“Shall I go for them while you're getting your camera ready?” remarked Harry, airing his knowledge of the photographic terms. Regie nodded yes, and Harry was off.
“Wouldn't it be nice to take them in that?” said Nan, pointing to one of the fishermen's boats drawn up upon the beach.
“Of course it would. You're splendid for thinking of things, Nan,” Regie replied, proceeding to get his instrument in order. Nan helped him as best she could, very happy over the fact that such an important personage as he was considered her splendid for anything.
Meanwhile the Croxsons were hurrying into a miscellaneous assortment of threadbare out-of-door wraps, which were supposed to keep the cold out, but in point of fact did nothing of the sort. They were highly elated over the prospect of having their photographs taken. Not one of them had ever experienced that sensation before.
“W-w-won't it be a lark to be t-t-took?” stuttered little Madge, beside herself with excitement; and the flushed faces of the other four children showed that they undoubtedly thought it would, the neglected little quintette never dreaming that they had been invited because they were so “queer looking” and would make “a jolly funny group.” But if Regie and Harry and Nan did sometimes have a little fun at the Croxsons' expense, they were too well-behaved ever to let them have an inkling of it. As for Regie, he was as gallant in his manner to these shabby little specimens as to the would-be little aristocrats in velvet knickerbockers and patent leather pumps whom he was accustomed to meet at dancing school. When the Croxsons arrived on the scene, Regie, having succeeded in fastening his camera to the tripod, had just plunged his head under the black rubber cloth which hung over it.
“What are you doing?” Joe Croxson made so bold as to ask.
“Focussing on the boat,” was Regie's mysterious reply, from the folds of the rubber cloth.
At this answer Madge seemed to be somewhat intimidated. The word focussing had an ominous sound in her ears.
“What do you mean by that?” Joe asked gruffly, for not one of the little party was a whit wiser than before.
“Oh, I'm fixing things so as to be able to take a clear picture of that boat,” Regie answered, good-naturedly; “and now I would like you all to run and get into it, ready to be taken.”