Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-09-18
A Lucky
s'Take."

X :s.ssssss
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 I know--is 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
fmpatience 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. Annie's
expression of disdain as she replied
to Mrs. McCosh's suggestion showed
the depth of her. semiresentment
against her brother:
mo, 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 ali mis-
cradle. He's bought camera"
Bought a what?" asked her mo-
Their, who was net paying much atten-
ton.
"A camera-a machine to take pho
tographs with, you know. 1t 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 do wish he'd be sensible
like other boys" and Annie founced
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
If he did not know all about any
one thing. He knew how 10 print.
how to bleed a horse, how to teIe-
graph, how to cultivate silk-worms,
how to whistle through his fingers.
now TO graft apple-trees, how to write
backward, how to ride a bicycle with
out touching the handles, how to play
checkers with his eyes shut. Indeed.
he knew how to do almost everything
that it came in his way to learn.
His latest freak was photoeraphv.
and he was busy experimenting with
the new camera, purchased by hard
work at odd hours, for Mr.. McCosh,
though well off, did not allow his son
unlimited spending-money. He kept
the instrument in his "den'-an I'M
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
icals, fragments of old machines,
stuffed birds, etc., etc, and smelling
so badly that no one but Fred could
ever stay in it long enough to make
a complete inventory of its contents.
It 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 n
Simultaneous 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 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:
as 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 l be-
lieve 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 az
ne had suggested that the gentlemen
were still there.
Miss Annie did ssot 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.