Passenger Levine

The return of Hero Charles .A. Levine little resembled that of long-wandering Ulysses. Not alone the faithful watchdog of New York City, Official Handshaker Grover C. Whalen, but everyone else, recognized Hero Levine far in the distance. He was not grey and grizzled. He was only four months and a half older than when he skipped aboard the airplane Columbia at Mitchell Field, L. I., to become a hero. He had no adventures to tell because the press had told them all--how he sat with Hero Clarence Chamberlin in the Columbia until it came down in Germany; how he then toured Europe with a British pilot until he crashed in Italy.

Mrs. Grace Levine and Eloyse Levine, aged 9, arose at 5 a.m. and, leaving Ardeth Levine, aged 1, in the Levine home at Rockaway Park, L. I., joined Handshaker Whalen on the tug Macom. Soon Hero Levine, a smaller, quieter, ruddy-blond edition of Mussolini,* and Jewish/- instead of Italian, climbed off the S. S. Leviathan. He answered news-gathers questions as though he knew they were perfunctory, called at City Hall because he was expected there, lunched at the Hotel Astor because he was hungry. He was not surprised that New York did not toot its horns at him and get wildly excited. It was raining.

In the Rockaways, where Charles A. Levine had been a popular figure long before the emergence of Hero Levine, the demonstration was more florid. Shiny motor cars, opulent furs, proud gesticulations, eager recognition surrounded every step of the native's return. Smiles and congratulations flowed freely everywhere, together with a babble of question about Hero Levine's business plans. His plans are, he said in his unbothered way, to fly from Europe to the U. S. some day and to promote aviation as best Charles A. Levine can. " I'm going to leave the talking to others," he said, "I'll look after the flying end."

*Whom Mr. Levine calls "Greatest man in the world." /-Baseless reports that Mr. Levine denied that he was a Jew while abroad arose from his jocular mention of the fact that he was born on St. Patrick's Day.