Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-12-29
DAMS PHOTOGRAPH.

reputation of possessing as much knowledge
about odd and out Of-the-vay things as any
ten average lads. He was believed to have an
intimate acquaintance with every trout i'm the
streams. and every bird in the woods, and
every rabbit in the burrows. He had the
largest collection of birds eggs 10 be- found i'm
the country; and it was reported and sOleimnly
believed by all the small boys in the neighbor-
hood. that he had a secret understanding with
the king-ishers and orioles, by which they
agreed To surrender an egg of each litter to
MN, III consideration OF his promise TO let ali
others alone.
He was always taking up some new idea to
work out. III he did no, know all about many
things. he really seemed to know little about
everything. He knew how 10 print. how TO
bleed horse, how tn use telegraph instru-
ment. how 10 cultivate silk WORMS, how I'D
make the most outrageous noise with his
hands. how To grow pears, how To play check
ers with his eyes shut and. i'm short. he knew
now 10 do nearly everything that came in his
way 10 learn.
One day the neighborS opened their eyes and
pricked up their ears at the news that Dan had
taken up photography: hot that they We're as
tonlShed al anything that Dan did. but they
We're interested in his enterprise. though re
garding IL simply as another freak Of his Gu
Well, we'll" said they. Struggling their
shoulders. Dan is an odd stick. It's about
time he went into something useful. Photo
graphs. eh?"
The report was true. Dan had procured a
camera OF good size. and was experimenting
with il up in his den, in one end of his mo-
theirs garnet
Ii would be hard to imagine more untidy.
chaotic looking place than Dams den" 1t
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 old machines.
stuffed birds. etc: and II snlelled 50 fearfully
that no one but Dan could ever stay long
enough tn make an inventory of all the con
tents.
Dan was an odd-looking character as one
would be likely To- see in a years travel. He
was thin and lank in the body and legs. His
head was large and he had light blue eyes,
and long. whitiSh hair, which he rarely
cOnhed. and which siraggled about all over
his head. aS If the rats had made nests in il the
last time he slept.
He was not much of a talker. He generally
kept silent and stared. Nobody knew what
an amount of thinking he did meanwhile. and
III Tact many who had laughed at his green
ness had Ia confess afterwards that he not
only saw all things that were going on, but he
knew more about what lie saw than the smart
est of them.
Dan went on with hiSphOtographing for sew
eral weeks. He learned In take very good
pictures. but he was far from satisfied. His
fingers were always stained black and brown
with acids that he could not wash of. and his
clothing always gave out peculiar scent of
cOllodion.
Dams mother began To be really anxious
The boy was growing up a loose Jack-Of-all
trades, but without any particular turn for one
profitable calling. 1t was necessary that he
should choose some single business and stick
to il. She took the boy in hand and eXpostu-
lated with him. Dan looked distressed.
I'm trying To do something. mother: I've
just got hold of il now. guess. only want Il
little more time
This was about as long speech as Dan was
in the habit Of making at one time. His mo-
Their was pacitied, and for the present let him
alone.
Two or three more weeks slipped by. Dan
made pictures Of everybody he could get be
fore his camera. He photographed his den
and all his miscellaneous trumpery. He pho
tOgraphed buildings. fences and trees.
Still he did not succeed TO his mind. His
pictures lacked the peculiar shading or tone
that he wanted. His dream was tO achieve
this. which he believed would not only make
them very beautiful but give him large and
profitable custom.
He Iabored necessarily. now trying this
plan. now trying that. but without any per-
feet result.
In the course of his experiments out of his
garnet window Dan made street pictures of
people both near and remote, in divers atti-
tudes and at nearly all hours of the day. Dan
took them i'll single figures and in groups he
took them looking up and looking down. max
ing gestures of sitting still he took them as
they stood in a window. and as they walked
below him, or rode past in carriages. Many
Oi the photographs were good, but still the
subtle finish was wanting. Dan could not rea-
lie his dream.
Finally his mother begged him to stop his
amusement. as she called it, and go into "a
store or some business where he might sup
port himself.
Dan shook his head.
Cant. mother.
But. Dan. / can't afford tn give much more
money for the acids you want
All" said Dan. And he shook his head
once more and looked very detected.
He was at his wits end. He believed he
was on the very verge Of an important dis
cOvery. He Only wanted a little more money.
Where should the money come from:
This was trying question He could not
imagine that any one would lend him enough
cash To carry out his project. an he did not
seem TO think of any way to earn a sufficient
tlal xs-nf to anI s1f
in the midst OF his bottles and rubbish, feeling
uncOmmonly blue. Here was his camera upon
three long legs, with black muller drawn
over il, and with its brass nose pointing out
into the air.
The boys thoughts pointed the same way.
He must go out into the cold and find some
out in the cold. He descended into the street
and wandered about the town, moody and dis
treSSed.
About this time trial was in progress at the
court. man was charged with passing a
forged check at the bank. The teller fully
identified the prisoner, described his move
mentS, and related what was said between
them at the time with tho greatest minute
ness.
On the other hand. the accused Indignantly
denied the charge and protested that he was
not in or near the bank at the time alleged,
remembered his Whereabouts, for his arrest
was not long after the presentation OF the
forged check, and all his movements on that
udy remained ulStlnclly III his mlild. FROM
the first he had continued 10 assert his innO-
cence, and declared the teller had mistaken
him for some other man.
Unfortunately for him. he was obliged to adj
nit that he was alone i'm his friends Office at
the hour in question. and failed to produce
any witness beside himself to prove definitely
where he was. though he had made every ef-
fort To do so. Ii was a question of veracity.
man against man. but the clear and Very posi-
tive statement of the teller against the accused.
and the possibility Of some motive presumed
10 exist III the mans financial circumstances,
had decided the direction. considering the in
terest al stake, To hold him To answer at the
next session of the court. And now the day of
trial had come.
Everybody was extremely interested i'm the
trial, Tor the prisoner was well known in the
town, and had always been supposed TO be
honest. The anxiety was intense to know
whether he would be proved a criminal.
The case seemed 10 he going against the
prisoner, Tor one or two other persons had
been summoned to testify that ito the best of
their knowledge and belief, they had seen the
man in or about the bank at one O'Clock on
the day when the check was passed.
The prisoner sat in the court room, pale but
with a certain fearless frmneSs on his features
that scarcely seemed like guilt.
All the known evidence was in and to the
last. save the statements of "a few friends as to
his previous good character, nothing In his be
hdlI beyond his OWN unsupported word had