When Robert received Marie's letter, he began to see himself in a
different light. He read again the Book of Job, and realized what Job
meant when he said, "I had a great fear, and it has come upon me."
Robert realized that he had been fearful of losing Marie, and that
as soon as there seemed to be a possibility of someone else being
attracted to her, that that fear had come upon him and caused him to
become jealous without cause, and that he had lost or was about to
lose, Marie, who had been more than life to him. So he replied to Marie
as follows:
Dearest Marie:
Your sweet letter received. It has opened my heart to understanding
and made me see myself as I am. I have read St. Paul on the greatest
thing in the world and find that I have not been patient, have not
been kind or generous. Above all, I have been jealous without cause.
All of these things are not a part of true love. Paul says, "Faith,
Hope and Love, but the greatest of these is Love." If I had had that
great faith which never faileth and which is founded on love I would
not have been jealous. I have been selfish; have sought myself to
please, and have not thought enough about you.
I am sending a little poem that I have written, entitled "The Garden
of Love," which I think will express to you fully just how I feel and
how I see things now. I have tried to enter the Garden of Love through
the wrong gate, and now I want to enter it through the right gate. I
will be happy and trusting, loving and thinking only of you.
No more doubts or jealousy will ever be in my mind again, because love
will be there, and these foul weeds can never remain where love is.
I want you, Marie, and only you. Please forgive and forget and make me
happy again.
With all the love my heart can send, I am
Hopefully,
Your own Robert.
DEDICATED TO MARIE STANTON, WHO INSPIRED IT.
THE GARDEN OF LOVE
Many enter the Garden of Love thru the wrong gate while there really
is only one perfect gate. Imagination often leads us into the wrong
path.
SELFISHNESS
We enter thru the gate of Selfishness and immediately find ourselves
in the dark Valley of Doubt where the foul weeds of deceit, lack of
confidence, malice, greed and jealousy abound. Just on the other side
of the Valley of Doubt lies the Mountain of Jealousy, which springs
from lack of faith, understanding and forgetfulness. From the Mountain
of Jealousy flows the river of Hate which has its source in the Valley
of Doubt. This river leads to the Sea of Unhappiness, Sorrow, Despair
and Death.
UNSELFISHNESS
We now enter the right gate to the Garden of Love, where we see a
golden sign "Unselfishness" which can only lead to Love. We enter the
Garden thru the Gate of Understanding where a beautiful bed of white
lilies grow in all their fragrance. Grasp one quickly and carry it
thru life, for these are the lilies of faith which smother out all the
foul weeds in the garden.
Next you will see a fountain of pure water. Touch your lips to it for
it is the Water of Forgetfulness and it feeds the Lily of Faith. After
this you are ready to pass on thru the Garden and enjoy the flowers
which blossom forth nurtured by the Water of Love. Among these are
Self-sacrifice, which is the basis of real love. Then you will find
a beautiful flower that many never see at all, Confidence. It is
beautiful and fragrant and stands near the Flower of Happiness.
You will find the flower of Kindness in full bloom beside the Rose
of Charity, then near the end of the Garden there is a tiny flower
blooming all alone. It is pale and delicate and few appreciate it
until late in life,--_it_ is Unrewarded Kindness. But we do reach it
just before we pass into the Vale of Content, and we realize that the
path which leads to Love and Happiness is only found by helping to
lead our fellow travelers thru the Field of Content.
When we have progressed thus far we look for the other entrance to
the Garden and find that the Gate of Selfishness has disappeared and
the Valley of Doubt is now covered with the Lily of Faith, and the
Mountain of Jealousy has been melted into a Valley of Self-sacrifice.
Where the River of Hate flowed we now find a Sea of Kindness flowing
into the Ocean of Happiness. When we reach the end of the Garden we
find the flower of all flowers, its beauty and radiance far outshining
the noon-day Sun. Seek no further--it is the Flower of Love. Place the
Lily of Faith beside it, nurture it with the Water of Kindness and you
will have it always.
Robert.
This was the letter that won Marie, because she agreed with St. Paul
that love was the greatest thing in the world. She did not wait to
write, but telegraphed Robert:
YOUR SWEET LETTER RECEIVED--YOU ARE MY OLD ROBERT AND I AM YOUR MARIE
AND ALWAYS WILL BE
MARIE.
Marie then wrote the following letter:
Dear Robert,
I have just wired you because I am happier now than I have ever been
and I know that we are always going to be happy. You are going to be
my ideal Robert, the way that I want you to be, and I am going to love
you and make you so happy that you'll always be that way.
I knew all along that it was useless for us to make up until you
saw things in the right light and realized that there was no cause
for jealousy and that my long years of devotion should have proven
my love. Until you could see it that way and make up under those
conditions, it would only invite more trouble later.
There is really nothing more to say, but to let bygones be bygones,
live and love each other and make the future everything we want it to
be, because love creates everything and made the world. God is love.
The little poem you sent, "Loved and Lost," seems very appropriate now
for in it you said that before the pearl is gotten, there must be a
broken shell. You did have the broken shell, Robert, and now we are
going to mend it. I believe that your aim has been high and honest,
and now in future it will tell.
I can hardly wait to see you, Robert. I want you to come over next
Saturday afternoon, and spend Saturday evening and Sunday with me. I
want to look into your trusting eyes again and know that you still
love me in the same old way. I want to make you know that I have never
loved Edward Mason or anyone else, but have always loved and trusted
you.
With all the love my heart can give, I am
Your
Marie.
P.S. I am enclosing a poem, "The Land of Beginning Again." We are
really going to begin again, aren't we, Robert, and be more happy than
ever?
THE LAND OF BEGINNING AGAIN
I wish that there were some wonderful place
Called the Land of Beginning Again,
Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches
And all of our poor, selfish grief
Could be dropped, like a shabby old coat, at the door,
And never put on again.
I wish we could come on it all unaware,
Like the hunter who finds a lost trail;
And I wish that the one whom our blindness had done
The greatest injustice of all
Could be at the gates, like an old friend that waits
For the comrade he's gladdest to hail.
We would find all the things we intended to do
But forgot and remembered--too late,
Little praises unspoken, little promises broken,
And all of the thousand and one
Little duties neglected that might have perfected
The day for one less fortunate.
It wouldn't be possible not to be kind,
In the Land of Beginning Again;
And the ones we misjudged and the ones whom we grudged
Their moments of victory here
Would find in the grasp of our loving handclasp
More than penitent lips could explain.
For what had been hardest we'd know had been best,
And what had seemed loss would be gain;
For there isn't a sting that will not take wing
When we've faced it and laughed it away;
And I think that the laughter is most what we're after
In the Land of Beginning Again!
So I wish that there were some wonderful place
Called the Land of Beginning Again,
Where all our mistakes and all our heartaches
And all of our poor, selfish grief
Could be dropped, like a shabby old coat, at the door,
And never put on again.
Louisa Fletcher Tarkington.
On a beautiful sunshiny Saturday afternoon on the 23rd of October,
1926, as the train wended its way across the prairies for Sherman,
Texas, Robert kept watching out of the car window, his face beaming
with smiles as he thought of his meeting with Marie. He counted every
turn of the wheels because he knew they were bringing him closer to her.
When he arrived in Sherman that night, Marie welcomed him with open
arms. They spent Saturday and Sunday together and were happier than
they had ever been before. He confided to Marie his future plans. Told
her that he was working on an invention, and also planning to make some
money speculating in Stocks and Commodities. That he hoped to make a
lot of money and prove himself worthy of her, so that her father would
consent to their marriage. That he would return with all the hope and
faith a man could have in a woman, and with that faith and her love
failure was impossible, as there wasn't anything in the world he
couldn't do. Marie assured him of her faith and confidence. So long as
he had that faith and her love, she knew he could do great things. Said
she would willingly wait until he made a success.
After Robert returned, he began to study the Bible more than ever, and
work out things according to science. He read the Book of Ezekiel, and
planned on building an airplane along the lines outlined by Ezekiel.
Figured that there must be a way to build a plane of this kind which
would be the greatest ever, and felt that the day was coming when his
country would need the protection of the greatest invention of the age.
From reading of the Bible, war seemed inevitable, and Robert believed
that the next war would be in the air.
He began to read all the magazines along the lines of science and
invention and studied the Bible in order to understand natural law and
know how to apply it.
Robert wrote to Walter telling him that he had been to Sherman to
see Marie, that they had made up and that he was supremely happy. He
confided to Walter his hopes of a great discovery and told him that
with the love of Marie and her faith in him there was nothing he could
not do.
He had figured out from the Bible that a time of trouble such as the
world had never seen would begin in 1927, and would continue until
1932. There would be war, famine and pestilence all over the earth,
and that except the time be shortened every human being on the face of
the earth would be destroyed according to the Bible. He was anxious
to make money to complete his invention to protect his own country
because he knew that the United States was yet to face the greatest
war in history, and every nation would rise against us. The great gold
supply that was gathered by the United States from the beginning of the
great World War had caused commercial jealousy of all other nations and
it would only be a short time before we were at war. Unless we were
prepared with modern inventions we were going to lose the next war. He
knew what was coming and wanted to prepare to meet the emergency that
was to come.
Many letters passed between Robert and Marie during the latter part
of 1926. Her letters of love and encouragement helped Robert to make
progress in his work. He saved his money and planned for their future.
Christmas, 1926, was the happiest that Robert had ever known and
wanting Marie to share it with him he sent her a beautiful ring, wrote
her that he had saved his money and was now in position to buy it. The
diamond, he said, represented purity, firmness and faith and symbolized
all those things in her and his great trust in her. He told her that he
was anxious to get in shape to go to New York to continue his studies,
and work and make money and be near his old chum, Walter, who had
always been a great comfort to him and encouraged him in so many ways.
In thanking Robert for the ring, Marie wrote that so long as she lived,
she would wear it in honor of him, and as an emblem of faith and trust
in the greatest man in the world. That she knew there was nothing he
could not do. The little poem entitled, "It Can Be Done," which she
sent along was a great inspiration to Robert when trials, troubles and
obstacles arose in the years that followed.
IT CAN BE DONE
Somebody said that it couldn't be done,
But he, with a chuckle, replied
That maybe it couldn't, but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he tried.
So he buckled right in, with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried, he hid it,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.
Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that:
At least it has never been done,"
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat,
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it,
With the lift of his chin, and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure;
There are thousands to point out to you, one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you;
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Then take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing,
That cannot be done and you'll do it.
On the 1st day of January, 1927, Robert received a beautiful letter of
commendation from his employer, Mr. Kennelworth, in which was enclosed
a check for $500 as a bonus, and also notice of an advance in his
salary of $50 a month. This was very gratifying to Robert, because he
felt that he was making progress, and that a man who had made the great
success that Mr. Kennelworth had, must have been watching him closer
than he thought. He thought that Mr. Kennelworth had seen something
in him worthy of advancement, so he only worked harder to show his
appreciation. He wrote a letter to his friend Walter in New York
telling him of his father's generosity and how much he appreciated it
now that he was working, planning and saving his money, hoping to be
with Walter in New York soon where he could start speculating and make
a lot of money so that he could complete his great invention and do
something to benefit the world.
Robert wrote Marie of this good fortune which had come to him in
the new year and how it had stimulated his hopes to greater things
in the future. He was sure that with her love, he would continue
and accomplish every desire that he had hoped for. Marie wrote him
beautiful letters of encouragement, filled with love and admiration for
the man that she was living for,--her ideal. She told him that she was
making great progress with her studies and hoped to graduate in a few
years and be an honor to him and assist him in his work. She sent a
little poem, entitled: "Act the Man and Face It Out."
ACT THE MAN AND FACE IT OUT
Should life's storms be blowing gusty, or the road be hot and dusty,
Don't give up and pull a face all glum and blue;
Cheer up, man, and tackle trouble. If your efforts you redouble
There'll be brighter days ahead awaiting you.
Where's the use of whining, moaning, or of wasting time in droning
Never yet have such things pulled a fellow thru,
When you've trouble you must meet it, that's the proper way to treat it,
Always bear in mind results depend on you.
Never heed the whiner's chatter, 'tis right deeds that matter,
That will pierce the clouds--the roughest pathway span,
Every trouble is made lighter, and you'll find your outlook brighter
If you tackle things and face them like a man.
If you mean to conquer trouble, you must take it at the double.
You must act the man and face the matter out;
Tackle trouble, gamely fight it. Shirking it will never right it,
Face it bravely, and your trouble you will rout.
_Tid Bits._
Marie wrote of her plans for the future. How she hoped to live to see
him the greatest man in the world; how she wanted to one day bring him
before her father and show him what her love and confidence in a poor
boy had done for him. She wanted her father to be proud of Robert as
she was. After all the success she wanted them to be able to enjoy the
closing years of their lives in peace and quiet together, where they
could reminisce over the trials, troubles and obstacles overcome which
had led to the victory which is always the fruit of true and lasting
love. Here follows a poem--"After the Years--Quiet."
AFTER THE YEARS--QUIET
At last--after the years have wrought their will,
Go build a house of solace for thyself;
With things that pleasure thee its rooms upfill--
Turn thy soft light; a rose jar on thy shelf.
Have there the books thou wilt not read again,
So well thou knowest all of their magic old;
Have there the lute that silent shall remain,
Thy heart all music from its tones of gold.
And dream beside thy fire; dream of the guest
That cometh now no more--yet he is there,
If so thy soul would shape him, and thy rest
And dream--within a dream with thee will share.
Have there all things thou countest as thine own;
And what thou wouldst have had--there let it be.
But what thou wouldst not let it pass unknown,
After the years have wrought their will on thee.
And take no more a burden on thy heart,
Wrestling--if this be good--if that be ill;
And strive no more to better what thou art;
With consolation thy whole being fill.
And so with quiet lapping thee around,
A presence like a God's thy house shall fill,
But question not thereof nor even pray,
For importuning words such joy might mill.
Build thee that house of solace--out of sight;
A charm above the door and on the sill,
And trouble shall go by thee. 'Tis thy right--
At last--after the years have wrought their will.
Edith M. Thomas.
Robert sent Marie an article entitled, "A Standard" by Christian D.
Larson. He told her that this was going to be his standard for the
future, and that following this standard with her love and faith he
would accomplish everything that she hoped for him to.
A STANDARD
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To make all your friends see that there is something in them.
To look at the funny side of everything and make your optimism come
true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect
only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are
about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater
achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living
creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no
time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear;
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of yourself and to proclaim this face to the world, not
in loud words but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on your side so long as
you are true to the best that is in you.
Christian D. Larson.
Marie continued to write him encouraging letters from time to time.
Their love affair continued smooth with no troubles or interruptions.
Marie was a great reader and was studying carefully, always collecting
poems and articles which she thought would help and encourage Robert.
One was entitled:
"WHY THE SAINTS WERE SAINTS"
Because they were cheerful when it was hard to be cheerful;
And patient when it was hard to be patient;
And because they pushed on when they wanted to stand still;
And kept silent when they wanted to talk,
And were agreeable when they wanted to be disagreeable.
AUTHOR UNKNOWN.
and also another one by Herbert Kaufman, reading as follows:
Don't let busy-bodies turn you from the path you have selected,
Incredulity and unbelief are quite to be expected,
What if butters-in do scold you?
What if fools try to remold you?
If you aren't streaked with yellow such
Discouragement won't hold you.
Some will doubt you.
Lots will flout you.
More than one will lie about you.
They'll deride you
And decide you.
Need an "Older" hand to guide you.
Do not listen to the croakers--fight it out once you have commenced it.
If you meet with opposition simply run your head against it.
All big things that we know about were won by self-believers.
Quitters, never have been, nor can they be, achievers.
Herbert Kaufman.