Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-10-27
A SHADOW.


before the open window shutter How
| difficult il w:ls L. get at closing it, The
air was cool. The city s,.i;. Below in the
narrow. billy street came mn!eteer
astriic, STOPPING forward over the back
Of the ass. whose little hoofs clicked and
slipped ON the biz. smooth stones He
sang u inonotonous song in the customary
plaintive drawing. nasal tones OF the
easterner, and as he passed along the
sound of his voice reminded one of the
bagpipe.
On the window sill lay a manuscript
dissertation, and so clear and brilliant
was the February moonlight that Hans
could read the fine writing without diff
ticulty. II was defense of the establish
ed order OF things. of standstill conservs
tism, admitting of no exception. And
rs he stood there in the city where the
idea of human brotherhood was born and
had gone forth over the earth, as he
glanced over the pages of the document,
he said To himself: NO, no: we young
people are natural foes to conservatism
We are the ones who now. in all ages,
have broken ground for the truths which
have proceeded from this city" As he
>lh''Nt Ht btit an uuNbuStlcNS movement
with his hand. At the same time his
,iarce fell upon his own shadow gu the
wall outlined by the moon.
~" ,-3uld u"t restrain his laughter
Wa ii"i that the shadow of an actor. the
head thrown back, the hand extended as
if he were declaiming some stirring
passage?
y feeling of shame swept over him as
he copsiticred for The first time that.
among the ideas transmitted from that
city ia the western world as a cargo of
precious jewels. was a tiny pearl. hui
manity.
He closed his eyes and pressed his
hands over his face. and thousand little
stars seemed TO flash before his sight
To he sure. il was merely the pulsations
~ his own blood which produced this
sensation. ami yet. little by little. those
tiny lights ceased 10 revoive and looked
Tor ali the world like the palt. stars which
he had just been watching in the firma
uent. At length. aroused by voices in
the street he looked out
Between the houses opposite thcre e1-
tended wall On the ground IN front
was bright FIRE, and by that fre stood
Christ surrounded by few disciples and
friends. Just behind him his shadow
was clearly defined upon the wall
John, the disciple whom he loved. me-
chanically picked up a blackcned coal
and with it outlined the shadow until he
had ldelineated the entire figure of the
Master upon the wall. Then he dropped
the coal and entered into conversation
with the rest. *
Next morning. when Hans Alienus
again stood II his open window and saw
the people pass. there were many who
stopped and looked with curiosity at the
drawing on the wall
THAT represents shoen. aker: his
back is bowed" said the shoemaker
you talk nonsense returned the
fruiterer: that stopping posture proves
that be is a fruit vender. They forgot to
draw the basket on his back, but that
half open mouth shows clearly that he
was crying: 'Pomegranates. Come and
buy. Come and buyr"
A high official Of the sanhedrin who
passed. and who of course did not mix
his voice with the gabhle of the trades
peoplei thought to himself: ''It is perfect
ly .plafn that that represents learned
man Sud a thinker One might almost
tdht ~ Dt pOtt. VI uS. 'SitiNSis
it is me: not bad, either. Probably some
of the. tradespeople drew it. OF course
they sIl know me more or less
Meanwhile one of the spectators had
silently approached the carbon drawing
He had simple demeanor and !. kind,
patient face. Nothing great was known
of him. no chronicle has preserved his
name, for he led retired life, away
from the noise of the world With hands
crossed over the knob Of his walking
stick he contemplated the drawing.
"What noblc forehead" he thought
What lofty humanity that bent figure
suggests! Oh. if only one could be like
that! But why wish for the impossi-
bler'
As he stood there. silent and humble. !
the likeness to the drawing was so strik-
ing that everybody fell back. pointing to
him in whispers.
Startled and ashamed he slipped away. |
unable to understand why they should |
stare at him.
In his conscious humility he had re
sembled the Christ shadow
Had he known this. and. proud in that
stood erect, the likeness !
would have vanished.-St. Louis Globe |
Democrat. |