The Dolores star., 1917-01-05
Little Calahad
a Ssssy VIII a
Bleasipg
~ PHoEBE GRAY


nVAne4 D Con1
himself held mp to ths ridicuis and con-
tempt Of his townspeople, he realised
that bis days Of political power were
numbered.
Charlie Thomas didn't have to zee
his subjects In pefson. He drew from
photographs. He did not miss fire once,
NOR was II necessary for him to confine
himself to portraiture. Now and again
he made q picture Of Q home that drink
had ruined, Of pitiful children. Of for
iorn women. People studied these pic
tures and cried: then they went saw
agely to the polls and drove nail into
the CONN Of the liquor business in Shelf
Geld. After election the mound Of
votes on the grave Of the enemy was
% high, 40 the jubilant Jones an
nounced In the Evening View. that II
could be surmounted only BY aid Of Q
Areman's ladder.
"And there's only one more picture
for you to draw. good old boy" said
Jones. on the day after the obsequies.
you've been doing some great work;
but it's been 20 uniformly negative, I'm
thinking the public would be delighted
with the portrait Of real good citi-
sen-let's run John Willett's picture
tomorrow. He's been stanch through
1t all, put his money, brains and innu-
ence into the scales, and 10 the one man
who deserves the thanks Of this COM
munity. His personal interests have
been sacrificed. for he il thousands Of
dollars poorer today than he was yes
terday. For instance, his stock in the
Waldemere II probably cut in half.
But Willett's true blue;. let's run his
picturer'
Jones produced a photograph Of John
Willett, and Charlie set to work. Jones.
standing ut his elbow, frowned.
"Hold on. boy" he said, you're get
ting all mixed mp. This Is John willett
you're drawing. not Simon Legree.
Say, it'd never do to print that"
Charlie surveyed his handiwork with
horror. His picture Of John Willett
equaled in the unpleasant quality Of its
revelation almost any that he had done
during the campaign. Dominating the
caricatured features was Selnshness.
q refined, subtle and Indifferent Self
ishness. 1t was not hoggish-no. it
was nothing so frank as that. But the
menace was there, unspeakably ter
rible. Charlie covered his face with
his hands.
"Oh, Jonesy." he cried, 'you
couldn't use that; you couldn't use that.
Why. Mr.. Willett's one OF my very best
friends" He sat and pondered.
II will get You q picture Of Mr.. Will
lett" he said. ''You wait here, Jonesy."
He hitched briskly away, although
the defect in his gait was notably d.
m;1ished. In ten minutes he was in
John Willett's ONCE.
A man sat at John Willett's desk, q
man with gray at his temples and deep,
haggard lines in his face. Gray streaks
appeared, too. in his closely trimmed
beard, but his eyes laughed when he
greeted Charlie Thomas.
Hello, Little Sir Galahad," he said.
How goes the Quest todayT"
Il think we gained few steps yes
terday," said the boy.
II should say we did," cried John
Willett. "Say, young fellow. what are
you doingY'
drawing your picture for tomor-
rows View" w..
whats that? You young imp. are
you going to- Look here, Charlie,
boy. How many people know you are
the mysterious cartoonist? There are
men in this town who would be de-
lighted to skin you"
"Only three or four people know it..
and they'll never tell. I'm afraid I've
hurt lot Of feelings. It's dreadful to
know that you have done that"
~ used to think SO, too, Charlie; but
this thing we have been fighting has
hurt your feelings and mine. hasn't it?
We don't regret the results, do we,
boyP' ....
Nope" said Charlie. There, that's
better"
He drew out the sketch he had made
from the photograph of John Willett
SIX years younger; jaunty, care-free,
tndulgent John Willett.
'Murder!" cried Willett. you don't
say I ever looked like that"
"Your soul used to, guess" said
Charlie; "but it doesn't now. The pic
ture in tomorrow's paper'n suit you
better"
"I'll never get over this, Charlie, I"
said Willett. "It isn't the sketch that
hurts: it's knowing that I can't deny
the truth Of 1t. No man can look at
one Of your portraits Of himself and
say truly that it does not reveal his
SOUL"
Next day, when people got the View,
they nodded sagely and commented:
That's Just like John. He always
was fine man; this proves it. He's
aged lately. but he doesn't lose char
acter. That certainly is our own John
Willett. the one who's always been our
most useful, public-spirited citizen"
CHAPTER XIV.