The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1890-02-21
miscellaneous.
A BLUE PRINT.

- - 49,
Everything was bright and cheerful and
wintry and cold about DR.. Bebus's strictly
limited family sanitarium up in the Saranac
woods. The snow was bright, and the sky
was cheerful, and the air was wintry and
most peoples feet was cold.
DR.. Bebus himself might be described in
the same way. He was overwhelmingly bright
and cheerful-when you came-and chilling
ly wntry and cold when you inquired into
the extras in his bill, at the end of your stay.
Most of the strictly limited family were
out of doors on that fine December day
Those who didn't drive out were driven out
by the doctor, who told them that they had
come there for the Saranic air, and the Sara
nae air they should have. They got it, too.
1t was the principal article of diet at the
doctors table.
They were only six of US, all told. Three
aged persons sat wrapped up in furs on the
sunny side of the verandah, drawing in the
Saranic air through respirators. Jack Collins
was off sleigh riding Miss Belle Prendergast,
the pretty daughter of the agedest. was
loafing around the front door, and wonder
ing why wasn't where Jack was.
Jack and I were Except Miss Belle) the
only people who were not up there in tu-
bercular or bronchl capacity. There was
nothing the matter wirh our lungs or our
bIonchs. We had a little trouble that had
sent US into temporary retirement; but it had
pretty nearly blown over.
had about concluded to get my gun and
go and shoot a moose for supper-an idea
that had ofteu occurred to me during my stay
but that had never carried out-when l
observed two young men approaching in q
sleigh. They were coming from the station,
and gazed upon them with interest. Their
sleigh drew up at the door, and they got out.
The three ageds walked up and stared blank
ly. DR.. Bebus and Mrs. Bebus and Miss
Bebus came out on the verandah and beamed
upon them. Miss Bebus had been q sweet
thing when ringets were the go, and she
hung on to the ringlets and thought she
hung on to the sweetness.
l looked at those two men and felt that
could kick them with great comfort. One of
them had guitar in green baize ulster. The
other had a camera and tripod. ia.
While they were unloading their instru-
ments of torture and their gripsacks, saw
Jack coming sneaking around from the back
of the house. Old Prendergast saw him, too.
"Hi, there, you Mr.. Collines where's my
darter ?"
Don't know, sir" said Jack "don't your
I've just come in from walk"
" I'LL JOuA Olltlh ElOfOo Oht Oh SOuSh-
ed the old gentleman; "where's my daugh-
teri" Ha
Here am, papa" said Belle, coming up
from the other side of the house; "Pve just
been to the village after the mail"
"Arter him ?-a-a-a-h 7" said the aged, re-
lapsing into his respirator. Belle took him
away and smoothed him down, and gave
hi n paper to read. 1t soothed the aged.
Then the newcomers marched up, ard we
were all introduced. The murderer with
the guitar was Mr.. Jagworth. The assassin
with the camera was Cohee.
"Int'rest'd in cameras ?" inquired Cohee of
Jack, who was studying the accordion pleats
of the machine.
"Don't know how to play on it" said Jack.
"Why, that's Photographic machine"
said Cohee.
"Ain't that a concertina ?" asked Jack.
"That's the bellows" said Cohee.
"Goes by wind, does it?" Jack inquired.
"Ill explain it all to you some time," said
Cohee, in plying way. Then he turned to
me. "
"Iut'rest'd in photography First rate
chance here for good subjects. Caughta fel-
low with his arms around a girl, in sleigh,
as we were coming up. Got 'em from be-
hind-driving like fun. Say, doctor, send
down TO the station for our trunks, will
you2"
Up to this time Jack and had had it all
our own way with Miss Belle Prendergast.
Perhaps Jack had more ofhis way than had
ofmime /; but was playing waiting game.
II am waiting still; but that is all right.
Now, however, all was changed. Jag
worth's old man, it seemed, had made two or
three millions out of hair-oil. Cohee was his
particular friend. They owned the house, to
all intents and purposes. The Bebus family
bowed down and worshiped them, and old
man Prendergast, with one foot and a-half
in the grave, actually chucked his lovely
daughter at Jagworth's head. And what
seemed to me most remarkable was that Jack ,
although Belle seemed to take kindly to Jag
worth and his guitar, actually hung on to
Cohee just as Cohee hung on to Jagworth. l
did solo act in this concert of admirable
happiness, and passed most of my time sit
ting on the front fence.
It was photography all day, and Jack was
taking lessons of Cohee. He was uncom-
monty stupid about it, and spoiled most of the
plates Cohee let him develop. Jagworth
hadn't much to say for himself; he just hung
about Belle all day, and in the evening he
played the guitar until the writewash began
to drop down in flakes off the ceiling.
/ was pretty near ready to die when one
night heard there was to be q variation
Cohee had got some flash powder from New
York, and he was going to take us by flash
light. He got his three-legged machine set
up in the parlor, where we young folks were
left to ourselves, now, as much as we pleased.
There was Jagworth and his guitar, and Belle,
and Cohen aud Jack and Miss Bebus, who
was making sort of a dead and buried set
at Cohee, and was there, too.
First he darkened the room and flashed up
the light, and took Belle, standing before the
white mantlepiece, looking too pretty for any
uee. And Jack sat there, handing him his
pla teholders, as much as if he liked it.
couldn't have done that. l was out of it !;
but couldn't have done that.
Then he took Jagworth, standing up with
his left hand on his hip and his right hand
on the head of his guitar, like the goddess of
music. Then Miss Bebus began to curvet,
and he had to take her. That made me tired,
using the same camera for Bell and Miss Be-
bus, and / went up stairs to bed.
The next morning we were gathered in the
parlor, in our strictly limited family way,
waiting for Cohee to develop the flash light
pictures. Pretty soon he came out of his
dark room, which was the hall-closet, with a
dead wasp in his hair. He looked puzzled.
81 can't make it out" he said; "I've got
Miss Belle all right but there amt thing
on any of the other plates except one. and I
can't make out what that Is. However" he
continued, "I'll take blue print of it, and
see how it looks. guess focused little
wrong"
He printed the blueprint, and brought 1t
in, and we all helped him wash it off,
Blue-prints are Whitley yellow first-you wash