With the present data in hand and the events that are to follow the next Presidential election, my judgment is that a Republican will not be elected. The President who takes office in March, 1929, will start under very unfavorable conditions similar to those which faced President Wilson at the time he entered his second term and also conditions will repeat similar to those that followed the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1861. There will be trouble with foreign countries over immigration laws. Tariff will be a sore spot and cause disagreements with foreign countries.
I will have my calculations made up for the stock and commodity markets for 1928 and 1929 soon and when they are completed will send a copy of them. There will be some big opportunities for long pull trading in stocks and commodities during 1928. I want you to be in on the deals with me and hope I can help you make a million dollars.
Robert Gordon.
CHAPTER XIX
December, 1927, stocks had been declining for several weeks. This month stocks declined rapidly and Robert was heavily short. Wheat and corn advanced. Robert had been on the right side for several months. Just before Christmas he figured that he would cover his short stocks and wait for a rally which he expected would come in January or February. He now had profits which gave him working capital of over five hundred thousand dollars, allowing for all the money that he had spent; so he decided to put more time in working on his invention, as he was now in position to spend money enough to develop his first airplane. He kept in touch every few days with the detective agency, but no word had been received from Marie. Her parents had about given up hope that Marie was alive. Robert wrote them a very encouraging letter because he wanted to cheer them up at Christmas time. Told them that he believed Marie was alive and that he had faith in God and wanted them to have faith and continue to pray for Marie's return. Informed them of his great financial success and told them that he had continued to keep Marie's account separate and had traded very conservatively for her and that she now had over $40,000 which he intended to try to increase and have as a great surprise for her. Robert sent beautiful Christmas gifts to them in memory of Marie.
A few days before Christmas there was a big decline in the stock market. All kinds of unfavorable rumors were afloat. Business conditions were bad. War clouds were gathering thick in Europe. Newspapers talked of the uncertainties in the new year due to the coming presidential election. The public had lost confidence and were selling stocks. Robert decided that this was the time to cash in so he covered a big line of Shorts in Major Motors, Central Steel and others. This was a great Christmas for him, financially. From his beginning with 200 bales of cotton in January, 1927, with a capital of $1,000.00 and $10,000.00 which Mr. Kennelworth gave him later, thru his successful pyramiding he had made over half a million dollars. He was overjoyed with his success because it would help him now to complete his airplane and other inventions. His mind turned back to Christmas, 1926, when he had bought Marie a beautiful ring with the money he had saved. At that time he little realized that so much could happen in one short year. He thought of all he could do for Marie this year if he only knew where she was. Decided that he would buy some beautiful presents for her anyway and keep them until she returned to show her that he was thinking of her on Christmas. He bought a beautiful diamond ring and a bracelet set with sapphires and diamonds. When the jeweler delivered them Robert looked them over and thought of all Marie's beauty and purity. His faith in her was still supreme. He was very sad and wept bitterly because he felt more keenly than ever the need for her. He wanted her to be with him to share his financial success.
His heart turned to his next dearest friend—his mother. He decided to try to make it the happiest Christmas of her life and bought her every kind of a present that he thought would make her happy and comfortable and sent her a check for $5,000.00 to do with just as she pleased and buy anything she wanted. Begged her to come to New York to see him soon after the new year, as he wanted her to see the sights of the city, and thought the trip would be good for her health.
In the early part of 1928 Robert calculated that war was inevitable between England and Russia. He figured that the war would start not later than the summer and that many nations would be involved and that later an attack on the United States would come. His first airplane was now completed,—a small one according to the plan laid down by Ezekiel in the Bible. The plane had four wings and could fly on either one of its four sides. It had a new motor with 12 cylinders and could be operated either with gas, electricity or compressed air. He had constructed a wheel within a wheel so that he could lower his plane and land anywhere he chose and could rise straight up. One motor had a propeller in the center of the plane to lift it up while the other motor started its direct motion. He could drive his plane backwards or forwards. It was a great success and the boy wizard of Wall Street was now hailed as a new Lindbergh of the air. There was an extra motor built with a collapsible propeller so that he could shift it from the center of the airplane to the tail, enabling it to go backward or forward as he willed. The wings were so arranged that they could either remain stationary or be set in motion up or down by motor. This was a new and valuable feature in the construction of airplanes.
Robert's next invention was to build a silent motor, or a muffler, which would prevent any sound. He knew that this would be very useful in war. After he had completed this invention, tested it and proved it a success, he offered it to the United States Government, but after the army officers, who knew very little about this new invention had looked it over, they refused it. Robert then sailed away in his new plane which he had named "The St. Marie." He visited England, France, Germany and in the Spring of 1928 made the longest successful flight to Japan, where he was received with great honor. Japan was very much interested in his new plane and in his muffler. The Japanese Government quickly closed a deal and bought his invention for a large sum of money. Robert felt that probably one day this invention would be used against his own country in time of war, but knew that the United States would have to learn a lesson—that too often in the past American inventions had been sold to foreign countries because his own Government would not buy them.
While in Japan Robert was entertained and introduced to many beautiful titled ladies and prominent men, but he remained loyal to Marie for his great success had not turned his head. He was still searching for Marie, always hoping to find her. He returned to New York in the Summer of 1928 and was now reputed as being worth more than a million dollars, after making more successful deals in stocks, cotton and wheat. He had followed the advice of old Henry Watson and had never scattered over two or three markets at the same time. When he had a deal on in cotton or wheat, he stuck to that until he closed the transaction. When he went into a stock campaign he stayed out of the commodity markets. He was meeting with success in every direction, but his longing for Marie continued and the vision of her beautiful face continued to haunt him.