Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-03-10
THE TALE OF A DRY PLATE,
BY w. s. GILBERT.

am a junior partner in a. large mer-
camille house. Certain irregularities
had occurred in our Singapore branch,
and was dispatched by the firm to
investigate them, and to place mat
tiers on more satisfactory footing.
need not go into details on this point,
as they are irrelevant to my story.
| sailed by the Kaiser-i-Hind from
Tilbu1y, accompanied by my valet. At
the Liverpool Street terminus, an eld-
erly lady in widows mourning asked
me some questions as to the convey
ance of luggage from the Tilbury sta
ton to the ship. She should have
sent her luggage to the dock, but had
omitted to do so. AS replied to her
questions, I saw that she was accom-
panied by a very beautiful girl of Is.
There is 10 need to beat about the bush
Il fell in love with her. there and then
1t is a commonplace way of putting it,
but I don't know that [ could make
matters clearer by q more elaborate
method of expression. AS they and [
Travelled to Tilbury in the same COM
partment, we entered into converse
ton, as people will readily do who
know that they are about to travel
many thousand miles together. /
learned that the lady was a Mrs. Sell
by, widow of Col. Selby, who had
died about six months since. Broken
IN health, and weakened by long weep
ing, she had been advised to take a sea
voyage, in the belief that change of
scene and benefcent sea air would do
much to restore her to health, if not
to happiness. AS | happened to have
met Col Selby on two occasions
once IN London and once In country
house-my acquaintance with his wild
ow and his daughter rapidly ripened
into friendship We sailed on fine
October afternoon, and, by the time
we were off the Start l had almost
established myself on thefooting of an
old friend.
Pass over the voyage. Itlasted five
weeks, but it seemed like five days. l
lived but in Clara presence. Iscarce-
ly spoke to anyone on board except
to Clara and her mother. People see
more of each other, if they care to do
so, in a few weeks voyage than in
lifetime on shore, aud before we reached
Colombo [ had declared my love to
Clara. and she had accepted it. If
there is unalloyed happiness on earth,
1T was given to us as we neared Cey
Ion.
Unalloyed, save by the thought that
we were about to part for q time; for
Clara was to go on to Calcutta, where
her late father brother was CHARTERED,
whereas | was to remain in Singapore
for three months. We were to return
to England at about the same date,
and it was arranged that as soon az
possible after our arrival we were to
be married.
/ have some little skill in photog-
raphy, and l had brought with me g.
camera and some dry plates, intending
to photograph any striking scenes
that I might come across during the
journey. By the aid of dry plates,
photography, and especially travelling
photography, is much simpli6ed. The
traveller can take q photograph, shut
the plate In a Eght-tight box, and de-
velop it twelve months afterward if he
pleases. There is no need to cucumber
ones self with chemicals; all the messy
portion of the process can be done at
home, in the seclusion of ones own
dark room. I had not intended to
take any photographs on the voyage,
for dry plates are extraordinarily sensi-
tive to the action of the faintest ray of
light, and it was practically impossible
to make my cabin dark enough to allow
ofny transferring plates from the dark
box to the slides without absolutely
spelling them. But [ happened to
have left two plates in one of the
slides, and before we reached our des-
u cd ~ n
Clara, and one to Mrs. Selby.
We parted tearfully, but not unhap-
ply. We were to meet in three
months time, and our lives were then
to be passed together. I believe we
were too full of happiness in this pros
pect to grieve very much over our
parting. AS the Kaiser steamed away
for Penang, | kept the happiness oil
our next meeting steadily before me-
and it served me in good stead.
The time passed slowly, but it
passed. I had received two letters
from Clara, written from Calcutta
full of life and hope and Joy at the
prospect before US. She was going TIC
spend q month at Allhabab, and q
fortnight at Bombay, and then she
was TO return to Marseilles by a Mes
sageries ship, the captain ofwhich wa;
an intimate friend of the uncle with
whom she had been staying in Calcut
ia. By this arrangement she would
arrive in England about a month be
fore me.
At length my sailing orders came
and on one of the happiest days Of
my life [ set foot on board the good
ship Mlrzapore, witch was to convey
me to Alexandria, on my way home
via Brindisi. J. had written to Mrs
Selby, begging her to bring Clara tc
meet me In Paris. Her doing so would
but shorten our period of separation
sA..aa 4oxa a.. txualua hoi,re hut