Evening star., 1896-10-17
A TINE EXPOSURE.
A Truthful Travelling Man Tells a
Tale of u photographer.

"A lFuVeihS Nnn tells n
Tale Of PHOTOGRAPHER.
"As a rule" remarked the drummer in
Photographic supplies to the photograph
man, in The Star mafl's hearing, Il am
willing to accept your statement that pho
tographers don't play as many tricks on
the trade as some other people do, but
there are exceptions"
''Well. 1 never heard Of one," said the
photographer shaking his head as If he
wanted to butt the drummer off the line Of
argument.
Let me give you an example," said the
drummer, seating himself comfortably.
mot so many years ago I had friend
who was anxious to buy a photograph
gallery in a southern city. and having quite
a solid little wad of wealth he was pre-
pared to supply himself with something
handsome. Being a first-class artist as
well, he knew that when he did get what
he wanted he would know what to do with
it. Well, he had me to look out for him on
my trips, and in month or so picked up
in one of the large southern cities an ad-
vertisement by photo man who wanted
to sell out on account Of poor health.
1.-THE ad. read well, and my friend wrote
to the man at once, and was SO pleased
with what he was told that he finally came
to see the party. 1t was arranged by the
seller that the purchaser should be there
on one OF tnrec QayS-lOtQ, llln ana lZtn OF
July, I believe, as he was too busy to see
him at any other time. but thought he
might have little resting spell then. My
friend got there on the 10th, and went to
the gallery as soon as he had breakfasted,
which was about 10 o'clock A half dozen
people were in the place waiting. and the
artist only had time to tell him to call at
noon. He did SO, and there were more
people, and the time was put off till B.,
and then again till 8, and 1t kept going
that for two davS and nf
the third.
'"rhen the photographer said it was a
shame to keep him waiting longer, and he
would give him an hour that evening, If
he had to shut up shop to do it. OF course,
by this time my friend was more than con-
vinced that he had hit on a bonanza, and
he was ready to pay almost any price the
party might ask. To make the place more
attractive to my friend he had observed
that most of the visitors to the gallery
were judges and majors and colonies and
that sort, and their ladies'. Well, the bar
gain was closed and my friend got out that
ready to carry on the good work Of his
successor, whose health prevented his en-
5oying such pecuniary snap"
"And, of course, he got bargain?" in
terrupted the photograph man.
''Oh did he?" sneered the drummer. "Oh,
that artist didn't do thing to him, did
he? My friend didn't get two customers
a week, and couldn't coax them to him,
and he just dropped 5000 cool on the job.
And why, friends and fellow citizens?" con-
cluded the drummer, in semi-tragic tones,
land why? Because that innocent and
guileless photographer had worked up q
boom for those three days by sending out
Invitations to lot Of prominent people to
come in on those days and he would take
their photographs free. OF course, they
came. Did anybody ever refuse anything
that was free, and especially when it was
chance to have their pictures taken?
Well. I guess not" And the drummer
handed his handkerchief to the photograph
man for him to wipe his weeping eyes with.