CHAPTER XXIII
Hedrove back to the hotel, found Lady Bersford awaiting him. He ate his breakfast hurriedly and retired to a secret corner in the hotel where they would be alone and he could hear what Lady Bersford had gathered from the spirit world the night before. Her first words when he entered the room were, "Mr. Gordon, I have good news for you and I know that you can depend on it. Last night a spirit appeared that I had never seen or heard before. It was an Indian girl, named 'Laughing Waters,' who said she was the daughter of Chief Okeehumkee who once lived near Silver Springs and on account of the loss of her lover had drowned herself in the Springs." At this point Lady Bersford handed Robert Gordon a booklet on Silver Springs containing a legend about the death of Laughing Waters, and he read it hastily.
AN INDIAN LEGEND
A long time ago when Okeehumkee was king over the tribes of Indians who roamed and hunted around the Southwestern lakes, an event occurred which filled many hearts with horror. The king had a daughter whose rare beauty was the pride of the old man's life, and an idol of the braves. She was a coveted prize. Chiefs and warriors vied with each other as to who should present the most valuable gift, when her hand was sought from the king, her father. But the daughter hadalready seen and loved Chuleotah, the renowned chief of a tribe which dwelt among the wild groves of Silver Springs. But it was a sad truth that between the old chief and the young chief, and their tribes, there had long been a deadly feud. They were enemies. When Okeehumkee learned that Chuleotah had gained the affections of his beloved child, not many weeks passed away before the noble Chuleotah was slain. Slain, too, by the father. Dead! Her lover dead! Poor child. Will she return to the paternal lodge and dwell among her people while her father's hand is stained with the drippings of her lover's scalp? No. She hurries away to the well-known fountain. It was a favorite spot, where herself and Chuleotah met on the glassy bottom of the Springs. The pale ghost of Chuleotah stands beckoning her to come. All was still save the night winds that sighed and moaned thru the lofty pines. Then came the girl to the side of the Springs. For a moment she paused upon the edge of the Springs, then met her palms above her head, and, with a wild leap, she fell into the whelming waves. She had gone to one of those enchanted isles, far out in the Western Seas, where the maiden and her lover are united, and where both have found another Silver Springs.
A long time ago when Okeehumkee was king over the tribes of Indians who roamed and hunted around the Southwestern lakes, an event occurred which filled many hearts with horror. The king had a daughter whose rare beauty was the pride of the old man's life, and an idol of the braves. She was a coveted prize. Chiefs and warriors vied with each other as to who should present the most valuable gift, when her hand was sought from the king, her father. But the daughter hadalready seen and loved Chuleotah, the renowned chief of a tribe which dwelt among the wild groves of Silver Springs. But it was a sad truth that between the old chief and the young chief, and their tribes, there had long been a deadly feud. They were enemies. When Okeehumkee learned that Chuleotah had gained the affections of his beloved child, not many weeks passed away before the noble Chuleotah was slain. Slain, too, by the father. Dead! Her lover dead! Poor child. Will she return to the paternal lodge and dwell among her people while her father's hand is stained with the drippings of her lover's scalp? No. She hurries away to the well-known fountain. It was a favorite spot, where herself and Chuleotah met on the glassy bottom of the Springs. The pale ghost of Chuleotah stands beckoning her to come. All was still save the night winds that sighed and moaned thru the lofty pines. Then came the girl to the side of the Springs. For a moment she paused upon the edge of the Springs, then met her palms above her head, and, with a wild leap, she fell into the whelming waves. She had gone to one of those enchanted isles, far out in the Western Seas, where the maiden and her lover are united, and where both have found another Silver Springs.
Lady Bersford said that Laughing Waters' spirit told her that after she drowned herself and her spirit was released, she had been very happy in finding others who met disappointment in love and helping to relieve their sufferings and bring about an understanding and reunite the separated. Laughing Waters said: "Marie is still alive and for mysterious reasons is keeping in hiding from her parents and everyone else, but her love is as strong as the Rock of Gibraltar, and she will keep her promise to return to Robert when he needs her most. It was the spirit of Marie that Robert saw on thestreets in Paris. Marie was not there and never had been, but Robert loved her so much and longed for her until Marie's spirit, which had always been closely in touch with Robert, was able to leave her body and appear to comfort him. It was Marie's spirit he saw at the ballroom. She was not there at all. It occurred because Robert needed some hope and encouragement to go on and wait until the proper time when Marie would return to him. The mysterious letter never existed. It was a delusion and a power of the subconscious mind. This power is known and understood by the adepts of India. Some of my tribe knew how to project the subconscious mind, or spirit, as some called it, anywhere they desired. Robert's subconscious mind had received impressions so long and he had hoped and desired so long for a letter from Marie, that when her spirit appeared he expected a message, a letter, or some communication, and he really thought she dropped a letter. This power so strongly impressed the subconscious mind that he was able to make other people feel, believe and see the letter, but of course they could not read or interpret it, because there was no letter or written message and that is why they all acted so strangely about it. When Robert at last met you, a spiritualist and an unselfish woman, and the interpreter, an honest, unselfish man refusing to accept any amount of money to read the mysterious letter, I knew that no letter ever existed and removed the impression from Robert's subconscious mind and when he went to look for the letter, of course it was not there, and never was because it only existed in his subconscious mind."
After this, Robert was much more cheerful and hopeful. His own mind told him that he was at last on the right track. He thought of the laws laid down in the Bible; remembered what Jesus said when they asked him for a sign that the Son of man would remain three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, then rise and ascend to heaven. Robert knew the meaning of this. He knew that sorrows, sufferings and disappointment had to come before joy and happiness; for every day of sunshine comes a night of darkness, for every aching in the heart there is a returning flow. That all the laws of Nature taught the eternal law of action and reaction. He took great comfort in this; knew that the promise was laid down in the Bible of great reward for love and faithfulness and he felt very happy because he believed "Laughing Waters'" story that Marie would come into his life again.
Robert remained a few days longer at Silver Springs. Enjoyed being with Lady Bersford and told her of his understanding of the Bible and natural laws. She said that the pure, clean life he had led was what had brought him in contact with the spirits that had revealed to him the truth. Many seances were held with "Laughing Waters," who was very fond of Robert and anxious to help him all she could. She said that Robert had a love the same as she had, that he had rather die than give up Marie, but that he would attain the greatest honor of any man on earth except Jesus Christ, because he was following the law of love and that law would bring to him his own Marie and he would spend many happy years with her. She told him that thegreat Chief whose spirit was with her, had confirmed all she had told them.
When Robert prepared to depart from Silver Springs, his heart was filled with gratitude, for Lady Bersford and all she had done for him. He wanted to pay her for her services and if she would name the amount, he would write a check for it. She explained that she was a very wealthy woman, with a large estate in England; that she had gone into this work at the solicitation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, for the good that she could do for others and not for any monetary consideration. Her reward for being unselfish and trying to help him was his appreciation, she said. This attitude on the part of Lady Bersford was a great comfort to Robert and gave him more faith in the Bible. He knew that the law that "whatsoever a man soweth, he shall also reap" was a divine law and a natural law, that no man could break it or evade it, and that his reward was just as sure as the law was inevitable. He had read Emerson's "Essay on Compensation," and strongly believed that. He said to Lady Bersford, "Your reward is sure, because you are doing right, giving out the best you can to help others, and only good will return to you."
Lady Bersford said, "Thank you very much, Mr. Gordon, I have enjoyed our visits and hope that we will meet again some time. May I ask where you are going from here?" "I am going direct to New York as I have important business matters to look after there," he replied. "Mr. Gordon, you don't look strong," she said. "It seems to me you need to take more care of your health and have more rest. I amgoing from here to Sebring, Florida. Have heard so many stories of this wonderful place that I want to go there to recoup my health." "Is it a health resort?" asked Robert. Lady Bersford said, "I understand there is a sunshine sanitarium there. They teach you how to eat and play. The water is the finest in the State of Florida; in fact, one of the few places in Florida where you can get good drinking water. The climate is ideal. Lake Jackson, one of the most beautiful lakes in the State is near there, as well as many others. I am told the fishing and boating is fine. The Kissimmee River is near there. This beautiful river is associated with songs and stories of the Southland and I am anxious to see it. I met some friends in England who spent the past winter at Sebring and they were enthusiastic over the place. They had regained their health and felt that it was the place Ponce de Leon was looking for when he made his search to find the fountain of youth. They said that Sebring had more sunshine than any other place in Florida. I made up my mind that I would never leave Florida before I visited this wonderful spot and see what it would do for my health."
Robert was very much impressed with Lady Bersford's report on Sebring and decided that it must be the ideal place for a tired business man to go and enjoy the sports and recoup his health. It took very little persuading on the part of Lady Bersford to get Robert to go to Sebring with her.
On March 27th, Lady Bersford and Robert Gordon arrived in Sebring, Florida. They found everything just as had been described by her friends. The climatewas ideal, fishing good. Robert enjoyed the golf links and his health began to improve a few days after he arrived. Time went by rapidly and a month was gone before Robert knew it. He had regained health so rapidly that he felt he had indeed found the Fountain of Youth. Having been born on the farm, he loved nature. The beautiful scenery around Sebring delighted him; made him forget his troubles and caused him to be more hopeful of the future. He dreamed of the day when Marie might return to him, and he could take her to Florida to see beautiful Silver Springs, then to Sebring to see all the beautiful lakes and the Kissimmee River. If her health should ever be bad, that would be the place to restore her and she would enjoy the surrounding country as he had.