CHAPTER XX
Asthe end of 1928 neared, war was already raging in Europe. England and Russia had already gone to war as Robert had predicted. Complications were developing quick and fast and war clouds were gathering. Robert knew that it was only a question of a short time when the United States with all of its gold supply, would be attacked and there would be a great battle in the air. Great progress had been made in aviation. Airplanes were carrying mail at the rate of 300 miles per hour. Passenger lines were now starting all over the United States. "Marie the Angel of Mercy," Robert's great ship, was rapidly nearing completion. The new 12-cylinder motor had been tested and the engineers had estimated that they would attain a speed of 1000 miles per hour. Robert was elated over the success and knew that he would now be prepared to help his country in time of its greatest need. He had been working early and late and the interest in his work had kept his mind off Marie. Yet not a day passed but what he made some inquiries or had his detectives chase some clew which he hoped would lead to the discovery of Marie, but all efforts were in vain. No news had ever been heard of her.
With the great progress in radio messages thru the air, and radiograms, Robert knew that in time of war,secret communications would be necessary. Spies could steal codes, and messages sent over the radio could be interpreted; therefore, one of the great needs for the war in the air would be a way to communicate without detection. He finally succeeded in completing what he called "The Pocket Radio." It was no larger than a watch and worked on the same principle of his machine for recording the thoughts of people, only the instrument had to be used by two people who understood how to work it, because the positive radio was carried in one man's pocket and the negative in the other and by pressing the stem, it could be changed from positive into negative. No sound was transmitted thru the air. The machine could be operated by certain motions of the fingers on a little push button which recorded symbols on the other machine that would reveal the message sent. The Pocket Radio made it possible to convey any message without any possibility of detection because only the person sending the message and the one receiving it could understand or know anything about it. This was better than wireless or any other radio discovery up to this time. Robert tested the machine out by leaving one instrument in Walter's pocket, he himself going to Chicago and conveying messages which Walter was able to get without any trouble. He could either speak into this little Pocket Radio and convey the sound without anyone else being able to take it from the air, or use it to convey thoughts or emotions. The test proved perfect and Robert knew that he had another great discovery which would be of great value to his Government in time of war. He decided to keep this asecret and have it ready to aid the United States at a time when they would need it most.
Robert figured that there would be a big bull campaign in cotton during 1929 so he had started buying early in the year, expecting a big advance later. He had also forecast the rapid advance of certain classes of stocks. During 1928 he had closed a successful bear campaign in Major Motors and was still holding his Right Aeroplane stock, which had continued to advance, and he figured that it would have a big rise during 1929. His fortune was piling up rapidly, despite all the money he was spending on his new inventions. The new ship "Marie, the Angel of Mercy," was now about perfected, but Robert intended that this should never be made known to the public until he had it in perfect working order and it was a success beyond doubt.
After preparing his campaign for the market and buying stocks and cotton for the big advance, Walter noticed a great change in Robert. His health began to fail again, and now that he had achieved great success and completed such wonderful inventions, without Marie to comfort him he would probably break down in health and give up. Robert had ceased to talk much about Marie. His interest in the future was waning. Walter and Edna, who were still as much in love as ever, often discussed Robert's physical condition. They decided to encourage him to go away for a long-needed rest. Walter had a talk with Robert in the middle of January, 1929, but Robert didn't show much interest or any desire to travel. A short time after this, Robert appeared at the office one morning looking more haggardand worn than ever. He called Walter and Edna into the office, told them that he had had a very peculiar dream the night before, that he had dreamed that he had gone to Paris and suddenly met Marie. He was so strongly impressed with the dream that he decided to leave at once. Told Walter to give the mechanics instructions to put his old ship "The St. Marie" in shape to sail at once.
It was a matter of only a couple of days until they reported that "The St. Marie" was in perfect shape and could stand a trip around the world. There was to be a great convention of all the nations on aviation in Paris and Robert decided that he wanted to be there for it, but the main incentive for the trip was his dream. Robert had no trouble in securing letters of introduction to prominent people in London and Paris. When he said good-bye to Walter and Edna, they wished him God-speed, told him that they hoped his dream would become a reality and that he would find Marie, but they knew that he was not the same Robert of old. He acted as tho his spirit was broken. On the morning of February 2nd, 1929, Robert started his flight to Paris and arrived there promptly in the evening and went to visit some friends and acquaintances. After talking over the war situation and his forecasts of the great war yet to come, he decided to visit friends in London. England and Russia were waging their battles in the air and doing very little land fighting. Despite the good start that England had made, Russia and her allies were getting the best of the victory. Robert found London very uninteresting. Up to this time he had heard nothing of Marie and decided to return to Paris.
On a beautiful sunshiny morning in the latter part of February, 1929, Robert was walking down a prominent business street in Paris with no special objective in mind. He was feeling sick and gloomy and was walking with his head down, looking at the street. Suddenly he saw a form approaching very closely, and like a flash, a woman quickly passed him. He was sure it was Marie. His heart was in his throat. He turned around quickly to follow her but she had disappeared. Just as she passed him she dropped a letter on the street and he picked it up, put it in his pocket and rushed on down the street, hoping to find her, but after exhausting himself running around, fighting his way thru the crowds, without a glimpse of her, he decided to open the letter. When he opened it it was written in a foreign language which he did not understand. He was not sure whether it was Marie's handwriting or not. His first thought was to go immediately to an interpreter and have the letter read. On second thought, he decided that it might be something confidential and that he would go to an old friend who lived in Paris and ask him to interpret the letter. Robert called on Louis Renan, stated the circumstance of his meeting Marie on the street and told him about the letter she dropped. His friend gladly consented to read the letter. Robert handed it to him and he glanced over it; handed it back to Robert without a word, told him to get out of his house immediately and never darken the door again. Robert begged for an explanation but in vain. His friend was angry and determined and pushed Robert out of the door. Robert walked slowly back to his hotel, disappointed, mystified, and heart-broken. What could be the meaning of thisletter? Why should his friend offer no explanation as to what it contained? Had he really met Marie and was the letter from her? One thing he knew, he must find out what this mysterious letter contained. He decided the next best plan was to go to an interpreter, so he inquired at the hotel the name of an interpreter and was informed where he could get any language interpreted. He called at the address, explained his mission to the manager and turned over the letter. In a few minutes the manager returned, handed him the letter, told him there was the door, please get out and ask no questions. Robert again begged for some explanation but the man was defiant and refused to make any comment.
Robert returned to his hotel to think matters over. He bought a paper and looked over the news from New York and market reports. He saw that cotton and stocks were advancing as he expected, but money-making now was of no interest to him when he at last thought that he had found where Marie was. He decided to place a personal notice in all the papers in Paris, telling Marie that he had passed her on the street, had found the letter, was unable to get it interpreted, and beg her to communicate with him at once. He placed the notice in the papers that afternoon. Received an invitation from some acquaintances in Paris to dine with them and go to a ball. He wanted to refuse the invitation because he did not feel equal to the occasion, but they insisted that it would do him good and begged him to come along. Robert had been so disappointed about the mysterious letter and the sudden loss of Marie after he had seen her, that he decided to say nothing about the incidentto his friends. After dinner was over, they chatted with Robert, and he seemed more cheerful. They told Robert of the Aviators' Costume Ball to take place in the Hotel Lafayette that night and asked him to go along. Robert tried to beg off and made the excuse that he had no costume for this occasion, but they told him that they had already ordered one for him and there was no getting out of it—he had to go, so finally he consented.
When they arrived at the hotel and entered the ballroom, Robert's friends, who knew of his great fame in New York and his success in speculative markets, were anxious to introduce him to the prominent men and women of Paris. Aviators were there from all over the world. They had come for the great convention. Each country was competing for the grand prize for the most efficient airplane and the best one suited for war purposes. They asked Robert if he did not have a plane to enter or if he could not demonstrate something with "The St. Marie." He told them that his health was not good and that he was not interested in entering a plane at this time. The ballroom was decorated with everything connected with airplanes. Miniature planes were flying around the room, circling up and down from the ceilings. It was a gorgeous display and while it was dazzling to others, Robert paid very little attention to it. His friends, in order to please him and get him interested, had the radio tuned into New York and were getting music from the Biltmore. The dance started. Robert watched but was very little interested. His friends invited him to dance but he refused. He had no thoughts of anything but Marie. As he was sitting,watching the dancers whirl around the floor, suddenly he looked across the hall and again he saw Marie dressed like an eagle, queen of the air. He made a mad rush thru the crowd to the other side of the hall and when he got there, he could see no Marie. The ordeal was too much for him. He fell unconscious on the floor. Friends rushed to his assistance and after reviving him, he explained to them that he had seen Marie again and asked them to find her and bring her to him. After investigation, they told him that there was no one there by that name and that none of the ladies had left the ballroom. They brought them all before him and introduced him, but Marie was not among them. Robert was not only sick at heart but sick physically, and his friends realized it and called a nerve specialist, Dr. Descartes. Robert explained what had happened, about meeting Marie on the street and about seeing her at the ball, altho he said nothing about the mysterious letter to the Doctor. The Doctor, after examining him, told his friends he thought that he was suffering from mental delusions—that he had probably had this woman on his mind so long and after dreaming he had met her on a street in Paris, had hoped so strongly that he would meet her, he had brought himself to believe that she was there and had really thought that he had seen her, both on the street and in the ballroom, but it was probably an optical delusion and after he got better he would realize that he hadn't seen Marie.
Several days passed before Robert fully recovered. In the meantime, he had become quite friendly with Dr. Descartes and told him a great deal about his history.The Doctor was very much interested and had a great desire to help him. Robert finally decided to confide in him about the mysterious letter. The Doctor had a brother in New York and was going to give Robert a letter of introduction to him upon his return. While they were on the subject of the letter of introduction, Robert told him about the mysterious letter and the Doctor agreed to get a friend of his who could interpret it, to read the letter for him. Robert was very happy because he thought that if he could get the meaning of the letter it would throw some light on what the trouble was with Marie. While he had been sick, his mind had wandered and he had imagined all kinds of things, and for a few moments, doubted Marie. He even thought that she might have turned out to be a bad woman and was now in Paris, having a gay time, but as soon as his mind returned to its normal state, his old faith in Marie returned, and he loved her as of old and believed that she could do no wrong.
The next day Dr. Descartes called, took Robert with him in his car to his friend who was an interpreter. Robert handed him the letter and, after looking it over, he handed the letter back to Robert, turned to the Doctor, and said, "Have you no more respect for my friendship than to insult me in a manner like this. Begone, and never let me see you in my house again." The Doctor begged for an explanation and Robert offered his apologies, saying it was all his fault and the Doctor was only trying to aid him, but the man refused to discuss the matter and they hurried away. When they got in the car, Dr. Descartes knew that the shockwas too much for Robert so he drove him immediately to the hotel without discussing the mysterious letter. After he had gotten him in his room and made him comfortable, he begged Robert not to worry about the letter, told him that he would think the matter over and call and see him the next day.
Robert was very much worried. His hope was fast giving way to despair. He again realized that hope deferred maketh the heart grow sick. He thought of Henry Watson's story and wondered if he would have to go thru life and die without ever again seeing Marie. Dr. Descartes called the following day and was very solicitous of Robert's welfare. Told him to forget the incident about the letter and advised Robert to try to get it interpreted when he returned to New York. Robert told him more about Marie's disappearance and showed him the note that Marie had placed in his pocket on the train to St. Louis. The Doctor read it and said it certainly left room for hope, and while it was mysterious, he felt that Marie fully intended at some time to come back to him. Robert had received no reply to his personal notices in the Paris newspapers and decided to return to New York in a few days.
In the early part of March a lot of the aviators were returning from Paris to New York after the convention and Robert decided to go home with them. They insisted that he was not physically able to sail "The St. Marie" alone and sent a pilot along with him. The trip was uneventful and on March 5th Robert arrived in New York. On his arrival he went immediately to his office and laboratories where he found Walter and Ednaglad to see him. They told him that he looked much improved in health. He related all his experiences in Paris and the mysterious letter. Walter was very much amazed and at a loss to understand it all. He could not understand, if Marie had dropped the letter and had really seen Robert on the street and at the ball, why she would not answer his personal notices in the papers and at least clear up the mystery of her disappearance. Robert decided to go immediately to an interpreter in New York and see if he could get the mysterious letter read. After handing it to the man who spoke about ten different languages, the interpreter handed it back to him and stated in a firm, gentlemanlike manner that he would like him to please leave the office immediately and never return. Robert went at once to his office and told Walter and Edna what had happened. They talked it over and advanced all kinds of theories about what the letter might contain, and asked Robert if any of the interpreters had ever given any information or stated whether they could read the letter or not. Robert told them they had not. Edna thought that probably the letter contained a message to the interpreter not to give any information or to reveal what it contained to Robert or anyone else. Walter thought if this were the case, that some of the interpreters who seemed to be insulted by it, would have immediately destroyed the letter instead of handing it back to him. The more theories they advanced, the less plausible the mystery seemed. Robert decided to write to a famous astrologer in Canada whom he had heard of. He sent along his date of birth, telling him the history of thecase, to see if he could give him any light on the subject, telling the astrologer that he would pay $50,000.00 or more if necessary, if he could solve the problem and tell him what the letter contained and how to get it interpreted or give him any information leading to the whereabouts of Marie. The astrologer answered as follows after making the calculation from Robert's date of birth:
While it is a very peculiar case, the events were not accidents at all but the result of Natural Law. The young lady still lives and I believe will again come into your life three or four years later. The great trouble was that on the day she disappeared, Mercury, your ruling planet, applied to an evil aspect of Uranus, the great eccentric, revolutionary, mysterious planet, and this indicated disappointment, trouble and delays, over letters or writings and the letters would be mysterious and hard to understand. In view of the fact that Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury, as well as Venus, were all changing signs just around the time she disappeared, it meant that there would be many changes and long delays before the mystery would be solved, that there was great danger of letters being lost or miscarried, and that it was possible that she may have written you letters which never reached you. Neptune has much to do with the sea and its mysteries and as it strongly influences the city of Paris, her appearance there would be shrouded in mystery and there would be much that could not be explained. It is very doubtful if you will get any explanation or interpretation of the mysterious letter. There is something visionary about it, or the appearance of Marie may have been a spiritual apparition.If you will visit cities near beautiful watering places in the South or Southwest, and could come in contact with an honest spiritualist or clairvoyant, it may be of some benefit and help in some way to solve the mystery. In view of the conditionof your health and the planet Saturn is afflicting you, it would be advisable to spend the balance of the Winter and early part of the Spring in a tropical climate. Florida would be especially good for you and might bring favorable results in more ways than one. If you will give me time to figure on your horoscope and have patience I will guarantee to tell you the time that you will find Marie. The progressed Mars is traveling toward a conjunction of Venus, the Goddess of Love, and when this is completed she will probably come back into your life.
While it is a very peculiar case, the events were not accidents at all but the result of Natural Law. The young lady still lives and I believe will again come into your life three or four years later. The great trouble was that on the day she disappeared, Mercury, your ruling planet, applied to an evil aspect of Uranus, the great eccentric, revolutionary, mysterious planet, and this indicated disappointment, trouble and delays, over letters or writings and the letters would be mysterious and hard to understand. In view of the fact that Jupiter, Mars, and Mercury, as well as Venus, were all changing signs just around the time she disappeared, it meant that there would be many changes and long delays before the mystery would be solved, that there was great danger of letters being lost or miscarried, and that it was possible that she may have written you letters which never reached you. Neptune has much to do with the sea and its mysteries and as it strongly influences the city of Paris, her appearance there would be shrouded in mystery and there would be much that could not be explained. It is very doubtful if you will get any explanation or interpretation of the mysterious letter. There is something visionary about it, or the appearance of Marie may have been a spiritual apparition.
If you will visit cities near beautiful watering places in the South or Southwest, and could come in contact with an honest spiritualist or clairvoyant, it may be of some benefit and help in some way to solve the mystery. In view of the conditionof your health and the planet Saturn is afflicting you, it would be advisable to spend the balance of the Winter and early part of the Spring in a tropical climate. Florida would be especially good for you and might bring favorable results in more ways than one. If you will give me time to figure on your horoscope and have patience I will guarantee to tell you the time that you will find Marie. The progressed Mars is traveling toward a conjunction of Venus, the Goddess of Love, and when this is completed she will probably come back into your life.