The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-08
AN OCTAVE OF SHORT STORIES
By Famous kOVeIiStS.
No. q.
THE OTHER AND l:
A SHADOW STORY,
By RICHARD BOWLING,
FATAL BoNDS,'
DRIVEN" Ere.
x0v FIRST PUR11sErp1
IALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

! lie feel rlcl ana LDt leaEt Kay.
When little Ethel came into the breakfast
room, with arms outstretched to embrace
me. crying in her sweet, young voice,
Good morning, father l would open my
arms wide aud take her into them, and
fold them both about her dainty form, aud
hold her against by breast safe from my
selfish sslt of yesterday, who thought il
might be better il heaven had taken the
child, too! l would bold her close in my
arms against my breast, and answer back
her child's words with child's words, but
with the meaning Of a mans heart.
When l reached my home a cab stood at
the open door. / could slip into the house
unobserved. | wanted to speak the first
words OF my new life to my darling baby
/ wanted to say no word to any one this
morning until l whispered the cheering
news from my renovated heart into her tiny
ear.
The first tones of the song of ioy meant
70 sing for her delight and peace ever
more must be private for her young spirit
alone.
Two doors led into the breakfast room
one from the back, one from the front hall
The table was always laid in the front of
| the room. l went in by the second door
the one by which little Ethel would come.
There was no one in the room. took a
chair by the table In the back part of the
room.
sat with my face TO the door by which
my child would enter. On this table bv me
| lay the morning letters and newspapers,
| felt no interest in either. l heard the other
/ door open and shut.
The servants no doubt were busy about
the meal. / did not heed them. l thought
OF nothing but the little one whom | pic
tured to myself busy even now with infan-
tile haste TO descend and receive her morn
| ing kiss. In few minutes. nay, in a few
| seconds that door would open. The tiny
whios-clad figure would dart in the room,
and, intoxicating thought! in an instant my
child would be folded in my armsl
While imagination enriched my heart
with this delicious picture the door opened,
the white-clad figure flashed across the
threshold. sprang up and flung wide my
arms to embrace the child. She spread out
| her pink arms, crying:
"Good morning, father" and rushed past
me towards my accustomed place by the
breakfast table at the opposite end OF the
| room.
''Here, Ethel. am here. my darling"
i cried, turning round after the child.
saw!
saw my child clasped in the arms of the
Other-of the figure l had seen seated in the
easy chair at the BATH
l saw my young child nestle co his bosom
saw him stoop his head and kiss her fore
headl
heard her say:
"You are better, fatherF'
heard him say:
10, yes dear, ever so much better. am
quite well now"
He laughed and held my child from him
and patted her faxen hair and laughed
again.
| "And you are 90 well, father, YOU will not
cry any more when you take up Ethelw
'No, child. l will cry no more,n said he.
"Ethelw 1 cried, rushing forward to
where they sat- ETHEL my darling
Ethel, my own, come to me-"
| stood beside them-before my child.
| The Other stroked her hair. She played
with his beard.
"Ethel, my baby, won't you come to mep'
cried.
They showed no perception of my pres
| ence.
"How are the dollies this morningr he
asked.
30, they are quite we'll, thank you, father.
They are very good. They sleep all the time
am away"
In an ecstasy Of desperation 1 seized my
child. | caught each of her arms in one Of
my hands. felt the warm tender flesh,
drew the child toward me and stepped back
pace.
In my hands still felt the round, warm,
slender arms, but the child had not stirred
from her former place. / looked at my
| MINUS. aCCOEuluR 10 sense OF LOuen,
held the arms in them-scoording 20 my
sense Of sight. | held nothing IN them!
J The child still sat on the knee OF the
, Other, aud the child's hand, which thought
had withdrawn from him when I stepped
back pace, still played with his beard The
head loved so WELL the fair, haxen heac
still nestled on his bosom!
opened my hands. The sense of holding
something left them. perceived no othel
change l approached them again and
, clutched again the arms Of the child, anc
again sprang back with the sense of still
, holding the arms in my hands. There wa
} no feeling Of weight on my wrists, such a.
) / must experience if had plucked the chile
r from his knee.
''Fiendr' / cried, seizing q knife on tn
q table and drawing my hand across tn
= | Others throat.
Inexperienced the sensation Of holding tina
knife. But while l did 80, while in tn
a very act OF drawing my hand across hi
q throat, though could feel the handle in u
y hand, 1 could see no blade. l had slid NJ,
: hand under the child's toying fingers. ha
= felp his beard brush against my skin
d but the child and he noticed nothing. Still
,, with my hand clutching what felt 10 be tn
/, handle of the kuife, looked at the table
10 The knife had gasped at was there-ha
It not been moved!
n opened my hand. holding the palm up
ward. | could see nothing on it. The sens
IS Of holding the knife handle left my hand
y but nothing fell to the floorl
n l drew myself up and bending carefully
d, timidly forward, extended my open han
le under q tiny tress, a light tassel of m,
st baby's hair. l raised my hand with toll
N some slowness. felt the faint pressure O
, the tress upon my palm. but tae tress die
g. not rise with my hand. Not "a flake of tina
l. tassel stirred. l was powerless to lift on
n hair Of my child's head
s. Then full conviction Of my state cam
IN upon me. l remembered that shadowles
1T garden, aud my shadowless self there.
le WAS shadowless here! In my own eyes
la was counterpart of that man seated o
l. that chair with my child upon his knee T
l. his eyes and 10 the chiid's eyes was empt
es air! To myself l had weight and sub
as stance, as of old. To him and her | wa
I'd imponderablel l could hear just as form
% erly, and In my own ears my own voic
I'd sounded unchanged. To the ears Of hir
and her my widest shout was mute as uh
III frozea lips OF the dead
Id With a shrek of frenzed agony dashe
If out of that room.
to What happened to me for a long while
st know not. Between what points OF tim
a. unconsciousness prevailed l cannot deter
st mine. must have had moments of obser
walton which | could not recall. for when
ID came to myself knew all the conditions @
oil nv new degraded state being