war will be held immediately. Instantly
 
 The Conspirators Dispersed. 215 
 
 the result will be made known to us. There is much, 
 much to be talked about; but the condition of our 
 friend Julio must be the first consideration. Ah ! here 
 comes some one. Who can be intruding on the wounded 
 one?" concluded the Governor. 
 
 Senor Guillermo Gonzales handed him the card of 
 the prospective visitor, and said: "A physician, who 
 wishes to assist in caring for the wounded and dying. 
 It is at the request of Julio that he comes here." 
 
 At that moment the door opened at the order of 
 Senor Guillermo Gonzales, and Juan ushered in 
 William Jones, M. D., but not alone. He was accom 
 panied by a much smaller and younger looking man, 
 whom he introduced to Senor Guillermo Gonzales as 
 "my secretary, Francis Maynard." 
 
 William Jones, M. D., bowed very stiffly when pre 
 sented to the Governor and Helen Hinckley, but was 
 very profuse in his expressions of sympathy when he 
 was presented to the wounded scientist. 
 
 "Ah, friend Julio, I could not resist coming to see 
 you, after hearing of your terrible accident. Gentle 
 men, I recognize in this unfortunate man a friend of my 
 youth. I beg of you to let me attend him. I have 
 no business at present, and your duties are many." 
 
 Questioning glances passed between Helen Hinckley, 
 Guillermo Gonzales and the Governor. Even Juan felt 
 that something was radically wrong, and as he looked 
 from one to the other with a hopeful expression in his 
 face, he turned away, and as his eyes fell upon the 
 face of Doctor Jones, he shook his head, which con 
 firmed all that his suspicions had been aroused, and he
 
 216 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 evidently believed Doctor Jones to be the suspicious per 
 son. The two strangers did not accept the chairs 
 offered them, and all in the room remained standing. 
 
 Doctor Jones, seemingly unconscious of the sus 
 picions his presence had aroused, continued: "If my 
 medical skill avails anything, the son of Seiiora Suz- 
 zan Carriles, of Colima, shall not leave this existence 
 until the great work he is trying to accomplish is a 
 success. Until 'Memory Fluid/ and the wonderful re 
 sults obtained by the use of it, are heralded from one 
 end of the universe to the other. It is a great and 
 noble cause for which you are working, to see that 
 justice is meted to all. 'The Plunger from Kansas' is 
 not the only one to whom justice will be meted out. 
 The ample proof at hand that he committed the great 
 cattle theft in the year eighteen hundred and ninety- 
 eight, and was then the cause of suffering and poverty 
 of many whom fortune favored in the way of helping 
 on retribution, by causing many whom he wronged, to 
 live another life at the same time the Plunger lived, 
 that this very thing for which you are working might 
 come to pass. Gentlemen, let me congratulate you, one 
 and all." With that the enthusiastic doctor shook 
 hands with the three scientists and Miss Hinckley. 
 Everyone present except himself seemed to be very 
 much constrained. 
 
 He rubbed his hands in evident satisfaction, and as he 
 sat down by Julio's bedside he continued : "You will do 
 me a very great favor not to linger here any longer. 
 Others need your services badly. It will give me much 
 pain to leave the son of Senora Suzzan Carriles, of
 
 The Conspirators Dispersed. 217 
 
 Colima. Sit down, Francis, sit down. I may need 
 you. Gentlemen, consider yourselves at liberty to go 
 now." 
 
 Great astonishment was written on the faces of the 
 Governor, Senor Guillermo Gonzales, Miss Hinckley and 
 Juan. They were too much surprised at the audacity 
 of Doctor Jones to speak. Even Francis Maynard 
 showed great uneasiness as he took a seat near the chair 
 of Doctor Jones. 
 
 Governor Lehumada offered Miss Hinckley his arm, 
 and without a word they left the room, followed by 
 Senor Guillermo Gonzales, who tarried a moment to 
 give a few directions to Juan, and speak a moment with 
 his coworker, Julio Murillo. 
 
 When the three were safely in the Governor's private 
 study, and the door securely locked, the Governor mo 
 tioned all to be seated. Standing in front of them he 
 laughed merrily, as he said: "It was well for my 
 reputation that no stranger was present when Doctor 
 Jones invited us to leave our own apartments, and we 
 quietly obeyed without any comments whatever." 
 
 Both Senor Guillermo Gonzales and Helen Hinck 
 ley saw the humorous side of the occurrence and they 
 joined the Governor in his laugh. 
 
 "The audacious senorita," continued the Governor, 
 "is irresponsible for her actions." 
 
 Miss Hinckley and Senor Guillermo Gonzales ex 
 claimed in a breath : "Senorita ?" 
 
 "Certainly; Marriet Motuble. I do not believe it is 
 possible for her to effect a disguise I could not pene 
 trate."
 
 218 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "Governor/' said Miss Hinckley, "you have con 
 firmed my suspicions." 
 
 "And mine/' added Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "The young fellow with her I cannot quite make 
 out," continued the Governor, with a puzzled look in 
 his face. 
 
 "The fellow/' said Helen Hinckley, "is, I be 
 lieve, 'The Plunger from Kansas.' '' 
 
 "Can it be possible?" exclaimed both the Governor 
 and Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "Then we must not let him get away until we have 
 his full confession in writing, and a check for the full 
 amount of his obligations," said the Governor. 
 
 "You are quite right, Miguey," said the Governor's 
 scientific friend, and friend of his other life, "quite 
 right. Possibly if we had been able to present to the 
 public a month or so ago all the necessary proofs of 
 what we claim for 'Memory Fluid/ the present trouble, 
 the uprising, I mean might have been prevented. 
 It is a horrible thing. Fifty persons now lie dead in 
 the morgue." 
 
 "It is a serious condition of affairs," replied the Gov 
 ernor, "for the uninitiated, particularly, to be sent out 
 of this existence during such an unfortunate affair, 
 and without any insight whatever into the unseen. 
 Think of the misery they will unknowingly cause the 
 future generation. If it were not the law that each 
 must see the things not seen by the eye, before they 
 are fitted for the Eealm on High, it would be fortunate 
 for those who will come in contact with them if their 
 reappearance here could be prevented."
 
 The Conspirators Dispersed. 219 
 
 "I hope the poor creatures at the hospital who were 
 wounded and are in agony with physical pain, will 
 recover, that they may have a chance to know. If 
 your Honor and Senor Guillermo Gonzales will pardon 
 me, I will hurry to the hospital and tender my services," 
 concluded Helen Hinckley, as she arose to leave the 
 room. 
 
 "One moment, one moment, Miss Hinckley/' said 
 Governor Lehumada. "I will inquire how the wounded 
 are, and if your services are needed." 
 
 The Governor stepped into the chamber adjoining, 
 built especially to condense thought waves, which were 
 made audible by holding a small cone-shaped instru 
 ment to the ear which was connected at the smaller 
 end by means of a fine wire to the thought-condensing 
 board. In a few moments he returned to his study with 
 a very much pleased expression on his face. He 
 dropped into a chair, and throwing his handsome head 
 far back and his arms out and forward in a suppliant 
 manner, cried: "Great Cause, thou everlasting Euler, 
 the Promoter of Harmony, and the Distributor of Jus 
 tice, I am happier this moment than at any other period 
 of my existence to my recollection." 
 
 Helen Hinckley and Guillermo Gonzales looked 
 quietly on, but neither spoke. 
 
 After his exclamation was completed he looked at his 
 friends smilingly, and continued : "Miss Hinckley, and 
 friend Guillermo, this is a victorious day for us. I 
 have this moment heard from the head physician at the 
 hospital, William J. Matling. He says that only two 
 of the fifty wounded will pass away. He further states
 
 220 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 that their blasphemous cries and threats against myself 
 and my able coworkers which filled the air with horror 
 for an hour or more, have subsided, and they are either 
 in a state which resembles a trance, or are relating 
 strange stories, and now and then one shouts: 'I am 
 happy. I know what it is to live. I see the things not 
 seen by the eye and hear things not heard by the ear/ 
 He further says that a strange child, who declares she 
 is his Honor's Catalina, has been going from one ward 
 to another, and to no one has she failed to talk a 
 moment. He requested the head nurse to have the child 
 taken away from the hospital ; but every man protested, 
 and he allowed her to remain." 
 
 "Catalina, the blessed one," said Miss Hinckley ; "she 
 is determined on doing her duty in this life." 
 
 "The physician asked me to use my influence in re 
 moving the child from the hospital. He said he firmly 
 believes she has bewitched the men, and when they come 
 out from under her spell they will be beyond his con 
 trol," said the Governor. 
 
 "Doctor Matling is certainly one of the uninitiated. 
 Catalina should give him a whiff of 'Memory Fluid/ 
 and he would understand the spell he thinks she has 
 cast over those men," said Senor Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "I remember," added Miss Hinckley. "She had a 
 small basket on her arm this morning, in which were 
 several dozen small vials. She said they were full of 
 'Memory Fluid' and she was going to give part of the 
 contents to each of the most vicious of the disturbers 
 of peace she could find/' 
 
 "The dear, blessed darling !" exclaimed the Governor,
 
 The Conspirators Dispersed. 221 
 
 rising. "We discoverers of 'Memory Fluid' certainly 
 owe that dear child an eternal debt of gratitude. Miss 
 Hinckley, I wish you to remain here for a few days; 
 your services are not needed at the hospital or on the 
 street. You can render me and the cause for which we 
 all are working, more direct good by staying here. The 
 trial of the unfortunate creatures who attempted to 
 rid this existence of my presence physically, I hope to 
 have take place in the near future. The capture of the 
 three instigators of this uprising is looked for at any 
 moment. The condition of the revolt outside of the 
 city is getting more serious." 
 
 "And in the North and East, friend Miguey, does 
 not the President report the condition alarming?" 
 asked Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "He does," replied the Governor. "And the main 
 body of rebels comes from those who see the waning of 
 dogmatic teachings, on the one side, and the increase 
 of scientific investigations in the realm of spirit, on the 
 other. One cannot be forced to see the hidden. The 
 desire must be born within. And when the desire is 
 given birth, it needs strict adherence to right, a con 
 tinual reaching out for Truth, or little good is accom 
 plished." 
 
 "These priests and pastors and the fanatics who fol 
 low them are on the whole responsible for the condi 
 tion at present; but, Miguey, the final is the great vic 
 tory of the spirit ; of the diffusion of knowledge of the 
 law of the unseen," said Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "The petition pending in the legislature of the United 
 States," said Helen Hinckley, "for a law to be passed to
 
 222 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 the effect that all persons who claim to be 'called' to 
 preach what they call the religion of 'Jesus Christ/ must 
 either show that they have sufficient means to support 
 themselves, independent of the church, or can procure 
 employment in connection with their gospel teachings, 
 that they may not be such a burden upon the com 
 munity, as well as objects of especial charity upon their 
 particular church, is a great move in the right direction. 
 Also, that both priest and pastor be compelled to dress 
 while on the street in ordinary business clothes; that 
 the confessionals in the Catholic church be done away 
 with, and that all the priests, bishops, cardinals and 
 even the Pope, be granted the privilege of marrying; 
 likewise, all the women belonging to the various orders 
 of the church be granted the same privilege. This 
 will be, in my opinion, the beginning of raising the 
 standard of morals and the creating of a desire for spirit 
 knowledge," concluded Miss Hinckley. 
 
 "I believe you were the originator of that petition, 
 were you not, Miguey?" asked Guillermo Gonzales, 
 in a voice which showed the great pride he had in his 
 friend the Governor. 
 
 "Yes, I framed the petition," replied the Governor, 
 "and I met with much opposition when I took it to 
 Washington and presented it privately to several of the 
 most unprejudiced senators and representatives." 
 
 "Why were they opposed?" asked Miss Hinckley. 
 
 "They no doubt thought that such a law would inter 
 fere with the religious beliefs of the people, and hence 
 be directly opposed to the Constitution of the United 
 States of America. Am I not correct, Miguey ?" asked 
 Guillermo Gonzales.
 
 The Conspirators Dispersed. 223 
 
 "Quite true, quite true/' replied the Governor. 
 "That was the first objection that was broached; but 
 I soon convinced them that such a law would in nowise 
 interfere with freedom of religious views. When I told 
 them that none but Mexican blood had coursed through 
 my veins since time out of mind, and how distinctly 
 I recalled the practices of the priests in my other exist 
 ences, in Mexico, how they used the confessional as a 
 means to frighten the people into submission and ex 
 tort money from them, and how they held themselves 
 up as shining lights of purity and virtue, when those 
 whose eyes were opened knew that their very thoughts 
 were seething masses of immorality, they promised 
 to investigate the truth of my statements before for 
 mally presenting the petition." 
 
 "And they have done so!" exclaimed Helen Hinck- 
 ley; "they have done so, and the President who gave 
 it no ear at the start, is in favor of its becoming a law. 
 The full account of it is in the great daily Chihttahuan." 
 
 "Is that true?" exclaimed the Governor. 
 
 "It is, Miguey, and President Mortingo has, no doubt, 
 reached his present state of thought since becoming a 
 subject," said Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "If the petition becomes a law," said Helen Hinck- 
 ley, "it will no doubt be attributed to the effect of 
 'Memory Fluid' upon the President and the knowledge 
 your wonderful discovery is continually producing 
 upon mankind. The discovery of 'Memory Fluid' is 
 the wonder of this wonderful age of scientific investiga 
 tions, particularly in the spirit realm," concluded Miss 
 Hinckley, as she glanced admiringly at the great Gov 
 ernor of Chihuahua.
 
 224 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "I thank you very much, Miss Hinckley, and so does 
 my friend here," said the Governor, going up to her and 
 taking both of her hands in his; "but the truth is, 
 Guillermo, Miss Hinckley's modesty keeps her from 
 letting even her most intimate friends know of her own 
 great knowledge of Law. It was through her knowledge 
 of Law that my life was spared only this morning." 
 
 "Can it be possible !" exclaimed Guillermo Gonzales. 
 "This is the first intimation I have had of your life be 
 ing in danger." 
 
 "Julio forbade anyone disturbing you while you were 
 receiving the messages from President Mortingo/' said 
 Helen Hinckley. 
 
 "The facts are as follows, friend Guillermo. A 
 large crowd entered the mansion unknown to Juan or 
 anyone else on watch, intent on taking my life. A few 
 moments before they arrived, Miss Hinckley risked her 
 life by coming here to warn me. And while she was 
 telling me of the intentions of the rebels, the leader en 
 tered my room where we stood. Without a moment's 
 hesitation, Miss Hinckley whispered in my ear: 
 'Come; we will escape/ and following her instructions 
 I stepped upon the railing around the small balcony at 
 the south door of my apartments, and in an instant we 
 were out of reach of the bandits, moving through space 
 without a support, wholly and solely by means of her 
 knowledge of Law." 
 
 "I congratulate you, Miss Hinckley ; you must become 
 a member of the Royal Academy. Yours is a great dis 
 covery. A knowledge of how to overcome the law of 
 gravitation has been sought for by the lettered and the
 
 The Conspirators Dispersed. 225 
 
 unlettered, lo, these many years. How happy I am 
 that you were destined to become the revealer!" ex 
 claimed Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "I attribute the greatest part of my ability to see the 
 law," replied Helen Hinckley, "to the use I have made 
 of your 'Memory Fluid.' ' ;
 
 226 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 CHAPTEK XVI. 
 
 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 aid 
 ing you to discover how to overcome the law of gravita 
 tion. 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, Senor 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 Lehu- 
 mada, 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," re-
 
 A Written Confession. 227 
 
 plied Senor 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. 
 Senor 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 Senor Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "What is it, Juan?" asked the Governor, as he led 
 Miss Hinckley close to his chair. "What has frighteneH 
 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 Senorita Marriet Motuble," said Juan. 
 
 "It is a fact," replied Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "Do Senor 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 sim 
 ilar experience. Tell us, man, what caused your great 
 fright," concluded the Governor.
 
 228 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "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-hooded Mexican. Take "Memory 
 Fluid," that great "Liquid from the Sun's Kays," dis 
 covered hy one of your own countrymen, a blue-blooded 
 Mexican, and you will remember how to speak the lan 
 guage of your ancient forefathers.' I had a small bottle 
 of 'Memory Fluid' in my pocket your Honor will par 
 don 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 
 Senor 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 Senor 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 Senor Julio replied: 'I knew when your card 
 was brought in, that you were disguised as Doctor 
 Jones. Also this fellow whom you introduced as Fran 
 cis Maynard, is in disguise. He is the "Plunger from 
 Kansas." Ah, Senorita Motuble, your little tricks are
 
 A Written Confession. 229 
 
 known not only to myself, but to Governor Lehumada 
 and Senor Guillermo Gonzales.' The 'Plunger from 
 Kansas' jumped from his aeat, grabbed for his hat, and 
 cried : 'Seiiorita, I must make tracks out of here/ 
 Seiiorita Motuble laughingly cried: 'The cat is out of 
 the bag, my friend, so we will face the music \' Senor 
 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/ Harriet 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 hun 
 dred 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 assur 
 ance 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,
 
 230 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 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 Senor Julio. Senorita 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 Eev. 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 mak 
 ing a convert/ ' ; 
 
 "Ah, but she is an audacious woman," said the Gov 
 ernor. 
 
 "Considering that she 'remembers,' " joined in Senor 
 Guillermo Gonzales, "makes the question of what dis 
 position to make of her a serious consideration." 
 
 "My friends," said Helen Hinckley, "do not give 
 her one moment's thought. She will dispose of her 
 self." 
 
 "We will take your advice, Miss Hinckley. We will 
 give our attention to other matters, and hope that the 
 aggressive senorita will dispose of herself to our satisfac 
 tion very promptly," said the Governor. "Is there any 
 thing 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 
 senorita has left Senor Julio's apartments." 
 
 "In that event," said Senor Guillermo Gonzales, "I 
 will attend to friend Julio."
 
 A Written Confession. 231 
 
 At that moment a despatch was announced by a serv 
 ant, and before it could be opened a service messenger 
 delivered a large, bulky envelope, which looked to con 
 tain page after page of legal documents. 
 
 Juan left the room with the messenger and the house 
 hold 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 mili 
 tia 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 mes 
 sage continued, "the effect of your 'Memory Fluid' on 
 me has been the most wonderful and delightful experi 
 ence of my life. A great wave from the spirit world has 
 swept over the entire universe, since your wonderful dis 
 covery was made known. People are thinking, as they 
 never have thought before, to my knowledge. I con 
 gratulate 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."
 
 232 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "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 Senor 
 Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "We have much for which to be thankful," replied 
 the Governor, then added: "This voluminous docu 
 ment would better be opened now. Friend Guillermo, 
 am I not correct?" 
 
 "Certainly, Miguey. I will attend to it this mo 
 ment ;" and Senor 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. Senor Gonzales seated himself in 
 a large armchair close by, and began reading the docu 
 ment 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 Kepresentatives, which you are praying to be 
 come a law; and after long and grave meditation upon 
 the same, I have reached the conclusion which you will 
 shortly know. 
 
 "Eealizing for the first time in my life how fruitless 
 it is for me to dash my head against a stone wall, thereby
 
 A Written Confession. 233 
 
 losing my own self-respect, and being the cause of keep 
 ing hundreds in ignorance and want that I may live 
 in the lap of voluptuous luxury, and increase the num 
 ber 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 con 
 flict 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, particu 
 larly when you know that that cause cannot ever bring 
 good to the people. 
 
 "My great friend, Don Francisco E. Cantu y Falomir, 
 and myself wish to hereby confess that we are guilty of 
 treason against our great government, and are fully re 
 signed 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,
 
 234 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 impressions of things which have occurred at some time 
 in my life which do not seem definite to me. 
 
 "Since I hegan writing this confession, a beautiful 
 little girl has come into the room, and on entering ex 
 claimed: '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/ con 
 tinued 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.' Eev. 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 Chihua 
 hua, 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.'
 
 A Written Confession. 235 
 
 Then chuckling her under the chin, he continued: 
 Tome, 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 un 
 derstand. Excuse me, I can only say I am sorry for you 
 from the bottom of my heart. Should you ever be in 
 clined, 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 Fran 
 cisco 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/
 
 236 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "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 con 
 tinue. Both Don Francisco E. 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 Eev. 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 re 
 pented ; 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/*
 
 A Written Confession. 237 
 
 After the reading of the strange confession was com 
 pleted, the two scientists and Miss Hinckley remained 
 completely absorbed in their own thought for some time. 
 
 Senor 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 over 
 whelmed 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 Senor 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 Senor Guillermo Gonzales.
 
 238 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "Do not let fear enter your thoughts, Senor Gon- 
 zales. 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 un 
 able 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 hap 
 piness! She is the other self. She alone can satiate 
 the longing of your soul. Without her, your life is 
 incomplete."
 
 A Written Confession. 239 
 
 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: "Mig- 
 uey, 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. 
 "Sefior Gonzales, do not, do not overestimate my knowl 
 edge of the law of God. I am only a creature of the 
 earth, who lives not the highest law of God, but the high 
 est she knows. Do not attribute to me qualities I do 
 not possess. Your Honor, I entreat you to see things 
 only as they are." 
 
 Seiior 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. 
 
 Senor Guillermo Gonzales embraced her after the 
 fashion of a devoted father, and bestowed a kiss of re 
 spect 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.
 
 240 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 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"
 
 Viewing the Ebonized Bodies. 241 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 VIEWING THE EBONIZED BODIES. 
 
 ABOUT noon the next day Governor Lehumada, in 
 company with Helen Hinckley and Guillermo Gonzales, 
 was returning from a professional and scientific call 
 upon the head physicians and surgeons of the public 
 hospital, when his vehicle of transport was called to a 
 halt. 
 
 Senor Guillermo Gonzales opened the door as a civil 
 messenger appeared at the side of the vehicle. 
 
 The messenger handed him an envelope and said: 
 "His Honor's presence is desired at once." 
 
 Helen Hinckley asked: "At what place is the Gov 
 ernor wanted?" 
 
 "At the morgue. Anything further, Miss ?" asked the 
 messenger. 
 
 "Nothing further ; we will go at once." 
 
 The messenger disappeared. Guillermo Gonzales re 
 quested the motorman to move the vehicle near the pave 
 ment, out from the crowd of the street, while he exam 
 ined the contents of the envelope. 
 
 He tore it open quickly. He drew out first a bulky 
 letter, written on black paper. He turned it over, and 
 read: "Harriet Motuble." 
 
 "From the aggressive senorita," said the Governor.
 
 242 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "Here is another letter. It is signed 'Senor' no, 
 there is a line drawn through it and through the word 
 'Father/ under it," said Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 "It must be from both Don Francisco K. Cantu y 
 Falomir and Father Hernandez, then," smiled Miss 
 Hinckley. 
 
 "Your surmise is correct, Miss Hinckley; see, it is 
 signed: 'Francisco R. Cantu, a citizen of the United 
 States of America ; Alberto Hernandez, an American 
 citizen.' ''' 
 
 A smile was visible on the faces of the three occupants 
 of the cab. Miss Hinckley said: "They have become 
 metamorphosed since taking 'Memory Fluid/ '' 
 
 "I will read what they have to say," continued Guil 
 lermo Gonzales; "there are only a few pages." 
 
 "Do; then we will hurry to the morgue," said Gov 
 ernor Lehumada. 
 
 "Marriet Motuble, or her body, will most likely be 
 found at the morgue," Helen Hinckley added with a 
 smile. 
 
 The scientist Gonzales unfolded the written sheet, 
 and read: 
 
 "YOUR HONOR, THE GREAT AND NOBLE GOVERNOR OF 
 CHIHUAHUA: I greet you! When you receive this I 
 will be in the other great and only real world, sent hence 
 by the use of your disintegrator, the power of which 
 is known to none better than yourself and your able scien 
 tific coworkers, Mr. Guillermo Gonzales and Julio 
 Murillo. Early this morning we went to the public 
 house for the dead, to which place we had sent the Rev.
 
 Viewing the Ebonized Bodies. 243 
 
 J. T. Note, yesterday, to see if that strange and erst 
 while aggressive and very large, blonde woman Harriet 
 Motuble was there as a spectator or herself a spectacle. 
 In the latter condition we found, and greatly to our sur 
 prise, the 'invincible senorita/ as we often spoke of her. 
 
 "Hers is now a massive body of ebony, and as hard as 
 a rock called flint. On seeing her thus, so serene and 
 placid the physical preserved, aye, for all time the 
 soul which had its abiding-place in her, gone winging 
 its way through space, frolicking here and there like a 
 happy schoolboy dismissed from his tasks, we envied 
 her; for we had begun to remember! I knew her 
 much the same as she was yesterday, and to-day in looks 
 and actions in a life gone by. 
 
 "Do not blame her for her strange doings, for back 
 of all of them was a kind and generous heart. Her 
 position on earth throughout two existences was the re 
 sult of a misconception of sex. Her spirit was in the 
 wrong house. It should have been in a house of the 
 masculine gender. 
 
 "Poor creature! The note enclosed, which she sent 
 to me, speaks of her knowledge of the mistake. Her 
 letter I trust you will read at your leisure, fully and 
 carefully. 
 
 "One thing more I wish to say to you, then myself and 
 my friend Francisco E. Cantu, who at this moment is 
 writing his will, and a confession to be sent to his family, 
 will desire physical oblivion, and our souls will be set 
 free. 
 
 "Your able coworker and friend, Julio Murillo, is the 
 son of Senora Suzzan Carriles, of Colima, and myself
 
 244 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 in another existence. She was a great worker in the 
 church and a frequenter of the confessional. She was a 
 true, pure woman, who looked up to me next to her God. 
 I took advantage of her credulity. I asked her to grant 
 the desire of my heart, which I told her I did not con 
 sider sinful, and if she felt any remorse of conscience, I 
 would absolve her from all sin. I will make no further 
 statement than that she believed me. What is the use 
 of my telling you more about this matter. You were 
 the then Governor of Chihuahua and brought me before 
 the bar of justice, on evidence furnished by Harriet 
 Motuble. I was condemned. Eather than face the de 
 cree of the State, I departed that life by means of my 
 own hand. I was what they called in that day a suicide. 
 Could I have been made to remember in that life, 
 look at the misery I would have escaped in this life ! 
 And the shame and degradation I have subjected myself 
 and followers to, is a nightmare to me. When you have 
 finished this, I pray you, my friend, thou who hast 
 left the gates ajar that I might see the beauties of the 
 soul ; of the spirit life, that I might remember, and save 
 the world the misery from the unholy teachings I have 
 been drilling into my stupid followers stupid because 
 I made them so by keeping them in submission and the 
 knowledge of all light away from them, I pray you to use 
 our bodies, soon to be a mass of ebonized flesh, as a speci 
 men in your Natural History department of the 
 Museum, to demonstrate the use to which your Ebony 
 Fluid can be put. The great wrong we have done you 
 and our dearly beloved America by stirring up these 
 revolutionary sentiments, only ourselves can appreciate.
 
 Viewing the Ebonized Bodies. 245 
 
 In a way good will result. The wonderful results ob 
 tained by the use of 'Memory Fluid' will be more fully 
 and quickly made known to the world. Our testimony 
 as herein stated will be made known to the world to 
 morrow through the great daily Chihuahuan, with 
 which, and the personal and written testimony of the 
 'Plunger from Kansas/ your evidence will be complete, 
 and the petition which you are now hoping to present 
 to the State of Chihuahua soon, asking for it to become 
 a law, will meet with hearty approval. Then a great 
 day of reckoning will be at hand; for all now living 
 who committed crimes in lives gone by, will be called 
 to the bar of justice. I predict the demand for 'Liquid 
 from the Sun's Rays/ to be so great, that laboratories for 
 the extraction of this liquid will be established all over 
 this world. Ah, while I have been writing, my friend, 
 having his will and confession completed, has taken 
 'time by the forelock' willed his soul hence. The 
 vial of Ebony Fluid is empty and is tightly clutched in 
 his hand; his soul has winged its flight, his body will 
 soon be a form of ebony, and I am alone. 
 
 "Come, dear friend, to the morgue at your first leisure, 
 for at this moment the vial containing Ebony Fluid is 
 being emptied into my mouth, and I am willing my soul 
 away, and with the soul of my friend I will be soon. 
 
 "Good-bye, and much luck ! I will see you again in 
 another life. Good-bye. 
 
 "FRANCISCO E. CANTU, a citizen of the United States 
 of America. 
 
 "ALBERTO HERNANDEZ, an American citizen. 
 
 "P. S. I requested my friend in the beginning to
 
 246 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 sign this confession with me, as we had talked over what 
 we thought the strongest points to make in the docu 
 ment. For me it is exceedingly fortunate that I secured 
 his name to this sheet which served for the last page, 
 before I began the recital, or he would at this hour 
 have been beyond the power, of mortal, to pen a line. 
 
 "A. H." 
 
 "The righting of wrongs could not have been so 
 satisfactorily settled by the civil law. It is the influ 
 ence of the Great Unseen that has brought this about," 
 said the Governor, as their vehicle sped rapidly toward 
 the morgue. 
 
 All morning, before starting to the hospital, the 
 Governor had been in constant communication with the 
 Federal authorities at Washington. Eeports to the 
 effect that the rebels were increasing in power in many 
 States, and that the depredations being committed upon 
 the property of public officers in particular, and many 
 inoffensive private citizens in general, were now almost 
 hourly occurrences, had been the cause of many small 
 affrays between the rebels and the State militia, in which 
 many lost their lives and others were wounded, on both 
 sides. It was believed by the authorities in Chihuahua 
 that when the sad end of the instigators of the trouble 
 had become known, that an early abating of the hos 
 tilities would occur, which would result in terms of peace 
 being effected. The manipulators of the presidential 
 campaign and the lobbyists out for booty, prayed for a 
 continuation of hostilities; for they believed the hold 
 they had lost, when James Henry Mortingo became Pres-
 
 Viewing the Ebonized Bodies. 247 
 
 ident when "parties" lost their hold "when the plum 
 was taken by a stray" (as those who felt sore from the 
 result of the election expressed themselves) would be 
 made strong again, from the very fact of the rebellion 
 that had arisen, and the part the President played in 
 it. Many claimed that they did not believe any rational 
 beings would be in favor of electing a man to the Presi 
 dency of the United States of America, who publicly 
 confessed having been a "Subject" on whom "Memory 
 Fluid" was used, or one who believed in it and thought 
 it to be the greatest discovery the world had ever known, 
 and that through its use the world would be taught about 
 and brought to see and to experience the highest laws 
 of God. 
 
 The fame of Julio Murillo had gone abroad. His 
 name, at the head of long columns in almost every news 
 paper in the land, was printed in flaming red letters. 
 He was spoken of as more of a prophet than any recorded 
 in the Bible or any other religious book. 
 
 Helen Hinckley and Catalina Martinet both received 
 their share of criticism, of ridicule, of praise. 
 
 Catalina was caricatured in various ways, and in each 
 she was in a different way giving "Memory Fluid" to 
 humanity, who were grovelling at her feet and beseech 
 ing for it. 
 
 Helen Hinckley was represented in one paper as a 
 beautiful, fair-haired, young woman, suspended high in 
 the air, and looking down with scorn upon the awe- 
 stricken people. 
 
 In another she was gliding, with Governor Lehumada, 
 out of a door that led onto a balcony, from the second
 
 248 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 floor of the Governor's Mansion, into space. All of 
 these things were commented upon by the Governor, 
 Miss Hinckley and Guillermo Gonzales as they hurried 
 to the morgue. 
 
 Hundreds of people were on the outside, eager to see 
 the four suicides, all of whom had been guilty of treason 
 against the United States of America. 
 
 As the Governor and his party alighted from the 
 strange, circular cab, the throng drew near, and it would 
 take volumes to hold the remarks passed by them about 
 the vehicle, the Governor as a public officer, as a 
 scientist, and strange to say, as a lover. 
 
 Equally eager were they to catch a glimpse of Helen 
 Hinckley, and numerous were the criticisms passed upon 
 her upon the woman who, if reports were true, would 
 soon be the Governor's wife; upon the woman who, so 
 far as they knew, was the sole possessor of the knowledge 
 of how to overcome the law of gravitation. It was quite 
 evident that everybody considered the Governor, his 
 prospective bride, and his two scientific coworkers, a 
 queer lot. 
 
 Amongst the large crowd of ultra-fashionable people 
 who held tickets which would admit them to the public 
 temporary carnal-house, when the examination by the 
 law had been concluded, was Mrs. Grange, with her 
 enamoring graces. She was giving some fashionably 
 dressed men near by, the benefit of her first impression 
 of the Governor and Miss Hinckley. At the same time 
 she was coquetting with her eyes, in the hope, no doubt, 
 of getting another promise from someone to help get 
 her husband a higher salary.
 
 Viewing the Ebonized Bodies. 249 
 
 The Governor's party heard the remark, "It is a 
 shame, Mrs. Grange, that a woman so surpassingly beau 
 tiful as yourself, is not the wife of a millionaire. I be 
 lieve," continued her flatterer, "that you have been a 
 subject, and without any jesting whatever, I know your 
 engaging manners could induce the Governor to teach 
 you how to extract liquid from the sun's rays. And hav 
 ing been a subject, you could teach from your own ex 
 perience, and your husband could run the business. 
 Your names would go down to posterity then as re 
 nowned scientists." 
 
 "How lovely," smiled Mrs. Grange. "How kind of 
 you to think of it." 
 
 "Not at all, Mrs. Grange," continued her admirer; 
 "not at all. It would be much easier for you to tell of 
 its wonders and your own experiences, than to spend so 
 much sweetness canvassing for your husband. It is too 
 bad his voice failed. That is what I heard you say in 
 the year of eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, in 
 El Paso, Texas." 
 
 Mrs. Grange's countenance fell, and she only gave 
 him a glance now and then from under her brow. 
 
 Not in the least abashed, the gentleman continued: 
 "It was at the time that he was connected with some 
 road, less than one hundred miles long, that extended 
 from the Pass City, which was then, if you remember 
 your own expression, 'nothing more than a rough bor 
 der-town, absolutely without any dramatic talent or 
 voice culture/ Oh, well, that is all past and gone, 
 Mrs. Grange; even the remembrance of the little dra 
 matic performance in which you displayed your enamor- 
 ing graces, is known only to the initiated."
 
 250 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "Then you remember!" exclaimed Mrs. Grange, look 
 ing at him with a frightened look in her face. "Great 
 God ! if others and others continue taking 'Memory 
 Fluid/ and they look upon me with the scorn that 
 you do, and speak to me with the satire you do, I will 
 be tempted to take Ebony Fluid, after I learn to will 
 my soul away, that I may preserve the physical shape 
 of this life. I want to close the present life and have an 
 opportunity to come again, and then I will live the life 
 of a rational being. A thousand times or more my 
 heart has almost consumed itself with shame, since I 
 have remembered, at the thoughts of my actions in the 
 Pass City, and in this life also. Then I flaunted 
 myself before the public, flirted with men, drank beer, 
 wine, anything that would make me more lively danced 
 and otherwise dissipated, until my life was wrecked and 
 my reputation gone. In this life I have done much the 
 same things, and added to them the accomplishment of 
 doing men for all they were worth, under the pretence of 
 soliciting for my husband. Unfortunately for me, I 
 have the same one I had in the other life. He has gone 
 through much the same experiences, losing his voice and 
 all. Great God! I hope I may be spared in another 
 existence, the same family relations I have in this life 
 and the desire to be a professional beauty and a hypo 
 crite in general." / 
 
 "You are saved, Mrs. Grange. The desire you have 
 this moment voiced, will be the means of your salvation, 
 if you at once change your mode of action to one that 
 accords with Law, and continue, to the best of your in 
 struction, to live in touch with the Unseen. I have often
 
 Viewing the Ebonized Bodies. 251 
 
 thought that you were destined to be mine/' said the 
 gallant, rich and lettered man by her side. 
 
 Mrs. Grange gave one long gasp as she exclaimed: 
 "Since taking 'Memory Fluid' I have known it to be a 
 fact. In another life it will come to pass," and fell 
 back amongst the crowd in a dead faint. A cab was 
 hailed and she was immediately taken to her home, 
 and a physician, who had knowledge of "Memory Fluid," 
 sent to attend her; her gallant friend accompanied her. 
 
 Governor Lehumada, Senor Guillermo Gonzales and 
 Miss Helen Hinckley entered the room where lay the 
 physical transformation of the once invincible Senorita 
 Marriet Motuble, and the two instigators of the re 
 bellion. 
 
 Prominent physicians from the city and neighbor 
 ing towns and States, who had flocked to the great capital 
 of Chihuahua since hearing of the wonderful discovery 
 of the scientists, were allowed to enter the room with 
 the Governor's party. 
 
 The scientist, Guillermo Gonzales, examined the 
 bodies first. The Governor, with Helen Hinckley on his 
 arm, passed from one to the other and viewed them in 
 perfect silence. 
 
 Nearly one hundred physicians and investigating 
 scientists looked in turn with amazement upon the ebon- 
 ized forms of the three bodies before them. The Eev. 
 J. T. Note, cold and stiff in the hands of death, lay at 
 the far end of the long death chamber quite alone, and 
 forgotten by everyone present, except the Governor's 
 party. When the last person had surveyed the ebonized 
 bodies, Guillermo Gonzales addressed them and said:
 
 252 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "Your Honor, Miss Hinckley, and friends, yonder 
 lies the dead body of Kev. J. T. Note, an aider and abet 
 tor of the rebels. He is not dead by means of Ebony 
 Fluid, it does not cause the state called death, 
 but from remorse of conscience, the result of taking 
 'Memory Fluid/ He is, therefore, a fit subject upon 
 whom I can demonstrate to you the magic action of 
 Ebony Fluid. It is a knowledge of science we are work 
 ing for, and the sooner the power of this wonderful fluid 
 is made known to humanity, the sooner the present 
 microbic condition of matter will be extinguished. I 
 will have the body moved to the center of the room, 
 and I will immediately transform this seething mass of 
 microbes into a harmless body of ebony flint." 
 
 Two attendants of the morgue entered at the request 
 of Guillermo Gonzales, and moved the corpse of Eev. 
 J. T. Note to the center of the room, and immediately 
 made their exit on being informed that their services 
 were no longer needed. Everyone stood as near the body 
 as possible, to watch the effect of Ebony Fluid upon the 
 corpse. 
 
 Guillermo Gonzales removed the sheet from the corpse. 
 Mortification had set in, and the odor escaping from 
 the body was, to express it mildly, exceedingly disagree 
 able to the lookers-on. The scientist sprayed the body 
 with a powerful deodorizer, and immediately the offen 
 sive odor was gone. Then, inserting a small tube into 
 the month of the corpse, he pressed a bulb to which it 
 was connected, and emptied the Ebony Fluid which was 
 in the bulb, into the body. The body jerked and 
 writhed, the face became contorted, and in all, was a 
 very grewsome object.
 
 Viewing the Ebonized Bodies. 253 
 
 The most stoic of the scientists and physicians pres 
 ent, turned their faces away to shut out from view the 
 terrible sight before them. It sprang into a sitting 
 posture, then fell back against the hard board with a 
 thud, the limbs rigid and straight. The physicians and 
 scientists looked inquiringly at Guillermo Gonzales and 
 Governor Lehumada. 
 
 "Explain, friend Guillermo," said the Governor ; "ex 
 plain the action of Ebony Fluid upon animal matter." 
 
 The scientist poured a small quanity of the fluid into 
 a thin glass, and holding it high in his hand, said: 
 "The black fluid you see before you we call Ebony Fluid, 
 because of its color. The great struggle the corpse 
 underwent after the injection of this fluid into it, was 
 due to the struggle of the microbes trying to resist the 
 influence of the fluid. The battle was bravely fought, 
 but the microbes were conquered at last. Nothing in 
 life can resist its influence. See this body, only a few 
 moments ago repulsive to the sight and emitting an odor 
 so offensive to the smell, and rank with poison, that if 
 it were allowed to remain in a room for five minutes, 
 every occupant of the room who remained for that 
 length of time in the atmosphere of the poison, would 
 inhale enough bacteria to fill them with disease which 
 would eventually end their lives very shortly. The 
 action of Ebony Fluid after the death of the bacteria, 
 hardens, then petrifies the entire body. "Assist me, 
 doctor," continued the scientist, speaking to the phy 
 sician next to him, "to lift the body of Kev. J. T. Note, 
 and we will stand it in the corner." 
 
 It required much effort for the two men to lift the
 
 254 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 body and carry it to the wall. There they stood it erect, 
 and held it in place by means of a stout cord across 
 the shoulders, each end of which was fastened to a large 
 screw in the wall. 
 
 "Nothing better illustrates the magical power of 
 Ebony Fluid than that figure/' concluded the scientist. 
 
 "All day to-morrow, and next day, the morgue will 
 be open for the public to inspect these bodies," said the 
 Governor. "While these gentlemen are present, do you 
 not think it is wise, Miss Hinckley, and friend Guil- 
 lermo, to read the confession of Harriet Motuble, that 
 creature whom we all considered so strange, so unlike 
 other women?" 
 
 Miss Hinckley replied: "Your Honor, it would be 
 just to them to hear the statements of Miss Motuble 
 read, after having viewed her ebonized body, and after 
 seeing the effect of the fluid upon Reverend Note. 
 There is no wanting of testimony in favor of the use 
 to which these fluids can be put; however, I am sure 
 it would be well for these men of science to hear the 
 statements of this sefiorita, which I am sure will be 
 interesting." 
 
 "Miss Hinckley has spoken wisely, Miguey. I will 
 read the document without further delay. Be seated, 
 gentlemen, and I will begin." 
 
 When he had placed three comfortable chairs near 
 together, on which he invited the Governor and Miss 
 Hinckley to be seated, he seated himself upon a high 
 stool, and began reading the confession. The densely 
 black paper and clear white letters made a curious look 
 ing paper and was in itself exceedingly characteristic of 
 the author.
 
 Viewing the Ebonized Bodies. 255 
 
 "Beverend Father Hernandez and Don Francisco K. 
 Cantu y Falomir ! Ha ! ha ! I laugh even in this last 
 stage of the game, at the thought of the title 'Reverend' 
 and 'Father' attached to the name Hernandez, and 
 louder and longer do I laugh at the title 'Don' preced 
 ing Cantu, and the 'y' and Falomir following the name. 
 Say, gentlemen, there is no use in further pretensions 
 upon your part; they have a dead cinch upon you, so 
 you might as well walk up to the mourner's bench and 
 take your medicine like men. What kick have you 
 against Uncle Sam's government? He didn't take you 
 under his wing because he wanted an addition to his 
 family. He took you because he was sorry for you, and 
 the most intelligent people of your race wanted to be 
 adopted. 
 
 "Now my purpose in writing this note is not to rake 
 up a bone for contention, nor do I write this to you be 
 cause I love you with all my heart and soul and 
 strength; for there are others whom I love more. 
 Whom I love so much that my heart is sore, and I can 
 not pen him a line; but knowing this will reach him 
 through you, I rest content. 
 
 "To the point: In my present and a former exist 
 ence, the ego of my life entered a habitation unwittingly 
 of the wrong sex. In other words, I should have been 
 born of the masculine gender. Such not being the case, 
 is why I have not been able in this life to find my coun 
 terpart. In my first incarnation I wed a man accord 
 ing to the civil law. I became the mother of six 
 children who grew up to be thorns in my side. 
 
 "In this life I did not wed, because I thought the
 
 256 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 great and noble Governor was destined for me, until I 
 became a subject; then my eyes were opened. Then I 
 knew I must live again in the castle of a man, before I 
 would meet the one who would be my counterpart phys 
 ically and in the realm of spirit." 
 
 "How strange, how strange!" exclaimed one of the 
 physicians present. 
 
 "It is an entirely new thought to me and not wholly 
 without reason," said another. 
 
 "She often told me, when I met her in Chihuahua in 
 the year eighteen hundred and ninety-eight," said Helen 
 Hinckley," that she felt a great injustice had been done 
 her by not being born a man. It seemed to be the re 
 gret of her life." 
 
 "Poor creature," said Governor Lehumada; "poor 
 creature ! I sympathize with her from the bottom of my 
 heart. Continue, continue, friend Guillermo; I am 
 anxious to hear the last of this strange letter." 
 
 "On leaving you I went straight to the morgue. I 
 had heard that Kev. J. T. Note had passed over, and I 
 felt humanity was blessed. I viewed the remains over 
 and over. Afterwards I found a bench unoccupied; I 
 sat down. Near by was a young woman who had sui 
 cided because her lover was false. Her soul was sent 
 forth to grope through the dark night in despair. My 
 heart ached for her; so I said I will go now, send my 
 soul forth and search for her. And as I gazed upon 
 her sweet, pure face, I knew she was intended for my 
 bride, had I been a man; and my soul cried out:
 
 Viewing the Ebonized Bodies. 257 
 
 'Great and everlasting Cause, guide me to her ! Let me 
 find her and whisper the sweet story into her ear!' 
 Presently I heard a sweet, clear voice cry out in glad 
 surprise: 'I hear you, Miguel. I hear you. Come; 
 I am by the fountain in the great public garden at the 
 outskirts of the city. Come; I now know it was you 
 for whom I sought. It was you upon whom my affec 
 tions were bestowed, and in my ignorance of law I 
 thought it someone else.' 
 
 "When no attendant was in sight, I stretched myself 
 upon a bench, and after willing my soul away, placed 
 the Ebony Fluid to my lips (for I wished my body to 
 be preserved). In one instant I will have swallowed it, 
 and my soul, now winging itself free, will seek its 
 counterpart. We both will be born again and together 
 we will meet you. 
 
 "I am Harriet Motuble in this life. In the next 
 life I will be Miguel. You will know me when I 
 speak."
 
 258 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE FLIGHT OF CATALINA's SOUL. 
 
 THREE weeks have passed since the city of Chihuamia 
 was shaken to its foundation by the suicide (the masses 
 knew no other term by which to call the act which had 
 caused their soul's flight) of three people whose names 
 had grown to be household words. 
 
 And while their ebonized bodies were thought to be 
 grewsome by many, a greater part of the town had be 
 come exceedingly scientific in thought, and they looked 
 upon them as the natural result of taking Ebony Fluid. 
 
 The revolutionists who had attempted the life of the 
 Governor were yet confined behind the bars. No conclu 
 sion had been reached as to what disposition should be 
 made of them. The government of the State of Chi 
 huahua was strictly opposed to capital punishment, as 
 well as very reluctant in imposing a life sentence upori 
 anyone, no matter of what great crime he had been con 
 victed. The small revolutionary faction had grown 
 into a large army of rebellion and was now, according to 
 the best authority, marching onto the National capital. 
 
 The leaders of the dogmatic teachings of the churches 
 and their followers were determined, if bloodshed could 
 do it, to put a stop to the heretical teachings of the 
 great scientists.
 
 The Flight of Catalina's SouL 259 
 
 They had opened up the battle ; no free-thought per 
 son, or scientific investigator had expressed himself 
 against the great army of parasites, except in words 
 of the greatest sympathy. 
 
 Julio Murillo was now able to be around in an easy- 
 chair, which was propelled by an automaton. 
 
 The President of the United States made no move, 
 without first consulting him, the great seer of Chihua 
 hua, as he was now called. 
 
 A presidential campaign was another theme for dis 
 cussion, and was the cause of many sleepless nights for 
 the regular "pullers" of the two main political parties. 
 
 The Governor of Chihuahua, and his friend, were the 
 least concerned, perhaps, of any men in the United 
 States holding high offices, about the result of the presi 
 dential campaign. They were more interested in the 
 cause of humanity at large ; in developing in the heart 
 of each a desire to come in touch with Nature, with 
 God. 
 
 At an early stage of the presidential campaign, the 
 party who ran in the "stray horse/' as President Mor- 
 tingo was called by the two great political parties, were 
 BO delighted with his regime, in which there had been 
 but little intriguing; a rule which had become known 
 throughout the universe for its aid in extending, finan 
 cially and legislatively, scientific investigations, particu 
 larly those which he believed would assist man in free 
 ing himself from the heavy chains which held him to his 
 physical environments, and they were determined to re- 
 elect him, if no man of superior ability could be found. 
 
 Since the fame of the great Governor of Chihuahua
 
 260 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 had traveled throughout the continent of America, and 
 hundreds rose up to give testimony to the effect of 
 "Memory Fluid" upon them and the power it had of 
 bringing man in touch with God, the party which had 
 caused the election of President Mortingo, turned its 
 eyes upon Governor Lehumada as its choice for the next 
 President of the United States. During the last few 
 days he had been solicited by the new party which, as 
 if by magic, had grown to be of great power, for his 
 consent to allow his name to be used as a candidate 
 for the presidency of the United States of America. 
 After several hours of consultation with Julio Murillo, 
 Miss Hinckley, Guillermo Gonzales and the state officers, 
 he left the matter entirely in the hands of Julio Murillo, 
 at the suggestion of his dearly beloved fiancee, Helen 
 Hinckley. 
 
 Senor Julio sent word to the party which had done 
 the Governor of Chihuahua the greatest honor they 
 could offer, from a worldly point of view, that he wished 
 to wait thirty days, that the fulfillment of his prophecies 
 could be manifested, before making a decision for or 
 against the Governor's name being used in the present 
 presidential campaign as a candidate for the office. 
 
 The pubHc fumed and growled at the delay; yet it 
 was the inevitable, and there was but one thing to do; 
 to wait. The party who wished his nomination knew 
 there was some good reason why the delay was thought 
 necessary, and were satisfied, believing the answer would 
 be in favor of their cause, and at the end of the cam 
 paign their candidate would bear the laurels. 
 
 In one of the revolutionary speeches made by the late
 
 The Flight of Catalina's Soul. 261 
 
 Don Francisco E. Cantu y Falomir, as he styled himself 
 with pride, he laid special stress upon the statement that 
 not since Mexico became a part of the great United 
 States of America, had a man of purely Mexican origin 
 been at the head of the nation. He claimed that the 
 prejudices the Anglo-Saxon race had against the Latin 
 races particularly those of Spanish and Indian origin 
 were the cause of their great men being kept in the 
 background. He even claimed that many of the best 
 people of Anglo-Saxon origin objected strongly to the 
 mixing of the blood by marriage. If such had ever been 
 the state of feeling, the fact that a strongly Anglo- 
 Saxon faction now wished to elect Seiior Don Miguel 
 Lehumada, the present Governor of the great and fa 
 mous State of Chihuahua, a man through whose veins 
 none but Latin blood had ever flowed, to the presidency 
 of the United States of America, would forever stamp 
 out the erroneous idea that any prejudices existed. 
 
 Also a further proof of the fact was the marriage soon 
 to take place between Governor Lehumada and Helen 
 Hinckley, whose family had since time out of mind 
 prided itself upon its royal Anglo-Saxon blood. 
 
 What can more closely unite two nations than a 
 marriage for love between them? The eyes of the 
 whole world were centered upon these two people. 
 Helen Hinckley was called the great heroine of the 
 age, and the press never tired of lauding her bravery in 
 saving the life of the great Governor of Chihuahua, 
 even at the peril of her own life. That while she un 
 derstood how to overcome the law of gravitation, so far 
 as her own ability to propel herself through space was
 
 262 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 concerned, it was a noble deed for her to risk her own 
 life in the way she did to save another. 
 
 The rebels seemed to have flown from the town which 
 was their starting point. 
 
 The fate of their leaders, no doubt had a great effect 
 in cooling the ardor of their revolutionary intentions. 
 Chihuahua was possibly, so far as the rebellion was con 
 cerned, the most quiet capital in the Union. 
 
 In many other respects it was the liveliest, and it cer 
 tainly was the center of attraction of the scientific world, 
 and the great Mecca to which all great thinkers were 
 flocking, for whom it was possible to leave their business 
 and homes. 
 
 The great test case of "Memory Fluid," which would 
 be decided at the trial of the "Plunger from Kansas,*' 
 was causing an influx of legal talent as well as scientists, 
 free-thinkers, and students of the occult. 
 
 The fact that the Plunger had given himself into the 
 hands of the law for the settlement of the crimes he 
 committed in another life, when there was no civil law 
 covering the case, was considered within itself sufficient 
 proof of the value of "Memory Fluid" to science. The 
 fear and trembling that took hold of some of the un 
 initiated when they thought that they might have 
 been guilty of a crime in the past of which they now- 
 had no knowledge and for which they would be brought 
 to the bar of justice, was certainly sufficient reason for 
 their greatly disturbed minds. 
 
 The large hotels in Chihuahua were fairly groaning 
 under the burden of caring for such a great number of 
 people which increased in number each day, all cf whom
 
 The Flight of Catalina's Soul. 263 
 
 were flocking to the city with the same object in 
 view: That of hearing the trial of the most famous 
 case in the annals of man. To see the man who con 
 fessed to the crime of which he was accused ; to hear his 
 testimony of having lived through at least three lives; 
 to hear him confess to having known in lives gone by 
 the very people who bore witness against him; to see 
 the child, Catalina Martinet, who was conscious of hav 
 ing lived another life and the tomb where she was 
 buried; the wonderful woman who had won the heart 
 of the Governor the woman who could suspend the 
 law of gravitation at will ; the men who had discovered 
 "Liquid from the Sun's Kays," and to see the ebon- 
 ized figures in the Museum, was certainly enough to 
 draw the crowd that was gathering in the great city. 
 
 The morning on which the trial would begin, dawned 
 clear and cool. Long before nine o'clock, the hour 
 for opening the court, the halls and rooms adjoining 
 the great court-room were filled to overflowing. 
 
 The statues of the States of Chihuahua did not over 
 the hearing of such a case as the one about to be heard, 
 but a recent special legislation did. Many of the legal 
 fraternity were wondering if the case of "The Plunger 
 from Kansas" would be the means of establishing a 
 precedent which would make the special and temporary 
 legislation, a general and permanent act of Congress 
 in the near future. 
 
 Judge Ulloa, of the Supreme bench of the State, was 
 one of the most advanced thinkers of the age. His suc 
 cess as a lawyer had been nothing short of marvelous; 
 at least that was the opinion of the public, but he knew
 
 264 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 that his success was r'ue to his knowledge of the "great 
 powers that be." 
 
 The case in hand was to him a supreme moment, for 
 by special legislation it came under his jurisdiction. It 
 was generally known that President Mortingo believed 
 implicitly in the scientific revelation of Governor Lehu- 
 mada and his able coworkers. 
 
 Arrangements had been perfected whereby the Presi 
 dent of the United States, the cabinet, and many great 
 legal minds, who were not able to be in attendance at 
 the trial, could hear the testimony as it would be given 
 in the Chihuahua court-room, by means of the sound- 
 condenser, in their own private offices in Washington, 
 New York, or whatever city in which they lived. 
 
 When the great throng rushed into the court-room at 
 the hour of opening, the accused and the prosecutors 
 (the Governor, Miss Hinckley, Guillermo Gonzales and 
 Julio Murillo), with their respective attorneys, were 
 seated conspicuously near the judge, and all eyes were 
 immediately centered upon them. 
 
 For the benefit of the public, the great daily Chihua- 
 huan contained a plan of procedure which the court 
 would follow in the case of the "Plunger from Kansas," 
 in that morning's issue, and now officers distributed pro 
 grams, which explained every step to be taken. 
 
 It was a new order of things, but so far, it was ex 
 ceedingly satisfactory to all concerned, and the public 
 at large. 
 
 The statement of the case was first called. The 
 attorney representing the scientists from one point of 
 view, and Miss Hinckley, who claimed to be one of
 
 The Flight of Catalina's Soul. 265 
 
 the injured in the great cattle robbery which occurred 
 nearly two centuries ago, from another point of view, 
 arose and said: 
 
 "Your Honors: The case for the hearing of which 
 we have assembled to-day is one, as you know, of un 
 usual occurrence, and is composed of such intricate 
 features that the gross or impure element of humanity 
 will look upon the testimony as out of the reason of 
 man. But when all understand, the full force of the 
 argument will be to them the most rational thing on 
 earth. 
 
 "There is a divine law which proceeds from the 
 'powers that be/ which says that there must be an ad 
 justment of all evil; if not in the life in which the sin 
 was committed, then it will be repaired in another one 
 of the lives which each person will live, until all evil he 
 has committed will be punished through self conviction. 
 
 "In the case at hand, had it not been for the great dis 
 covery of 'Memory Fluid' by the three renowned scien 
 tists of our city, the 'Plunger from Kansas,' yonder, who 
 committed the great cattle robbery in the year of our 
 Lord, eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, would have 
 escaped repairing the mischief he did then until another 
 existence in the body. But when memory was restored, 
 and our renowned townsmen brought the influences of 
 the 'powers that be/ which cannot be seen by the phy 
 sical eye nor heard by the physical ear, to bear upon 
 the Plunger, he first became uneasy, then a knowledge 
 of his other lives dawned upon him. 
 
 "At the first realization there was naturally a great 
 shock experienced. Then came a desire to escape the
 
 266 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 ordeal which seemed to be first overtaking him, and the 
 'Plunger from Kansas' flitted hither and thither, try 
 ing to find a place where he would be contented. He 
 came to Chihuahua, the very city to which he fled at the 
 time in his previous life after he had committed the 
 crime. 
 
 "His presence here was an assistance in awakening 
 memory. 
 
 "After hearing the statements of various witnesses, 
 we hope to close the case with a glorious victory in favor 
 of the great spiritual life each could live, if he only 
 knew" concluded the prosecution. 
 
 Catalina Martinet arose, when called to the stand, 
 and when asked to tell all she knew about the "Plunger 
 from Kansas," said: 
 
 "In that life gone by, of which you speak, I had the 
 misfortune to be born not according to law. Ignorant 
 of the cause of my birth, I lived the life of a happy 
 child up to the age of tender girlhood, when I learned 
 I was a child out of the pale of civil law; then my 
 great pride was crushed, my heart was broken, and I 
 passed away. I came again, however, and while I had 
 the misfortune to be born into a family inharmonious, 
 I am not an illegal child. I will leave again soon, and 
 when I return I will be in the most harmonious condi 
 tion for spiritual development." 
 
 "The child seems to wander in her thoughts," said 
 the judge to the Governor. 
 
 "With your permission, I will speak to her," said the 
 Governor. 
 
 The judge replied by an inclination of his head, and
 
 The Flight of Catalina's Soul. 267 
 
 the Governor said: "Catalina, it is the story of the 
 Tlunger from Kansas' the court wishes to hear." 
 
 Catalina looked at the court dazed for a moment, 
 then going to the Governor, placed her arms around him 
 and said: "My papa, I was unhappy a moment ago; 
 that is why I was telling of my misfortune. I will now 
 tell all I know about the Tlunger from Kansas.' " 
 
 Exclamations of surprise, disgust and pleasure were 
 heard on every side, but when Catalina began to speak, 
 everything was severely quiet again. 
 
 In answer to the question from Miss Hinckley's 
 attorney: "Did you know the accused in a life gone 
 by ?" Catalina replied : "I did, your Honor." 
 
 "Then tell us all you know about him," said the 
 counsel. 
 
 "One cold, rainy night, a cab drove up to our house. 
 I heard it, and childlike I was anxious to know why 
 such an unusual occurrence was happening. My 
 mother opened the door, and Mr. J. Ecarg stepped into 
 the room. He often came to our house, and when he 
 did not have too much pulque he was pleasant. This 
 night he had had much, and told my mother there were 
 two men in the cab outside, and she must let them have 
 the only room we had with a bed in it. My mother 
 said she did not want them, and he told her not to be a 
 fool; that they would stay anyway, and she would be 
 well paid. They came. He did not give their names, 
 but the fellow who was trembling and crying, he after 
 wards told my mother, was the Tlunger from Kansas' 
 that he was hiding from people in the United States, 
 because he had stolen cattle from these people and sold
 
 268 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 them. Mr. Ecarg threatened my mother in various 
 ways, if she ever told about the men being at her house, 
 what she saw them do, or heard them say. They often 
 had a Mexican lawyer and an interpreter; this lawyer 
 knew everything and gave them advice. I was often 
 in the room when he was there, playing with my dolls, 
 and I heard all they said. The Plunger gave me cen- 
 tavos often, and said he liked little girls. And he gave 
 me these pictures; this one is of him; this his wife, 
 and this his baby," concluded Catalina, handing the 
 pictures out to the attorney, and seating herself beside 
 the Governor. 
 
 From one to another of the legal profession on the 
 rostrum the photographs were passed. 
 
 The accused was then asked to take his place, and the 
 attorney began a series of interrogations. 
 
 "What is your name?" 
 
 "I am called the 'Plunger from Kansas/ 9> 
 
 "Have you any knowledge of a previous life on 
 earth?" 
 
 "I have, your Honor." 
 
 "Did you ever see this picture before?" 
 
 "It is myself, long ago, though not unlike me now." 
 
 "And this, and this?" continued the lawyer. 
 
 "This," exclaimed the Plunger, "is a splendid pho 
 tograph of my wife of long ago ! Poor woman, how she 
 stayed by me during my trouble, until death claimed 
 her as his own. Ah; and this is the child we loved 
 and who never came again." 
 
 "Did you know the witness just on the stand?" 
 asked the lawyer.
 
 The Flight of Catalina's Soul. 269 
 
 "I did, she is Catalina Martinet, and the image of 
 herself in the life gone by. J. Ecarg said, when he 
 took me to her mother's, the night she spoke of, that the 
 child was his, and he helped to support the mother." 
 
 Mr. Niksab was the next witness called. He testi 
 fied to his knowledge of the Plunger's doings, his ac 
 quaintance with Catalina and her mother, and veri 
 fied the statements previously made. 
 
 J. Ecarg next took the stand. He said he was re 
 penting in sackcloth and ashes for the many sins he 
 committed in that life gone by. He said the good Gov 
 ernor would give testimony to the truth of his unholy 
 conduct in that life long since passed, of his relations 
 to Catalina's mother, and his connection with the 
 "Plunger from Kansas." He said his time here was 
 short, but in a future life on earth, he would live on 
 a higher plane, because he remembered, and in conse 
 quence he would profit by his past varied and unhappy 
 experiences. 
 
 At the moment J. Ecarg took his seat, a messenger 
 handed the Governor a note. After reading it^ he 
 passed it to the judge, and in turn it was passed to the 
 lawyers on either side. 
 
 After a brief consultation was held between the 
 judge, the attorneys and the Governor, the lawyer for 
 prosecution said: 
 
 "Francisco de Urdinola will now take the stand." 
 
 A tall, well built, dark-complexioned man, of com 
 manding presence and delightful manners, took the 
 stand. 
 
 "Your name ?" asked the court.
 
 270 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "I am, your honor, Francisco de TJrdinola." 
 
 "What is your occupation, and where is your place 
 of residence?" the court questioned. 
 
 "I have the honor of being president of the school 
 'For Hidden Thought,' and my place of residence is 
 Sal till o, the city in which this school is situated," 
 quietly replied the distinguished man. 
 
 "Do you know the accused?" asked the court. 
 
 "The 'Plunger from Kansas/ to whom you refer, I 
 have no acquaintance with now." 
 
 "Did you in a life gone by; if so, tell the full cir 
 cumstances." 
 
 The stately man bowed and said: "The court will 
 grant me a few moments to explain my position in a 
 life previous to knowing the 'Plunger from Kansas/ 
 In the year of fifteen hundred and fifty, I commanded 
 an expedition against a tribe of Indians called the Chi- 
 mimecas, who inhabited all of Northern Mexico. I 
 came north as far as the beautiful valley of what after 
 wards was known as Saltillo, at which place I founded 
 a city in the year of fifteen hundred and fifty-nine. 
 There I left twenty Spanish families, and as many of 
 the conquered Indian tribe. Going further north I 
 founded many other cities. Two years later I passed 
 out of life, but my entity guided the life of my son, 
 whom I aided in subduing the Indians in every way 
 possible ; also in bringing sixty Spanish families to the 
 beautiful valley of Saltillo, and formally laying the 
 foundation of the city in fifteen hundred and seventy- 
 five. My son remained there for a quarter of a cen 
 tury, tyrannizing over the conquered Indians, then
 
 The Flight of Catalina's Soul. 271 
 
 passed away. A craving for experience, no doubt, led 
 me to be born into my next existence in the United 
 States of America, although of Spanish parentage. 
 They belonged to the conquered of Mexico, and fled to 
 the United States in preference to returning to Spain. 
 Now comes the important part of my story. I in 
 herited from my father large tracts of land in the 
 State of Kansas. I engaged in the cattle business, and 
 was a heavy lender to dealers. The daring young man 
 known as the Tlunger from Kansas,' was one of my 
 heaviest borrowers. I trusted him, for I thought he 
 had too much self pride to prove false to me, being his 
 main stay. He was, like Julius Caesar, too ambitious, 
 and he fell and by his fall ruined many families, 
 amongst whom was my own. I was no longer a young 
 man, and seeing nearly all swept from me without a 
 moment's warning, I felt that I could not face poverty, 
 and without further ado I gave up the ghost. Still in 
 quest of knowledge, my spirit, now free, roamed the 
 world over in the hope of finding the open sesame. Up 
 to this time I had no knowledge of a previous life, but 
 I was conscious of having had experiences for which I 
 could not account. In the year of two thousand I 
 again became identified with physical life. And as my 
 experiences in spirit, although I was not cognizant of 
 them, fitted me to live on a high spiritual plane in the 
 physical, I became, at the age of fifteen, a student of 
 the occult, with the result you know. When I saw the 
 first accounts of the discoveries of your great Governor, 
 and that by means of 'Memory Fluid,' he was trying to 
 find the 'Plunger from Kansas,' and bring him to justice
 
 272 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 by means of remorse of conscience, I knew that in some 
 way I was connected with him. For days I felt as if 
 my senses were leaving me, conscious that something 
 must be done, and done quickly. My silent appeal to 
 the Great Cause was answered, and I received a spiritual 
 impression from his honor, Professor Julio Murillo, 
 which said : 'Take "Memory Fluid." It will arrive by 
 the next express.' From that moment I was calm and 
 contented. Fifteen minutes after taking that wonder 
 ful fluid, I lived in memory all my past existences, part 
 of which I have just related to you. Yonder sits the 
 'Plunger from Kansas/ and it is due to myself, Miss 
 Helen Hinckley, the orphan daughter of my bosom 
 friend in that time long since passed, and many others 
 who, no doubt, will speak for themselves, that he re 
 funds the amount of his obligations to us and its ac 
 cumulations for one hundred and fifty years. I have 
 nothing further to say, your honor." 
 
 The great Governor of Chihuahua was the next wit 
 ness. 
 
 He was not questioned, but was simply requested to 
 state what he knew about the "Plunger from Kansas." 
 Much that has been related was repeated by him, to 
 which he added many spicy instances connected with the 
 life of the Plunger while he was a refugee from justice 
 in Chihuahua. 
 
 "Shortly after arriving in the city," said the Gov 
 ernor, "he sent me, by a private and confidential car 
 rier, his card, which was accompanied by two thousand 
 dollars in gold, which was equivalent then to nearly 
 five thousand dollars in Mexican money. I had no dis-
 
 The Flight of Catalina's Soul. 273 
 
 position to accept a bribe, nor to help shield him from 
 the law. He fled from this city after several months, 
 and from accounts at the time he was lost at sea or by 
 pestilence; but by his own confession he was a suicide. 
 If his means is not sufficient to pay the debts he owes, I 
 hope the law will take all he has, and part of all he 
 earns, for employment he must get at once, until every 
 cent he stole from those who befriended him, is paid." 
 
 Helen Hinckley told all she knew of the Plunger, 
 when she was a child, and he a frequent visitor at her 
 father's house in Kansas City. She said that she was 
 left an orphan after he had robbed her father, and her 
 struggles for a livelihood, alone and unprotected, were, 
 even yet, when she thought of them, a horrible night 
 mare to her. 
 
 No further witnesses were called, nor did others 
 present themselves. 
 
 Judge Ulloa announced that the testimony had been 
 heard, and the jury could absent itself and weigh it very 
 carefully. 
 
 During its absence a message was handed the Gov 
 ernor. After looking it over, he arose and said : "The 
 message in hand concerns everybody as much as myself. 
 It is from the War Department, and reads : 'The army 
 of the rebellion engaged in a battle with the United 
 State troops in West Virginia, at an early hour this 
 morning. The loss was heavy on either side, but the 
 victory is ours.' " 
 
 For a few moments there was wild disorder in court, 
 and shouts of: "Truth will triumph," came from 
 every side; for those who had been sympathizers with
 
 274 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 the rebels before the trial began, were now thoroughly 
 convinced of their error, and strongly favored sup 
 porting the Union and stimulating scientific investiga 
 tions. 
 
 At the height of their rejoicing, the jury entered, 
 and the foreman announced that the vote was unani 
 mous in favor of conviction. 
 
 The Plunger was asked if he had any statement to 
 make. He arose and said: "To escape the torture 
 of mind, soul and body to which I have been subjected 
 through this, the third existence, I will gladly give up 
 every cent, and work to pay the rest. I herewith hand 
 your honor checks to meet my full obligations to Miss 
 Hinckley and President Francisco de Urdinola, and 
 part pay to others I robbed; the balance I owe them 
 will be paid as I earn it." 
 
 A murmur of approval was heard throughout the 
 court- room. The judge dismissed the case. 
 
 When the crowd was on the eve of rising to leave, 
 Catalina Martinet arose, and throwing her arms out, 
 cried in a voice which startled everyone and made them 
 turn around: "Great and Everlasting Cause, and all 
 the powers that be, my work in this existence, where 
 my home environments are so inharmonious, is done. 
 I pray you, let me depart, and come again. Now that 
 I remember, my next life in the physical will be of the 
 greatest contentment possible on earth; for I will be 
 his Honor's child, and my mother will be Helen 
 Hinckley. Adieu, all whom I love and who are be 
 loved by me; adieu. I am gone but I will come again. " 
 She fell back, her spirit having fled, and the Gov 
 ernor caught her in his arms.
 
 The Governor Married. 275 
 
 CHAPTEE XIX. 
 
 THE GOVERNOR MARRIED. 
 
 JULIO MURILLO had become such a well-known seer 
 by name, and also well known through the press, from 
 the fact that upon him alone fell the responsibility of 
 deciding whether the Governor would become a candi 
 date for the presidency of the United States of America 
 or not. 
 
 Now that the thirty days' time he had requested to be 
 given him, in which he could study the matter over, 
 was on the eve of elapsing, the public was in a state 
 of great excitement, in expectation of what the answer 
 would be. 
 
 The Governor and Helen Hinckley had been recluses 
 since the day of the trial of the "Plunger from Kansas" 
 was concluded, and the child, Catalina Martinet, passed 
 away. She had grown to be very dear to them, as well 
 as a favorite with a great many people, particularly 
 those persons who were interested in scientific investiga 
 tions. By all she was missed. Had it not been for the 
 knowledge that she was with them in spirit, and would 
 come again in the physical life, her separation from 
 the Governor would be almost unbearable to him. 
 Helen Hinekley had remained at the Governor's Man-
 
 276 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 sion since the day after she saved him from the clutches 
 of the rebels. She had no home since the trouble in 
 the family of Francisco E. Cantu, and he wished to 
 give her his protection. 
 
 She was now seated in her pretty parlor connected 
 with the suite of rooms she occupied in her future 
 permanent home, and was reading aloud to the Gov 
 ernor's housekeeper, a dear old lady of whom she had 
 grown to be very fond, the newspaper accounts of the 
 war. 
 
 "It is only a question of a few more weeks until the 
 uprising will be subdued, and hundreds more will un 
 derstand the law," replied Miss Hinckley, in answer to 
 a question propounded by her companion. 
 
 "The paper says/' continued Miss Hinckley, "that 
 if Senor Julio Murillo decides to-morrow that the Gov 
 ernor's name shall be entered as a candidate for nomi 
 nation to the presidency of the United States of 
 America, that the rebels will know their chances for 
 severing the Union will be smaller than at present, and 
 they will gradually disperse, themselves/' 
 
 "Is the question of whether he will or will not 
 allow his name to be used as a candidate for nomina 
 tion to the presidency, to be decided to-morrow?" 
 asked the housekeeper. 
 
 "That is my understanding," replied Miss Hinck 
 ley, "and while I have not spoken to the scientist, 
 Julio Murillo, in regard to the matter, a knowledge 
 comes to me from within that he will report favorably, 
 and when the election takes place, his Honor will be the 
 next President of the United States of America. From
 
 The Governor Married. 277 
 
 a material point of view, it is a great honor; but from 
 a spiritualistic point of view it is no honor." 
 
 "Do you not believe," replied her companion, "that 
 the election of Governor Lehumada will be the means of 
 promulgating spiritual researches?" 
 
 "His election is the only means now known that will 
 bring about that end. It is the inevitable, and his elec 
 tion will take place," replied Miss Hinckley. 
 
 At that moment a light knock was heard at the door. 
 At Miss Hinckley's request it was opened, and Juan 
 entered. He handed Miss Hinckley two cards, one 
 bearing the name of Julio Murillo, the other of Gnil- 
 lermo Gonzales. On the latter was written: "We are 
 requested by his Honor, to see you upon a matter of 
 much importance." 
 
 "Show them in, Juan; show the gentlemen here at 
 once," replied Miss Hinckley. "But what is the matter ? 
 You seem to be terribly distressed/' she concluded, as 
 Juan was leaving. 
 
 "Oh, miss," he cried; "there is enough the matter. 
 I have taken more 'Memory Fluid.' " 
 
 "Is that all ?" asked the housekeeper. 
 
 "That is enough, quite enough; for I now remember 
 too much," replied Juan. 
 
 "Then you are one of us, Juan," said Miss Hinck 
 ley. "When the scientists leave, Juan, come and tell 
 us what you remember. I will not now keep you wait 
 ing longer." 
 
 Juan passed out, and the housekeeper arose to leave 
 the room. "Do not go!" exclaimed Miss Hinckley. 
 "I wish you to be present. The interview concerns the
 
 278 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 marriage of myself and his Honor. He has been in the 
 most serious meditations since the flight of dear little 
 Catalina's soul. I have not seen him since the memora 
 ble day, but I have constantly heard from him. He 
 says it is the physical over which he yet has not perfect 
 control, and that makes him mourn for dear little Cata- 
 lina. She has been with him in spirit since the moment 
 of her departure. And while he realizes that her pass 
 ing away will result in our mutual happiness, he still 
 grieves for her." 
 
 A rap at the door interrupted her further comments 
 upon the subject. The two scientists entered, and after 
 a cordial greeting, Guillermo Gonzales said: "Miss 
 Hinckley, his Honor deputized friend Julio Murillo and 
 myself to ascertain from you the earliest date you 
 would consent to your marriage (already taken place 
 spiritually, with him) to be celebrated publicly, and by 
 the civil law." 
 
 Miss Hinckley smiled and said : "The civil law must 
 be respected, yet I feel so little interest in it, I will leave 
 the matter entirely in the hands of our friend, Julio 
 Murillo. The seer of the age is hereby appointed mas 
 ter of ceremonies. Is that not a wise conclusion, 
 Senor Gonzales?" concluded Miss Hinckley. 
 
 "His Honor, the Governor, will be greatly pleased, 
 Miss Hinckley, for as you know, the Governor trusts him 
 with all the affairs of the Government, and he is the 
 greatest seer of the age," replied Guillermo Gonzales. 
 
 Without any embarrassment whatever, at the great 
 knowledge attributed to him, Julio said : "The day set 
 to nominate candidates for the office of the presidency
 
 The Governor Married. 279 
 
 of the United States of America, will take place on the 
 twenty-third day of this month. Governor Lehumada 
 will be nominated at ten o'clock in the morning. At 
 twelve o'clock the state marriage ceremony will take 
 place in the parlors of the gubernatorial Mansion, and 
 will be performed by Judge Ulloa, of the Supreme 
 bench. After the civil ceremony I will make the formal 
 announcement of your spiritual marriage, which took 
 place some time ago ; after which, a reception will take 
 place, and many renowned people will be present, some 
 of whom will be from the spirit world," quietly con- 
 eluded the great seer, 
 
 "From a human point of view I am delighted, and 
 from a sense of the fitness of the eternal, my soul is 
 contented, and cries out in great joy at the harmony of 
 my life. Tell his Honor I am conscious of his presence 
 always, and of his great love for me. It is to me the 
 'peace of the soul that passeth all understanding'; the 
 understanding, of course, of the uninitiated" said the 
 Governor's fiancee. 
 
 "To-morrow," said Guillermo Gonzales, "will be an 
 nounced publicly his Honor's intentions of becoming a 
 candidate for the office of President of the United 
 States of America." 
 
 "At the same time," continued Julio Murillo, "the 
 public announcement of the date of your and his 
 Honor's marriage will be made." 
 
 "I am content to leave everything to your judgment, 
 friend Julio," said Miss Hinckley, extending her hand 
 to them as they arose to leave. 
 
 "Then you and his Honor will have nothing to re-
 
 280 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 gret," said Guillermo Gonzales, as they passed from the 
 room. 
 
 The Governor's good housekeeper clasped Helen 
 Hinckley in her arms, and as she pressed her lips to 
 her brow, said, with tears streaming down her cheeks: 
 "I am an old woman; three-score years have passed 
 over my head, yet I have not the knowledge of which 
 you speak. Tell me, my child, tell me from whom can 
 I learn of the inner life ?" 
 
 "It can only come, my good woman, from an awaken 
 ing which must proceed from within, out. It is the 
 subjective life that must make itself felt. The great 
 Cause which lies back of the 'powers that be/ must 
 be felt, and that can only be done when one's life is in 
 tune with the great Cause/' 
 
 "But how am I to tune my life with the Great 
 Cause?" was the next question. 
 
 "By making the physical life subservient to the 
 spiritual is the first step," immediately replied Helen 
 Hinckley. 
 
 "Then the taking of 'Memory Fluid' will do much 
 toward the desired end, I suppose," said the housekeeper, 
 evidently much interested in how to become spiritual. 
 "Tell me about that wonderful fluid, Miss Hinckley. 
 How did it affect you, and after what length of time ?" 
 
 "Juan is coming, my dear woman. He no doubt 
 will be able to explain to you, better than I, the work 
 ings of 'Memory Fluid,' " said Helen Hinckley, as she 
 drew her companion onto the sofa by her side. 
 
 As prophesied by Miss Hinckley, Juan's steps were 
 heard at the door, and on being asked to come in, he
 
 The Governor Married. 281 
 
 entered, timidly, and dropped into the nearest chair 
 without any invitation. Miss Hinckley smiled to her 
 self as she looked at him. 
 
 The housekeeper looked worried and said: "And 
 you have taken more 'Memory Fluid/ Juan ? Is that why 
 you are so sad?" 
 
 "Yes, madam, that is the reason," replied Juan. 
 
 "Then you regret having taken it," was her next 
 comment. 
 
 "Not in the least," replied Juan. "I would rather be 
 sad for a season and ~know, than be ignorant and happy. 
 For the happiness of the ignorant is not lasting. And 
 when one recovers from the shock, which first makes 
 them sad, of having learned the lesson, I fancy that no 
 worldly affairs can mar his happiness. I understand 
 now what dear little Catalina meant by things not seen 
 ly the eye or heard by the ear." 
 
 "Tell us, Juan, of your other lives, if you have the 
 remembrance of any. Mrs. Serrano is interested in 
 'Memory Fluid/ " said Miss Hinckley. 
 
 "That is what I came to tell you ; but I do not feel so 
 sad about what I know as I did a while ago. First 
 I took two tablespoonfuls of 'Memory Fluid/ In three 
 minutes afterwards I was astonished to see myself a 
 little boy, walking down the street in South America, 
 holding the hand of the 'Plunger from Kansas/ I 
 nearly fainted at the shock it gave me. I heard him say : 
 'Poor lad; his mother is gone. They are hot on my 
 tracks, after five years of dodging here, and were it not 
 for the lad I would end my existence now. What would 
 you do, son, if you had no papa to care for you?' he
 
 282 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 asked, turning to me. I swelled up in great fashion, 
 and replied: 'I would join the circus and be the 
 clown/ He was shocked, of course; no doubt, he 
 wished me to be a plunger like himself. Imagine my 
 feelings, Miss Hinckley, when I was forced to realize 
 that I was born into my first existence the son of the 
 'Plunger from Kansas.' " 
 
 "You were not to blame, Juan, and now that you re 
 member, see that in your next physical existence you do 
 not enter an inharmonious physical dwelling," replied 
 Helen Hinckley. 
 
 "How interesting/' added Mrs. Serrano. "Tell us, 
 Senor Juan, did you join the circus and become a 
 clown?" 
 
 Helen Hinckley smiled at her inquisitiveness, and 
 continued: "Certainly, friend Juan, tell us all about 
 yourself in other lives." 
 
 "I did, madam, and lived the life of a clown up to a 
 ripe old age. I broke my neck my turning a double 
 somersault, and died without the least pain," said Juan. 
 
 "And did you live again before now?" eagerly asked 
 Mrs. Serrano. 
 
 "Yes," replied Juan, as he heaved a great sigh ; "that 
 calamity happened to me." 
 
 "Why do you call it a calamity ?" asked Mrs. Serrano. 
 
 "Because I presented myself into a family who were 
 intent upon opening up missionary schools that was 
 in Chicago and if they couldn't make the children be 
 lieve as they did, by giving them a sweet cake now and 
 then, they used a club, and the children said they be 
 lieved as they did whether they did or not. When I
 
 The Governor Married. 283 
 
 was ten years old I heard my father say that he had 
 raked in five thousand dollars that year, over and above 
 expenses. When I told him he had committed a great 
 sin, he gave me a lick with a great club, over the back. 
 In about an hour my soul fled, and just before I passed 
 over, I remember I thought how glad I would be to get 
 rid of such a life. You can hardly imagine how con 
 ceited I was about my past, before taking 'Memory 
 Fluid.' I thought if I had lived at all, I certainly had 
 been a man of very great note. I even imagined 
 myself in one life Julius Caesar; in another George 
 Washington; and yet another, the great, though not 
 very beloved, Santa Ana. That was the cause of my 
 sad face when I first learned the truth. It was a great 
 fall for my feathers. I have knowledge now, and I do 
 not care for the vanities of life," concluded Juan, as he 
 rose to leave the room. 
 
 "You feel better, Juan," said Miss Hinckley, "be 
 cause you have had a feast of the soul. You have been 
 in an harmonious circle for the last thirty minutes, and 
 it is the first time since your awakening. Many 
 people with good intentions are made demons, because of 
 inharmonious surroundings. As you grow strong in 
 the Light, we will enjoy many an hour together, Juan." 
 
 Juan left the room with a bow and a "thank you," 
 and Mrs. Serrano arose and walking the floor back and 
 forth in intense excitement, said: "My dear child, 
 that story is divine to me. Show me the way. I must 
 know if I had a past existence." 
 
 "I can do nothing more, Mrs. Serrano, than to get 
 you a little of 'Liquid from the Sun's Kays/ known as
 
 284 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 'Memory Fluid.' If you take it, I feel quite sure that 
 you will not be disappointed in the result/' replied 
 Helen Hinckley. 
 
 "Get it, child; get it, and I will take it in honor of 
 yourself and the good Governor." 
 
 While Helen Hinckley knew the good housekeeper 
 would take it mainly to satisfy her curiosity, she cheer 
 fully gave her a vial of the liquid, and said : "Have no 
 fears, Mrs. Serrano; no harm can result from it. 
 When your memory is restored, I will gladly take you 
 with me on a trip through space." 
 
 "How charming, to be the envy of all eyes," said the 
 worldly Mrs. Serrano. 
 
 Helen Hinckley made no reply, but laughed heartily 
 as the two separated for the night (so Mrs. Serrano 
 thought) ; but Helen Hinckley knew they would not 
 meet again until her wedding .day. She knew how 
 keenly Mrs. Serrano would feel the disappointment in 
 not being able to tell her to-morrow what she remem 
 bered, and take a trip through space, yet she knew 
 it was for her good, and she caused the delay. 
 
 Time in the Governor's Mansion went very quickly, 
 and Helen Hinckley was as happy as a mortal can be. 
 Now that the day had arrived which would be cele 
 brated in her and the Governor's honor with so much 
 grandeur, she could hardly realize that she was the same 
 Helen Hinckley who came to the great city of Chihua 
 hua only a short time ago, homeless, friendless and 
 almost penniless, searching in an ill-defined way for her 
 other self, and for the one who had caused her to be 
 an orphan in a life gone by, and who was instrumental
 
 The Governor Married. 285 
 
 in causing her grief and sorrow in her present life 
 the loss of parents, home and money. 
 
 She attributed all of her good fortune to the high 
 life she had always aimed to live; to her delving with 
 things pertaining to the occult, and the taking of 
 "Memory Fluid." She was happy and knew the cause, 
 so nothing could mar her pleasure. Before she left her 
 room, which was at an early hour, numerous congratu 
 latory messages were brought to her from President 
 Mortingo and others of note, as well as from many 
 others, from various parts of the world, wholly unknown 
 to herself and to the public. 
 
 When she was through reading the first lot of messages 
 received, she dressed herself in a close-fitting black 
 gown, from the bottom of which only her feet extended, 
 and took a trip through space. When she reached the 
 very outskirts of the city, she sat down near the top of 
 one of the Sierra Madre mountains. 
 
 The sun was just rising, and she thought she had 
 never seen such a beautiful sight. Out from the rays 
 of the sun there seemed to glide a figure of some per 
 son. When it came closer and became more distinct, 
 she recognized Catalina. 
 
 The child smiled, and said : "We will be at your wed 
 ding, dear Helen." 
 
 "I do not see anyone but you, sweet child," said Miss 
 Hinckley. 
 
 "I mean," continued Catalina, "Marriet Motuble and 
 I. She will not come, though, unless his Honor is 
 willing." 
 
 "There he comes," said Miss Hinckley, rising to meet 
 the Governor; "ask him."
 
 286 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "You were expecting me, dear life. I can hardly 
 realize that this is the day to which I have so long 
 looked forward, the day on which all the world may 
 know that we have conformed to the civil law and are 
 thereby man and wife according to human customs," 
 said the great Governor, as he folded her in his arms. 
 
 "I am sure, my other self, there will be nothing to 
 mar our happiness, since we both remember and are con 
 scious of having sought for each other throughout two 
 existences, and knew no peace until we were found," 
 replied the woman whom he loved. 
 
 "Some one must be hiding close by, dear heart; in 
 fact, I feel the presence of many besides you," said the 
 Governor, glancing nervously around. 
 
 "My other life, my dear heart, I was so rejoiced at 
 seeing you, that I neglected to tell you that we have com 
 pany. Come; there are Catalina and Marriet Motuble 
 sitting by that big rock." She led him by the hand to 
 the rock. 
 
 "I do not see them," cried his Honor. 
 
 "You are too much engrossed with physical pleasures, 
 my other life, to see the spiritual form of the dear child 
 you love so well, and of the erstwhile aggressive senorita, 
 as you were wont to call Marriet Motuble. She wishes 
 to get your consent to attend our marriage," said Miss 
 Hinckley. 
 
 "You have spoken wisely, dear Helen. I am a little 
 out of tune this morning. I have allowed my vanity to 
 be nattered by the assurance from Julio that I am to be 
 the next President of the great United States of 
 America. Yes, say to Marriet Motuble, dear Helen,
 
 The Governor Married. 287 
 
 that we will be pleased to have her at our wedding as 
 sembly," concluded the Governor. 
 
 The Governor and Helen Hinckley bade their spirit 
 friends adieu, and hand in hand they glided through 
 the air, and discussed the possibilities of the future in 
 regard to scientific discoveries and the growth of spirit 
 ual knowledge. 
 
 So contented were they away from the bustle of life, 
 that they did not realize how swiftly time was flying, 
 and when they returned to the Governor's Mansion, the 
 hour was nearly eleven-thirty. A message awaited the 
 Governor, announcing his nomination. Only one half- 
 hour remained for them to prepare for their wedding. 
 Guests had already arrived in large numbers. Judge 
 Ulloa and many of the legal fraternity and scientists 
 clamored for the Governor, to offer their congratulations 
 for the great victory he had achieved. 
 
 Mrs. Grange was there, and persisted in being al 
 lowed to be the first to congratulate the Governor. 
 
 Poor woman ! She was very much cast down. Her 
 husband had died recently, as a result of not being able 
 to recover from the disgrace of losing his position 
 through joining the rebel party and of having a wife 
 who had been a subject. Mrs. Grange was a changed 
 woman. She endeavored to live a higher and better 
 life, but having the physical developed more than the 
 spiritual, it was difficult for her to be in this life much 
 different in her actions, after remembering, than her 
 long life of dissipation, intriguing and deceit had made 
 her. 
 
 At Miss Hinckley's suggestion the Governor had given
 
 288 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 her a place in the State Library as one of the under 
 clerks, that she might earn her daily bread. She was 
 still a coquette, and not much hopes were felt for her 
 in her present existence. It was common talk at the 
 library that she was laying siege to the heart of the 
 scientist, Guillermo Gonzales; but what impression she 
 had been able to make no one knew but the scientist. 
 
 Promptly at eleven-thirty the bridal party entered the 
 large parlors, which were beautifully decorated. 
 
 Helen Hinckley was on the arm of Guillermo Gon 
 zales, and Governor Lehumada had for his best man 
 the renowned seer, Julio Murillo. 
 
 Guillermo Gonzales handed Miss Hinckley to her be 
 trothed, and Judge Ulloa pronounced the words which, 
 according to the civil law of the land made these two 
 people recognized as man and wife. 
 
 When the Governor and his bride faced the audience, 
 the entire room seemed suddenly to be filled with thou 
 sands of invisible musicians. Such delightful strains 
 of melody had never been heard by man before ! The 
 Governor and his bride stopped, and with faces beaming 
 with happiness looked up, and listened intently to the 
 divine music that seemed to come from above. 
 
 One by one the people arose and assumed the same lis 
 tening attitude. 
 
 The melodious sounds ceased for a moment, and Mrs. 
 Grange ran forward, clutched the arm of the Governor 
 and cried: "Your Honor, forgive me; but I must 
 know from whence all of this music comes, or I will go 
 wild. I feel as if I would fall dumb with terror !" She 
 threw her head around, rolled her eyes from one side
 
 The Governor Married. 289 
 
 to the other, and looked the very picture of one insane 
 from fright. 
 
 "Dear Mrs. Grange/' said the Governor, "the music 
 comes from my spirit friends; they are celebrating the 
 union of two lives between which there is perfect har 
 mony." 
 
 "Catalina leads the band. You know her, do you not, 
 Mrs. Grange ?" asked the Governor's bride. 
 
 "I did know her," replied Mrs. Grange, "but I do 
 not care to know her now. "Oh, God, if to remember 
 makes one undergo such torture as this, I pray you to let 
 me pass into oblivion." 
 
 "That is how I felt," said Juan, coming close by, 
 "when remembrance first came to me. You certainly 
 would not blame me for wishing to die and never know 
 again, when I became conscious that my first existence 
 upon the physical plane was as the son of the 'Plunger 
 from Kansas.' ' : 
 
 A murmur of surprise was heard from every side. 
 The Plunger was there, and when asked by the Gov 
 ernor if he remembered Juan in a life gone by, he ex 
 claimed : "Yes ! and great God ! I was not sorry I 
 committed suicide, for to have seen my son a clown in 
 a circus, when we had such great aspirations for him, 
 would have finished me." 
 
 "The wrongs committed and the evil done others con 
 sciously and unconsciously, will be obliterated in an 
 other life. This is a great school and, friends, we all 
 are learning. Our musical friends wish to give us one 
 more grand serenade before departing," said the Gov 
 ernor.
 
 290 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Julio Murillo arose, and addressing the Governor, 
 said : "With your Honor's permission, I will deliver a 
 message to Mrs. Grange from her husband." 
 
 "My permission is granted, if Mrs. Grange wishes to 
 hear it delivered," replied the Governor. 
 
 Mrs. Grange was hanging onto the arm of the scien 
 tist, Guillermo Gonzales, and with one of her most be 
 witching smiles looked up into his face and said: 
 "Would it be wise to hear it, Senor Gonzales?" 
 
 The great scientist smiled, in spite of his efforts to 
 control it, at the conspicuous and humorous position he 
 occupied, and said: "Dear Mrs. Grange, it is due 
 science that you hear his message, as well as to show the 
 proper respect to your once dearly beloved husband." 
 
 In a low voice, full of emotion, she said : "Tell Senor 
 Julio to deliver it." 
 
 Julio Murillo, the great seer, was the object of great 
 est interest to all present, and in their eyes he was a 
 connoisseur. 
 
 He approached near the place where the Governor and 
 his bride had seated themselves, and with hands out 
 stretched, asked the Great Cause and the powers that 
 be, to make the great assembly of mortals present see 
 the spiritual serenaders ; to let them surround the bridal 
 party, and when he had delivered the message from Mrs. 
 Grange's husband to her, they could end the marriage 
 celebration with their music. 
 
 Mrs. Grange leaned heavier and heavier upon the arm 
 of Guillermo Gonzales, and gazed upon the face of the 
 Governor and this bride with eyes that seemed charmed, 
 and her face shone with rage and jealousy.
 
 The Governor Married. 291 
 
 The eyes of everyone were riveted upon the Governor 
 and his bride and the scientist 
 
 Julio Murillo stood a moment, eyes lowered as if in 
 silent prayer, then raising his head and stepping aside, 
 said : "They are here." 
 
 The exclamations of "Oh's," and "Oh, dear," "I see," 
 "I see," "That is Catalina," and "Harriet Motuble," 
 were frequently heard. 
 
 Julio said : "Mrs, Grange, this is what your husband 
 says : 'Beware, Inez ; do not make so many pitfalls as 
 you have in the past, or you will never have an har 
 monious life.' " Mrs. Grange's head fell forward when 
 the message was finished. Senor Guillermo Gonzales 
 laid her on a lounge near by. Her soul had fled. 
 
 The spirit band at that moment sent forth delicious 
 strains of melody. Catalina played the harp and Mar- 
 riot Motuble towered above the rest at their backs and 
 blew a large horn ; the vibrations which made the music 
 were so large that they could be seen by everyone. 
 
 When they had ceased, the Governor and his bride 
 arose to leave, after thanking those present for the honor 
 they had paid them. As they glided through the air out 
 of the room, to the amazement of all, the spiritual band 
 followed them, playing Milton's "Allegro."
 
 292 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 THE CELEBRATION. 
 
 PRESIDENT MIGUEL LEHUMADA was entering upon the 
 third year of his second term as President of the United 
 States of America. 
 
 All of the prophecies of the seer, Julio Murillo, had 
 been fulfilled to the letter. The nation clamored for 
 him to be placed at the head of the "National School 
 for Scientific Development," but he preferred to re 
 main in the home of President Lehumada and carry 
 on his scientific investigations quietly and alone, save 
 for the companionship of a few whom he knew to be 
 earnest in their investigations and of an harmonious 
 temperament to him. 
 
 The President and his wife were of tnc greatest as 
 sistance to him, and while the President was ever busy 
 with the affairs of the nation, and his wife with her 
 social and domestic duties, they both found time to 
 attend to the development of their spiritual life, and 
 they never wearied practicing their beliefs, and thereby 
 showing others the beauties a knowledge of the only 
 real life gave them. Senor Julio lectured once a month 
 to the school, and the President and his wife never failed 
 to be present. 
 
 The petition presented by President Lehumada,
 
 The Celebration. 293 
 
 when he was Governor of Chihuahua, to the United 
 States Congress, asking that all priests and female 
 members of different orders of the Church be granted 
 the privilege of marrying without the consent of the 
 Pope, and that both priests and pastors become less like 
 parasites upon the community, had become a law, and 
 the effect of it was already felt by the people. 
 
 And many men too lazy to earn an honest living, and 
 who claimed to have been called to preach the Gospel 
 of Jesus Christ, turned their attention to something else, 
 when they learned that if they had no means they would 
 be compelled to engage in some honorable work to 
 help support themselves, while trying to convert people 
 to a religion which they claim to be called to preach, 
 and help those whom they sought to teach, instead of 
 being a burden upon them. 
 
 Since the petition became a law, quite six years ago, 
 it was shown by statistics that the number of fine build 
 ings called churches, which had been built every year 
 previous to the passage of the law, had diminished more 
 than one-half, and on the other hand, the number of 
 homes built and well furnished by the poor, had been 
 on the increase each year since that time. 
 
 There seemed to be less immorality than formerly; 
 for each person who had no visible means of support was 
 given employment, if he were able to work ; if not, such 
 persons were cared for by the State. However, there 
 were very few people who were disabled for work by 
 chronic diseases. "Memory Fluid" had become a 
 powerful germ killer, and wherever it had been used, 
 the person using it had completely recovered from the 
 disease which had disabled him.
 
 294 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 The use of it was, however, not compulsory; and a 
 great many people objected to taking it, preferring to 
 suffer than to know of a past existence, if they had 
 any. 
 
 In cases other than these, no one was incapacitated for 
 labor unless he was severely crippled. 
 
 Many of the formerly so-called mysteries of life, were 
 no longer mysteries to the great body of thinking 
 people, to those who had been subjects, and delvers in 
 spiritual philosophy at the "School for Hidden 
 Thought," at Saltillo, since their awakening. 
 
 Many students at the "National School for Scientific 
 Development" knew the law, and continued to live 
 their lives upon the highest plane possible, and their 
 efforts were rewarded. 
 
 Juan, the former trusty servant of Governor Lehu- 
 mada, and the worldly Mrs. Serrano, both had become 
 valuable assistants in the diffusion of the spiritual 
 philosophy. Juan occupied the same position in the 
 private laboratory of the Governor of Chihuahua, Guil 
 lermo Gonzales, as Julio Murillo, the great seer and con 
 stant associate and adviser of President Lehumada, did 
 when he first entered the employment of the then Gov 
 ernor, Miguel Lehumada, of Chihuahua. 
 
 Mrs. Serrano occupied the position she formerly did, 
 that of housekeeper, with the exception that she had 
 added to her name, the name of Degatau; in other 
 words, she had become the wife of Juan Degatau. They 
 were happy in their new life, yet both realized that many 
 existences on earth would have to be experienced by 
 them before they could have the harmonious condi-
 
 The Celebration. 295 
 
 tions necessary for the highest knowledge of Law. 
 They did their duty from day to day, as they under 
 stood it, and grew stronger in the knowledge of truth 
 by so doing. Strict surveillance was for a long time 
 kept over the revolutionists, after they abandonded their 
 evil designs upon the government to all outward ap 
 pearances. At the same time, from the day they sur 
 rendered, which was on the first inaugural day of 
 President Lehumada, they were permitted to return to 
 their homes and continue their usual avocation un 
 molested. Of the large number who had no employ 
 ment and no means of support, the government gave 
 them work for which they were well paid; at the same 
 time, the government saw that the work was well done, 
 at the proper time. No one realized better than the 
 famous author of "Liquid from the Sun's Kays," and 
 the great seer, Julio Murillo, that "an idle brain is the 
 devil's worship" to use the language frequently 
 heard on all sides in the nineteenth century and suit 
 able employment was given to everybody who could not 
 procure it themselves. 
 
 There were very few people, even amongst the unin 
 itiated, who were given to shrugging their shoulders at 
 people whose calling on earth was very lowly, and had 
 not sufficient money to live in the same style that they 
 did. For they never knew who of them had taken 
 "Memory Fluid," or belonged to the great society of the 
 initiated. 
 
 The O'Sullivans and O'Bileys, who now sped around 
 in their gilded vehicles, were the descendants of Pat and 
 Tim, who run the joints around the corner in an early
 
 296 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 day; and of Mary McPherson and Susan O'Hallihan, 
 both of whom did the scrubbing at the big folks' houses. 
 These people, before the discovery of "Memory Fluid/' 
 boasted of their social position and inherited wealth; 
 for they never dreamed that anyone knew or would 
 ever know that Pat and Tim killed a man for his money 
 in their "joint," one night. Since the trial of the 
 "Plunger from Kansas," they had changed so much 
 that strangers even noticed it. 
 
 One's social position is rated by the knowledge he has 
 of the Great Cause and his desire to learn spiritual 
 truths. 
 
 Money no one scorns, but it is only considered as the 
 medium by which commerce is carried on; the means 
 by which the necessities of life can be obtained the most 
 independently. The sustaining of self in the highest 
 manner possible is the doctrine the teachers of the occult 
 inculcate. To be true to self, and never a burden on 
 anyone else, was the first great lesson. A lesson which 
 none but the initiated could understand. 
 
 "The beauties which emanate from the Great Cause 
 are so numerous, and so plainly demonstrate the great 
 'World without end,' that physical man, in his present 
 state of grossness, would not be able to get more than a 
 peep into the real life during the present existence," 
 Julio Murillo, the great seer, often said to those seeking 
 admittance into the "National School for Scientific 
 Development," when they wished to be placed in touch 
 with the Hidden immediately, "Take 'Memory Fluid.' " 
 
 All such persons were first advised to take "Memory 
 Fluid," after which there would be some hopes for them.
 
 The Celebration. 297 
 
 Preparations were begun for the celebratioa of the 
 discovery of "Liquid from the Sun's Kays," and the en 
 tire nation had been invited to take part, by the pro- 
 mulgators of tfie "Schools for the Study of the Occult/' 
 and others devoted to scientific researches in general. 
 It was to be a great event, and every one looked forward 
 to it with great pleasure. 
 
 Not since the marriage day of the President, now 
 seven years past, had the public ever been treated to a 
 serenade like the one given that day by the spirit friends 
 of the Governor of Chihuahua, and his bride. And 
 many hoped the same music would come again; yet 
 the possibility of hearing it was not held out as an 
 inducement to secure a large attendance. 
 
 The great auditorium, connected with the grand 
 Museum at Washington, built under the supervision of 
 President Lehumada, his wife, and the well-known seer, 
 Julio Murillo, had a seating capacity of fifty thousand 
 people, with acoutics, heating, lighting, cooling and 
 ventilating facilities unsurpassed. 
 
 While there were more people from a distance, in 
 Washington, who had come to attend the celebration, it 
 was hoped that everyone who desired would have the op 
 portunity of being present at one or more of the lectures, 
 to be delivered during the three days of celebration. 
 
 Francisco de Urdinola, president of the "School for 
 Hidden Thought/' of Saltillo; Guillermo Gonzales, 
 Governor of Chihuahua ; Juan and his wife ; and "The 
 Plunger from Kansas," were conspicuous figures at the 
 national capital. The Plunger was as young in ap 
 pearance as ever, but he had less money than formerly,
 
 298 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 to spend on such occasions as the present one, where 
 it had been his delight to make everyone wonder at the 
 freedom with which he spent large sums of money. 
 
 He wore the first new suit of clothes he had bought 
 since the conclusion of his famous trial. Yet the money 
 he had taken by stealth in the life long since passed, 
 was not paid in full. He was working to fulfill his 
 promise to lift that burden he had helped to place upon 
 himself in his present existence, for he well knew that; 
 if he failed to pay the debt now, he would be compelled 
 to do so in a life to come. 
 
 One of his objects in coming to Washington was to try 
 to secure employment at higher wages than he was able 
 to get in Chihuahua. 
 
 "What do you wish to do?" asked a newspaper cor 
 respondent, who was interviewing the Plunger on the 
 street. 
 
 "Oh, it does not matter what I do; but it is the price 
 I get, about which I am concerned. I mean, of course, 
 it does not matter what I do, so long as I am engaged in 
 an honest business," replied the Plunger. 
 
 "Then you do not care to make another 'plunge* on 
 someone's else money, in order to make a stake?'' 
 asked the reporter, with a meaning smile. 
 
 "Well, hardly ; the taste I had of that in the year of 
 our Lord eighteen hundred and ninety-eight, as the 
 makers of the chronicle said then, has not left me yet. 
 No son, no more plunging for me. Remorse of con 
 science is the greatest punishment one can have. Take 
 the advice of a man who remembers, son, and never en 
 gage in dishonest transactions. There will come a day,
 
 The Celebration. 299 
 
 as sure as fate, when you will have to repair the wrongs 
 you have committed, if you do," was the fatherly advice 
 of the Plunger. 
 
 The reporter stood quietly by for a few moments, no 
 doubt revolving in his mind the many exaggerated 
 stories he had written about different people, and 
 wondering if he would in a life to come, be compelled 
 to retract all he had said. 
 
 The Plunger noticed his thoughtful attitude, and 
 said : "When you take 'Memory Fluid/ you will ponder 
 more seriously than you do now. Come, help a fellow 
 if you can. I want to get this burden of debt off my 
 shoulders." 
 
 "It was on that subject I was studying, my friend. 
 I know a man who wants a head gardener; wages, one 
 hundred dollars a month and board," replied the re 
 porter. 
 
 "I hope I can get the job," said the Plunger, as the 
 two walked on arm in arm. 
 
 "We will see about it at once, then go to the audi 
 torium to hear the discourses upon the great scientific 
 subjects. Ah, and I must have you in the description 
 of this great celebration. What a lucky fellow I am 
 to have fallen in with you this morning. I will be pro 
 moted to city editor on account of getting the first 
 interview with you," said the reporter, delighted over 
 ;he prospects. 
 
 "If I get the job you mention," replied the Plunger, 
 ;< no one else can have an interview with me." 
 
 On seeing a man coming toward them, the reporter 
 became very excited, and exclaimed : "There is Judge
 
 300 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 Barrow now ! I am in luck again. He is the man who 
 wants a gardener." 
 
 At that moment Judge Barrow met them He 
 seemed to be very much in a hurry and when the re 
 porter spoke to him, he said, hurriedly: "No inter 
 view this morning, Tom. Nothing new." 
 
 "But, Judge, one moment. You want a gardener, do 
 you not?" exclaimed the reporter, hurrying after him. 
 
 "Yes," said the judge, turning around. 
 
 "Well, I have just the man here for you," fraid the 
 reporter, delighted at his success so far. 
 
 "What experience has the man had?" asked the 
 judge. 
 
 "Oh, he has had none; he is the 'Plunger from 
 Kansas' !" 
 
 "The what? The Tlunger from Kansas'!" ex- 
 claimed Judge Barrow, eying him closely. 
 
 "That's my title, Judge. I have had no experience; 
 for since I made the memorable plunge, I have lived the 
 life of a gentleman through the biggest part of three 
 existences, but since I had to whack up, I have been 
 dead-broke, and am still in debt. I will get out of debt 
 in this life, if I am given a chance." 
 
 "Ah, you are a noble young fellow. You can have 
 the job, at one hundred and fifty dollars a month, 
 and board. Show up in the morning, young man. It 
 is a great thing for me to have such a noted person for 
 my gardener," concluded the judge, as he left the two 
 men spellbound. 
 
 "After all, I am not having such a bad tim* 1 . It is 
 not so bad to repent, after all," said the Plunger.
 
 The Celebration. 301 
 
 "Nor to have been a subject" added the reporter. 
 "Who are the people coming toward us; they seem to 
 recognize you. Are they some of your friends in a life 
 gone by ?" asked the reporter. 
 
 "Yes, and no," seriously said the Plunger. "The 
 man, however queer it may sound to you, was once my 
 son. In this life, no ; and the woman upon whose arm 
 he is clinging is his wife." 
 
 "How strange ! The man is much older than you. 
 This is an age of marvels, and when I stop to consider, 
 I am at sea without a pilot, or in a wilderness without a 
 guide," commented the reporter. 
 
 At that moment Mr. and Mrs. Degatau came up, 
 smiling, no doubt, at seeing on the street of a big, 
 strange city, a familiar face. 
 
 Juan Degatau held his hand out to the Plunger, and 
 said: "Papa, I am glad to see you. This celebration 
 could have not have been much of a success, had you 
 stayed away." 
 
 "That I had no thought of doing. I have a twofold 
 purpose in being here, however," replied the Plunger. 
 
 "Yes?" said Mrs. Degatau, without further question. 
 
 "Ah, what a crowd of distinguished looking people. 
 I must get out amongst them and see if I cannot get 
 items for to-morrow's paper, which The Hidden does 
 not contain," said the reporter, moving away uneasily. 
 
 "That you cannot do," said Juan; "for if the seer 
 sees fit to report to The Hidden, the most powerful 
 daily paper in the world, the trivial affairs you are col 
 lecting this morning, your paper will fall short of being 
 anything but second-class."
 
 302 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 "Now, son," said the Plunger, his tone betraying the 
 satire he evidently tried to conceal, "don't be so bard on 
 Tom. He is doing the best he knows how. What 
 were your thoughts before you remembered? Tom has 
 done for me this morning, more than my son (and he 
 has been a subject) ever offered to do for me." 
 
 "The reporter, no doubt, was born to a higher plane 
 in his first existence, than your son," curtly replied 
 Juan, "and that accounts for his natural kindness of 
 heart. The curse of having to live through three exist 
 ences in punishment, on account of the house in which 
 one lived his first existence being so full of sin, did not 
 fall to his lot. Good morning, gentlemen, good 
 morning; my wife and I are going to the auditorium. 
 If we tarry longer, we will not get in. I wish you 
 and Tom, Papa, much luck." Juan bowed very low, 
 and together with his wife, walked very rapidly toward 
 the auditorium. 
 
 The third and last evening of xue great celebration, 
 in honor of the seventh anniversary of the marriage of 
 the President of the United States, Miguel Lehumada, 
 and Helen Hinckley, was at hand. 
 
 Sharply at eight o'clock, the house already filled to 
 its utmost for an hour or more, arose at a signal given by 
 the master of ceremonies, to witness the arrival of the 
 President, his wife, and their beautiful twins, a boy 
 and a girl six years old, moving through the air. When 
 they took the seats assigned for them on the rostrum, 
 the audience sat down. After the President's address 
 of welcome, there was an eloquent discourse by the great 
 seer, Julio Murillo, upon the "Divine in Man," in which
 
 The Celebration. 303 
 
 he spoke of the discovery of "Memory Fluid," the great 
 destroyer of germs, without any but good effects upon 
 the physical, making man in his physical state cog 
 nizant of all his past, and creating in him a desire for 
 a knowledge of the Great Cause. 
 
 At the close of his remarkable address, he spoke of 
 the strange effect of Ebony Fluid upon animal matter, 
 after the spirit had taken its flight. A screen was re 
 moved from the side of the rostrum, which disclosed to 
 view the ebonized bodies of Francisco K. Cantu, Father 
 Hernandez, Eev. J. T. Note, Harriet Motuble, and last, 
 of the little child, Catalina Martinet. 
 
 These bodies had been in the National Museum for 
 some months, but had never been unveiled for inspec 
 tion. The history of all the persons, whose bodies, 
 black as midnight and as hard as flint, stood before 
 them, was familiar to everybody, and were objects of 
 very great interest in consequence. 
 
 The two children of the President ran from one 
 ebonized body to the other, while Julio Murillo ex 
 plained which had been occupied respectively by the 
 five persons who had made many pages of history teem 
 with interest. 
 
 The little girl was a beautiful brown-eyed child, re 
 tiring and quiet and a very striking likeness of the 
 President. 
 
 The boy, much taller than the girl, was aggressive, 
 and quite the constrast of his sister Helen. His hair 
 was light brown and curly, and his eyes were blue. 
 Little Miguey, as he was called, after his famous father, 
 was strikingly unlike either of his parents.
 
 304 Liquid from the Sun's Rays. 
 
 His great talent for music had been cultivated by 
 the best masters, and at the tender age of six years 
 he could handle skillfully any musical instrument; but 
 his fondness for the horn was shown by the masterly 
 way in which he played upon it. 
 
 The committee in charge of the music for the cele 
 bration secured the consent of the President and his 
 wife to allow their talented son to play the horn in 
 the last musical number on the program, for the last 
 evening of the celebration. It would be his first ap 
 pearance in public, yet the fact gave him no concern. 
 
 The large horn used by the child hung on a rack on 
 the rostrum, and was an object of much interest, as 
 well as the ebony figures. 
 
 Julio Murillo concluded his talk upon the subject of 
 ebony bodies, by saying: "The souls which once oc 
 cupied these bodies, are here in spirit, and with others 
 whom we knew in a life gone by, will now appear be 
 fore us, and we will have music from the spirit choir." 
 
 The stillness in the room was appalling to those who 
 did not know, to the uninitiated, until the music began. 
 
 At first the Spirit Choir was invisible; but as the 
 music grew in power, first one, then another could be 
 seen surrounding the President's family, until all who 
 were taking part were seen. After the conclusion of 
 their music, Mrs. Lehumada arose to thank them, and 
 when she had expressed her thanks for their music and 
 for the pleasure she had at seeing them, she concluded : 
 "There is but one thing concerning this celebration 
 which makes me sad, and that is, dear spirit friends, 
 that you did not bring a little child I once loved dearly,
 
 The Celebration. 305 
 
 Catalina Martinet; and another, a lady whom I grew 
 to wish for after she passed to spirit land she of 
 whom I speak was called Harriet Motuble. And her 
 music on the horn in spirit was only to be heard once, 
 to be wished for again." 
 
 "Dear Mamma," cried little Helen, "do you not know 
 that it is I, who was Catalina whom you loved? I 
 came back to you and my dear papa that is Cata- 
 lina's ebonized body. I live again." 
 
 The President clasped the child in his arms, and the 
 audience went wild with delight. 
 
 Little Miguey took his big horn from off the rack, 
 and stepping to the front, said: "And it was I, dear 
 Mamma, who was Marriet Motuble and you shall 
 hear my music." 
 
 The crowd arose in amazement, and while the strange 
 child played divinely upon the big horn, the spirit band 
 disappeared. 
 
 And when the child laid his horn up, his mother 
 arose, and clasping him in her arms, said: "After 
 all, there are, even to the initiated, many things which 
 cannot be explained." 
 
 And there was heard throughout the great audi 
 torium the musical murmur of "Amen." 
 
 Saltillo, Mexico, Wednesday, September 12, 1899, 
 12 o'clock A. M. 
 
 THE END.
 
 UC SOUTHERN REGIONAL LIBRARY FACILITY 
 
 AA 000121410 5 
 
 UNIVERSITY LIBRARY 
 
 University of California, San Diego 
 
 DATE DUE 
 
 2 1966 
 
 lwi-ll,'64(F311s2)0380