This was followed by Nast's illness and some intimate personal letters and visits, during which the old arrangement and ties were renewed for another term. On December 27 the Weekly published a small Christmas "comic," left over from the year before, and printed the following announcement:

In answer to many inquiries from subscribers, we regret to say that Mr. Thomas Nast, who still maintains his connection with Messrs. Harper & Brothers, has not yet sufficiently recovered from the severe attack of pneumonia by which he was recently prostrated to give the public the benefit of his genius. We hope, however, that before many months have passed he will be able to resume the pencil with which he has done such vigorous and noble work in the cause of the Union and in support of an honest and enlightened administration of National, State, and Municipal government. The public will be glad to learn that, should his health permit, Mr. Nast will deliver some lectures during the winter.

They had hoped to have one of his customary Santa Claus pictures, and Mr. S. S. Conant, who then had charge of "making "the paper, had written, December 3:

My dear Mr. Nast:

The approach of Christmas time reminds me that for many years our readers have been favored with delightful holiday pictures from your pencil. They, as well as ourselves, would be very sorry to miss your contributions this season, and I write to ask whether you would feel inclined to favor us with Xmas illustrations, either for the Weekly or for each of the three periodicals?

But the artist was not yet equal to the task in the brief time allowed, and the young Harper readers missed his jolly St. Nicholas that season.

CHAPTER LIII

THE BREWING OF POLITICAL REVOLT

It was not until March 1, 1884, that Nast made his reappearance in the Weekly. He had lingered in the South to acquire strength for the Presidential campaign, which bade fair to bewhat it in good sooth became one of the fiercest and most closely contested political battles in history. When in February the press reported his return to Morristown, he received from Franklin Square a word of greeting and suggestion:

My dear Nast:

Have you returned?

Did you buy ten thousand acres or so?

And where's my alligator?

And when are you to begin in the Weekly?

The first picture ought to be strong and incisive, for we must remember that while your hosts of friends and the friends of the Weekly are ready to welcome you, there are also hosts of enemies who will be unfriendly critics, and who will be eager to claim that your eye is dimmed and that your hand has lost its cunning.

The boys join me in kind regards to you and Mrs. Nast. I hope you have brought back no fever and ague. Yours faithfully,

J. W. Harper, Jr.

The first picture was one to disarm criticism. It depicted the dire need of Cincinnati, where terrible winter floods had wrought ruin and desolation. The cartoon was a powerful cry for 'Help!" It was not until a week later that he presented the

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political situation-simply a great, white "Sacred Elephant,' labeled the Republican Party, carrying the Presidential Chair, and wearing the belt of Civil Service Reform. A small caricature of Nast himself introduces the exhibit, beneath which are the words:

"This animal is sure to win, if it is only kept pure and clean, and has not too heavy a load to carry."

It was a striking picture, and precisely summarized the situation; also the position of Harper's Weekly and of Nast himself. With respectability and a proper burden the Republican Party could win. Otherwise its case was doubtful and the support of Franklin Square most uncertain.

In this issue of the Weekly, at the head of the editorial column, the attention of the public was directed to the fact of Nast's return. The notice closed significantly:

Our readers will recognize the familiar figure of the Republican Elephant treated in a manner at once retrospective and suggestive, recalling the principles by which the Republican Party has won the confidence of the country, and by strict adherence to which alone it can hope to retain that confidence in the future.

The cartoonist's welcome back to the old journal was general and enthusiastic. The newspapers which had been asking, as did the Herald, "Why is the public no longer instructed by the work of this historic caricaturist in the journal made famous by Thomas Nast?"" now accorded him a notice that was, if possible, more universal than ever before. The following is a fair sample of the comment; also of the frequent misstatements which have led to so many false impressions concerning his relations and difficulties with the Harper firm:

The reappearance of the familiar bold signature of Th. Nast on a cartoon in Harper's Weekly has produced more of a sensation than either Nast or the Harpers could have dreamed of. That was a peculiar quarrel, or rather its consequences were peculiar. Two years ago the artist's vigorous pictures disappeared. He was under contract not to draw for any other periodical, and

so every week he sent in a sketch to Harpers, and they in return continued to pay him five thousand dollars a year. During the two years in his cosy home at Morristown he has drawn the best work of his life, as all the friends who have seen the many ambitious pictures stored there unite in declaring, etc., etc.

Perhaps this is accurate enough for the daily newspaper reader, but from a historical standpoint its errors seem important. Nast's absence from the Weekly had been less than one year, during which he had remained very little in his " cosy

THIS ANIMAL IS SURE TO WIN, IF IT IS ONLY KEPT PURE AND CLEAN, AND HAS NOT

home at Morristown" and had drawn no pictures whatever. He had received the $5,000 in the stipulated payments, but this had been merely a retainer, work or play. Had the writer doubled the amount of this annual payment, as many papers did, he would have crowded as many misstatements as would seem possible into a brief paragraph, which after all contained the elements of news. The story that Nast ever went on supplying pictures to Harper's Weekly during any period of absence from its pages may properly be denied here. It was, as we have seen, the occasional refusal of his drawings, more or less frequent, which resulted in these hiatuses; but during such weeks or months he supplied no work and was not expected to do so. His retainer merely provided against his contributing to other journals. His drawings were always additionally paid for. It is probable that altogether, during the twenty-five years of his connection with the Harper firm, not more than twenty-five of his pictures remained unused.

The letters of welcome were as kindly and almost as numerous as the press notices. From John G. Borden, the great dispenser of milk, came this measure of human kindness:

Good morning! I too want to shake hands! Glad to see you back! Certainly! Come to stay, we all hope! Borden.

From the office all sent greetings. S. S. Conant wrote: "I am glad to welcome you back. Will you kindly let us know by telegraph what you intend doing for next week? When you come in won't you shed the light of your countenance on yours truly?”

His old companion in arms forgot all disagreements and held out the right hand of fellowship:

Dear Nast:

I am sincerely glad to know that you are better, or what is better still, quite well, and that we are to go into the old and ever new fight again, side by side. With every good wish, I am, Very truly yours, George William Curtis.