The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-02-01
7 SCARCELY like to guarantee Ii

Z SCARCELY like to guarantee the
truth Of this story. but will narrate
1 it in the simple, honeiy language
in which Barking-wilmot told it to
me.
We had been playing billiards. which,
as most people are aware, is the usual
occupation of city men in the after
noon and I had had the pleasure Of
beating Barking wilmot twice, when
the conversation driEted in some curious
wav to the subject of photography,
If at any time you 90 in for il" he
said, sadly. take my advice, and don't
buv a camera that is too easy TO manip-
uIate. what you want is something
fairly complicated; I should choose a
camera with two or three wheels AMI j
series of patent springs that are guar
anteed not to expose a plate with less
than ten minutes hard work"
II was soon after ne took to photo
graphy. when the enthusiast is in that
curious frame of mind that tempts him
70 snap everything ne sees, from dead
cat to a railway station, that he sal=
lied forth one Saturday afternoon with
six-and-nfne-penny camera under his
! arm for the purpose Of securing some
thing really good
/ He had taken the train to the pic
turesque neighborhood Of Coscob, and
was tramping along country road
looking out eagerly for subjects. when
a young lady riding a bicycle turned
the corner sharply. dashed into Z heap
Of alnts which the local board had
tboughtfuIIy deposited in the middle OF
the road. lost control over her machine
and fell OF.
He placed his camera on a gate near
at hand and stepped forward gallantl.
to assist beauty in distress. His conduct
appears TO have been quite correct Or
attempting TO rise the young lady dis
covered that her ankle was slightly In
iured. Barking Wilmot put his arm
around her in a perfectly respectful way
= have his word for it. and he is a:
truthful man as I ever met in the
wholesale drapery trade-and lifted he
to her feet.
After expressing the hope that sh'
was not seriously hurt, and finding
that after a moment or two she wa
able to mount her machine, he fetche'
the bicycle and rode away
That is the entire incident Tn
trouble arose in this way When h
turned to pick up his camera he foun'
/ it on the ground. Having a vague idet
that he had better change the plate
he did so and went gaily on his va
taking photographs
Barking Wilmot was a great deal NOR
enthusiastic about swapping" picture
than developing plates. But his wifi
is one of those irrepressibIy active NO
men who gladly undertake any branc
of work that comes in their way, fror
spring cleaning to running a poultr
farm. She said she would develop hi
plates one day in the following weeI
When she got to work she found tina
, eleven out of the twelve plates wer
scarcely worth printing out. But ther
was one plate which was a surprisin
success.
1t was a pleasing little picture,
r background of foliage with nobl
hin in the distance in the foregroun
/, two figures, a lady, young and prett.
= round whose waist was Mr.. Barking
D wfmot's arm He appeared to be Iookir
- into her face with an expression Of II
r. effaale tenderness
It 5 easy to understand what had haI
peneG. In falling OFF the gate the can
! era had snapped. and the picture While
d had been fortuitously taken was real
e excellent.
X As bad luck would have it. too, {
f the following afternoon she met at
neighbours "at home" young lady fro
= Beckenham, who was staying in tt
e house
e Need it be said that this girl was Il
t Identical heroine of the bicycle advel
Il ture? It is the kind of thing that a
o ways happens in a world made up
IcOlncidences and disappointments.