The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-06-04
Taking The Baby's Picture.
From the New York Mail aud Express.
tlyULo- l.I. l -la

Taking The Baby's Picture.
From the New York Mail aud Express.
when the baby is to be photo
graphed a family consultation is held,
and all the adult female members are
detailed to go to the photog-
rapher and see the performance
through" said a leading photogra-
pher recently. awe are pleased" he
continued, "if the retinue is confined
to the youngsters relatives, but gen.
orally a neighbor or two are added to
the train, togive al unbiased opinion,
| suppose, and we generally know it's
q baby by hearing the approach of
the b~ody-guard on the staircase. In
q recent Ease thefond father had been
coaxed to come and see baby's
picture takeu. He looked bashful
and awkward. His pretty little wife
blushed half the time-it was the first
baby, you see-and the grandmother.
two aunts-one OF them an old maid
and q neighbor assumed charge Of
the affair. / knew at a glance that it
was useless for me to protest.
The old-maid aunt seized hold
OF the baby and placed him
on the chair. | only ventured to ar
range some OF the drapery. The
%youngster, as soon as he saw the
camera turned full at him, began to
cry. This was the signal for the per-
Torrance to begin. The mother at
tempted to smile at her darling, but
the effort came near ending in tears.
The grandmother, who had provided
herself with a large jumping jack, paint
ed red, white and black, stood beside
the camera, chucking at her whimper-
ing grandson, and working the toy in
an energetic manner. One ofthe aunts
hourished q baby rattle, the Nurse
huttered q red pocket handkerchief,
and the attending neighpor blew lusti-
ly on a small tin horn. The father
said nothing, but stood in an attitude
a la Lord Dolphin, and looked as if
he were about to exclaim. ooh, ah!'
The baby stopped crying at once and
put on q look Of amazement which
was hall, also, OF fear; and with this
expression l was compelled to be con
tent. The grandmother said it was
just a perfect picture, which it was
not, for the child's eyes looked as if
they were aboutto flyfromtheir sock
cts. Butgrandma said it was all right.
She had had her circus"
"What kind of babies are the most
difficult to manage?"
ooh, the babies which are not ba-
bies. What ! mean by this paradox
is that we haveiittle trouble compare
lively with the very little babies them
selves. 1T is when the subject is just
on the border-land between babyhood
and childhood, when they are old
enough to be spoiled, to be ill-natured
and to dimly comprehend what is GO
ing on about them, that the photogra-
piers misfortunes begin. Some of
them will cry and kick and do all sorts
of ill.natured things when they are
put in the chair. We not infrequently
get shins skinned by some ofthese
precocious youngsters, but we must
bear our pain with fortitude and smile
in the midst OF agony"
"Do you ever fail utterly?"
every seldom. Sometimes sugar
plums succeed as q last resort, but
not lnfrequently diplomacy is as sue
cessful with the children as with their
parents. Recently a little girl, just
able to walk, but with q terribly OBJ
stinate temper, was brought up, at
tended by the customary retinue Of
relatives and acquaintance OF the
family. When she was asked to take
the chair she planted herself firmly in
the middle OF the floor and exclaimed
with q frown: Tot won't do Iput
on my most inslnuating smile and pro
duced a very pretty toy. The little
spit-ire sucked her thumb and looked
askance, but would not bulge. A
most wonderfully-colored stick OF can.
dy had no effect. She was bound not
to take a seat in the chair.
cat last | said: Well, Tot, l won't
take your picture and l want you to
go right out of here, for ] have anoth.
er little girl who wants her picture
taken. and you must GO Me won't
CO. she said. We'll, then said l, you
must; now don't go and get in that
chair; you must stay right here The
child took her thumb out OF her
mouth, and began to edge up to-
wards the chair. Now, Tot said
/, you must not get in that chair,
it is for that other little girl. All this
time ] was getting the camera ready,
and had the little bulb in my pocket,
without attracting Tots attention.
She was bound to get in the chairnow,
and she did. l pretended to be at
tempting to get her out OF it, but was
all the time arranging her dress, while
my assistant was getting the camera
at a proper focus. Finally, | SAID,
Now, Tot, ! don't want you to stay
in that chair; but if you vii! stay there
you must not look at my pretty bird
here This attracted her eyes to-
ward q stuffed bluebird, which was
mounted on a tall pole at the right OF
thecamera. Tot, will look said she,
and at once became interested. This
was my opportunity. squeezed the
bulb, and before she knew it we had a
frst-class negative. All this must be
annoying, you say. Well, we charge
for it. That's why it costs q little
more to have a.baby's picture taken
than it does to get an adults photo.
graph.
How French Girls r Wooed.
remember, just before the Franco,