The herald., 1918-05-09
THE SNAPSHOT
per Syndicate)
BY NAPOLEON S. zkRIcK.

The wCSt-hOund express was side
tracked at Ancona waiting for the
cast-bound train. Bruce Carman, a
kodak enthusiast i'm the first stages or
the disease, had photographed every
attractive view from Albany and Nj
agura Falls to An,uuG. From the back
platform, from the steps of his own
car, and from the observation smoker,
he had "shot" the flying landscape.
A. AuCona he was standing on the
last platform Of the Sidc-tracked train,
and had iottcd down his Photographic
memoranda Of suow-crowned Catskill
mountains.
A shrill whistle. an Oncoming roar,
and the express Numbered past on the
main track. As it slowed UP ut the
station Curman's train moved on, but
not before ne had indelibly fixed on
the film Of his kodak glimpse Of the
back platform of the passing train.
He raised his head and saw, vaguely,
Il girl bending over kodak focused.
apparently, on him, but before she
looked up his car had rounded curve
and she was lost to view.
Carman returned to New York after
several weeks. and one of his first acts
was to develop his views. With the
luck of the ordinary amateur, few
of them were good, but most of them
were bad. Only one view was sharp
and clear. Framed by the doorway of
a sleeper, beautiful young girl looked
f.,ht Int N
eyes.
"By JOvew he exclaimed, "what
beauty! She must be the AncOna
girl"
The AncOna girl she was and the
Ancona girl she remained for days,
weeks, and even months. Carman
printed the picture off and she was
charming; in blueprint she was
beautiful, and blueprints are crucial
tests of beauty; on carbon paper she
was exquisite, and with each expert
mental printing her image penetrated
deeper and deeper into Carman's
heart. At last he enlarged her; or, not
quite at last, for the browning point
of his folly was to frame her in silver
and install her on his dressing table
as mistress of his heart and possess
sionS. Then, one evening, she was
christened, and it was in this way:
Jack BrennOn ran up to Carman's
rooms to communicate some bit of
personal information; wandering idly
about the room, he saw the photo
graph, picked it up, glanced at 1t care
lessly, then put 1t down. Good photo
graph" he said; amateur, of coutse.
didn't know you knew Edith so well.
She's a jolly girl, isn't she?"
"N-no-y-yes," stammered Carman.
Edith! and there was n man who knew
her! But what q fool he would be to
ask the name of a girl whose photo
graph was enshrined in the privacy of
his dressing table! In moment more
BrennOn was gone.
BY this time Edith's Photographic
preSentment filed Bruce Carman'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
might find her. Once he was invited
to dinner to meet "My cousin, Miss
cambridge of Toronto"
When he stood before his hostess
that night his face was white and his
voice hoarse with emotion.
Edith, Mr.. Carman; Miss Balm
bridge, Mr.. Carman." The words were
spoken and Carman turned to meet
her. Alas! this Edith was not his
Edith, but only an elderly Scotch
spinster. Carman never knew how he
lived through that evening.
The winter drew to a close, and Car
man was growing hopeless. Should he
start out in quest of her, he asked
himself? But what hopeless quest!
1t was Friday, and Carman was on
his way to an afternoon reception. No
hope Of finding her led him there, but
one of his girl friends had asked him
to help her to entertain her guests.
He waited for moment in the ante
chamber, realizing from the voices
that only girls were In the adjoining
room. Then he heard n name that
made his heart stand still.
"DOn't tell me- Edith Brennon, that
you have worn his picture ever since"
"Yes, 1 have. You can call 1t silly
If you like, but of all the snapshots
that took, from Denver to New York,
his was the only one that came out.
OF course, there was fate in that.
Could anyone doubt It? It's In this
very lOcket now, and I'll wear II until
I meet him. 1 know will some time,
Tn absolutely positive of that"
"Oh, how do you do, Mr.. Carmanf
didn't hear you come in," exclaimed
the hostess. "It's awfully good Of you
to come so early. You know every one
here, don't you? Oh, nO-Miss Bren-
non, want you to meet Mr.. Carman.
She's Jack Brennon's cousin from
Denver, you know. You've heard him
speak Of his cousin Edith a thousand
times, haven't your
The words flowed on in a melodiOus
murmur. Carman heard none of them.
Her hand was in his and-well, Of
course, Cupid was on hand to COM
plete the task it had commenced on
the sidetrack at Ancona.
Accounted for It.