San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-01-21
CAMERA JOE
BY WILLIAM SLAVENS M'NUTT


banks of the Mississippi in which he
lived.
He was the last and most neglect
ed of the ten children who kept Peter
Kelly, the freight brakeman, and his
wife in debt and other trouble.
One summer day, at picnic Of the
McHenry Plow Works Employees As
ISOLATION, at Suffers Grove, he saw
Pete Molesky, a boy of his own age,
with a small black box in his hand.
"What you got?" Joe inquired.
Kodak" Pete replied.
How'd you get it," he asked visit
fully.
bought it." said Pete. "where'd you
thought itw Joe repeated incredu-
lousy. "where'd you get the money to
buy one o. them?"
"Cuttin' lawns" said Pete.
The starters pistol spoke, the run
ners leaped away, and Pete snapped
the shutter of his kodak.
'They don't cost much" he admit
ted "A little one like this one L got
is only three dollars: that's ALL"
Joe trailed home with Pete after the
picnic and, fascinated, watched him
remove the film from the black box
In the dim light from the red-shaded
lamp and wash it in pan of devel-
oper. When the job was done Pete held
the film up, and Joe saw, fixed upon
it. the Gene he had witnessed in the
afternoon in Suffers Grove-the
starter with the pistol raised, the run
ners leaping away from the mark. They
were bad negatives, but TO Joe Kelly
they were the evidence of miracle
performed before his eyes.
TIL next morning Joe was up and
dressed before breakfast was ready.
He ate hurriedly. rushed from the
house and ran across town to what
was known as the nice residence dis
trict. By nightfall he had earned 90
cents.
BE got home too late for. supper,
went directly to bed, and thought the
matter out. At the rate he was 60
ing. il would take him five more days
TO amass the three dollars necessary
to buy a little kodak like Pete Mol
eskJ's. In the heat Of his sudden
overwhelming desire, five days SEEM
ed identical in length with five mil
lion years, in that it was utterly i'm
possible for him TO wait that long.
shortly after midnight he slipped
out Of bed and dressed. BE slipped
out of the house unheard and headed
for the business section Of the town:
At one o'clock a policeman cornered
him in Knowlton's drug store.
How'd you get in here:" the po-
liceman asked.
Joe indicated a small broken tran
som over & high door in the hear,
Thought that" he said.
What are you doing in hereE
"Iookin for one O. them kodak things
YOU take pictures with" said Joe. -,
what are you going to DO with
that?'
'sTaks pictures with IT," Joe e1-
planned simply.
Il guess you won't need anything to
take pictures with for a few years
said the policeman. Judge Carvey'll
send YOU to a place where you won't
have any time to be taking pictures.
Then and then onty Joe Kelly began
10 cry.
reform school until he was twenty
one. explaining to him that he might
be released on parole sooner IL ne
proved TO be a very good boy. /
In the history Of the reform school
70 which he was sent, Joe kelly's be-
bayior stands as the record for good
conduct.
At the expiration Of one year he
was released on parole.
1t took him nine days to amass the
needed sum.
He didn't take the outfit home. He
took it to a vine-masked cave In the
side of a cliff on the river bank. He
deposited his developing material
there, set a roll of film in the kodak,
and returned to town.
All day long he wandered around
with the box under his arm, but he
did not take a picture. Early the next
morning he started again. An intox-
icated farmer was kicked out of Cut
ter's saloon. He got up to his feet
and began cursing loudly. A policeman
hurried up and arrested him. The be-
fuddlI farmer resisted him. The be-
drunken way. A crowd gathered. In
the front line of the crowd was Joe
Kelly, He clicked the shutter Of his
kodak for the first time.
1t was a week before he used the
kodak again, although he carried it
with him all the while. Then he made
five pictures of various athletic events
at a picnic at Suffers Grove.
Gradually little Joe Kelly and his
kodak became the subject OF humor-
Gus comment about town. Some one
called him Camera Joe" and the
name stuc,:. He discovered that there
were cameras to be had that would
make better pictures, and started in
10 make money enough to get one.
Whenever anything happened in town
Joe was there, to take picture Of
II. Policemen chased him an cutfed
him when he got in their way at the
small riots that occurred when the en-
playes of the pillow works were on strike
Firemen strumbled over him and cursed
at him whenever there was blaze.
When Joe was fourteen he got a Job
In the plow works and continued TO
spend all his spare time and money
on his hobby. In the spring of his
seventeenth year the big flood came.
Old Mississippi kicked mp his heels,
nut his tail in the air, and went on n
rampage. The town in which Joe lived
was inundated and cut off from COM
munication with the outside world
for two days and nights. They were
DAYS and nights Of terror, death, and
destruction, and during those days and
night Camera Joe Kelly was busy as
ne had never before been busy in his
I;fa He hegan taking mixtures with