Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-02-15
DAILY SHORT STORY
What's in a Shadow?
IOriginal.l

tom
Beg pardon. professor" interrupted
the facetious student. "A shadow is
nothing"
The class Uttered. while the professor
cast 4 provoked glance at the facetious
student Controlling himself however,
he paused Il moment to consider how
he should meet the interruption. Tech
nically the student was right. but he
was hypercritical. He had taken like
course several times before, and the
professor desired 10 put a stop to his
Interruptions.
You think that a shadow is moth
ing" he said. addressing the class,
while looking at the facetious student.
Il think | can demonstrate that a shad-
ow may be something fraught even
with life and death. Some years ago
l was travelling in the far west, where
things are not done as we do them
here. and strolling through the central
square of a small town l came upon
a gallOws. 4 crowd was collecting,
and upon inquiry | learned that a muir
derer was to be hanged at noon. l
did not remain to witness the hanging,
but on going back TO the hotel | asked
the landlord something about the cul-
prit and his crime. This is what he
told me:
Some months previous a house had
been entered. an old man who lived
there alone murdered. his tin box where
he kept his Valuables rified and his
money taken. There had evidently
CT nd Of blood
peared here and there on the furniture
A careful examination of the marks on
the box was made. resulting in the dis
cOvery by the blood stains on it that
the index finger OF the right hand OF
the murderer was missing. But that
was all the Roadway made in the case
for some months. Everybody for miles
around knew that Il murderer was at
large minus the index finger of his
right hand, and everybody was on the
watch for such Il person.
lone night about 10 o'clock a woman
was sitting before embers on 4 fire
place doing. Behind her on a table
was IL bright light. before her Il white
wall. Opening her eyes. she saw on
the wall the shadow of man. He
stood still for moment; then, raising
his right hand. in which he held Il
knife pointing downward. he began to
advance without noise. One thing was
nOticeable-there was something want
ing in the shadow of the thumb and
forefinger. If you will make such q
shadow. you will see that in that posi-
ton it will show the fOrefinger Il pro-
tuberance. The woman noticed there
die of the knife took its place. but did
not completely fill it. At any rate.
there was difference. No more re
markabIe instance of GOODNESS than
that of this woman threatened with in
slant death is OH record.
Sarah she called in Il perfectly con
trOlled voice 10 Il servant in the kitch-
en-.
- The shadow retreated. Probably the
man stepped into the hail. Sarah came
in. ana her mistress said to her:
~ have some bills To pay tomorrow
morning and, some purchases to make
There's not a cent of money i'll the
house. | wish you to take Il note to
my brother and ask him to let me have
$50. which amount | will draw from
the bank tomorrow and send it to his
office. Stop; he will not give it with
out the order. | will write one. Hand
me my writing case
The servant did as she was directed
and the woman wrote the note. reading
it over aloud carefully to make sure
that she had made herself plain and
that the servant understood what she
was TO dc. Then the latter left the
house.
For five minutes by the clock on the
mantel the woman sat perfectly still.
She could not be sure that her plan
would succeed. She must take her
chances on its succeeding without an
effort TO determine whether it had or
not After five minutes, not seeing the
shadow reappear. she got up and went
out the front door TO the next house.
where she sent y messenger to the po-
lice station with the following note:
1.-The three fingered murderer came Just
now 10 my house to murder and rob ne
sent my servant with u note to my
brother living on the Hilton road for $50 |
The murderer heard me tell her what TO
do He will follow her and on her return
will rob her.
The police We're out al once. followed
the girl and saw her enter the house
where she was TO get the money. One
OF their number entered. dressed him
self in the servants clothes and started
back as if to deliver the money. From
behind bush Il man sprang up and
called out. Your money or your life
at the same time covering the supposed
servant with a revolver. Instead of
he sounded a sharp whistle. |
1t was needless, however. for the police |
were in touch and in an instant had |
the robber handcufred. His right hand /
was found 10 be minus the index fin |
ger. There was absolutely no other tes- !
timony 10 convict him of the murder |
some months before. but /
this bit of circumstantial evidence was /
sufficient. The shadow of the fOrefin- /
GER
Wrong again. professor" interrupt /