AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 



79 



AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY. 



THE GIRL WITH THE CAMERA. 



HENRY S. WATSON. 



We have all seen her on her vacation, but 

 I wich my own eyes, as my cousin the fly, 

 in " Cock Robin " said, I have seen her de- 

 velop. I may as well explain in the be- 

 ginning that I am a flying delegate and 

 traveling editor of our (that -is, the flies) 

 own trade journal, " The Winged Insects." 

 I go to all the summer resorts in the land, 

 taking with me fleas I have trained as car- 

 rier pigeons; and when I have gathered suf- 

 ficient news I send a flea back to the office 

 with it. 



I have met the girl w r ith the camera every- 

 where, from Cape May to Bar Harbor. 

 Sometimes there were parties of a dozen or 

 more, and then the exclamations! There 

 was one girl, that lived for the summer in a 

 cottage at Southampden, with whom I fell 

 in love, so whenever I had a chance and 

 found the wind favorable, I flew to South- 

 ampden and looked for my favorite. She 

 was " out " to every one in the evenings 

 when she was developing her plates, but I 

 was in the habit of crawling under doors 

 and through keyholes to her dark room, 

 and there I watched her. A beautiful pink 

 from the ruby lamp she was, and a picture 

 I delighted to gaze at. One evening I was 

 clinging to the ceiling directly over her 

 lovely head, watching the picture she made 

 in the ruby light and the picture she was 

 seeking on the plate, when there came a 

 knock at the door. I jumped and rubbed 

 the smoke from my eyes, for up where I 

 was sitting the fumes from her lamp were 

 somewhat disagreeable. My girl frowned 

 and said, in a cross tone, 



" Who's there? " 



" It's me, miss; and there is a young 

 gentleman in the parlor who says it is im- 

 portant he should see you." 



" You know, Jane, I gave you orders that 

 I was not at home to any one." 



' Yes, Miss, I know; but he coaxed me 

 to give you his card." 



" Well, push it under the door, then." 



She cast an anxious look at the plate, 

 then picked up the card. As she read it I 

 saw her grow a shade darker and I knew it 

 was a blush, darkened and spoiled by the 

 red light. She gasped slightly, and called to 

 Jane to turn the light down in the parlor; 

 nearly out, I heard her say. 



Without another glance at the plate in 

 the tray, she wiped her hands and was gone. 

 I flew down to the edge of the developing 

 pan. On the plate was a picture coming 

 slowly. I caught a glimpse of the sky, and 

 at that moment I heard the voices of my girl 

 and a man. Hers was saying, 



" I am anxious, for it is an exposure of 

 my new pony and dogcart; but I don't 



know what mother will say if she finds you 

 in the dark room." 



" That's all right. Remember I just ar- 

 rived from Europe this morning. I stopped 

 at the office to see your father, and then 

 came out here. You shouldn't say, ' get 

 thee gone/ to an old friend." 



She laughed, and began to tilt the tray. 

 Their heads came closer and closer to- 

 gether as the picture slowly developed. Her 

 soft curls touched his forehead. He whis- 

 pered to her. She started back and dropped 

 the tray. 



"Oh, Jack— Mr. Howland! " 



His arm stole around her. I heard her 

 whisper, " Yes." Then I turned my back 

 and flew to the faucet and kissed it, for I 

 knew she had touched it many and many a 

 time. What other consolation could a poor 

 fly expect? Not once did I look at them. I 

 flew over the tray and caught a glimpse of 

 the picture developed entirely out of sight. 

 I staggered out into the night air. The 

 wind was against me; everything seemed 

 against me. I could not struggle to the of- 

 fice in the face of that sad and terrible blast. 

 I flew to the station and waited for a train. 

 I crawled into a dark corner of a parlor car. 

 In the third chair from the end sat a girl 

 with a camera in her lap. I went no nearer 

 for a closer inspection. I had lost all heart. 



RECREATION'S FOURTH ANNUAL COMPETI- 

 TION. 



Recreation has conducted 3 amateur 

 photographic competitions, all of which 

 have been eminently successful. A fourth 

 will be held, which it is believed will be far 

 more fruitful than either of the others. This 

 one will open January 1, '99, and close Sep- 

 tember 30, '99. 



List of prizes to be announced later. 



Subjects are limited to w r ild animals, 

 birds, fishes, camp scenes, and to figures 

 or groups of persons, or domestic animals, 

 representing, in a truthful manner, shoot- 

 ing, fishing, amateur protography, bicy- 

 cling, sailing, or other form of outdoor or 

 indoor sport or recreation. Cycling pictures 

 especially desired. Awards to be made by 3 

 judges, none of whom shall be competitors. 



Conditions: Contestants must submit 2 

 mounted prints, either silver, bromide, 

 platinum, or carbon, of each subject, which 

 shall become the property of Recreation. 

 The name and address of the sender, and 

 title of picture to be plainly written on back 

 of each print. Daylight, flashlight, or elec- 

 tric light pictures admissible. Prize winning 

 photographs to be published in Recrea- 

 tion, full credit being given in all cases. 



Pictures that have been published else- 

 where, or that have been entered in any 

 other competition, not available. No entry 

 fee charged. 



Don't let people zvho pose for you look at the 

 camera. Occupy them in some other way. 



