On Tuesday morning, May 31st, Robert started early to Mr. Kennelworth's office as that was to be his last day in the office and he was anxious to clean up all the business necessary and render Mr. Kennelworth all the service possible before he went away. He confided to Mr. Kennelworth the arrangements of eloping with Marie. Mr. Kennelworth told him that he would arrange to go to New York about the 11th of June and was sorry that he couldn't make the trip with Marie and Robert and see them married in St. Louis. But he said to Robert, "That is the time when two young people like to be alone, and I am afraid that I wouldn't be a very good chaperon on the trip. So it is all for the best and you will get along all right without me."
Robert told Mr. Kennelworth that he figured according to his cycle theory, cotton should be sold out about June 1st or 2nd, that there would be a reaction. He had also figured that it was time to sell wheat and corn for a reaction.
On June 1st, Robert sold out his July cotton at 16.80 and also sold out Marie's cotton. Robert's profits and capital together now amounted to $7,000.00. Robert sold 25,000 July wheat at 1.48-1/2 and 25,000 July corn at 1.06-1/2 on June 1st. He went down to the broker's office to watch the market for that week, because he knew the next few days would be very important and anxious days for him. He was thinking every minute of the day when he would start to New York and would make Marie his wife. This would be the greatest start of all his life, as he was starting it under favorable conditions and with plenty of money. He knew that success was certain and was never more hopeful.
On Saturday, June 4th, he closed his short contract in July wheat at 1.43 and his corn contract at 1.02. He had made a profit of over $2,000.00 on wheat which brought his capital up to $9,000.00. Mr. Kennelworth had taken Robert's advice and gone short of wheat and corn on June 1st, after selling out his cotton. Cotton declined from June 1st as Robert figured it would. He told Mr. Kennelworth on Saturday morning that he was going to buy in his wheat and corn, because he was getting ready to go away that afternoon and was not going to make any more trades until he had arrived in New York. He would have everything in cash and ready to make a new start after the honeymoon.
Mr. Kennelworth had sold wheat and corn heavily and had made over $50,000.00 since he started to follow Robert's advice. He made back all the money he had lost in the slump in oil stocks in 1919 and was very grateful to Robert. He handed Robert New York exchange for $10,000.00 as a wedding present. Told him that he could call on him for any additional help that he wanted in financing the building of his airplane or for any other purpose. Robert assured him that he would not need any more help; that he could make all the money he wanted and that his success was assured.
Robert told Mr. Kennelworth that he made over $4,000.00 for Marie on her little capital of $400.00 with which she had started. Mr. Kennelworth was very much elated over this. This was the first time he had heard about Marie putting up $400.00 to buy cotton. He told Robert she was the kind of a woman to marry, the one who believed in him and would back him with her money and everything else. He believed it was love of the right kind—that success was sure to follow. Robert was so happy that afternoon that he called Marie on the long-distance 'phone, and told her of his great success in the market in wheat and the money Mr. Kennelworth had made; told her that they had now a working capital of around $25,000.00 and with that much money, in New York it would be only a question of a few years when he would be a millionaire. The main thing, however, was not money but the use he wanted to put it to in completing his invention. Marie was very happy and told him that she was making arrangements to go to Dallas and would leave there that afternoon on the "Sunshine Special," and after the train pulled out of Texarkana, he would find her on board. He was to keep everything quiet and not let anybody know anything about the elopement, as her father might try to stop her. No one in Texarkana but Robert's mother and Mr. Kennelworth knew about the secret elopement. Robert kept everything quiet about his resigning from Mr. Kennelworth's and going to New York, because he thought that there might be some leak somewhere and that Mr. Stanton might find out about Marie's elopement and stop it.
CHAPTER XI
At 7 P.M. June 4th, 1921, Robert walked into the Railroad Station at Texarkana and bought a ticket for St. Louis, with a reservation on the "Sunshine Special." This was the greatest and happiest moment of his life. He knew that Marie was already on her way and that in a couple of hours the train would arrive and he would go aboard for St. Louis, where he was to make her his wife. After buying his ticket, he went over to the Huckins Hotel and met Mr. Kennelworth for a final conference and to say good-bye. He told Mr. Kennelworth that he figured it would be time to buy cotton on a little reaction Monday morning, and also time to buy wheat again. Mr. Kennelworth assured him that he was going to plunge on his profits, and if he lost money now, it would be out of profits. He was going to get into the market and try to make a lot more money before he went to New York. Robert said that he intended to wire his broker from St. Louis to buy cotton and wheat for him on Monday morning.
Mr. Kennelworth bid Robert good-bye with all good wishes for success and said he was sure he was going to succeed, but that if failure and disappointment should come, he should always remember that he could rely upon him; that a young man often had trouble and disappointment and made many mistakes before he reached his goal and that if anything went wrong in the market, he could always come to him and ask for any aid possible and he would gladly grant it. He thought as much of Robert as he did of his own son, Walter, and wanted them to work together in New York, and was sure that they could be a great success. He wanted Robert to encourage Walter to continue his studies along chemical lines, because he believed that Walter would be able to make some great discoveries and they could work together to good advantage.
The "Sunshine Special" was a little late on Saturday night, June 4th, and Robert's heart was in his throat. He was anxious for that train to roll in. Finally, when the whistle blew and the signal light in the yard of the Texas Pacific showed the "Sunshine Special" was rolling in, the glare of the headlights on the train was the most welcome sight that Robert had ever witnessed thru all the days of his life. He boarded the train as quickly as possible and sat down nervous and anxious awaiting the moment when the train would get about 20 miles out of Texarkana, so that he might go back and look for Marie.