The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-04-21

termined to be cool at the last.
 "So you dared to take me while was asleep, did you?" said Miss Kes- wicke tauntingly. "Ah, here I come, face and dress first, black as coals, of course, and the hammock-great heav- ems <! what have you dared" A nat ural aposiopesis ended the scream to which her voice had risen, for her breath was fairly taken away!
 But Dick went on mechanically rocking the ebonite tray. For it was no worse than he had foreseen, and he might as we'll go through with it like Briton. So he allowed every detail to be fully brought out-indeed, he had never exercised greater technical care with negative in his life. He tried to forget that each detail in this one was nail in the coffin of his new born, yet darling hopes! But he dared not look up, and it was as we'll that he was not over- bold. Elsie stood speech less, quivering with passion-a veri- table Pythoness!
 Most conspicuous on the plate, in- deed, were Elsie's form and face black as ink, of course, with the usual reversal of the lights. But from the shapely head protruded two great horns-from the feet hung an unmis- takable tail-she was plainly SUD- ported on four cloven hoofs-her hand rested on the back of what appeared to be an ill-shapen black dog! Reader, have you ever witnessed dissolving views? And have you noted their appearance at the moment of dissolu- tion, when the canvas is shared equally by the coming and parting guest when you see, maybe, Sir Christopher Wren's colossal face working it's way through the dome of St. Paups? The effect of Dicks unlucky negative was precisely the same as the effect of that view when dome and face were in mid conflict. The result was literal and compact rendering of beauty and the beast. The enthusiast had committed the prime blunder in photography he had taken two photographs on one plate!
 "Monster!" Elsie managed to gasp at length. "Brutew
 "I couldn't help it." murmured Dick ruefully, and hardly truthfully, seeing that assuredly nobody else could have helped it.
 "Couldn't help itw repeated Elsie in low tone of whitening scorn. Il wouldn't add falsehood to outrage, if were you! Why not confess at once that you have played me low, vul- frioE frsnl- fhof could play?"
 ''It wasn't trick; it was an acci- dent," said Dick doggedly.
 "And I suppose it was by accident that you persuaded me to degrade my self by putting my head into this box, just to see myself made f-fool of! Oh. it is the worst thing I ever heard of in my lifer'
 "You insisted I should develop it, groaned the unlucky Dick. "Next thing" he thought, "I suppose she'll cry, and after that-why, after that it's all u. D."
 'I meant to break the horrid thing in any case," continued Elsie, with a breaking voice: "but I sha'n't now. Oh, dear, no. I shall keep it to show all the world what a-what an apol- ogy for gentleman you are!" She seized the fatal piece of glass as she finished speaking; but moment later it slipped from her nerveless fingers back into the ebonite tray, and she burst into torrent of passionate sobs.
 "Oh, Elsie!" cried Dick, eagerly seizing both her hands, "can't you see it was ali confoundei mistake?"
 "N-n-o-o-it wasn't-you did it on purpose"
 "I swear I did not 1"
 But Elsie struggled to free her hands from his grasp, and it was not in Dick to retain them by force. So he withdrew one of his hands, seized measure full of filthy looking. yellow solution, raised it to his lips, and said, solemnly:
 "Elsie, if you persist in leaving me before can say what Pve meant all along to say, Pll drain every drop of this-this deadly poison"
 Then he put down the measure. Then, somehow, his hands relinquished hers altogether, and rested for Q mo- ment like epauiets on her soft red shoulders. Then, somehow, he leant forward and drew her to him over the three feet of glass and chemicals. Then-oh, blessed ruby light! What matters blushing cheek in your crimson glow?
 And whan lack askad h0u tho "dirty tricks" had been getting on, Dick replied that "he had spoiled 8 negative" And so indeed he had-in more senses than one.-Belgrortd. Then let the moon usurp the rule of day,
 And winking tapers show the sun his way {;