, 1885-06-23

together two or three times, and posed
them again.
Now remain in that POSITION he
commanded, peering through the lens.
"Don move, or III thrash you all. Now
the thing has commenced"
lie removed the cloth, and gazed at
his watch.
''There-that1l do, he said, replacing
the cloth, and Withdrawing the slide.
Now, let's see.' examining the plate
after the negative had been developed.
"One- two-three-four, you are all
here, anyway. Now, Tom, bring in
Topsy, the cat, and we'll have her pho
tographed in a iiffy.'
Topsy wa placed on a chair, and had
her picture Token, as Tom explained.
Then, Carlo, the dog, was introduced
and submitted to a similar torture.
"Sary Ann, y said Higglesworth well
finish the days operations by taking my
own photograph. I'll get the machine
ready, put in tho plate, and take a seat
in front Of the camera When | say
ready" remove the cloth, count fifty,
and then replace it,
Mrs. Higglesworth followed the in
structions, but not without manifesting
considerable %trepidation.
"Well, there appears to be something
on the plate, observed Hi~gglesworth,
examining the negative, and | guess it
is your husband, Sary Ann. Now we
have taken pictures of the entire family,
without any fuss. at very trifing cost.
The amachoor Photographic outfit is a
great boon, and | wouldn't part with it
for ten times its cost, If | couldn get
another. Wen print the pictures to-
r,orrnu 10 Tho 1ar- rropao oloar
ext day the sun shone resplendently,
and the process of making the prints
was commenced. Mrs. Higglesworth
Was the rst picture printed.
81 ct me see it. f%euten, said Mrs.
H., reaching for the print, which her
husband was gazing at in open-eyed
astonishment. as it a professional
beauty
Goodness gracious, Sary Ann.' he
CALCULATED, still keeping his eyes fixed
on the photograph. "Was-was there
u din e museum freak looking over your
shoulder when | shot off the muzzle of
tho contriyanee5"
"Why, no. returned Mrs. Higgles-
worth, taking the picture from her hus-
bands hand. "What n foolish ques-
Heavens, eubenl What in the world
is it, anyway
"We!l, if it isn't a what is it, l give
it up" he replied, perplexedly. The
lens must have slipped an eccentric, or
something. You are endowed with con-
siderable chin, Sary Ann. but not quite
such a profusion as is exhibited in this
photograph; and | admit that you
haven't four eyes, and one of them don't
slant around to your left ear. And
look at that right ear You didn't hold
a palm leaf fan alongside your head,
did ye3 And one of your hands is not
as corpulent as a sugar-eured ham.
And that's the way you have made
me look pretiicr nan a professional
beauty, is it, Reuben Higglesworth, if
! thought this was one of your jokes,
Td-ld-'
And she placed her handkerchief to
her eyes.
Vow, mother, said Reuben, sooth-
ingly, don't cry about it. A amachoor
photographer is liable to make a blunder
at first. | must have aimed the ma
chine too high, and brought down one
Of Parnum's curiosit.es which happened
( to be passing at the time. We'll o
look at the children's group. That Il be
a beauty.
The print was taken from the mega
tive, and Higglesworth gased upon it
with an expression Of horror.
is it all right, Ieubenf' asked his
wife, craning her head over his
shoulder, while the children stood
around with pleasurable expectancy
depicted upon their faces.
"Sary Ann, it is not all right. 1t APP
pears to be something like n puzzle de-
partment. and might answer for n map
Of the war in lg pit. some fiend has
tempered with the machine. There are
four figures here, but they don { like
civilized human beings. Here's II got
a head as big as "a water bucket, APP
parently, while ano hers is no larger
than a hickory nut; and the feet look
like snow shoyels, and here are three
heads melted together, and. Well |
swow if | Y G saw such a group since |
was born!
81 erhaps.' suggested his wife, the
lens slipped another eccentric; or maybe
you aimed it too high and bit a band OF
savages in the street
Pop" broke in the four Youngsters,
''let me see it,
"Geeroosalum.' vociferated Tom, IF
that doesn't look worse than n comic
valentine. Which ones me and which
is Sue
children, " said H~igglesworth, we'll
put this away for future inspection;
and now let us behold the counterfeit
presentment of your father, the ANA
choor photographer
And what he beheld nearly paralyzed
him.
"Wha-what's thisF' he gasped.
This picture looks more like one of the
big-headed monsters in n panto-
mime than it resembles your
husband, sary Ann. The eyes
bulge out like a pair Of pearl door
knobs, and the head appears to have
been driven down between the shoulders
with a pile-driver. And that nose
seems to meander all over the face
Sary Ann, ye didn't bust anything
when you removed the cloth, did YEP
III don't know, - she replied. -
didn't hear anything crack"
wv ell, III put this away with yours
and the group for future consideration,
and examine the photographs of the cat
and deg
lie gazed ouriously at the pictures
for nearly n minute, and then broke out
with;
Heavens and EARTH what have we
herol | never saw more curious beasts in
a managerial Sary Ann, you've read Of
the frightful animals that lived be-
fore the iood-that paleotheriums and
plesiosauruses. and suohi Well, here's
n pair OF EN-" and he handed her the
pictures. She gave them a hurried
look and let them drop, with u little
shrek.
Reuben. sell hat maahine-or give
it away 1 wouldn't b ye the hateful
thing about the house,
I'M tell you what In %. sary Ann
III get Tom to write to Boys Weekly
A fine line Of furnishing goods, hats and
cans. etc. cheap at Hellman's