Evening star., 1923-01-21

| about him, and took flashlights.
On the morning Of the third day he
was taking picture of the wreckage
in Main street when q tail, bored
looking young stranger with q big
camera slung over his shoulder stop
ped and spoke to him.
| ''Who You with?" said the stranger.
] WHAT" said Joe, not understand
ing.
The strangers eyes Frightened.
You local?" he asked.
Joe stared. It was all Greek to
him.
Are you photographer" the
stranger said impatiently.
| Joe nodded.
! Got any good pictures Of the fiood?"
Sure" said Joe. Lots of EN-"
| Sell them?" asked the stranger.
Sell 'em!" exclaimed Joe. Sure!
You want to buy 'em?"
Lets see them." said the stranger.
where are they? Come on; I'm in a
hurry"
Joe led him to the law Office on the
top fiSor of tho stone building where
he had, camped during the Disaster
and showed him the prints, and plates
1 he had made The stranger was
almost, hysterical with delight, as he
! went through the collection. .what,li
you take. for email of 'ent?" he said
4 excitedly, j.ss.M.,
| .eswhatlf you gtnmts" Joe counter
ed. amazed. -. 80
Two hundred for the lot" said tho
stranger. "All you've got; every
negative and print you've made while
| the flood was on. What do you say,
kid? Talk quickw -.
Sure. said Joe stupidity. Sure
| thing" ::
The, stranger stripped the money
from q plethorfc roll. handed 1t to
Joe and began wrapping up tho col,
Election, muttering excitediy to, him
self the while. ss..rsss;s
Whats your name, kid?. he ss2tc
as, he prepared to depart. - =.
Joe told him. ~ Ss.,s..
who. you with here 10 town. - :.
THE MeEenry. aow works" Joe
1replied. : ksa
%sPlow'< :. worksy'+ the stranger: ex-,
! Claimed. %"come ,bn along with me,
and: Phi get you a regular toh~. :.
rwhat; dotn'?" said Joe. -
"Photographine, you fool" said the
1 stranger :Coms on, 1talk quick! 1
got to be moving.
Sure" said Joe.
| Come aheadg said the stranger.
! ~ y
| 4 BREATHEESS scramble on foot
! "A and by boat out Of the devas-
| tated .towa.ii.a hair-raising dash in
! an automobile, a short wait in a
station, and then the warmth and
| luxury Of the Chicago express. Then
through a crowded station to a taxi
! cab. a rush across town. a trip up
nine flights in an elevator, and Cam
| era Joe Kelly entered for the first
time the surroundings In which he
belonged-the artroom of big city
newspaper. a-s. .I--sz-
| Within six months he was recog-
nized as the best newspaper pho
| tographer in the city. His big-fea-
| tured. ugly face. oversize hands and
feet. and skinny. stringy body were
always good for q smile Of recog-
the mayor Of the city, the chief Of
police, other city and state poll
ticians, and big men OF the business
world. From the beginning he de-
manded admittsnce to guarded places
and ordered big men about with an
air of authority that was both COM
ieal and compelling. He never fell
down on an assignment. What he
went after. somehow. someway, he
came back with.
Within less than a year he became
the star staff man on one Of the New
York dailies. His circle Of acquaint-
ances grew wider. The President Of
the United States knew him and
smiled whenever he appeared. Sem
ators. representatives and cabinet Of
ficers called him by his first name:
internationally known financiers
dreaded and admired him. Prize
fighters, ball players. actors and ac-
tresses posed at his curt bidding.
When he had been in New York a
little more than a year the world war
began and he was sent to Europe.
For three years he roamed the war
ring countries as addressed, soiled
looking, tough. ugly and awkward
as ver,r"shooting' kings and queens,
prime ministers and generals, living
in the best hotels in the storied cap
itais of the old country. interested,
as ever. in everybody and everything
that was a good picture, and having
no interest in anybody or anything
beyond the picture value of the place
When the United States entered the
war he got a commission as captain
in the Signal Corps. He made some
battle pictures that are wonders, no
moro 'rufied by bursting shells and
whistling bullets than he was by
gold lace and great regulations.
Immediately after the armistice he
got his discharge from the Army, but
stayed on In France to cover the
peace conference for an American
news syndicate. -
And then the booze got him. He
had no rooted interests In life except
his work, and In the intervals when
he was not busy he drank; drank
heavily. to escape the dull pain Of
boredom. -
After the peace conference, and on
his return to the United States, he
cracked suddenly under the strain
of dissipation; cracked wide open.
He began falling down on assign
ments. He lost one Job after an
other. The little he had saved was
soon spent. He began sleeping on
Ak -. !.