Evening journal., 1899-05-25
Shadow and Cherub
By W. L. Comfort


iiy. and he now wears a cayalrymau's
blouse and shirt Of army blue. How
this came about involves the prejudivvs
Of a nation.
Shadow was not old enough TO be sub
scrvlent. The knowledge that he was
black had never hurt him yet. But his
father was a son of slavery and his fa-
TIERS father soin Shadows nature there
was mildness and long-suffering and In
his back bow to people with white
faces. II was a bow, not q cNnge.-a
pleasant sensation Of obeying, notfawn-
ing humility.
But cavalrymen from the land where
cotton blooms and persimmon trees
flourish in every strip of woodland
make no distinction. And many are
the cavalrymen in Uncle Sans service
who hail from localities where negroes
are hired now and hated. But there
are others who punched cattle and
straddled cow-ponies west Of the Mis-
sissippi and not 50 far south as the
Rio Grande; and others still who lived
once where negroes are seldom seen,
and are liked for their jollity and devil
take-care-of-to-morrow dispositions.
And these took notice of Shadow in
spite of black looks and murmurings.
There was a funny twinkle in his
dark eyes and wondering pucker in
his full red lips. Old Chicken. the far
rier, first took him under his wing. 1t
was the night before leaving the states,
and the regiment had been paid earlier
in the day.
Now. every officer knows that a com
mon soldier works with greatest dis
| patch and efficiency when broke It
vas a grand demonstration of mettle
that the cavalrymen gave thatday. Each
man assisting in pushing frightened and
fractions horses up steep gangway,
and in loading mountains of heavy lug
| gage on the transports for many hours
and all under the strain Of cavalry
mans thirst with months pay in his
pocket
Everything was ready when night
came except the blessed tide. Itwould
be four hours at least, the sailors said,
before the troop-ship dare cross the
bar Had it not been for this mys-
FERROUS and accommodating element the
i Fifth cavalry would have lugged their
whole months pay about eheerlessly
throughout long voyage. This
would have been unprecedented. II
would have been positively uncanny.
"It's dangerous TO let them &c" one
, lieutenant said; "some will never come
/ back"
Let them 60" said an old captain
who had risen from the ranks and who
was no stranger TO pity.
"You ought to know, captain, how
duty looks and time passes to n soldier
on payday" the lieutenant replied
weakly. lie was talking TO his superiol
officer.
LET them 60" repeated the captain
and the boys went TO town with none,
intact and great responsibilities
. tingling in their breasts. All cam
back save one, who was not n drinking
a. man, and who had lost a sweetheart
back in San Anton. but not in Port'
( Rico.
e It was in those four hours that Oh
20 Chicken found Shadow. The firsttim
4 | saw him was a half hour before th
e time of embarkation. lie was sittinl
c in the darkness on the lee side of TIN
great ship. Above him fiickered mean
ingless lights and shadowy myster
of ropes and rigging. Below him th
s. chocolate-hued Savannah playful
e slapped the big piers and the trans
S ports plated sides. Beyond him la
a 4 l. nd
Two large bottles Of something pm
= tr7ided from Shadows blouse. Smalle
!. bottles of something protruded froT
= Shadows many pockets. Hampers &
3, other good things surrounded him; an
10 very strange to tell, Wild Bill. the mos
dissolute and prodigal Of troop ton
h. cats, purred cozily upon his lap.
Dr. But most inconceiyable Of all was III
all attitude of Cherub, the untamable-
T. Cherub. the vicious and massive-jawe
" bloodhound-fo several years a chatt'
A Of troop X Cherub's hatred for civi
n JAMS was depthless and dreadful.
al Then why should he put his gree
N ugly head upon Shadows lap and the1
rest so quietly and peaceably?
"Yo' an me is dun guine TO Port
Rio, an pussie-tom and Old Chick
ed dun 'guine. Doan' shake yo' big hat
es dat-a-way. is aguine cos Old Chic
3 dun SADIE 1 could. We alls guine
Porto Ric', and de horses"
''s Shadows head was very close
~ Cherub's jaws while he was murmurir
sn these words. Then he began 10 Groom
er quaint melody which the old MANN
nd days had left behind in his kinly hea
er Cherub yawned in lazy contentmen
ng Wild Bill purred hoarsely. and watch'
- wondering.
a Meanwhile the cavalrymen return'
n with laughter and great happine'
m Then the great troopship cast her i
oh and veered seward. Good cayalr
hs men-the ones who win chevrons
m their first enlistment-have no sen
in ment. A recruit possessed of sen
meut will lose it in the first thr
months. or else apply for his diseharl
There was much Of this element
Shadows nature. The horsemen wi
their spurs, six-shooters aud sabe
~. made a deep impression. A que'