CHAPTER XV

Onthe following day, Monday, June 13th, Mr. Kennelworth, Robert and Walter arose early to be ready for Colonel Lindbergh's triumphant march up Broadway. Robert was very enthusiastic about it and talked about what a great achievement it was and what it meant to the world, especially to the United States. Walter told him that they must get busy and start to lay out the plans to build Robert's great airplane. When they started out on the street, Robert began to talk of Marie and said that he hoped that he would find her that day. Thru all the surging crowds, he stared in the face of every woman, hoping that Marie, if she was alive, might have decided to come to New York for the Lindbergh reception. It was a great day for Colonel Lindbergh, and a great day for Robert, because it encouraged his hope for the day, and believed it would come to pass when airplanes would conquer the world and bring universal peace. He felt that a state of perfection could never be reached until the brotherhood of man, founded on love, was established.

Walter told his father and Robert about a great play that he had been to see: "One for All." He was anxious for them to see it and had secured tickets for that night. Robert was immediately interested. He was attractedto Molly and saw in her great sacrifice for Eric an example of Marie. As the play neared the end, and Molly was in great sorrow, and her secret sacrifice had become known to Eric, Robert could restrain his emotions no longer. He turned to Mr. Kennelworth and said, "I wonder if he'll be man enough to forgive her and appreciate her, as the greatest woman in the world for him. Will his mind be broad enough to realize that she made the supreme sacrifice because of her unselfish love. Now that he has succeeded and has the world at his feet will he turn from her and condemn her as the world usually does?" Mr. Kennelworth said: "You can see that Eric is now weighing the matter in his mind and is hesitating. We can only wait and see." Robert said, "If Eric loves Molly as I love Marie he will now love her more after this." Robert watched Eric with every muscle in his body tense, as Eric read the receipt written by Chattox and also he watched Molly and her expression as she leaned over the staircase and read the receipt over Eric's shoulder. He saw Eric slowly fold the receipt around the little booties for the baby and place them in his pocket and walk slowly away. Robert was wondering what Eric was thinking of and what his decision would be. Then came the final climax—Eric, after knowing all, took Molly in his arms and gave her the kiss which Robert knew meant forgiveness and understanding. He then realized that love, just as Molly said in the beginning, was the greatest thing in the world, and meant more than all the money in the world. Robert jumped to his feet and shouted, "Hurrah for Eric," and said, "that's the kindof love I have for Marie and no matter what may have happened or what she should do in the future, my love is the kind which will understand, forgive and forget." He told them how he was impressed with the story in the Bible where the woman was brought before Jesus accused and how the Jesus said, "Let him who is without sin, cast the first stone," and when they had all disappeared he said: "Woman, doth no man accuse thee," and she answered, "No, Lord." Jesus said, "Neither do I. Go your way and sin no more." Robert said when the world once realized the great power of Love, that jealousy, enmity, all accusations and the desire for personal gain, would pass away. That when Love alone dominated the hearts of men and women, wars would be no more, and that men would see no evil in their fellow-men as Eric saw no evil in Molly's sacrifice but knew and understood that great love for him was the motive that prompted her actions. Robert quoted Daniel 2:22:

"He revealeth the deep and secret things. He knoweth what is in the darkness and the light dwelleth within him. A kingdom which shall never be destroyed, consume all other kingdoms and stand forever."

He said that when the day came when men were ruled by the law of love and understood each other, a kingdom would be established that would never be destroyed, and that it would consume all other kingdoms. Robert believed that the United States, the land of liberty, was created never to be destroyed, and that it would eventually consume all other nations and rule by the law of love and justice, that it was God's will that it becomethe most prosperous country and the banking nation of the world. Believed that the nation referred to in Psalms 147:20 was the United States:

"He hath not dealt so with any nation and as for his judgments they have not known them. Praise ye the Lord."

Walter was not so enthusiastic and sure about the power of Love as Robert. You can never tell what a woman will do, he said and referred to Proverbs 30:18 and 19:

"There be three things which are too wonderful for me. Yea, four which I know not,—the way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of a sea, and the way of a man with a maid."

Walter said, "The last one is too much for me and I would not attempt to discern the way of a maid without a man. They go where you know not and return when you least expect it. Some wise woman once said, 'When you know one man, you know all.' A wiser man said, 'You never know a woman, for all women are different.'"

Robert said, "It is interesting to go back over history and read the opinions of the smartest men in regard to woman. Confucius said, 'Woman is a masterpiece.' Michelet said, 'Woman is a miracle of divine contradictions.' Lamartine said, 'There is a woman at the beginning of all great things.' I am wholly in accord with him. Go back to the bottom of every great achievement and back of it you will find the influence of a good woman. It may be a mother, sister or sweetheart, but the love of a woman is always the motive behind the great achievements of men. Someone once said: 'Notfor herself was woman first created, nor yet to be man's idol, but his mate.' Pythagoras said: 'There are in woman's eyes two sorts of tears, the one of grief; the other of deceit.' I think that is because there are two kinds of men, one who appreciates love and honor and gives sympathy; the other kind who is selfish, expects something for nothing and must meet with deceit. I am a great believer in sowing and reaping. We get out of life just what we put into it. If we give love and faithfulness, the same returns to us. Maeterlinck was right when he said: 'A man's sweetheart is just as pure as his thoughts of her are pure.' I remember reading a poem,

"What thou lovest, Man,Become thou must,God, if thou lovest God,Dust if thou lovest dust.

Napoleon said, 'All the women in the world would not make me lose an hour,' but history shows that Napoleon did lose sleep over his love for Josephine. He wrote to her—'I am sick of men because they keep me away from my love.' Shakespeare expressed it better than all the rest when he said 'Kindness in woman, not their beauteous looks, shall win my love.' A real womanly woman whose heart is filled with love, cannot be other than kind because Kindness is a child of Love. Women may be mysterious and we may fail to understand them. That is one of the reasons why we love them all the more. Fontenelle said, 'There are three things I have always loved and never understood—paintings, music and women.' He might have added that the greatest of the three was, woman."

Then Walter quoted from Southey, "'There are three things a wise man will not trust, the wind, the sunshine of an April day and a woman's plighted faith.'" Robert replied—"Nevertheless nearly every wise man has loved and trusted some good woman and most of them have not regretted it. Walter, you have never really been in love and you don't know what love is. If you did, you would have faith and trust, regardless of all conditions." "I guess the subject of love and women is too deep for me," said Walter, "and the sooner you get down to business and your studies and get love off your mind, the greater success you are going to make." Robert answered, "Without love this world would never have existed. It was God's love for the world that saved it. My love for Marie will make me whatever I am to be in the future. Without that love I know I would be a miserable failure. The time will come when you will go to sleep at night with your last thoughts of beautiful rosy lips, of eyes that shine like Golconda's purest gems, of a voice that is sweeter than a nightingale, of luxurious hair and of a form that to you is more beautiful than Venus, and when you awake in the morning your first thoughts will be of her. You will see her in the beautiful flowers, her face will be reflected from the ripple of the pure waters; everything you think about she will appear in connection with. Your slumbers will be disturbed. When you get a fever like this, you will then know and understand the power of love. Then nothing else will matter, only one thing will count in your life—the woman you love. A great love like this must come to every man. In the Springtime of life it may be, or in those sunny solaces of the afternoonwhen the waning day brings sadness and man looks back and longs for the time when he might have loved, when he was younger and lived longer. Love is the elixir of life. It is a greater cure than any medicine. It has built up kingdoms and destroyed nations. You have ambitions now and a desire for gold, but after all, Walter, what can it buy? All the gold in the world cannot buy the tender touch of a little child's fingers or the lovelight in angel eyes like Marie's. It gives satisfaction that nothing else can."

Walter said, "Robert, you always drift back to Marie and her eyes. Those beautiful black eyes that you talk about may be wonderful, but you remember the old saying, 'Can you be true to eyes of black or brown, when blue has smiled on you?' You will find that a change will come sooner or later if Marie doesn't show up and you will be the better for it."

But Robert was sure that no eyes could ever take the place of Marie's and Robert handed Walter the following poem to read:

HEAL THYSELF

If any brown-eyed girl has changed her mindAnd left you sinking in the consommé,Calmly smile and let her go, you'll forget about your woe—(There's a lot of consolation to be found in eyes of gray.)If any brown-eyed girl has left your heartIn forty-seven pieces at your feet,Then the proper thing to do is to gaze in eyes of blue—(And perhaps you'll find the same are twice as sweet.)If any brown-eyed girl has given youYour "exit cue," the "go-by" and "the air,"And your heart in glad amaze'll heed the lure of eyes of hazel—You can sing that song of Tanguay's, "I Don't Care."If any brown-eyed girl has—well, she did;Above, you'll find some good philosophy;It may do for you, I guess, but I really must confessIt has never been a bit of use to me!

Ben Warren.

"The last verse expresses my sentiments to a T; no other eyes will ever have any attraction for me except Marie's."

A few days after New York's reception to Colonel Lindbergh, Robert decided to get down to business. He visited his brokers in Wall Street, talked over the market situation and found that they did not agree with his ideas and views. Decided to open an office at 69 Wall Street, and Walter was to work with him when he had time from his studies. They consulted about a stenographer or office assistant. Walter had met Miss Edna Quinton, a very talented girl, whom he thought was the most competent he had ever known, so Robert gave her a position in his office.

Walter was anxious to keep Robert cheerful so went sight-seeing often and to see all the latest plays. Robert was very much interested in the play, "The Student Prince." Was impressed when the old servant told the young King the old saying, "A promise keep, right well you sleep; a promise break, all night you wake." Robert knew that this was what caused the King to return to his former sweetheart, but when he gave her up and married the Princess, he was disgusted and disappointed. Told Walter that he would never break his promise for anyone; and knew that if he did, he would never be able to sleep soundly again.

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