Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1918-03-21
~ ~ - n ~ m ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ I'M,
"A PHOTO PROPOSAL
~ BY E. cotsoN. ~
VI A. ~ n ~ N ~ m w
BY E cotsoN.


Old Mr.. Brewer believed himself TO
be acting In manner more broad and
liberal-minded indeed when he told
Philip Maintenon that he might call on
his daughter Gertrude as often as he
liked, provided he spoke or wrote no
word of love to the young woman.
This embargo was to last until Ger
trude, who had just passed her eight
eenth birthday, was twenty.
1t was delightful to see Gertrude as
often as he liked. certainly. especially
after the long weeks in which he had
wondered how much longer he would
be considered a welcome guest at the
Brewer mansion. but he soon found
that the permission to see her often
meant far less than fl had appeared to
do at first sight. BE was not the only
young man who saw her frequently To
begin with. Gertrude was pretty
girl, bright and popular in the bargain;
Philip began TO live In a chronic state
OF fear lest some other fellow, wise
enough to speak TO the girl first and
then the father afterward, should step
in ahead of him. The girl herself did
not seem, TO his excited fancy. TO take
nearly so much interest in his atten-
lions as she had done heretofore.
Sometimes he was on the point of
throwing up the whole thing for
year or two and going West. All of
which was precisely what Mrs. Brew
or had counted upon when she had con-
suited her husband to make terms.
After time, however, Philip be-
came so deadly tired of waiting that
he gave up the idea of going West and
decided to change his tactics entirely.
He had promised to write or speak no
word Of love to Gertrude, certainly,
but proposing had never been men,
toned. Surely II was possible to make
proposal Of marriage without utter
ing love-sick speeches! Yes, he would
certainly propose. and that as soon as
the opportunity offered.
But the opportunity was long In COM
ing. Mrs. Brewer had those for
news' which would have made the for
tune Of a metropolitan newspaper re-
porter, and while she did not exactly
suspect Philip of endeavoring to break
his compact, so she gave her husband
to understand, stiIl she meant him to
have no temptation of that order. New
er a moment alone with Gertrude
could he find or obtain. Even when
they went upon photographing expedi-
lions together-both being enthusiasts
tice Photographic amateurs-they were
invariably accompanied by Gertrude's
brother Benjamin, a spoiled youth of
fourteen. his mothers darling, and
also badly afflicted with the picture
taking craze. And yet it was through
n Photographic process that Philip
finally carried out his will In regard to
his inamorata and circumvented her
mothers care.
The bright idea occurred to him one
Sunday afternoon, rs he worked over
his newest lens, and ne lost no time In
trying II. Carefully printing a certain
legend upon transparent white pa
per, he pinned the paper up against
the windowpane and went over II
side. with charcoal crayon. Then he
attached the paper, still wrong side
outward, to the wall and photo
graphed the legend-backward. This
he did because characters Of this kind
photographed In the ordinary way, are
always reversed In the negative II Is
only In the printing that matters be-
come straight again. and II was in
tho negative that Philip was particu-
larly interested.
He carried II with him when he
called upon Gertrude the following |
evening. Gertrude ran upstairs 10 her
own little darkroom TO develop the |
plate Immediately. Philip had er-
planned that he thought she would I'M
derstand the new experiment he want |
she developed the negative.
Meteorological I suggest as devei- |
oper." Philip had told her as she ran |
upstairs with the plate-holder contain
ing the experimental" negative, and |
this agent she had accordingly pre-
pared. She rocked the little tray back |
and forth for two or three minutes, |
then exposed II to the rays OF the red |
lamp. And this was the message:
"My dearest girl: VIII you marry
me? Philip Mnlntenon."
The girl grew white and pink as she
read 1t. Then she laughed merrily and
sat down to consider. Ten minutes
later she went down TO the parlor and
explained that she had broken the pre-
clous negative.
Philip colored holly. aud Mrs. Brew
er, plying his fancled disappointment
over the lost negative, took Gertrude
gently TO task.
II don't see how YOU could be so
careless, my daughter" she remonstrat-
I'd. "Nohody knows how much trouble
Mr.. Malntenon may have taken 10 Sc
cure the negative you have destroyed.
Can't you make II up 70 him in some
vay?"
81 don't know, mamSie." answered
Gertrude. smiling and blushlng ador-
lhly as she turned her face away from
her mother and toward Philip. II
e.. ,,r,aa+ 1