The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1883-12-14
THE MAN IN THE SHADOW.

THE MAN in THE SHADOW.
1t was bitterly cold that night. The
wind swept furiously down the long
avenues, sending the light snow, that
had just ceased to fall, flying hither
and thither through the air, sweeping
1t from one side of the street and piling
it up with methodical carefulness on
the other; driving it in long, feathery
drifts from the housetops and busting
it down the necks of unfortunate pc
destrians in spite of their closely-but-
toned coats and turned-up collars. All
shivered as they came to that corner,
and then with half-averted heads hur-
ried past into the more sheltered street
beyond. The Man in the Shadow
crouched closer yet into the archway of
the big bank building and looked Curl
ously out on the passing throng.
Everybody seemed to be anxious to
get home-as who wouldn't be in such
weatherP-but that was no reason why
everybody should look SO happy and
expectant over such an ordinary event.
Then, too, by another extraordinary CO.
incidence, everybody seemed provided
with bundle or package of some sort
and such packages! Whitey-brown
parcels, tied up snugly, mysterious in
their every aspect; brown paper par
cells whose very folds breathed de-
lightful suggestiveness of turkey and
pudding; smooth, trim packages with
sleek, well-rounded sides, thoroughly
conventional and respectable; broken,
disreputable ones, with perchance q
skate-strap or a china dolls head peep
ing ont and thus basely betraying its
owners secrets; long ones and short
ones, little packets that could be car
ried in the waistcoat pocket, and valua-
BILE, no doubt, in inverse proportion to
their size, and big bundles tightly bound
with manifold shawl-straps and proving
almost too much for their struggling
owners. Everybody that was anybody
seemed passing that particular corner
that particular night and carrying
everything that could be bought in the
city.
The Man in the Shadow looked puz-
zled. Across the way the door of q
shop opened, and little girl, with long
fair hair flying out from beneath her
red worsted hood, came running over
the crossing. But the ground was
slippery, and the rash little adventures
suddenly disappeared into the big snow
drift beyond the curbstone. The Man
in the Shadow uttered low exclama-
ton and, darling out, lifted her up.
"Oh! I've broken it," she exclaimed,
w II
her tiny pocket NO, it isn't either;
I'm so glad. It's for Christmas, you
know, and Pm ever so much obliged to
YOU Then, turning quickly around,
she sped away again.
"Of course that's what it all means
Christmas Eve" --muttered the man,
going back to his old shelter. much
good it does me- and he frowned as
he kicked the snow off his boots and
drew his thrcadbare coat yet more
closely about him. "It is growing late
and the crowd is getting thinner.
Suddenly tall figure closely en-
veloped in long ulster hurried past.
The slouehed bat was pulled low down
over the Pedestrian forehead, but as
he came into the circle of light under
the lamp-post sudden gust of wind
lifted it off his head and sent it flying
on ahead of him. The Man in the
Shadow started and took step for
ward as though about to follow him.
"Pshaw, what fool ami" he said,
as he shrank back; "as if it could be
he and even if it were -
"Come, my man, move on; no loafing.
around here" met his ear, and Police
man Buffer looked in suspiciously upon
the, crouching figure. He looked up de-
family and then, with a gesture of
assent, stepped out into the street.
Zone of the kind as II need watch
ng," remarked Mr.. Buffer, confden-
TALLY, to a white-coated waiter who had
stepped out into the street for moment
to see what was going on.
"As desperate a lookin' cove as ever
seed, = said the waiter, who had not
seen him at all; "but you'd better be
coming inside It's mortal cold out
here and your coffee is about ready
"Wot fool l was to let him stay
there so long," said Policeman Buffer,
regretfully. "How do / know but wot
he's been drillin hole under the lock
and pluggin' it full of blastin' powder
while was up the streetPn
"'Taint no call for you, Mr.. Buffer,
to be throwin' yourself away Investigate
in, and come to think of it, he couldn't
have been doing anything like that for
he's been out and in from there dozen
times.
"Mebbe l ought to have stroked him
off a little with the club" hesitated
MIR. Buffer, caressing that fifth member
of himself fondly; 'but he's out of my
beat now, and anyway he's pretty sure
to be run in before morning. and
with this consolatory reflection he re-
tired.
Down the well-nigh deserted streets,
with head bent down and with rapid
steps, the man hurried along. Pres
emily he stopped and looked around
him. A toy-shop across the way with
brilliantly-lighted show-windowsc caught
his eyes, On the pane was lettered in
eyergreens ''Merry Christmas. sEvery-
where the same old story, y he muttered,
mpatiently, land it seems I can't get
away from it. don t want to hear the
Christmas bells-who would, with such
echoes ringing in his ears? / kept my
last Christmas Eve just ten years ago,
and don't care about trying it again. .
The icy wind was sweeping down colder
than ever, and he began to feel strangely
numb and bewildered. Half-despair-
ing, and yet with an odd sense of happi-
-less, he sank down upon u flight OF low,
broad steps and leaned his head against
the balustrade. Across the street he
could see some one dressing Christ
mas tree some one with cherry ribbons
in her hair and he smiled as he
languidly tried to guess who It might
be- then he smiled again y he counted