The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1898-12-25
A SHADOW. PANTOMTME
BY ELIZABETH PULLING.

fire fiickered more and more. She shadows
danced.
The shadows, in fact, were dancing the
tWo-step OF course, 1t was the two-step at
the Fourth of July picnic. She could see her
'bodyguard." She could see herself dancing
with one of them. There was poor Rob
Curtis pretending to fiirt with Agatha Nor
tson under chestnut tree. And 1t was all
SO evidently pretense
She could see the red head among the
shadows half turn to look If she was look
ing. She could see herself trying hard not
to look as If she were looking at the red
head.
One thing, that was about the dreariest
, Fourth of July picnic and dance she had
ever heard tell of or imagined The shad-
ows reproduced it all with faithful dreari-
ness even to the downpour of rain that
ended the whole dreary affair.
That was the third and last principal
event of the year that the shadow drama
showed, and 1t left her with her mind al
most made up to write a really nice New
Years note and send it to Rob Curtis in
the morning.
The only question was, how to write it.
Dear Sir" Dear Mr.. Curtis or Dear
Rob?"
So Winnie pulled herself together, got out
her blotter and, at the beginning of the
ldbl quarter Oh an nOuE Oh the year began
making experiments to see which Of the
three styles would look best paper.
First she tried, my Dear Mr.. Curtis. AT
the beginning of the New Year l must write
to say" And there she stopped, because
the wording seemed too distant aad formal.
So she put aside that sheet of paper and
began afresh. Dear Sir-As we both of
us have much to forgive in the past year"
And that looked downright formidable.
Then she began again, on third sheet
of paper, Dear Rob-Don't you think we
might" And there She stopped short and
pondered as to whether, all things consid-
cred, Dear Rob- was not too much cor
diality all at once.
While she pondered knocking the end of
her penholder against two very wide front
teeth, she thought she heard something go
'plunk in the direction of the window
where the shadow drama had been
going on.
Being little imaginative she was little
nervous at that time of a New Years eve.
She would not look round. She stopped
knocking the penholder against her teeth
and listened.
Buff"
There was no mistaking it. Somebody
had struck a glancing blow on a pane of
the window. What? Something NOT hard
certainly. 1t might be a SNOWFALL
Then she put down the pen, and took her
courage in both her hands and went to the
| opened the window.
1t was a clear, moonlight night.
And in the snow, about fifteen feet below
| the windows, stood figure with broad
| shoulders.
Before Winnie could call out to demand
the intruder's intentions, voice came up
| to the window saying, what are you do
| ing up at this time of night, eh?'
How did you know l was up?" Winnie
| retorted, without asking who the speaker
| was.
| saw the light"
She remembered that she had had to turn
| up the lamp for her experiment in New
| Years letter-writing.
| "Oh," she said, 81 was reading-I mean,
I was writing"
| writing a letter, eh?'
"What did you come for?" she said, with
out answering his rude question. You'll
| catch your death of cold"
"Why?" the broad-shouldered figure de-
| manded. There's nothing to give mo a
| cold unless you have another OF those
chilly Mr.. Curtis-Dear Sir things to
chuck at my head"
"WeT, that's what you deserve. You
.chucked' a SNOWFALL at my window. What
do you want?"
"Oh, / just wanted to tell you it was
nearly time for the New Year to come in. y
Winnie looked round and saw by the lit
tie clock on the bracket over her writing
table that was four minutes to midnight.
YES she said. "If my clock Is right
there's only four minutes OF the Old Year
left. II have something for you.'
what? 1 can't hear what you say II
Nou whisper like that"
II say-Wait."
So she went to the writing table and
gathered the three abortive beginnings OF
New Years letters into a bundle, tied
them up into a crumpled ball with SCRAP
of ribbon and calling, Catch" threw then
down to him.
Then, just as Rob Curtis was untyine
the bundle, and Winnie was shutting the
window, the bells began ringing in the
| New Year.