“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Lee, though, of course, I knew who you were right off. I guess everybody in town does,” he added. “We don’t have many move here that would photograph as well as you would—bust or full length.... What kin I do for you?”
“I came to talk to you about advertising in the Free Press.”
“Advertising!” Manifestly he was taken aback. “Why, I haven’t ever advertised. Haven’t anythin’ to advertise. I just take pictures.”
“Couldn’t you advertise that?”
“Why—everybody knows I take pictures. Be kind of funny to tell folks what everybody knows.” He laughed at the humor of it in a very genteel way.
“You would like to take more pictures than you do, wouldn’t you? To attract more business.”
“Can’t be done.”
“Why?”
“Wa-al, folks don’t get their pictures taken like they buy flour. Uh-uh!... They got to have a reason to have ’em taken—like a weddin’, or an engagement, or gettin’ to be sixty year old, or suthin’ sim’lar. No. Folks in Gibeon don’t just go off and get photographed on the spur of the moment, like you might say. They hain’t got any reason to.”
“There are lots of people here who have never been photographed, aren’t there?”