American tour with Baba were to meet at the Hotel Delmonico for the trip to Newark Airport. Our next "sahavas" stop was Meher-Center-on-the-Lakes at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Tuesday, July 24th

We awoke at 5:30 to a light drizzle of rain and were at the Hotel Delmonico by 6:45 with our luggage. The two buses waiting to take us to Newark Airport were almost full. Fred Winterfeldt checked off each one of those who were going on tour with Baba across America—44 in all, including Baba and the four mandali. Mr. and Mrs. Knotts, who had made all our travel arrangements, were there to see us off and pinned an Hawaiian orchid on each of the women.

Baba appeared, dressed in cotton trousers and red wool jacket, with His bare feet thrust into leather sandals. It was now 7 a. m. Our heads were counted once again and one girl, S., was found to be missing. A hurried call to her hotel produced only a switchboard message, "Do not disturb!" When Baba was informed of this, He ordered those of us in the second bus to wait for her until 7:20 and then leave, and the first bus went on with Him.

We waited anxiously until 7:15 and still there was no sign or message from S., so we left. At the airport, Baba was seated on a bench surrounded by the others. As soon as He learned our companion was still missing, He called several persons over to discover the reason for her absence, unerringly picking those who had some knowledge of the affair. It turned out she and another girl, B., had had a disagreement the day before when ushering people in to see the Master. B. had thought little of it, but S. was disturbed enough to decide not to accompany us. Baba, reprimanding us for not having informed Him previous to this, immediately had B. send S. a telegram containing His message that she should follow us at once to Myrtle Beach by the next plane.

Several strangers approached Baba in the airport and asked to be introduced, including a local politician. Wearing a garland of lavender orchids from the Knotts, Baba was the first to board the plane, which was completely filled with Baba-lovers, except for one woman passenger. At 8 a.m. exactly, we took off into a clouded sky with our beloved Avatar in our midst. Undoubtedly we were living through a unique experience—flying thousands of feet above the earth with the radiant and loving spiritual "Sun" of the world by our side.