CHAPTER XII
The Best Thing On Earth
ByR.L. Cole
John Wanamakersaid: "I have for the government, and in my own business, made contracts involving millions of dollars. I have signed checks for millions of dollars, but the greatest purchase I ever made in my life was when I was 11 years old. I saved every penny of my hard-earned money and bought a Bible that cost $2.75. That was my best investment and has had most to do with the rest of the riches of my life. Every other investment I have ever made holds a secondary place to the first and greatest one of them all."
Lord Bacon, the literary genius and philosopher, lifted the Bible one day above his head, and said: "There God speaks."
God speaks in the first verse, saying: "In the beginning God!" And all through the Book we find expressions as "Thus saith the Lord," "the word of the Lord came," "God said," "the Lord commanded," etc.
These expressions are used four thousand times in the Bible, thus indelibly stamping the divine mark.
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God." Inspiration means breathed into. God breathed histhoughts into the Book. The Book contains the breath of God, and lives because God lives.
Jesus said: "Heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall not pass away."
The Bible tells us things we get nowhere else. It tells us of the beginning, for only God was in the beginning. It tells of the beginning of creation, the beginning of the human race, the beginning of the human family; the beginning of sin, the beginning of redemption; the beginning of the arts, sciences, music, agriculture, of nations and languages. Of the Hebrews, of law, etc.
Much of ancient history of the earliest times is borrowed from the Bible.
The Bible tells of things that are to occur thousands of years in the future. The destruction of Babylon, Nineveh, Tyre and Jerusalem was foretold in detail and has come to pass exactly as was predicted.
The first coming of Jesus Christ was foretold—that He would come to the tribe of Judah, would be born of a virgin, would be born in Bethlehem, would come out of Egypt and would grow up in Nazareth, would be despised and rejected of men, would work miracles, would be betrayed by one of his own followers, would be falsely accused, crucified. That they would gamble for his garment; would be buried in another man's tomb, would rise again; that His gospel would be preached to all nations; that to Him would be given a name greater than any name. All these prophecies have been fulfilled. The prophecies of the Bible are yet being fulfilled, and will all be fulfilled.
In Naomi we are told that in the day of His preparation the rivers shall be opened, the palace shall be dissolved and chariots shall be flaming torches, shall run like the lightning and rage in the street. Notice this prophecy: the bridges shall be opened. The suspension bridge opens our rivers. The palaces shall be dissolved. They have been.
Russia and Germany are notable examples. We are living in an era of democracy. The flaming chariots running like the lightning so much like the automobile.
In Isaiah we are told that with the coming in of the Gentiles to the brightness of His rising they shall fly as doves to their windows. That sounds like the airships.
The Bible is a priceless book because it makes promises no other book can make. It promises pardon, salvation, eternal life, soul rest, peace, comfort, strength and succor; victory over trials and temptations; strength in the dying hour, and heaven for all eternity.
The Bible is priceless because it is indestructible. For two thousand years the critics have hurled against it their anathemas, and it still lives. Time and again it has been gathered up and burned, and its advocates for ages were persecuted and put to death, but it has survived fires and floods.
A popular author of fiction boasts 9,000,000 copies of his book published in eight years. 240,000,000 copies of the Bible have been sold in the same eight years.
Another publisher boasts that his book has beenprinted in 23 languages. The Bible is published in 770 different languages and dialects.
Last we passed beside a blacksmith's door,And heard the anvil ring the vesper chime,Then looking in, I saw upon the floorOld hammers worn with beating years of time."How many anvils have you had," said I,"To wear and batter all your hammers so?""Just one," said he, then with a twinkling eye,"The anvil wears the hammers out you know."And so thought I, the anvil of God's word,For ages skeptics' blows have beat upon,Yet thru the noise of falling blows was heard.The anvil was unharmed—the hammers gone.Last we passed beside,etc.
Hume gone, Voltaire gone, Tom Paine gone, Bob Ingersoll gone. The present-day enemies in the church and out of the church will wear their hammers out. God's word that has for two thousand years endured the test, will endure and stand forever.
The individual or nation that believes the Book, and lives according to its teaching, will live as long as the Book lives, and the individual or nation that spurns it will go down.
Martin Luther gave the Bible to Germany and for generations Germany respected and loved the Book, and lived. Then Germany began in her schools to criticise and spurn the Book and brought on the World War. Germany by turning away from the Book, committed suicide, and so shall it be with any nation.
God forbid that America should ever turn away from the Bible!
"Lord God of hosts be with us yetLest we forget, lest we forget.We've traveled together, my Bible and I,Thru all kinds of weather, with smile or with sigh.In sorrow or sunshine, in tempest or calm,Thy friendship unchanging; my lamp and my psalm.We've traveled together, my Bible and I,When life has grown weary, and death e'en was nigh;But all thru the darkness of mist and of wrong,I found thee a solace, a prayer and a song.So now who shall part us, my Bible and I.Shall isms or schism or new lights who shall try?Shall shadow for substance, or stone for good breadSupplant its sound wisdom, give folly instead?Ah no, my dear Bible, revealer of light,Thou sword of the spirit, put error to flight;And still thru life's journey, until the last sigh;We'll travel together, my Bible and I."
These statements agreed exactly with Robert's views. He had found his greatest help in the Bible and knew John Wanamaker was right when he said that the greatest purchase he ever made in his life was when he was 11 years old and bought the Bible for $2.75. As Robert read:
"Heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall not pass away,"
"Heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall not pass away,"
he remembered that the Bible said that whenever youpray, believe that you have it and you shall. As he knew that all things are possible with the Lord, he determined to pray believing that Marie would soon return to him. Robert was much impressed with the statement that all the prophecies of the Bible are being fulfilled and will be fulfilled. He knew that every promise that God had ever made to man, he had kept. This renewed Robert's faith and again he read Marie's note where it said: "According to your faith, be I unto you," and Robert thought that if faith would bring Marie back to him she would surely come. He knew that time would never change his love and that there was no other woman but Marie for him. He would live, work and hope for Marie until he found her, but if she had gone from him forever and such bad news should come to him, he knew that he would bury all life and that hope would depart from him and life would not be worth living.
At the end of the article he read the poem on the Bible and was much impressed with these lines:
"Ah no, my dear Bible, revealer of light,Thou sword of the spirit, put error to flight;And still thru life's journey, until the last sigh;We'll travel together, my Bible and I."
Robert felt that this article had been written especially for him when he needed it most, making him realize the value of his Bible and the trust he should put in it, applying its wisdom to his present problem and troubles.
By the time Robert had finished reading this article, it was after 1:30P.M.and he decided that it was hopeless to wait longer for Marie, that something radically wrong had happened and she had either gone awayor an accident had befallen her. He must make some plans for locating her. Decided to go to a hotel and call Mr. Kennelworth on long-distance 'phone at Texarkana. With this plan in mind, he made his way to the hotel, registered and as soon as he was assigned to his room, put in a long-distance call for Mr. Kennelworth. Mr. Kennelworth was at his residence and it was only a question of a few minutes until he had him on the 'phone. Between sobs, he told his sad story to Mr. Kennelworth about Marie's disappearance and asked his advice. Mr. Kennelworth told him that he thought for some reason Marie may have decided to return to school and complete her education, and probably was at that time on her way back to Sherman. The best plan would be to wait until the next night to see if she returned, altho it was possible that she might get back late that night. Mr. Kennelworth told Robert that he would go to see her father and find out any information he could for him. Robert was to remain at the hotel and if he got any information, he would telephone him. He advised Robert to notify the railroad authorities, and have them make a search and inquire at all of the stations where the train stopped that night on the way from Texarkana to St. Louis, in order to get a clue to Marie's disappearance.
After talking with Mr. Kennelworth, Robert got in touch over the 'phone with the railroad officials in St. Louis and notified them of Marie's disappearance from the train. They promised to send telegrams to all the station agents, to have all the trains watched and try to secure some information for him. They were to communicatewith him just as soon as they had anything definite one way or the other.
Robert now realized that he must go thru the greatest ordeal yet—that of waiting hourly for some news of Marie. He knew the hours would pass slowly and decided to formulate a plan in case Marie did not return to school or to her home, and if no news came from her the next day what would be his next move and what he should do to try to locate her.
The next time Robert noticed the time of day, it was after 6P.M.and he realized that he had had no breakfast, lunch or dinner, but his heart was heavy and he felt that he could not eat anything. The shock had been so great and had come so suddenly that Robert found it hard to adjust himself to it or to realize what it all meant or what it might mean in case Marie should pass out of his life forever. It would mean every hope blasted, every sweet dream gone and would leave him with an uncertainty of life, like a ship without a rudder. He decided to pass the time by reading and seeking consolation in the Bible.
Robert had always been a great admirer of the poet, S.E. Kiser; always read his poems in the daily newspapers and a few months previous to this time, had bought a little book entitled, "Poems That Have Helped Me," collected by S.E. Kiser. He remembered that he had this little book that he liked so much in his suit-case so he unpacked it to look for the book and as he did, he came across the present, the surprise that he had for Marie, that he had told her about before and refused to give to her or tell her more about it untilthey arrived in St. Louis. The present was a wedding ring set with diamonds and a beautiful brooch made of two hearts woven together and tied with a cluster of diamonds and pearls. This was to be the great surprise for Marie and he was going to present it to Marie after they were married, as a token of the two hearts that now beat as one. Robert looked at this and thought of how the diamonds represented Marie in all of her beauty and that she was a pearl of great price.
It was too much for him. He broke down completely and wept like a baby. Alone he was—the most alone he had ever been in his life before—away from friends, away from mother, and above all, separated from Marie, who meant more than life to him. He sobbed for hours. His heart was breaking, but with a wondering mind, he realized that he must have strength, and that he must have faith and hope on—hope and believe that Marie was alive and he knew that if she were alive, there was hope.
He picked up his favorite little book, "Poems That Helped Me," and started to read. The first one that caught his eye was, "Faith" by Tennyson:
"We have but faith; we cannot know;For knowledge is of things we see;And yet we trust it comes from thee,A beam of darkness: let it grow.Let knowledge grow from more to more,But more of reverence in us dwell;That mind and soul, according well,May make one music as before,But vaster. We are fools and slight;We mock thee when we do not fear;But help thy foolish ones to bear;Help thy vain worlds to bear thy light.Forgive what seemed my sin in me;What seem'd my worth since I began;For merit lies from man to man,And not from man, O Lord, to thee."
This cheered Robert and he resolved to have more faith, realizing that while he could not see or understand Marie's action he must have faith and love and trust her, and trust that time would bring understanding and solve the problem.
He read another poem by Aubrey de Vere, and these words seemed to sink into his heart as he read them:
"Hid it; dropt it on the moors!Lost it, and you cannot find it—My own heart I want, not yoursYou have bound and must unbound it.Set it free then from your net,We will love, sweet—but not yet!Fling it from you—we are strongLove is trouble, love is folly;Love, that makes an old heart young,Makes a young heart melancholy."
Robert felt that love might be trouble, but that love was the greatest and sweetest thing in the world and that he would go thru any troubles in the world, suffer anything, only to regain Marie and her love. As Robert slowly turned the pages of the little book, his eyes fell upon another poem, "Courage" by Thos. F. Porter:
"What if the morn no joy to you shall bring,No gleam of sunbeam shine across your way;What if no bird one joyous note shall singInto your listening ear thru all the day!What if no word of comfort you shall hearAs thru the hours long you toil and strive;What if to you no vision bright appearTo keep your hungry heart and soul alive!What if the blest companionship men craveCome not to you thru all the day's long length,But, bound and fettered even as a slave,Within yourself you have to find your strength!And if, when you have toiled and wrought alone,The sweet reward you sought you do not gain,And find the hoped-for bread is but stone,In that sad hour for grief, should you complainAh no! It matters not if shade or sun,Or good or ill, your efforts shall attend;In doing you have but your duty doneAs best you knew—and should do to the end."
He eagerly devoured the words one by one, because he was looking for something to give him courage to go thru this terrible ordeal. He thought that this poem would do. It surely had been written for him in this very hour of trouble and realized with Job he must find his strength within himself and have courage, hope and faith.
He then read another little poem from the book; "Not in Vain" by Emily Dickinson:
"If I can stop one heart from breaking,I shall not live in vain:If I can ease one life the aching,Or cool one pain,Or help one fainting robinUnto his nest again,I shall not live in vain."
Robert felt that he had tried always to be kind and considerate and charitable towards others, and knew that he must go on regardless of what happened, and live his life hoping to find Marie. About this time, Robert, tired, hungry and worn out fell asleep. The next time that he remembered anything, he awoke on Monday morning with the sun streaming in thru the window of his hotel and realized that he had fallen asleep. The little book, "Poems That Have Helped Me," lay on the bed beside him. Because the sun was coming in the east window he knew that he must have slept thru some part of the night, and it was now morning. His first thought was of Marie, and of any news that might have come. Picking up the little book, the first thing that struck his eye was the poem, "Press On" by Park Benjamin:
"Press on! Surmount the rocky steps,Climb boldly o'er the torrent's arch;He fails alone who feebly creeps,He wins who dares the hero's march.Be thou a hero! Let thy mightTramp on eternal snows its way,And thru the ebon walls of nightHew down a passage unto day.Press on! If once and twice thy feetSlip back and stumble, harder try;From him who never dreads to meetDanger and death they're sure to fly.To coward ranks the bullet speeds,While on their breasts who never quail,Gleams, guardian of chivalric deeds,Bright courage like a coat of mail.Press on! If Fortune play thee falseTo day, tomorrow she'll be true;Whom now she sinks she now exalts,Taking old gifts and granting new,The wisdom of the present hourMakes up the follies past and gone;To weakness strength succeeds, and powerFrom frailty springs! Press on, press on!"
Robert hastily read this poem and found some consolation in it. He resolved that he would press on, and hastened down stairs to the hotel desk to inquire if any telegrams had been received for him, or if any long-distance call had come during the night when he had fallen asleep, but again he met with disappointment. There were no telegrams and there had been no 'phone calls.
Robert felt very faint and weak because he was hungry. He had not eaten all day Sunday, and now realized that he must get something to eat, and strengthen himself for the ordeal to follow. He went to the dining-room and ordered a light breakfast but when the food was served, he found it hard to eat because he thought of the breakfast the Sunday morning before that he had intended to have eaten with Marie on the dining-car. Everything he saw reminded him of her. Her smile was in the glittering sunshine which played upon the windows in front of him or appeared in the clear crystal water in the glass and the sweet odorfrom the flowers on the table brought memories of sweet kisses and soft caresses which haunted him. Finally, Robert managed to eat a little, because he knew he must if he expected to keep up and have strength to fight on and find Marie.
When he had finished his breakfast, he returned to his room and decided to call the railroad office again and ascertain if they had any information for him. The general passenger agent was there, and was very courteous over the 'phone to Robert. He had taken a great interest in the case and they had received reports from every station along the line, but nowhere had any trace been found of Marie. He assured Robert that the railway company would use every effort to continue the search and report to him promptly any information that they received.
Robert decided to call Mr. Kennelworth on the long-distance 'phone at his office in Texarkana and soon got him on the wire. Mr. Kennelworth said that he had gone to see Marie's father, Mr. Stanton, soon after Robert's telephone message Sunday afternoon and had told Mr. Stanton of Robert's success since he had been with his firm; how hard Robert had studied and planned and how he had figured out the cotton and grain markets and the large amount of money that he had made on such a small capital. He confided to Mr. Stanton the secret of how Marie had saved up her money and how much money Robert had made on the $400.00 which he had invested for her. Mr. Stanton and his wife were much impressed with the story and felt that they had been wrong in opposing Marie's love for Robert and theirmarriage. They told Mr. Kennelworth that when Marie returned they would give her their consent to marry Robert then or any time later. They felt that they might be to blame for any harm that would come to Marie or for the sorrows that Robert was suffering. However, they were hopeful that Marie was either returning home or was on her way back to Sherman, Texas, to complete her education, and, therefore, were not greatly alarmed and intended to wait until Monday afternoon to find out if Marie had gone back to Sherman. Mr. Kennelworth stated that Mr. and Mrs. Stanton wished him to convey their sympathy to Robert and to tell him that they had great faith in him and wanted to help make him and Marie happy.
This message was great consolation to Robert because he felt that it was going to solve the problem, that no matter what had prompted Marie's decision to leave the train and not to go ahead and marry him when she found that her father and mother had changed their attitude, she would be only too glad to return to Robert. They could then be married and continue on to New York where he could take up his studies and complete the building of his airship as soon as he had made enough money to do so.
Mr. Kennelworth told Robert that he would call him on the 'phone about 8 o'clock that night and let him know if any word had been received from Marie or if news was received sooner, he would call immediately, but at any rate would call at 8 o'clock. Mr. Kennelworth praised Robert and told him not to lose hope but take a philosophical view of the matter. He felt surethat no harm had come to Marie, for had there been any accident it certainly would have been discovered by this time by the railway company. The fact that Marie's baggage had disappeared was convincing evidence to him that in some way, at some station during the night, she had left the train and had probably concealed herself and was waiting to return on another train, later. He believed before the day was over they would have some good news in regard to Marie, and advised Robert to get busy and go right ahead with his trading in the market and continue to make money, as he was sure that everything was going to come out all right.
After Robert received this telephone message he was more hopeful. He secured a morning newspaper and found the headlines filled with Lindbergh. Read about the preparations for Captain Lindbergh's return to Washington and New York and the plans for his reception. Of course, Robert had looked forward to being there at that time and have Marie with him as his wife. He had been looking forward to the day when his own dream would be realized and he would build one of the greatest airships of the age.
Returning to his room, he fell upon his knees and breathed a prayer; a prayer that only a man whose heart is filled with love for a good woman can pray. He prayed to the Universal Power that created the Universe, the master of land and sea, who rides on the winds and walks upon the water, to whom all power was given over heaven and earth. Prayed for strength and for guidance to do only that which was right andthat the good God of the Universe would return Marie to him in safety. Prayed not only for himself, or the strength to come to him, but for Marie, for her happiness, for her safety. It was an unselfish prayer; the kind of a prayer that a mother prays when her child is lost, when she thinks nothing of herself but only of the child that she loves.
When Robert arose from the prayer he felt better; felt that some of the strength of that unseen guiding hand, which is ever a comfort and in great demand in time of trouble, had come to him. In God and his word alone he found comfort and consolation. He realized the significance of money and how little it meant; thought how quickly he had made money on a thousand dollars in the market and now how he would give every cent of it for just a message from Marie; just to know that she was alive. He had never tried to make the money for a selfish purpose, but thought of the things that it could buy to make Marie happy and give her comfort, and what he might be able to do for his country in time of war when they would need service and inventions which would protect them against the enemy.
After he had time to collect his thoughts, he decided to call his old pal, Walter Kennelworth, in New York on the long-distance telephone and tell him all that had happened in such a short time.
Robert had not informed Walter that he was coming to New York at this time. He intended to telegraph him from St. Louis on Sunday morning after he and Marie had been married, and, of course, he knew that Walter would be at the train to meet them on theirarrival. After some delay he got Walter on the long-distance 'phone and told him as quickly as possible all that had happened. Walter was more amused than shocked at the news and said: "Robert, Marie is just a little devil and full of fun. She is only testing your love. There is nothing to worry about. I know her ways better than you do." He was sure that everything would be all right. But Robert felt that too much time had already elapsed for it to be a joke and that Marie was not waiting around St. Louis or hiding somewhere playing a joke that long. It was too serious a matter for Robert to feel that Marie would punish him in this way so long. Walter begged Robert to come right on to New York, but Robert told him he would never leave St. Louis until he had some definite news, one way or the other, as to what had happened to Marie.
After his talk with Walter, Robert felt better because he was his closest friend and it was always a pleasure to talk with him. He hoped that Walter was right and that Marie would show up soon. At the same time, he feared that something might have gone wrong, but every time this thought occurred he would read Marie's letter again and this would give him hope and courage because it plainly said she would come to him when he needed her most. Of course, he realized that she could not know just how badly he needed her now and felt that he would never need her more than he did at that very moment.
When Robert was troubled and blue it had always been his practice to read either the Bible or some other good book. He had a scrap book where he had collectedpoems and he took this book out and began to look thru it. He noticed a clipping that he had pasted in only a short time before headed: "Tomorrow's Chance," by his favorite modern poet, S.E. Kiser:
I may not reach my goal todayNor move one step ahead;No effort that I make may pay,I may lose ground, instead;But I can try no matter whatObstructions I shall find,And let no thoughtOf turning from the path I've soughtTake root within my mind.There may be many reasons whyNo effort I can makeShall send my fancies soaring highOr clear the course I take;Mischances I could not foreseeMay check me everywhere,But I can beDetermined bravely, faithfully,To keep my purpose fair.It may be that at every turnDiscouragement shall lurk;My lessons may be hard to learn.Men may condemn my work;My trust may be betrayed by thoseWhom I have thought my friends,But I can closeMy mind against imagined woes,And strive for worthy ends.No matter how my hopes shall fail,Or how I fall behind,I'll not sit down tonight to wailThat God has been unkind.But, with a duty to fulfil,And with a proud, defiant glance,I'll prove that stillI have the courage and the will,And gird me for tomorrow's chance.
This poem seemed to fit his case and he read it over carefully. He resolved that regardless of discouragement or disappointment, blasted hopes, lost ideals or shattered dreams, he would still have the courage to exert himself for "Tomorrow's Chance."
After reading this poem he began to think about the future and his plans. He knew that he had intended to go into the market again on Monday or Tuesday, but the thought came to him—What good would money do now, without Marie? However, he remembered her letter saying, "According to your faith, be I unto you." Therefore, he braced himself and again determined to have faith to go on, watching and waiting for Marie.
Robert bought the evening paper and looked over the financial page and noted that cotton had gone down as he had figured it would. The following day was the time that his forecast indicated that it would strike bottom so he must pull himself together and buy some cotton, both for his own account and for Marie's. Wheat had also declined and he felt that it was time to buy wheat for another advance as his cycle indicated an up-trend to run for the next ten days. Robert lookedover the stock page and noticed the heading: "Major Motors advances above 200, a new high level." Robert had figured out that Major Motors would not advance much above 200 before it would be a short sale for big profits. He figured out from the cycle of Major Motors that it would hold until along in June and July and that it would decline to a very low level in 1928, so he decided he was going to go short to hold for a long campaign and make a fortune.
Robert was still holding his Right Aeroplane stock, which he had bought at 31 on May 21st, the day that Captain Lindbergh completed his successful flight to Paris. He figured that he could make a great fortune by buying Right Aeroplane stock and holding it for years and at the same time selling Major Motors short. The markets in Wheat, Cotton, Major Motors and Right Aeroplane were all doing just exactly as he had calculated they would. The fact that he was making money on Right Aeroplane stock encouraged him to continue his work on his own plane.
Robert did not forget sweet Marie or what she meant to him. At the same time he realized what the study of the Bible had brought him and felt that thru the aid of that book and the knowledge and wisdom he had gained through its teaching, there would be a way to find Marie if she were alive. He believed she was and he would hope and wait. But in the meantime he would try to make some money in order to provide all the luxuries and comforts for her when he found her. Since Marie's father and mother had agreed to withdraw all their opposition to their marriage, he thoughtthat as soon as Marie heard this she would certainly come to him or communicate with him.
On June 7th, Robert sent a telegram to his broker to buy 500 bales of October Cotton and 500 bales of December Cotton at the Opening on Tuesday morning. He also ordered him to buy 100,000 bushels of July Wheat and gave an order to sell 500 shares of Major Motors when it reached 203. After sending these telegrams he returned to the hotel feeling some better and hoping that when he heard from Mr. Kennelworth on the long-distance 'phone he would have some good news. So he ate his dinner and returned to his room to wait for a message. Later he inquired for telegrams and 'phone calls and was informed that none had been received. He settled himself down in the room and concluded to wait for the long-distance call, hoping that it would bring good news.
At about 8:15 the telephone rang and Mr. Kennelworth was on the wire. Robert knew from Mr. Kennelworth's voice that he had no good news. Mr. Kennelworth informed him that no word had been received from Marie by her parents, and that they had called up the school in Sherman, Texas, and not a word had been heard from her there. The school informed them that she had left school on Saturday afternoon and had not been seen since. Of course, Robert knew she had left Sherman to meet him and was now more anxious and worried than ever and freely expressed his great anxiety to Mr. Kennelworth. Mr. Kennelworth was still hopeful and tried to cheer and encourage Robert. Advised him to go on to New York and wait him there.He had followed Robert's advice and bought Wheat and Cotton on Monday afternoon and Robert told him that he was going to buy the next morning at the Opening. Mr. Kennelworth said that he planned to leave for New York at the end of the week. Robert then decided to stay in St. Louis until he got some definite word, or anyway remain there until Mr. Kennelworth arrived and then go on to New York with him. He was anxious to see Walter as soon as possible but wanted to know something about what happened to Marie before leaving for New York. Mr. Kennelworth was confident that the next day would bring some news from Marie, one way or the other, and advised Robert to keep cheerful; that he would inform him just as soon as news came.
After Robert had time to think over the matter, he decided to place "Personal Notices" in all the newspapers of St. Louis and the towns along the line between Texarkana and St. Louis. If no news was heard of Marie by Tuesday evening, he would place it in the papers the next day. He then wrote out the Notice.
Miss Marie Stanton—I found your little note in my pocket on Sunday morning. Have been waiting for you in St. Louis. My faith in you is supreme. It will never change. Months and years cannot change me, no matter what I hear or do not hear or what may happen, I will always have faith in you and love you. Will never need you more than now. Nothing else that I can get, or money that I can make matters or means anything to me without you. Come to me or communicate with me and explain all and I will understand and agree to anything you may desire. Marie, relieve my anxious heart. Let me hear from you. Your father and mother haveagreed to withdraw their objections and consent to our being married. I will have faith and wait in St. Louis until I hear something from you.Robert Gordon,Address—Planters Hotel.
Miss Marie Stanton—I found your little note in my pocket on Sunday morning. Have been waiting for you in St. Louis. My faith in you is supreme. It will never change. Months and years cannot change me, no matter what I hear or do not hear or what may happen, I will always have faith in you and love you. Will never need you more than now. Nothing else that I can get, or money that I can make matters or means anything to me without you. Come to me or communicate with me and explain all and I will understand and agree to anything you may desire. Marie, relieve my anxious heart. Let me hear from you. Your father and mother haveagreed to withdraw their objections and consent to our being married. I will have faith and wait in St. Louis until I hear something from you.
Robert Gordon,Address—Planters Hotel.
Robert decided to read and study some before he retired that night. He read the poem, "How to Live," by William Cullen Bryant:
So live, that when thy summons comes to joinThe innumerable caravan that movesTo that mysterious realm where each shall takeHis chamber in the silent halls of death,Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night,Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothedBy an unfaltering trust, approach thy graveLike one who wraps the drapery of his couchAbout him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.
Robert wished that he might be able that night to lie down to pleasant dreams but he knew that he would lay down with an unfaltering trust in Marie, that he would have the faith in her which would move mountains, that he would never doubt her no matter how long a time passed and would prove that his love for her was supreme and his faith unfaltering.
Robert read another poem on "Perserverance" by Goethe:
PERSEVERANCE
We must not hope to be mowers,And to gather the ripe gold ears,Unless we have first been sowersAnd watered the furrows with tears.It is not just as we take it,This mystical world of ours,Life's field will yield as we make itA harvest of thorns or of flowers.
He realized that perhaps all the good things of life do not come to us easily and that we might have to go through sorrows and trouble to try our faith. Robert decided to persevere and try to be philosophic and hope, no matter what happened, and to continue to watch and wait for good news from Marie.
Before he retired that night, Robert read "The Golden Hour" by James W. Foley:
I'm sending you one golden hourFrom the full jeweled crown of the day;Not sorrow or care shall have powerTo steal this rare jewel away.I'm bidding you join in the dreamingI had in that hour of you,When all of the old dreams, in seeming,Were gold like the hour, and came true.So let's dream like a child in its playing,Let's make us a sky and a sea,Let's change the things 'round us by sayingThey're things that we wish them to be;And if there is sadness or sorrow,Let's dream till we charm it away,Let's learn from the children, and borrowA saying from childhood: "Let's play!"Let's play that the world's full of beauty,Let's play there are roses in bloom,Let's play there is pleasure in duty,And light where we thought there was gloom.Let's play that this heart with its sorrowIs bidden be joyous and glad,Let's play that we'll find on tomorrowThe joys that we never have had.Let's play that regret with its ruingIs banished forever and aye,Let's play there's delight but in doing,Let's play there are flowers by the way.However the pathway seem dreary,Wherever the footsteps may lead,Let's play there's a song for the wearyIf only the heart will give heed.Let's play we have done with repining,Let's play that our longings are still,Let's play that the sunlight is shining,To gold the green slope of the hill.Let's play there are birds blithely flingingTheir songs of delight to the air,Let's play that the world's full of singing,Let's play there is love—everywhere.
Robert knelt and prayed before he went to sleep, always asking for Marie and her protection. He said: "Lord, I ask nothing for myself, but beseech the greatest blessings on Marie and only ask for her happiness. If it be for the best that her happiness be away from me, then I desire to suffer rather than for her to be unhappy. I pray that she may realize my great love and faith in her, my devotion to her and willingness to make any sacrifice for her that might seem right, no matter what my judgment may be."
Robert slept better that night because he was lookingforward to Tuesday, the 7th day of the month. He had learned that the "7th" was a sacred day, and had often talked to Marie about the number 7, and the number of times it is spoken of in the Bible. How God had blessed the 7th day and made it the Sabbath; how many things had come to pass on the 7th day of the 7th month, or the 7th year referred to in the Bible. In some way he felt that on this day news would come from Marie and he hoped that it would be good.
Robert awoke on Tuesday morning feeling much better, had his breakfast early, bought the newspaper and read all about the receptions being planned for Colonel Lindbergh and again the wish stole into his heart and the hope was revived that in some way Marie might be with him when Lindbergh arrived in New York. Later in the day he received telegrams at his hotel from his broker, advising of the purchase of October and December cotton and also the purchase of July wheat.
Robert decided to console himself by reading the Bible. He read Job, and realized that he, too, would have patience to wait until his time should come. Nothing could shake his faith in Marie or shake his faith in the wisdom of Almighty God whom, Robert fully believed, would answer his prayer. He hoped that before the day was over, some news of Marie would surely come.
As he was reading the Bible the bellboy brought him a letter stamped Texarkana, and, of course, Robert hoped it contained some news of Marie. He opened it hastily and read: