The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-02-13
SHE TRIES PHOTOGRAPHY.

learn photogra ply. There's no other way
out Of it. You can't sell stories now
adays unless there are pictures with
them. The ordinary magazine editor
| would turn down Shakespeare Hamlet
| If Shakespeare were writing today and
! submitted q manuscript without q pho
| tograph Of Hamlet with his feet just
clearing the ground he jumps into
| Ophelia's grave. There's Boggs now. He
takes fine photographs, and he sells ev-
cry article he writes, though his English
is pretty tough
We'll. Henry said his wife. get your
| OUTFIT and III learn to take the pictures
/ and you can do the writing.
] Mr.. Sparks shrugged his shoulders and
( Just escaped sneering. There never was
q woman lived who could take a decent
| Photograph he said. You tend 10 the
knitting and TO the darning of Frances
stockings and I'll take the pictures and
write the stuff, too. There's no use OF
wasting plates and smashing lenses just
/ 10 let you experiment.
/ The next day Henry Sparks bought
! his camera. He was told that the
/ Cloudy Day company's camera was the
/ best for an amateur. Henry didn't know
until he got into the store that the
| Cloudy Day camera cost $50, and this
without tripod. plateholders and the black
| cloth that looks like part of the fittings
Of an undertakers' shop. Henry bought
It and went nearly bankrupt The man
/ told him how to work the thing, talked
wisely and glibiy about focusing, snap
shots. time exposure. lights and shad-
/ ows and a lot of other things that Henry
| Sparks understood about as clearly as he
did the second aorist of the Greek verb.
He nodded his head, however, and went
home with face fun of confidence. The
next day MIR. Sparks started out after
/ breakfast. He was going 10 write an ar
| ticle on the beauties of the country
( homes at Highland Park. He spent the
entire day in the place and promised ev-
cry householder a copy of the picture
which he was taking Of the householder s
J home.
! Henry went back TO Chicago and told
/ his wife that he had contented himself
/ with nothing but snapshots because the
sun was bright and the taking of the
! snapshots was an easy matter for an
| amateur. Then the ''poisons'' were mixed
up and Henry prepared to develop his
/ plates. The man at the store had told
( him that the chief joy of an amateur
photographer life was the Witnessing
of the gradual appearance on the plate of
the picture which he had been at so
much pains to take. Henry Sparks went
ill-smelling lamp fell upon the develop
ing tray. Henry's eyes were fixed to
see the gradual appearance of the pic
ture which was TO bring so much joy
to his heart. He washed the fluid back
and forth over the plate for forty min
utes- The temperature of the dark room
was 40 and the odor of kerosene from the
sputtering lamp assaulted the toiler's nos
trlls. Henry had lifted the plate thirty
times by actual count and looked through
it at the red flame. Where now were the
| high lights and the shadows OF which
the salesman had told him? Where was
the outline OF that little ravine nook just
! below the bay window of the palatial
summer home of the Hon. Hezekiah Jep-
son OF Highland Park? Alack and alas,
the only high light in the room was that
of the lamp, which had suddenly blazed
up and threatened explosion, and the on
~ shadow in the room was that which
hung heavy over Henry's heart.
He covered the tray and invited hrs.
Sparks in. She looked at the plate and
said simply: There is nothing on it. 1t
has never been exposed" Then they
passed out into the light.
Mrs. Sparks brought the camera. Hen
r." she said. as she pointed 10 a little
you set the shutter each time?"
Il did what the fellow in the store told
me to do. L pulled the slide out from
over the plate and squeezed the bulb
That's what l did. The cameras no ac-
count. That's what's the matter
Henry" said Mrs. Sparks. "as you
did not set the shutter all your plates
are as void of impressions as are the
minds Of some people"
well, as you know everything, show
me how to do it and III try it again"
Mrs. Sparks showed him. The next day
n nd % RI
This time he set the shutter. He devel-
oped the plates. Then they were printed.
The bay window of the Hon. Hezekiah
Jepson showed up in the picture much
bigger than the house itself The We
randa had a slant TO it that looked as if
the Hon. Hezekiah did not have enough
funds 70 keep his country home in repair.
There was a black hole in the side of the
chimney. and the Hon. Hezekiah him
self, who stood upon the piazza, looked
as though he had been paying visit OF
several hours duration 10 his wine cellar
before being called TO pose for his por-
trait as the lord Of the domain.
The other plates were of the same gen
erRl lack of character. The pictures ap-
parently were those of 4 lot of disjoint-
ed structures looking as if they had been
erected by a force of inebriated carpen-
ters and masons. Where shadows should
have fallen there was glazing light, and
where the bright sunlight should have
made glad the view there was the
blackness Of Erebus.
Henry wanted to kick the camera. but
he conquered the impulse. He made the
trip 10 Highland Park twice more. There
never was a lottery which held as many
blanks as Henry drew in this photo
graphic game Of chance One Friday
morning he sat down TO figure up. Fri
day is a good day." he said, Ito cast up
these cussed accounts
Under the head of loss he put down
camera. tripod. plates, etc, So; four
round trips to Highland Park, 81 81; loss
OF four days work. So; total. 500 g..
Mrs. Sparks entered the room. Eliza"
said Henry, when the junkman comes
around sell him this outfit. Maybe be II
give you s. for 1t. II isn't worth It. but
Id just as soon do junkman
Henry" said Mrs. Sparks, I'd like TO
try my hand AZ this thing. Don't lets
sell the camera vet
Fudge" said Henry. "a woman can't
do anything where a man falls
Just one week later. when Mr.. Sparks
arrived home at dinner time. his wife
tiCie you wrote year ago called
Beauty Spots OF the North Shore
Yes" said Mr.. Sparks. with a look
that showed that the subject was dis
tasteful. 1t was sent back with thanks
that were not felt by seven different pub
fishers. Don't talk about Il; il makes
me sick"
AIRS. Sparks took a letter from the man
tel-piece. opened Il and placed IL before
her husband. This is what Re read
Editorial Room. tie Beauties ~ Ma
ture. New York CITY. Mrs Eliza Sparks.
Dear Madam The article entitled.
Beauty Spots OF the North shore has
hean reeelvat With the photogra.alc q