The following day I went up to Marie Johnson's. She was surprised to see me, of course, and I am sure the manner in which I conducted myself must have given her reason to think something was wrong with me. I had to lie down almost as soon as I got in the house. She handed me a big bunch of mail, among which was a telegram. I almost fainted at the sight of it. Probably somebody had found out that I had had a child by Warren Harding! I said, "You open this, Marie." Then I caught myself. Suppose it was some kind of a summons, or even suppose it was from Mrs. Harding! I opened it myself. It was from a girl in Cleveland who wondered why I had not answered her letters!
At the apartment of a friend up the street I secured a room. I think I stayed one night there at that time. After I had deposited my bag, I went to the corner drug store at 136th Street and phoned Mr. Harding at the Senate Chambers in Washington. He had scarcely said "Hello!" when I began to cry. I told him I was so weak and asked him when he thought I would be strong again. He said, "Why, Nan darling, you should go back and rest at Asbury Park another month. Don't do a thing but rest. Everything's all right." But that was just the thing I couldn't do. I told him I seemed to have lost all my courage. Wasn't it possible for him to come over? He said he was in fact coming over to New York, but he thought it unwise for us to be seen together if I were in the weakened condition I said I was. I told him that I was sure I would be stronger if he would only take me in his arms. Bless him! I realized it would be dangerous for us to be together when I felt so weak that it seemed I might faint every minute. He begged me to return to Asbury and rest, and urged me not to stop to see my mother in Ohio when I did go on to Chicago.
"Be of good cheer, Nan!" came over the wire in a voice that was so sweet that it wrung my heart and brought the tears so fast that I could only cry, "Goodbye, sweetheart!" and stumble out of the booth.
