The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-10-24
By BRAND WHITLOCK.

kittrell could not speak, and he turned ]
the drawing board TO the wall.
When he had gone Edith sat and
though;-of Neil, of the new position, of
Clayton. lie had loved Neil, and been so
proud Of his work: he had shown frank. |
naive pleasure I'm the cartoons Neil had
made of him. That last time he was
there. thought Edith, ne had said that
without Neil the good old cause as he !
called IT. using Whitman's phrase. could |
never have triumphed I'm that town. And
now, would he come again? Would ne
ever stand in that room and. with his
big hearty laugh, clasp an arm around
Neils shoulder, or speak OF her In his !
good. friendly way as the little wom-
an?" Would he come now. in the terrible |
days of the approaching campaign, for
rest and Sympathy-co as he used 20
come In other campaigns. worn and
weary from all the brutal opposition, the
vilihcation, and abuse, and mud-sllng
Ing? She closed her eyes. she could not
think that far.
Kttreu found the-task OF telling Hardy
just as hard as he expected IL 10 be, but
by some mercy II did not last long. EN-
PLANTATION had not been necessary; he had
proaches. and Hardy understood. Hardy
was. In a way hurt; Kittrell saw that,
and rushed 10 his own defense:
Il hate 20 go, old man. ! don't like II a
little bit-but, you know, business is bust
ness, and We need the money"
He even tried 10 laugh as he advanced
this last conclusive reason. and Hardy
for all he showed in voice or phrase, may
have agreed with him.
It's all right Kit" he said. I'm sorry;
wish we could pay you more, but-well,
good luck 20 you"
That was all. KittreH gathered up the
few articles he had in the office. gave
Nolan his sketch. babe the boys gOOd-by
-bade them good-by as II he were going
on a long journey. never TO see them
more-and then he went.
After he had made the break il did not
seem so bad as he had anticipated. At
first things went on smoothly enough.
The campaign had not opened and hs
was free to exercise his talents outside
the political field He drew cartoons
dealing with banal subjects. touching
with the gentle satire Of his humorous
pencil foibles which all the world agreed
about. and let vital questions alone. And
he and Edith enjoyed themselves; in
dulged oftener in things they loved. went
more frequently 10 the theater, appeared
al recitals, dined now and then down
town They began to realize certain lux
uries they had not known for a long
time-sOme he himself had never known,
some that Edith had not known since she
left her fathers home to become his
bride. In more subtle ways too. Kittrell
felt the change: there was a sense OF
larger leisure: the future beamed with
broader and brighter light; he formed
plans. among which the old dream OF go
ing ere long TO Paris for serious study
took its dignifed place.
And then there was the sensation his
change had created in the newspaper
world; that the cartoons signed Kit"
which formerly appeared in the Post.
should now adorn the broad page OF the
Telegraph was a thing to talk about at
the Press Club: the fact of his large sal
airy got abroad in that little world as
well. and. after the way OF the world,
managed TO exaggerate itself as most
facts did. He began 20 be sensible Of at
tentions from men Of prominenCe-sman
things. mere mods In the street, perhaps,
or smiles in the theater foyer. but enough
to show that they recognized him. What
those children OF the people. those work
ing men and women who used to be his
unknown and admiring friends in the old
days on the Post thought Of him-wheth-
or they missed him. whether they de-
plored his change as an apostasy or APP
plauded II as a prOmOtion-he did not
know. He did not like 70 think about H.
But March came, and the politicians be-
gan 70 buster like the season. Late one
afternoon he was on his way to the office
with cartoon. the first in which he had
seriously TO attack Clayton. Benson. the
managing editor OF the Telegraph, had
conceived Il. and KittreH had worked on
il that day in sickness Of heart. Every
lying line OF this new presentation OF
Clayton had cut him like some biting
acid: but he had worked on, trying 10 re-
assure himself with the argument that he
was a mere agent. devoid of personal re-
sponsibility But It had been hard. snd
when Edith, after her custom, had asked
70 see il, he had said:
"Oh, you don't want TO see IL; it's no
good"
rs il of-hIm?" she had asked.
And when he nodded she had gone away
without another word. Now. as ne hUr-
rled through the crowded streets, he was
/ conscious that il was no good. Indeed;
/ and he was divided between the artists
regret and the friends JOY in the fact
But il made him tremble. Was his hand
| to forget its cunning? And then. sud
denly. he heard a familiar -Uice, and
] there beside him. with his hand on his
shoulder. stood the mayor
why. Neil. my boy. how are you?" he
-tG
warmly as ever. For moment Kittrell
was relieved. and then his heart sank, for
he had a quick realization that IL was
the coward within him that felt the relief
and the man the sickness. II Clayton
! had reproaChed him, or cut him, II would
| nave made II easier; but Clayton did none
OF these things. and Kittrell was irresist-
| IDLY drawn TO the subject himself.
You heard OF my-new job?'' he asked.
Yes" said Clayton. Il heard"
| well" Kittrell began.
I'm sorry" Clayton said.
so was l." Kittrell FASTENED to say.
but I felt it-well, a duty, some way-to
! Edith You knOw-we-need the money"
! And he gave the cynical laugh that went
with the argument
What does she think? Does she feel
| that way about it,
! Kittrell laughed, not cynically now, but
uneasily and with embarrassment, for
/ ClaytOn's blue eyes were on him, those
eyes that could look into men and under
/ stand them so.
"Of course, you know" Kittrell went
on nervously. there is nothing personal
in this We newspaper fellows simply
do what We are told; we obey orders like
soldiers. you know. With the policy of
the paDer we have nothing TO do lust
like Dick Jennings. who was a red-hot
free trader and used to write free trade
editorials for the Times; he went over 10