The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-06
THE BABY'S PICTURE.
DADDY TRIED so HARD TO TAKE TT,
BUT COULD NOT.

After Wasting More Films Than Was
Absolutely Necessary He Resolved
to Take the XOungster to a PrOfes-
siOna1 and Got Coed Results.
The baby was responsible for the trou-
BILE. 1t was first baby, and the young
parents were typical in their appreciation
of it's thousand and one virtues ana lenient
toward it's faults. They also knew beyond
peradventure that it was the prettiest baby
ever born.
When baby got to be a year old, the IA
Their said one morning al breakfast:
"Look here, Ned, we must have some
pictures of Tootsy. don't like the reg
ulatiOn baby pictures, though I'm going
to get camera myself SO we can catch
him in some of his cute attitudes-like
the other day when he had the cat by the
tail and was pounding it with his bottle.
Wouldn't that have been q cunning little
scene to snapf"
Indeed it would. And yesterday you
ought to have seen how the dear little
child twisted nurses ear when she tried
to put his cap on. I thought I'd like to
have caught the expression in his face.
He did look so determined and smart, dear
little dearie"
So daddy purchased a $5 camera that
morning and brought 1t home at night.
good, and the films are the same as the
higher priced cameras use" he said, ex-
hibiting it to his wife. ''Now, If it is
bright day tomorrow, I am going to begin
on him."
It was a bright day, and daddy used up
eight plates dancing about the baby while
it was being dressed, taking very snappy
snapshots at him. Afterward they put
him on the floor in the midst of a half
dozen pillows and turned the cat over to
him. The feline must have objected to
being pictured, for just as daddy was
pressing the button the animal turned
upon her small tormentor and let out a
yowl that nearly frightened ToOtsy into
spasms. It took nanny an hour to bring
him around again, but daddy managed to
use up the dozen plates on the pair just
the same. He took the film to town that
day, had it developed in a hurry and
brought it home at night. The results of
the pictures were hardly satisfactory. The
first eight contained excellent pictures Of
the edges of chairs, pieces of the rug, the
mantel, mammy's arm and hand, and the
baby basket with one small bare foot on
the edge of the picture, but the baby face
did not appear. This was disappointing,
but they turned to the other plates with
hope. The cat picture showed a large, ir-
regular black blotoh, covering seven
eighths of the plate, and which, when
printed, proved to be the baby's mouth as
it let out yell of fear. The picture was
natural, but thS young folks didn't seem
to like it.
Then daddy bought an instruction book
and went into the business of amateur
photography in earnest. At the end of
the month he had purchased a new camera
and supplies amounting to S17S.54 in all,
and as a result had one picture in which a
baby face surrounded by lot of white,
fluffy clothing could be distinguished.
But even this was not satisfactory, for the
baby's countenanoe had taken" so dark
that the contrast with the white back
ground was distressing. They printed and
mounted one and placed it on the sitting
room table, but it did not remain there
long. Bobbie, a small cousin, appeared on
the scene one afternoon while nanny
had a swell caller and, having caught
sight of the photograph, howled to his
brother, "Come here, TOmmie, and zee
the Indian baby pictureP'
That picture was retired.
At the end of the tenth week an account
of stock was taken. Exactly 1o4 pictures
had been taken, out of which two were
interesting, because visitors didn't have to
make more than two guesses before de-
Gliding directly what they represented.
Then one afternoon Tootsey got hold Of
the camera himself, while in his nurses
arms, and the next moment it had landed
in the open CRATE. The greedy flames ate
it up, celluloid film, lens, box and all.
The next day daddy and nanny took
the baby to a professional photographer
and had a regulation picture made of him.
It took the operator an hour to get the
baby into a good humor, but daddy en-
ioyed the exhibition. He had been there
himself. Commercial Trib-
une.