Admiration for Madame Curie made her dream for a while of motherhood, but January dispelled the dream. Though Congress had voted twenty million dollars’ worth of food for the starving Russians, there was every prospect that millions would perish. Jean longed to do something, and spent what was left of her double-eagle for Canadian cheese and sent it to the Red Cross to forward. And such is the natural desire of the illogical human mind for heroic action that she would gladly have died for any one of those Russian children—who ought never to have been born.
But, although Marvin had from time to time sent to Asher Ferry some brief printed article, neither Marvin nor Jean knew of a certain exchange of telegrams which took place on the thirtieth of January, 1922.
Chase Mahan, being then in San Francisco, received from Asher this message:
Please inspect that laboratory which was dedicated night before last in Pasadena.
Chase wired back:
Inspected it several days ago. Do you want Marvin to see it?
To this query he received a most satisfactory reply:
Our director should by all means see it, and on his way back should consult with my architect.
Chapter 85
The spring months of 1922 were the perfection of growing weather, and Jean rejoiced for the farmers, but elsewhere on her planet there was plenty of trouble to keep her determination strong. The coal strike reminded her that there is very little of anything left on earth to burn. The bloody condition of Ireland and the bloodless condition of Russia were new proofs that food is hard to get. In Germany every mother’s son who grew up devoted to the people was likely to be assassinated. That was an old story on earth, and the assassination of Dr. Walter Rathenau for making electricity and coal cheap merely confirmed it.