Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1913-09-25
The Cold Brick.
Concluded from third page

I, ]
mering him is something fierce; ana
the Telegraph-well, your cartoons !.
and all, you know"
But my cartoons in the Telegraph
were rotten. Any work that Is not
sincere, not intellectually honest"
Hardy interrupted him;
Yes; but, Kit, you're so good that {
your rotten is better than most any
body's best" He smiled, and Kittreli
blushed and looked away
Hardy was right. The kit car
toon, back in the Post, created its SEN
sation and after it appeared the po-
litical reporters said it had started a
landslide to Clayton; that the betting
was to ! and no takers, and that it
was all over but the shouting.
That night, as they were at dinner
the telephone rang, and in minute
Neil knew by Edith's excited and de-
lighted reiteration Of YES" yes"
who had called up. And then he
heard her say:
Indeed l will: I'll come every night |
and sit In the front seat"
When Kittrell displaced Edith at
the telephone, he heard the voice OF
John Clayton, lower in register and
somewhat husky after four weeks
speaking, but more musical than ever
in Kittrell's ears when 1t said:
81 just told the little woman, Neil,
that | didn't know how to say it, SO
wanted her to thank you for me. 1t
was beautiful in you, and wish l
were worthy of 1t; 1t was simply your
own good soul expressing ITSELF"
And it was the last delight to Kit
trell to hear that voice and to know
that all was well.
But one question remained unset
tied. Kittrell had been on the Tele-
graph month, and his contract diff
fered from that ordinarily made by the
members of newspaper STAFF in that
he was paid by the year, though in
monthly installments. Kittrell knew
that he had broken his contract on
grounds which the sordid law would
not see or recognize and the average
court think absurd, and that the Tele-
graph might legally refuse to pay him
at all. He hoped the Telegraph
would do this! But it did not; on the
contrary, he received the next day a
check for his months work. He held
1t up for Edith's inspection.
"Of course, I'll have to send it
back" he said.
Certainly"
do you think me quixotic?"
"Well. we're poor enough as 1t is
let's have some Injuries; let's be quix-
otto until after election, at least
Sure" said Neil; "just what l was
thinking. I'm going TO do a cartoon
every day for the Post until election
day, and I'm not going to take cent.
I don't want to crowd Banks out, you
know, and | want to do my part for
Clayton and the cause, and do 1t, just
once. for the pure love OF the thing.
Those last days OF the campaign
were, indeed, luxuries to Kittrell and
TO Edith, days OF work and fun and ex-
element. AH~day Kittrell worked on
his cartoons, and onthe evening they
went to Clayton's meetings. The ex-
perience was a revelation to them
both-the crowds, the waiting for the
singing of the automobiles siren, the
wild cheers that greeted Clayton, and
then his speech, his appeals to the best
there was in men. He had never made
such speeches, and long afterward
Edith could hear those cheers and see
the faces of those workingmen aglow
with the hope, the passion, the ferv-
ent religion OF democracy. And those
days came to their glad climax that
night when they met at the office oil
the Post to receive the returns.
Late in the evening Clayton had
made his way, somehow unnoticed
through the crowd, and entered the OF
flee. He was happy in the great tri
umph he would not accept as personal
claiming 1t always for the cause; bu
as he dropped into the chair Hard!
pushed toward him, they all saw how
weary he was.
~ Just at that moment the roar in thu
street below swelled to a mighty ores
cendo and Hardy cried:
Look"
They ran to the window. The boy
upstairs who were manipulating tn,
stereopticon had thrown on the screeI
an enormous picture Of Clayton, thu
portrait Kittrell had drawn for hi
cartoon.
"Will you say now there isn't tn,
personal note in it," Edith asked.
Clayton glanced out the window
across the dark surging street, at tn,
picture.
"oh, it's not me they're cheering
for" he said; Its for Kit, here"
We'll, perhaps some OF it's 10
him." Edith admitted, loyalty.
They were silent, seized irresistibl.
by the emotion that mastered tn
mighty crowd in the dark streets be
low. Edith was strangely moved
Presently she could speak:
rs there anything sweeter in lii,
than to know that you have done {
good thing-and done 1t well?'
YES" said Clayton, lust one: t
have few friends who understand.
you are right" said Edith. 1t is
SO with art, and 1t must be so with
life; 1t makes an art OF life."
1t was dark enough there by the
window for her to slip her hand into
that of Neil, who had been musing
silently on the crowd.
Il can never say again." she said
softly, that those people are not
worth sacrifice. They are worth all;
they are everything; they are the
hope OF the world; and their longings
and their needs, and the possibility OF
bringing them to pass, are all that
give significance to life"