A California Girl Part 13

Penloe said: "Do you know, Mrs. Herne, there are more than a million couples whose experience is exactly like your own; and if your environments had not been so pleasant, and both of your dispositions well blended, and well balanced, you would have separated long ago, as many have done, not knowing the real cause, and thinking it was something else. You see," continued Penloe, "before you were married, you and your husband had both led pure, virtuous lives; and each of you was like a strong electric battery, charged with the life forces of the body, which produced this pleasant feeling of attraction, and when you were married both of you thought and acted like most other married people."

Mrs. Herne said: "Thank you, Penloe; the ideas you have advanced should become common property of the many."

Penloe replied: "Yes; but there are some who have these ideas, but don't wish to put them in practice."

Mrs. Herne said: "Penloe, suppose that two married persons having been living as most married persons do, and one of the two wished to live the better way which you have just described, while the other wished to live as they have been doing, what would be best to do in a case like that?"

Penloe replied: "That is a matter that requires the best judgment possible, so as not to give offence. Great diplomacy must be used where hard feelings are liable to be produced; but there is one thing that must always be kept in view and that is that the one who wishes to live the better way must be true to himself or herself. The matter should be presented in a very kindly way, showing that it is as much for the interest of the one not wis.h.i.+ng to live the new way as it is for the one desiring it. Patience must be used, and, above all, kindness and love.

"I am going to ask you now, Penloe," said Mrs. Herne, "to tell me from your standpoint, what kind of unions would you consider the best ones?"

To Mrs. Herne's astonishment, Penloe replied: "All marriages are the best ones; even where they are so unhappy as to separate the next day.

The two can only work out their unfoldment from the plane they are now on, and not from any other plane or place."

"Yes," said Mrs. Herne, "but supposing I am living the old way, and after hearing you explain the new way, I wish to live that way."

Penloe said: "That would show that you were tired of living on your old plane, and you were now ready to leave a lower plane for the higher one.

But, supposing I had seen you a week before you were married to Charles Herne, and explained to you the new way, do you think you would have been ready to commence your married life by living the new way?"

Mrs. Herne laughed, and said: "I see it all now; I had to go through this experience in marriage in order to be ready for the better way. But are there not some who are ready to live the better way without having any experience?"

"Yes," said Penloe, "because they were already on a higher plane.

Supposing I take a watch and explain its works to you and your husband; after I get through, you understand all about its movements because you were on the mechanical plane to receive the instruction, but your husband does not, because he has not reached the mechanical plane to receive it. So it is in regard to receiving ideas on any social, moral, or spiritual plane."

"I understand it now," said Mrs. Herne, "for you have the faculty of making any subject very clear; but I am going to push my question and get you to describe the grades of the higher planes in marriage."

Penloe replied: "There are very, very few persons who are living the pure life in marriage who have not reached that plane through experience. Now, it is possible that of two who are about to be married, one previous to that union may have reached the plane of purity through experience; while the other, not having had any such experience, and intending in the main to live purely under marriage, but for several reasons desires to have some experience before living the pure life.

"Again, where the purpose of the union is to live the pure life, then the union belongs to the higher plane. But the highest plane of all is where the two, at the time of marriage, consecrate themselves to each other and to the service of the Lord in His humanity, keeping their bodies, as the temples of G.o.d, pure and sacred; where both live above all l.u.s.tful desires for each other, keeping the life forces for making the mind and body strong, and fitting themselves to be instruments of the Divine. Such a union brings the highest bliss to each of them, and the greater good to the world at large. They do not require children to make them happy, for their life is in the Divine One. They fully realize that in Him they live, move, breathe, and have their being, and they forego for themselves the pleasures of parentage in order to become a spiritual father and a spiritual mother to the many."

Mrs. Herne gave Penloe her hand, and said: "I sincerely thank you for the light you have this day given me."

That evening Clara Herne told her husband Penloe's ideas on the marriage relations.h.i.+p. After listening very closely to all she said, Mr. Herne sat thinking for a while, then said: "Clara, for a long time I have been reflecting on that subject, and it perplexed me much, but now that Penloe has made it so very clear, it seems like so many other things which are hard to find out and understand, but when explained by a master mind like Penloe, appear simple.

"Clara, can you estimate what a great gift Penloe gave you in imparting those very important truths? and the knowledge he gave you, he knew you would tell me; therefore, I feel he has given us both a precious gift, more than if we had received a present of five thousand dollars. We cannot prize such a dear friend too highly."

They had an hour's very agreeable talk on the matter, and they were both of one mind, and decided that there and then they would live the new way; and they both sealed their sacred vow with a pure love kiss.

CHAPTER XVI.

TIESTAN.

A few days after Stella had returned home from her visit to her aunt in Roseland, she and her mother went to call on Penloe; for Mrs.

Wheelwright was as anxious to see such an original man, as Stella was to set her eyes on a face that had such a beautiful expression.

As we have said, Penloe was living all alone, his mother's work being for the present in Chicago.

When Penloe came to the door he received Stella in such an agreeable way as to make her feel perfectly at ease.

Taking his hand, she said: "Penloe, this is my mother, Mrs. Wheelwright; my name is Stella."

With the same grace and ease did he welcome Mrs. Wheelwright, and the two ladies had not sat in his library more than five minutes before they felt as if they had known Penloe all their lives, and they seemed to have a consciousness as if Penloe had known them always. And as wave after wave of thought came to their minds, Penloe met it and gave them just what information and truth each one needed in chaste and polished language; and yet there was no effort at studied phrases on his part, for it was his natural mode of expression. When talking on certain subjects and to an interested listener, his discourse seemed like a string of sapphires, diamonds, pearls, and rubies.

Stella and her mother had sat there looking into those deep, luminous, spiritual orbs, while the conversationalist was interesting them, so that two hours had flown before they thought an hour had pa.s.sed.

As they were about to leave Penloe saw Stella's longing, wistful eyes glancing over the rows of books. He antic.i.p.ated the wish by saying: "Stella, any book or books you see here you are at liberty to take home."

If Penloe had made her a present of a thousand dollars in actual gold coin, she could not have felt as grateful as she did when he gave her the use of his whole library. It was like pouring water on thirsty land.

Stella was thirsting for information on so many subjects, and now her wish was gratified. She had the opportunity of getting the reading matter she longed for so much, but did not have the means to purchase.

And, above all, when Penloe told her he would be pleased to help her in any line of thought she might wish to investigate, it seemed to her as if her happiness was complete. Her eyes and her hand expressed it all on taking leave of Penloe.

The ladies said little in going home. It seemed mutually understood that they would not give expression to their thoughts till they were home and sitting together in the evening.

When Stella entered the house she had in her possession three of Penloe's books. One was "Macomber's Oriental Customs," another "Woman's Freedom in Tiestan" by Burnette, and the third was "Woman's Bondages" by Stuart.

After supper was over and the dishes washed and put away, Stella and her mother sat down and Stella said somewhat abruptly: "Mother, sometimes I wish I had never seen Penloe." Her mother was not very much surprised to hear her express herself in that way, for she had observed that Stella's mind was somewhat agitated.

Her mother said: "Why, dear, what do you mean?"

Stella said: "Mother, I mean this: that I can never be contented and happy in the society of any young man other than Penloe. How can I?"

It was a very hard question for her mother to answer, who knew full well that Penloe had unintentionally made an impression on her daughter's heart that time could never efface, and she had refrained from saying much in praise of Penloe, for she knew that it would only be adding fuel to a very great flame, which it would be impossible for Stella to quench. She knew that Stella had seen in Penloe a young man greatly beyond her expectations; even beyond her ideal. Penloe lived in a world that Stella had only just a faint conception of. It was his intellect, his exceptionally fine personality, manifested in such a fine, manly form she admired. But, above all, Stella could see that he had emptied himself of all save love. And that was so broad, so deep, so far reaching, so universal in its sympathies, that it stirred her whole nature.

Mrs. Wheelwright said: "I think my daughter has lost something."

"Yes," said Stella, "I lost it when Penloe delivered his sermon on that Sunday at church, for I saw in him more than I ever dreamed of seeing in any man, and when I went up and thanked him for his address, and those discerning spiritual eyes of his looked so deeply and searchingly into mine, that he read my secret."

Mrs. Wheelwright went to Stella and pressed her to herself, and kissed her many times. After awhile Stella said:

"Mother, what I want to find in a man is true companions.h.i.+p. Now, look at the young men in Orangeville. There are a very few that are kind, steady young men, but then not one of them would be any companion to me.

I don't want to listen to horse talk, or cattle talk, or hog talk, or some old back East yarns all the time. They all live in the social and domestic world; there is nothing intellectual about them; they are not moved by any broad, grand, sweeping, n.o.ble impulses. Their ranch, their home, and the excitement of their barterings and d.i.c.kerings, and the doings of a few of their neighbors const.i.tute the world they live in.

And most of them think all that a woman is good for, is to cook, wash, and raise babies. And mother, I told you what kind of young men I met in Roseland; now, they are a sample of the top notch of society. All that many of them want is just the use of a young lady as a toy. And when they use up the flower, like the bee, they go to another. As for real manly worth, interesting, intelligent companions.h.i.+p, it is badly wanting in many of them. Some very few are much better than the rest.

"You know, dear mother, it is not that I want to know a man as a man, but it is natural that I should want and love an interesting male companion. When I think what Penloe is, and then think how little and insignificant I am, a mere child beside him, and only about four years difference in our ages, it makes me feel discouraged."

"Penloe's talk this afternoon," said her mother, "shows that he does not look at it in that way. Don't you remember his saying, 'I have traveled much, been among people of royalty, t.i.tle and n.o.bility, have lived among the rich, and great society leaders, also among great politicians, learned men, spiritual giants, business people, also among the poor, also the illiterate, the abandoned, the offscouring, and the outcasts of society; and I have yet to see the person that is not as good as I.' So you see he thinks that you are just as good as he. Now, dear, don't be discouraged in the least. I know just how my daughter feels; she wants Penloe as her life companion and wishes she could be to Penloe what he is to her. Stella, dear, calm your mind and remember that if Penloe is for you, you need not have the least anxiety about the matter; for there is no power in the universe that can hinder your being made one. But if he is not for you, then it does not matter how good or great, how grand or n.o.ble he may be, how intellectually brilliant he may s.h.i.+ne, he should be the last man in the world you should think of as a life companion.

For if there is anything that is true it is those lines of Emerson:

"'Whate'er in Nature is thine own, Floating in air or pent in stone, Will rive the hills and swim the sea, And like thy shadow follow thee.'

"Also remember the saying, 'My own will come to me.'"

Nothing more was said. Stella commenced reading "Woman's Freedom in Tiestan," by Burnette. It occupied most of her spare time the next day, and she finished it before supper, so that evening after supper Stella said: "O, mother, I have finished reading 'Woman's Freedom in Tiestan.'

It is most interesting. Tiestan is a place little known to the Western world, very few travelers having ever visited the country. I want to read a little of it to you."