"It said in the book," Ralph explained, "that the blue didn't show up so much because it was partly polarized. I couldn't quite understand what that meant. As far as I could make out, the blue color of the sky is due to waves that are scattered sideways instead of coming straight down like the white light does."
"I suppose it is polarized," said the fisherman, "but it hadn't ever occurred to me that the sky wouldn't be reflected in a black mirror. You're right, though. The clouds do stand out well! You ought to be able to get some good pictures from your mirror."
"I have got a lot, sir," said Ralph. "I've made three cloud photographs every day, rain or shine, for over two months now."
"Every day?"
"Yes, sir, before breakfast, after dinner, and just before I begin my evening chores."
"What's the idea of that?"
Finding a ready listener, Ralph plunged into the story of the Mississippi Weather League and of his crippled friend, Anton.
"It's a mighty useful piece of work," the fisherman commented, when the lad had finished, "and I'm especially interested in these cloud photographs of yours. I need some. Have you any prints of them?"
"Yes, sir," was the reply, "heaps."
"If they're really any good, I might be able to use a few," the fisherman continued. "I'm writing a series of articles for an outdoor magazine and I want some Mississippi River pictures pretty badly. Mine haven't come out particularly well."