I pray for you each night and pray that everything may come out all right. I still have great faith and confidence in you, my boy. Want you to stick to your faith and your religion. Read the Holy Bible and follow it as you have in the past and everything that the good God can do will come to you in due time. Write me of your plans and what you intend to do. Send me a telegram as soon as you have any news, one way or the other. I anxiously await news of Marie and wish that I could be with you to comfort you because I know you need me when you haven't Marie. Devotedly, Your Mother. Robert was happy to get the letter from his mother because she always encouraged him and he knew that no matter what happened, her faith in him would always remain the same and her love would endure forever. He retired that night after having a light supper, very happy, looking forward to his birthday with great hopes and expectations. His 21st birthday meant a great deal to him, meant more than any other birthday because he hoped that it would bring Marie. He knew that he had stood the test of her absence and that he had unwavering faith, that the had never doubted her motive, no matter even if he could not understand it, and that he would not censure her actions. When Marie returned and was once sure that she knew all this, he would mean more to her than he had ever before and she would only love him the more. After all, perhaps this little disappointment would mean something good in the future. That night he read over all the poems that Marie had ever written him or sent him, and read over the poems that he had written her, because he had kept a copy of them. He read the poem where he wrote "If your aim is high and honest, in victory it will tell; Before the pearl is gotten, there must be a broken shell!" Again Robert realized that the shell had been broken worse this time than ever before, or at least it seemed that way to him. Yet at the same time it was not a break because Marie had left him with love, and their last good-night kiss on the train had been one of supreme faith and trusting love which had been built up over a period of years in which there had been many obstacles to overcome, hard struggles and disappointments. Robert prayed his usual night prayer for the protection of Marie and went to sleep, to dream of his birthday. Robert Gordon's 21st Birthday Robert arose early on June 9th. Hurried down to the desk to ascertain if any telegrams had come over night or any 'phone calls, but found no telegrams and no messages. It was yet too early for the morning mail. Robert secured the morning papers and saw his personal notices which he had instructed the papers to continue to run. He had added the name of his hotel and telephone number so that Marie could reach him promptly. Somehow he had a feeling that just about 11 or 12 o'clock that day Marie would call at the hotel or he would have some good news from her.