Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-10-06

So> On close investigation how
ever, Cupid would be found to be an
even more ubiquitous taskmaster than
his Satanic majesty. Occasionally the
two form close partnership, and then
the result is tragic, but as rule the
little god of love works on ordinary,
commonplace lines. His tasks are easy,
too, as, for instance, in this case, when
his employees simply had to press the
button and he did the rest.
The weStbOund express on the Can
adian Pacific was side-tracked at
Banff waiting for the eastbound train.
Lattimer Tracy, a kodak enthusiast
In the first stages of the disease, had
photographed every attractive bit from
Montreal to Banff. His rolls of film
would have made a fairly complete
panorama Of this most picturesque of
all transcOntnental lines, with occa
sional lapses of course, when night
had interfered with his labors. From
the back platform, from the steps of
his own car, and from the observation
smoker, he had 'shot" the flying land
scape. From early dawn until the last
faint light of the lingering northern
twilight had faded away he had la
bored.
At Banff he was standing on the last
platform of the train, and had jotted
down his Photographic memoranda Of
oil I,,pI III ,f D,n
chees dominating cone, with glimpse
of the beautiful hotel nesting on the
mountainside. He was feeling well
pleased with his work, for these last
views were superb, and if they could
be successfully developed would doubt
less prove a scource of pride to him.
A shrll whistle. an oncomng roar,
and the express thundered pass on the
main track. As it slowed up at the
station Tracy's train moved on, but
not before he had ndelibly fixed on
the film of his kodak glimpse of the
back platform of the passing train.
He raised his head and saw, vaguely,
girl bending over kodak focused
apparently, on him, but before she
looked up his ear had rounded curve
and she was lost to view.
Tracy returned to New York after
several weeks, and one of his first
acts was to develop his views. With
the luck of the ordinary amatuer, a
few of them were good but most of
them were bad. Hoary old Sir Donald
had diminished his crest into the eye
Of the kodak to such an extent that
he was hardly distinguishable from the
low-lying hills that border Lake Supe-
rior, while glaciers lakes and rivers,
redwOods and farm lands, were hope
lessly confused. Only one view was
sharp and clear Framed by the door
way of sleeper, Il young girl looked
straight from the plate into Tracy's
eyes.
"By Jove" he exclaimed, "what
beauty! She must he the Banff girlw
The Banff girl she was, and the
Banff girl she remained for days.
weeks, and even months. Tracy
printed her off and she was charming:
in blue print she was beautiful, and
blue prints are crucial tests of beauty;
on carbon paper she was exquisite
and with each experimental printing
her image penetrated deeper and
deeper into Tracy'S heart. At last he
enlarged her; or not quite at last, for
the crowning point of his folly was to
frame her in silver and install her on
his dressing table as mistress Of his
heart and possessions. There she stood
for several weeks, returning his gianc-
es-not in kind, perhaps, but in mum
ber-and known to him only by the
prosaic name of the "Banff girl"
Then, one evening, she was christened,
and it was in this wise:
Jack Seymour ran up to Tracy's
rooms to communicate some person
al information; wandering idly about
the room, he saw the photograph,
picked it up, glanced al it carelessly,
then put it down. Good photograph" :"
he said, amateur. Of course. didn't
know you knew Edith so well. She's
jolly girl, isn't she?'
Edith And here was a man who
knew her! But what fool he would
look to ask the name of girl whose
photograph was enshrined in the pri-
yacy Of his dressing table! In mo-
ment more Seymour was gone. Tracy
felt a mad impulse to rush after him
and ask who, what and where Edith
was, but pride held him back, and the
next day Seymour sailed for Egypt.
BY this time Edith's Photographic
presentment filed Lattimer Tracy's
life, and the entire world was merely
a dense veil hiding her from him. He
went to every dance and dinner, he
even haunted teas, hoping that he