Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1877-10-31
Dams Photograph.

The queerest fellow without excep
tion, in all Wexford, was Daniel Bat.
ties. He was sixteen years of age, yei
he had the reputation of possessing a:
much knowledge about old and out-of.
the way things as any ten average
lads. He was believed to have an inti.
mate acquaintance with every trout in
the streams, and every bird in tn,
woods, and every rabbit in the bur.
rows. He had the largest collection o.
birds eggs to be found in the country
and il was reported, and solemnly be.
lieved by all the small boys in tn,
neighborhOod, that he had a secret un.
derstanding with the king-fishers ant
orioles, by which they agreed to sur.
render one egg of each litter to him, il
consideration of his promise to let al
Others alone.
He was always taking up some new
idea TO work out, and if he did no
know all about MANY things, he really
seemed 10 know a little about every.
thing. He knew how TO print, how Il
bleed a horse, how TO run the telegraph
instrument, how to cultivate the silk
worms, how TO make the most outrage
Gus noises with his hands, how to graf
pears, how TO play checkers with hi
eyes shut, and, in short, he knew how
to do nearly everything that came in
his way TO learn.
One day the neighbors opened theil
eyes and pricked up their ears at tn,
news that Dan had taken up photo
graphy; not that they were astonished
for they had long ceased TO be aston,
ished at anything that Dan did, bu
they were interested in his enterprise
though regarding it simply As another
freak of curious genius.
well, well, said they, Struggling
their shoulders, Dan is an odd stick
Its about time he went into something
useful. Photography, eh:"
The report was true. Dan had OBJ
tained camera of good size, and wa
experimenting with it up in his ''den'
in one end of his mothers garnet.
1t would be hard to imagine a more
untidy, chaOtie-loOking place thar
Dams .sden.'' Ii was full of bottles
old clothes, jars, bits of machinery
musical instruments, carpenters tools
old maps, torn pictures, pots OF paints
and chemicals, fragments of ole
machines, stuffed birds, ETC., and i
smelled so fearfully that no one bu
Dan could ever stay in it long enough
10 make an inventory of the contents
Dan was as odd-loOking a character
as one would be likely to see in year:
travel. He was thin and lank in thu
body and legs. His head was large
and he had light blue eyes, and long
whitish hair, which he rarely combed
and which struggled about all over hi'
head. as if the rats had made nests IL
il the last time he slept.
He was not much of a talker. H'
generally kept silent and stared
Nobody knew what an amount of think
ING he did meanwhile, and in fact many
who had laughed at his greenness hat
m confess afterwards that he not only
saw all Things that were going on, bu
knew more about what he saw thar
the smartest of them.
Dan went on with his phOtOgraphins
for several weeks. He learned TO taxi
very good pictures, but he was fal
fhnllOlrflI
and almost melancholy. His finger
were ALWAYS stained black and brown
with acids that he could not wash on
and his clothing always gave out th'
peculiar scent of ''cOllodion.
Dams mother began really to be anx
ious. The boy was growing up loos'
Jack-of-all-trades, but without any
narticuIar turn for one profitable call
ing. 1t was necessary that he shoul'
begin to earn money pretty soon, an'
sbe was anxious that he should choos'
some single business and stick 10 IL
She took the boy in hand and expostu
lated with him. Dan looked distressed
..rm irving to do something, mother
I'm Just getting hold of it now, guess
only want a little more time"
This was about as long a speech a
Dan was in the habit of making at on'
time. His mother was pacified and
for the present, let him alone.
Two or three more weeks slipped by
Dan made pictures of everybody 1T
couId oct before his camera. He pho
tographed the cat and her kittens; III
photographed his ''den" and all HI
miscellaneous trumpery; he photo
grapbed the boys in the street. ana IN
photographed buildings, fences AM
trees
Still he did not succeed to his nina
His pictures lacked the peculiar shau
NO of stone" that he wanted III
dream was to achieve this, which N
believed would not only make then
very beautiful, but give him large
profitable custom.
He labored necessarily, now trying
this plan. now trying that, but with
out any perfect result.
In the course of his experiments on
of his garret window, Dan made stree
pietures of people both near and re
mote in divers attitudes, and at neari.
all hours of the day. Dan took them II
single figures and in groups; he .oo'
them as they stood i'm windows ana a
they walked below him, or rode past ii