Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1884-03-12

Everybody and His House Taken I'm
ian Instant.

'just awful" What you can't explain is
30 much more interesting to the mind
than what you can take to pieces and put
together again and see through from be-
ginning to end. These speculations are
caused by the appearance in town of a
stranger who goes about his business and
tells nobody his object. He came to Eu-
reka some seven or eight days ago and
hired a Darkroom in which he is supposed
to keep the apparatus and chemicals for
instantaneous photography. He is a Ia
borious man, Cor every day since he got
his den arranged to suit him he has
emerged and spent hours on the streets
taking" in a moment, house after house
as they come. Now, what does he mean
by this ? all the women ask. II he were
only to photograph the fine buildings, the
Jackson House, the Courthouse and the
nobby private residences about town, the
gossips might think be intended to prepare
views for sale. But he actually goes every
where and "takes" every house.
THAT'S WHAT GETS THE GossIPs.
They are wild about it. And they have
struggled over the mystery so much in the
last three or four days that some Of them
are likely to be sent to Reno if light does
not dawn upon them pretty soon. The
women folks tried for a while to make
themselves believe that the stranger is
crazy, but they couldn't do that and now
they are at their wits end. He appreciates
the advantage he enjoys, and they can't
pump anything out of him. To all their
inquiries he replies politely, except when
they ask him what he is doing all this in
Simultaneous photographing for. When
they get down to this, as, of course, they
invariably do, he only waves his left band
| sternly, and says Excuse me. At least,
leave that to me-" That end the pump
ing process as far as he is concerned, and
then the women rush around in the neigh
borhood to compare notes of what he said
to each of them. Strange to cay, they
find by comparison that he has told each
one OF them the same thing. 1t is nearly
death to them, and all they can do is ex-
claim "Lordl It's strange, amt it?
"wHAT CAN THE MAN MEAN2"
II the stranger is photographing q thou
sand and one Eureka mansions just to per-
| pick the women, he certainly is we'll paid
for his trouble. Otherwise, we feel a good
deal about the mysterious industry Of the
stranger as the fair and curious sex do.
We have nc criticism to offer, however.
II it's a funeral, its his own. But whatever
may be the strangers motive in q SEEM
ingly aimless job, we don't believe he re-
CARDS his labors in any manner in the
light Of a funeral to himself, although, if
he keeps right on and don't let out any
part of his mystery, it Is not unlikely
that he will be the cause OF sending
a small army Of mothers, sisters,
cousins and aunts either to the In
sane Asylum or to premature graves.
But for the cruel stranger, his unremuera-
tive work has rather the nature OF a circus.
He appears to take in the situation fully,
and he does not lose a point in what, from
his view, has the appearance of a huge
joke. He commands wherever he turns
up, and when he observes curiosity crop
ping out he fosters it until it grows to a
head, and then he pricks it without mercy.
HE GOES RIGHT LONG.
Nothing stops him in the line Of his occu-
patton. He starts out down q street and
he photographs every house and as many
people and animals as he can cover with
his instrument. He prefers the adorn,
ment of human life for the background OF
his photographs, but if he can't procure
this "relief," he is pleased to have a dog
or a jackass within the range Of his glass.
AS may well be imagined, he meets with
adventures in his perigrinations about
town, finding women and children in all
sorts of domestic condition and attitude.
A lady on Mob Hill rushed out Of her front
door yesterday afternoon and few down
the steps with her skirts elevated. She
was after her youngest progeny, which had
run away in the slush, not properly &C
coutered as to its underclothes. With
nameless garment in her hand, and a pin
of the safety" variety between her teeth,
she had just caught the fugitive kid, when
q voice smote her ear: "Be still, madam
l shall photograph you and the child"
She started to demonstrate, and would
have asked chow much 2" but she had not
time. In an instant she was taken
with her hopeful offshoot and a yellow dog
that had slid up into the group, into the
dark chamber of the mysterious lightning
photographer. Before she caught her
breath he had shouldered his apparatus
and was taking position in front OF the
next house before which he caught and
"took" another startled group.
THE DEVIL YOU WILL.
A few minutes later a gentleman heard
a knock on his front door. In his dress
ing gown he responded to the summons in
person, when, encountering the singular
picture taker, the following dialogue took
place:
Photographers am about to photo
graph your dwelling.
Master of the House-The devil you are.
Who told you so2
PLEASE remain where you are for q
moment; I'll include you in it.
M. of the H.--Devil you will. l don't
want my picture taken. What is this 60
ing to cost?
P.-Nothing. I want a photograph of
the dwelling. that's all.
M. Hall right, take the-house. I'm
going in.
P.-Say, have you got a Chinaman in
side? Send him out. He might do as
we'll as the proprietor. And if you can't
find q Chinaman for the picture put your
dog out in front. Anything that's alive,
you know, gives spirit to a photograph.
A better understanding was soon
reached, however, and the household, dog
and all, were taken, but as the women say,
the Lord only knows for what?
Mail Contracts.
ia L. .onoupcad that nronnaala will be