The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1907-09-06
A Lucky
"Take. :"

s',ss ~
Mother, what do you suppose is
Fred's latest freak?" asked Annie Nc
Gosh, breaking into the sitting room
where her mother was busy sewing.
Il am sure l don't KNOWS going
to be a soldier, likely enough re.
sponded Mrs. Hudson YEARLY. She
was used to Fred's freaks" as An
ME called them, and to her daughters
impatience with his eyer-varying hob
bies.
The beautiful home of Banker Nc
Gosh was made almost unhappy by
the chickering's of the seventeen-year-
old daughter and the twelye-year-old
son. Both were headstrong and their
clashing natures made almost con.
slant discord in the family. Annie's
expression of disdain as she replied
to Mrs. McCosh's suggestion showed
the depth of her semi-resentment
against her brother:
No, indeed; no such luck If he
were to be soldier he might be got
ten out of the way, but he's going to
stay right here and make us all mis-
cradle. He's bought camera"
Bought what?" asked her mo.
Their, who was not paying much atten-
ton.
A camera-a machine to take pho
tographs with, you know. It is lit
tie bit of an instrument, not much
larger than a bandbox, but he'll be
making pictures of everything on
earth with it,"
That won't hurt anything, will il,
dear?"
NO, but do wish he'd be sensible
IKE other boys" and Annie fiounced
out OF the room on her way down.
town.
Fred was odd, without a doubt. He
was always taking up some new
scheme and really seemed to know a
little about almost everything, even
II he did not know all about any
one thing. He knew how to print
now to bleed horse, how to tele-
graph, how to cultivate silk-worms.
now to whistle through his fingers.
now to graft apple-trees, how to write
backward, how to ride bicycle with
out touching the handles, how to play
checkers with his eyes shut. Indeed,
ne knew how to do almost everything
tnat 1t came in his way to learn.
His latest freak" was photography.
and he was busy experimenting With
the new camera, purchased by hard
work at odd hours. for Mr.. McCosh,
though well of, did not allow his son
unlimited spending-money He kept
the instrument in his "den"-an nm
used room, full of bottles, old cloths.
Jars, bits of machinery, musical in.
struments, carpenters tools, old mans.
torn pictures, pots of paint and chem.
lcals, fragments of old machines.
stuHed birds, ETC., ETC., and smelling
so badly that no one but Fred could
ever stay in it long enough to make
complete inventory of its contents.
1t was in his den" that he was at
the time Annie was expressing herself
SO emphatically to her mother. He
was busy experimenting with the new
camera, of which he expected great
things. He had almost perfected an
original scheme for taking almost in
Simultaneous pictures, and he was
sanguine of great results.
Annie, as she went downtown. bent
her footsteps toward her father,
bank. There was nothing unnatural
In this, but it was somewhat notice.
able that she halted outside until a
farmer who was doing business at the
cashiers window had left it when she
quickly slipped in and timidly asked
OF the passably good looking young
gentleman behind the brass wires:
is my father in his Officer"
AS she did so her fingers dropped
a note on the slab of glass. The
chashier's hand quickly covered the
tiny bit of paper, but not a gesture of
surprise showed on his face when he
answered:
yes, he is in his office, but I be-
lteye he is engaged with some gentle.
man from the State capital l will
look and see"
He stepped to the door of the pres.
ident's private room and reported as
he had suggested that the gentlemen
were still there.
Miss Annie did not seem much put
out or disappointed, but left the bank
with smiling:
"All right; I'll call some other
time"
There was something so common