The tunnel thru the air

by William D. Gann

Robert said that he was going away to see Marie and confided that he was going to try to get her to elope with him and go to New York. Mr. Kennelworth told him that he could take the good news to Marie that he was going to give them a wedding present of $10,000.00, which was less than half of the profits he had made. He was going to continue to hold the cotton until Robert thought it was time to sell.

On the afternoon of May 28th, Robert boarded a train for Sherman, Texas, with the lightest heart that he had ever experienced in his life. Now that his dream was really going to be realized, he was never so happy. He figured that with the money he had made and with Marie's money, and the $10,000.00 which Mr. Kennelworth was going to give them, he would have about $18,000.00 which would give him capital to continue to speculate in the market and money for his plans on his great airplane.

As the train rolled across the plains of Texas and Robert watched the sun setting across the prairies on that Saturday afternoon, he dreamed of the day when he, like Lindbergh, would cross the country in his great airplane. He could think of nothing else but Lindbergh's great flight and what it meant to the world. He realized that Ezekiel's prophecy of that war which was to come and be fought in the air, was coming true, and the great plane described by Ezekiel, the eagle with wheel within a wheel, would one day become a reality. He could now see the possibilities of his dream being fulfilled and he was sure of success.

Marie welcomed him with enthusiasm and open arms. She was so proud of him and so happy that he made good in the market. He had been so thoughtful to buy cotton and corn for her and sold out the corn with $1,100.00 profit. She told Robert that he was a wonder; that he was one of the greatest young men in the world and a genius, and that he would be a greater man than Lindbergh when he was as old as Lindbergh.

Robert said that on June 9th, he would be 21 years of age, and on that day he wanted to be married and start on his career as a real man. He wanted to go back to Texarkana after the holidays, wind up his affairs and get ready to go to New York. Wanted her to go with him, starting Saturday, June 4th, so they would arrive on Sunday, June 5th, in St. Louis, be married, and proceed immediately to New York. He asked Marie what she thought about going to her father, telling him he had now made good and had enough money to start out, and ask his consent to their marriage. Marie said that it was useless; that her father would never consent to her leaving school and being married, no matter how much money the man she was going to marry had to take care of her. Her father was bent on her finishing her education and she knew it would be a hopeless case. There was no use talking about it.

She asked Robert if he didn't think it would be better for her to remain in school for another year or two, to finish her education, and then she could join him in New York and be married. She thought it possible that he might get along better for a while without her. But Robert would not listen to this and told her that he would never go without her. His future happiness and success depended upon her love and encouragement. Her love had guided him safely thus far and would lead him on to greater things. He had dreamed of the time when he would come home at night from his work or study, to find her there and see her beautiful eyes, the lights that would guide him on to success. She could either make him the most miserable man in the world or the happiest. His entire future and fate were in her hands and she could do with him as she willed. Marie agreed to keep her promise she had made to him long before,—that regardless of money or conditions, she would leave father, mother, brothers and sisters, and go with him anywhere, even unto the ends of the earth, and that if he insisted, she would elope because she knew that was the only way since her father would not give his consent.

On Sunday, May 29th, Robert and Marie went to Dallas, Texas. They had planned when they were ready to elope, that Marie would leave from Dallas on the "Sunshine Special" in the afternoon of June 4th. She was to keep her plans absolutely secret and Robert was to board the same train that night at Texarkana, and after the train was out of Texarkana, he was to find her, go on to St. Louis together, be married there on Sunday morning, and leave Sunday noon for New York. Robert was extremely happy and talked of nothing but the success that was to come to them; of his great plane that he was to build and the part it would take in protecting the country in the great air battle which he was sure was yet to come, when foreign countries thru their jealousy, would attack the United States from the air and do great damage to this country. He told her that in the end Uncle Sam would win; that the Stars and Stripes would proudly float from the great buildings in New York, and that they would live to see that day and he wanted her there with him when his great "ship" would help win the victory for his country. Walter Kennelworth was in the city and they were going to work together on inventions and discoveries that would help win the war which he knew was sure to come.

It was the most interesting and pleasant Sunday that they had ever spent together. They drove around Dallas and talked over their future plans. Sunday afternoon they returned to Sherman, and Monday forenoon Robert spent with Marie. They went out to the cemetery and placed some flowers upon the graves of soldiers who had lost their lives in defense of their country.

Robert talked of the great feat of Lindbergh and of the honors that he would receive from the foreign countries, and told Marie what a great time they would have, as Mr. Kennelworth was going to New York and they would all be there at the great reception when Lindbergh returned. He said good-bye to her on Monday afternoon and started back for Texarkana, knowing that the next time he would meet her, would be on board the train for St. Louis, where she would become his wife.

From that time on, Robert counted the minutes, in anticipation of the great happiness of the following Sunday when they would be married in St. Louis. He was strongly attracted to St. Louis because Lindbergh had left from there in the "Spirit of St. Louis," on his successful flight. He thought it would be good luck to marry in St. Louis and start from there to New York to spend their honeymoon.