TO BESSIE C. 



3 6 9 



the country in its immediate front is photo- 

 graphed and the prints are generally in the 

 hands of the Commanding General the same 

 day. If an advance takes place too late in 

 the day for printing in the ordinary way, the 

 prints are made at night, by artificial light, 

 and placed in the General's hands at the 

 earliest possible moment. 



Beside the field work, this department 

 does an enormous amount of work for Ihe 

 various departments in the Army and Navy.' 

 During the rainy season all cameras are cov- 

 ered with heavy rubber hoods. Owing to 

 the dampness in this country all photograph- 

 ic materials shipped into Manila are put up 

 in tin boxes — especially such as plates, 

 paper, etc. 



When the army arrived here all the pho- 

 tographic apparatus and material procurable 

 were from England ; but now the American 

 photographic dealers are sending their goods 

 here. When in barracks my department 

 uses albumen paper for printing. In the 

 field any of the prepared papers are used. 

 Owing to the extreme dampness it is at 

 times extremely difficult to secure good re- 

 sults from printing out papers, unless they 

 have been packed in tin. 



Prices of photographic materials are high 

 here, and often the market on some special 



chemical or albumen paper is cornered by 

 some smart individual. This is the case at 

 present with albumen paper which is selling 

 now at $200 a ream, Mexican money. The 

 supply of nitrate of silver, chloride of gold 

 and hypo is absolutely exhausted at present, 

 and the last hypo sold for 45 cents (Mexi- 

 can) a pound. 



This is a particularly interesting country 

 to the photographer. Aside from the 3 or 

 4 months of the hot, rainy season the cli- 

 mate here surpasses anything I have ever 

 seen. 



It is not often that an operator has the op- 

 portunity of photographing grand and beau- 

 tiful scenery, his foreground strewn with 

 the mangled dead and wounded of the en- 

 emy, and those of his own blood as well ; 

 with burning towns and villages for a back- 

 ground ; all this accompanied by the fright- 

 ful din of Infantry and Artillery fire and the 

 hissing of Mauser bullets. But such has 

 been my daily duty for several weeks past. 

 Such scenes as these not only leave their im- 

 pression on the photographic dry plate, but 

 they leave a lasting scar on the human 

 heart. 



Lieutenant C. F. O'Keefe, 



Photo Department, Office of Military In- 

 formation, 8th Army Corps. 



TO BESSIE C. 



W. H. NELSON. 



My bonnie, winsome, sweet-faced lass, 



Thine eyes of liquid brown 

 Were made for sunshine and for love, 



And not for tears to drown. 

 God send thee, then, the sunny-time 



And clover-breath of June, 

 And lead thee where the laughing rills 



Sing never out of tune. 



Heaven ,send thy lover may be true 



As thine own loyal breast, 

 And mayst thou never, never know 



The broken heart's unrest. 

 May morn and eve, and harvest time, 



And autumn's wealth of gold, 

 Pour on thy heart all blessedness 



That earthly life can hold. 



May every breeze that fans thy brow 



Bring tribute still of bliss, 

 And every lip that touches thine 



Pour blessing with its kiss. 

 May Joy, and Peace, and sweet Content 



Go with thee to the end, 

 And every crisis in thy life 



Bring to thy side a friend. 



And oh, if Grief shall come to thee, 



As come it must to all, 

 And in the ashes of its love 



Thy bleeding heart shall fall, 

 Then shall the Lord, whose child thou art, 



Speak to thee from the gloom, 

 And light shall shine upon thy path 



E'en from the very tomb. 



