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Show I'Bhi iV lPakktrS' Picture 'j4MonoloQae !i it all happened alone o' Silas. Tho Pulc- ; mioses, as you know well, air a fam'ly !i without vanity. But w'en I was a-comln' i to N" York for that lone promised visit I El nays to me, ho says: i ''Marlcr, do you go to one o' them fancy iS fotograffcrs and got your plcter done to '$ hins on tho parlor wall In a gold frame ' v,'ca you bo dead an' gone." an" It wa'n't I i for mo to go agin what Silas said, tho' f, , It wor tho first time I had set for a plcter 3 ; flaco ma had mo an' Mary Ellcr dono In ': cur pantelettes. ju' o I jest run In ono day after I'd bin 3W B-shoppln' an' rldin' up an" down In tho llf,. cable cars to a plnco I sco I was passln' 9 tri tolo the lady that was a-standln there 3 ' tsldo a glass counter that I wanted a 3 picler to take home to Jny Corners. Sho ffl jmllcd verv pleasant like an" said, "Ini. $ft ! ftrlal or ciirty vlsltc?" or some seech Jar- 7 ' grn. an' I tola her reprovln'ly. "No. plain, i ' rltliout frills. ' Sho showed mo soma : : fptclraens to choose from an' I mus' say i ir tho vimmln folks to N' York goes out . ' lhat a-way to sot for their plcters It ain't no wonder there's all the pneumonia wo hear tell about. But at las' I como acrost a decent female settln" with folded hands, scber an' propcrllke. In a black gown, and I selected that air one. "Them bees $5 a dozen," says the lady. "Five dollars'." I a'most hollored. "Five dollars for my face?" "It do seem klndor dear," says she. "It do that," I answered, but w'en I thought o' Silas an his wl9h that I go to a fancy fotograffer an' that It was to be set up In a golc framo on a walnut easel with a plush scarf, I realized that sech luxuries comes high an' mus' bo well paid for. Lenstaways It was to last w'en I was dead an' gone an' seen vanities would never bo mine ngaln. So. although 1 rightly looked on It as a ungodly waste of ?5. I took the money from my reticule an' handed It to the lady over the counter. "Will you step Inter tho gal'ry? sho asks, still pleasant like. First off sho showed me Inter a drcssln' room where they was lookln' glasses enough to make you sco yourself twenty times over, an' powder an' plits an' all acch bedlzenments as no honorable femalo ever holds with I laid off my bunnit an" cloth manllo an' folded 'cm decent-llko on a ohalr, which Is a habit I have of always layln' my things proper at night, for you never know whether your call may como afore mornln' an' tho neighbors runnln in could havo their say If things was untidy "Don't you think," says tho lady, still pleasant, "that a little powder would Improve Im-prove you? Lay tho shine, so to spoak?" "Madam," I says with tho haughty air for which tho Pukklnscs was over famous, "good soap an' water three times a week on any fomale's face Is the only Improvement Improve-ment sho ncds, and' as for the shine ef It pleased tho Lord to put It there; thoro It stays!" an with that wo shoots up In tho elevator to tho gal'ry in tho attic Tho light was that bright 'twould havo blmdr-d you and forfnato there wasn't no Ingrain carpot on tho floor or 'twould ha' bin faded out In no time. I nover hold with no drawn blinds nohow, for the wax flowers flow-ers which havo etqad Jn .our setUn' room sinco Granper Slmmlns died, was a'most clean melted away by; SI drorln" the blinds tho day ho lost his pocket piece uii' was luintln' the nous?. Tho fotograffer himself wa3 there, with a black shawl throwed over his telescope to keep tho sun oit o' 11,' an' he ast If I wonted a bust or three-quarters, but as I don't hold wl' no light talk a-tween the ' sexes I made no answer, ,but hold myself with tho prop'or prldo of tho Pukklnses. He was for settln' mo In a fancy chair, with a vuso of llowers at my sldo nn' a rcHO, held kinder Iooso like between ihy fingers, but I declared agin sech vanity . "Sir," I says, with the Pukklns manner, "tho wimmln folk of Jay Corners ain't In tho habit of settln around with roses ir. their han's. A thimble or a rollln' pin is the implements they uses'," "Wo ain't got none In the gal'ry," ho makes answer, "an' ef we had I don't think as how they'd look well In a plcter " 1 says no more, for I seen from tho first that ho was for nmkln' free So I jes' set down in the chair an' folded my han's In my lap an' shct my mouth tight to show that e any ono was for spcndln' $5 on vanity It.warn't mo and that I wasn't" couhteriaricln' ' it, on'y oboyln'- an' thlnkln always of the effee' of tho plcter in tho parlor, on the casol, w'en I was dead an' gone. "Couldn't jou look a littlo pleasant?" says the plcter man. "Sir." I makes answer, "tho females of the Pukklns fam'ly air honest, but not pleasant!" That sorter squelched him, but not entirely, en-tirely, for he soon went on again. "Fix your oyes here," he Hays. I starts 'to do, as ho bids me, but thcro on a movln' thing ho had one o' them plcters I had seen downstairs of a pneumonia pneu-monia -woman with tho waist ot her dress all cut dQwn to nowheres an' a smirk on her fnce sech as Deakln Elklns says is the snares of the evil one. Seclp' this was tho case, I Jest shct .my. eyes as well us my mouth, an'- remained firm. . "W'ot's the matter?" "ho nays, "You don't want your plcter took with your eyes shut, do you? ' "When you glvo me a proper lndorvcod-wal lndorvcod-wal to look on Instead o' that smlrkln' Jezebel I will open 'cm, but no sooner." says I. He sorter sniggered, but that was to hide his shamo, an ho ran up tho If likeness of a pretty child Inctead. an' I I I! opened my oyes straightaway an' fixed j Ij, 'em without bllnktn' on tho face. I felt I II ho had seen by that tlmo that tho fe- I fc males out Jay Corners way was virtuous I LR an" not to bo trilled with. K W "Wouldn't It bo bolter to have the han's SHI outer sight ono anyway?" ho suggests ; ncx', o But I was ready with my reproof. J S "When I pays llvo dollars for a plcter I V P ,wlll havo every.thln' in," I says, severe- ' ilko. i ; "Han's never look well," he starts to argufy. "Ef my han's don't look well, It's your i fault, not mine. Thoy look well enough j kncadln dough an' pealln' portators. lit I ' you can't put that in your plcter I don't ft' think much of you for a fotograffer, for ! J all you ch;irgo llvo dollars." "Of course, tho lines can bo smoothed 5 out," ho says. , j 1 "Which they won't be!" sayB I. "I Em ain't -a-payin' flvo dollars to have nothln' uH left out." ffl "Very well," he gives In, "Jest a3 you nl "Then you'll take my ban's lines an jjl 1 all an one over tho other, this fashion," m j save I, foldln' them accordln. KK ' "Couldn't you duff up your hair a lit- Mlf , tlo?" ho asks nex', "It's nioro artistic." HI "Mister," I remarked, "of It hov pleased II 1 the Lord to lay my hair flat for fifty year If 1 como noxt Juno It ain't hardly likoly I'll I II take to lluffln' It up now, an' cf theso I I wimmln whoso plcters you tako had less I fluffs they might bo more credit to tho R II community. As for artistic, I don't pre- ( HI tend to bo artistic no moro nor musical If H or littery, an' I ain't goln' to havo no I II' hypocrlses In my plctur, so you can tako 1 i mo as I am, with .folded han's an' no 8 1 Uufte." I ' "Very well, madam," ho gives In; "It's I 1 your plctor, not mine. You'll havo to look B 1 ! at It, not I." 0 If ; So with that I fixes myself natchol In I II ; tho chair with tho sober look I wear to 11 nan's folded ladyllko In my lap, an, my I III eyes fixed without movln' on tho plcter I If of tho child. i (1 "Aro you ready?" he asks, flxln' a sorter j 111 braco to my head. i III' "I be." I says, and with that ho snaps : JIA off tho tolescopo an' tho wust wcro over fill in a few minutes without any pain at all. ( jW "Air that all you do for live dollars?" tgi says I. i III. "Quito all," ho .says, tryln' to do tho i IK perllto now It . was over. ! ll "Ef I'd a-ktiowod It I would nover havo I l paid no scch a sum o money., But I'll, set E III hero until tho plctors Is ready ( an' carrj' J 111 'cm away wltli mo. ft An' what do you think he says to that? ym. "Madam," ho says, "It will bo a week I m or ten days oforo thoy'ro dcvoloped on' B finished an' I don't think you'll caro to B B set that long. Wo'll send 'em to you, 1 provldln' tho proof, witch we'll mall you I 1 tomorror, Is eatlsfacfrj'.-' B l "I wouldn't stan no moro o' his frco III , tongue, ho before ho could say more I Ell went down to tho plcter lady an' com- I ! plained o' his behavior. H "He means to keop my plcters an' not ft 1 let mo havo 'em!" I says. But would you 1 bcllovo It, Sally Ann Walters, It takes n them fancy fotogmfters" to N' Y'ork a hull ; I two weeks to llnlsh tho work o' live mln- u utcs yes, ma'am, an' they calls It a I pergesslve city!" , m But hero la tho plcter it como homo , ffl , o'Toosday-i-standln' on the easel, as you I II sec, with tho plush scarf an' gold framo I as It jvill bo w'en I am dead an' gone. Tho Ij Pukklnses was never a vain family, as I I 1 think you can rightly Jedgc by lookin' at n the oxprcssion o the iaco. 1 don't hold Ml wl' vanltv nor with tho n(iuandorln' o' five I Ij dollars, an the two things shines out 1 It clear. Silas says It will bo a comfort to S 111 gaze on tho natchel expression w'en I bo ff 111 vondor in the churchyard. I am glad you like it. Mis' Walters "Deakln Elklns says J. m It does mo Justico without mercy. B) w Wot did 1 do with tho other ioven? tt ml Well, of course, I couldn't havo a easel n III in overv room In tho house, o I'm a-send- n yj In' of "'cm to all the patent medicine jf Bll cures In the kentry, with a testimonial I 11 to each ho they'll como out In tho papers I'ffH with my name. I ain't no moro vatn then 1 111 tho rest of the Pukklnses. but w'en I pay 1 tjll llvo dollars It ain't for Jay Corners alone g Ml to have tho benclU. B D |