Chapter 16
Mildred Thatcher had been anxious all day. The meeting was scheduled for seven-thirty and everybody was in town. By four there was still no word from Jane Horner, and Mildred wondered what she could do to satisfy everyone who had come to Omaha to hear Jane talk about the new discovery she had mentioned in her letter. And there had been calls from all the other cities. Their meetings were set for tonight and they'd had no word from Jane either.
The most disquieting thing was the report from Mexico City that Jane had not attended the conference there. It was all so unlike Jane!
Mildred rushed here and there, telling people she expected Jane any moment, calming those on the phone with assurances that Jane was certain to keep her word and searching desperately for something to use in Jane's place at the meeting.
The uniformed delivery man arrived at five with a can of film addressed to Mildred from Jane Horner in Mexico City. A note attached to the package told Mildred to show the film to the group that night. It was typed, but Mildred recognized Jane's signature. "Thank God," she muttered as she hastily signed the delivery receipt.
The lights dimmed and the large group saw A MESSAGE FROM JANE HORNER flash on the screen. The title faded and they saw Jane seated in what appeared to be a very elegant room.
"Look!" a woman shouted. "It's little Janie Horner!"
Jane's voice came into the room loud and clear.
"Helb, I'm Jane Horner and I'm so glad you could come this evening. I have something important to tell you and I'm using this means because I can't be there personally.
"As you know, in the past we have discussed how marjuana leads to immoral sexual behavior. Medical men tell us there's no relationship between marijuana and sexual conduct. They are wrong. Having smoked marijuana, I can tell you that you become very stimulated, sexually aroused, and you have to have sex. It intensifies the contact and makes the act more exiting. It prolongs the orgasm.
"I have just completed extensive personal research and I have come to the conclusion that we have misdirected our energies. You see, sex is great! We should encourage our youngsters to use their bodies the way nature intended for them to. Sex is not evil. It's only those of us who try to discourage it who are acting unnaturally."
There was a stirring in the room. People could hardly believe their eyes and ears. This wasn't the Jane Horner they had heard so often. It made them feel uncomfortable...."Marijuana has changed me entirely. I found that by denying myself sex I was becoming a dried up old bat like most of you. People are miserable because of what you and I have done to them. We should leave them alone, let them enjoy themselves.
"If we have to do something, let's have an orgy!"
The men and women in the audience were horrified as they watched Jane pull her dress over her head and reveal her lush nude body. They shuddered as they saw her throw it in the air and walk off the screen.
Then the scene changed. Jane was on her back on a large bed, one man kneeling above her head with his erect penis in her mouth and another man using his tongue between her legs. There were others on the bed, all engaged in a variety of depraved sex acts.
Silence hung heavy in the room. No one attempted to turn the projector off. Men shifted in their seats to try to hide the obvious bulge in their pants. Women rubbed their warm thighs together, hoping no one would notice what they were doing.
"Fuck me! Will somebody please fuck me?"
An audible gasp swept through the audience as Jane's words rang through the room. Hands crept into laps, hopeful that the darkness would conceal what they did. Breath came heavier and faster. There were even some low moans heard from various parts of the room.
"Disgusting!" a voice said when the film finished.
"Revolting! Positvely revolting!" a feminine voice agreed.
"Little Janie Horner should be punished! She's just like all the rest of the degenerates in this country!" said a man at the back of the room.
"It's a communist plot! You can bet on that!" said a woman in the front row.
The lights went on. People shuffled about trying to straighten their clothes. Some faces were red. Reverend James stood before the group and held up his hands for silence.
"I think this terrible thing we have seen tonight should serve as a warning to all of us. It could happen to any one of us at any time! It's our duty to double our efforts to rid our society of this horrible menace!"