The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1907-11-16
A Lucky
"Take,"
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Mother, what do you suppose is
Freds 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
Impotence with his ever-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 twelve-year-old
son. Both were headstrong and their
clashing natures made almost con.
slant discord in the family Annies
expression of disdain as she replied
to Mrs. McCoshs suggestion showed
the depth of her semi-resentment
against her brother:
NO, indeed: no such luck. If he
were to be a 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 a camera"
Bought a 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 a lit
tie bit of an instrument, not much
larger than bandbox, but he'll be
making pictures of everything on
earth with it,"
THAT won't hurt anything, will It.
dear?"
mo, but l do wish he'd be sensible
like other boys" and Annie flounceL
out of the room on her way down.
town.
Fred was odd, without a doubt. H.,
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.
how to bleed horse, how to tele-
graph. how to cultivate silk-worms.
how 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
that 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 we'll off, did not allow his son
unlimited spending-money. He kept
the instrument in his "den"-an un-
used room. full Of bottles, old cloths,
Jars. bits of machinery, musical in
struments. carpenters tools, old maps,
torn pictures, pots Of paint and chem
tcals, fragments of old machines.
stuffed birds, ETC., etc., and smelling
80 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
% enphatically 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
stantane0us pictures, and he was
sanguine of great results.
Annie, as she went downtown. bent
her footsteps toward her fathers
bank. There was nothing unnatural
In this, but 1t was somewhat notice
able that she halted outside until a
farmer who was doing business at the
casher's 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
A. she did 80 her fingers dropped
. note on the slab Of glass. The
chashier's hand quickly covered the
tiny bit Of paper, but not gesture Of
surprise showed on his face when he
answered:
YES. he Is in his ONCE. but be-
usve he ID engaged with some gentle