Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-10-21
DAILY SHORT STORY
THE SHADOWER.
tOriginal.l

Captain" said the general. here IS
a dispatch of Importance which l wish
YOU to deliver at once 10 General lay
Ior. l do not think there are any
Iexicans in the region between our
two separate forces. but there may be.
You can either take an escort or scout
your way alone"
CAPTAIN Allen Duane paled. His gen
eral looked at his aid-de-camp curious
ly, wonderingly. for he knew him 10 be
a brave man, then asked, Which
course Will YOU adopt
Il shall scout through alone
As If the captain had chased away
disagreeable suspicion as 10 his cour-
age, the general turned cOmplacenCly
to other matters.
What was il that caused the color to
nonentarily leave the cheek of the
young officer at being ordered upon an
ordinary duty: He did not know him
self. He only knew that some vague
message had come 10 him TO tell him
that this would be 10 him night Of
what? He did not know. More in
fear of cowardice than danger, lie
shook off the disagreeable impression,
which melted before his resolution like
mist before the sun.
Riding to the outposts. he left his
horse and moved away into the debata-
Bile land held by neither American nor
Mexican. y young moon shone down
on his shoulder. casting Il faint shadow
TO his left and to his rear. 1t annoyed
him. Turning to glance at it. he could
not refrain from fancy that a figure
was following him. Looking straight
ahead. he fixed his gaze on the plain,
over which here and there grew scat
tered clumps of tropical trees.
1t was lonely out there on that desc
late plain where the poorest Mexican
disdained to build even an adobe hut.
The vipers with which the country
abounds had crawIed into their holes;
the few birds We're hidden, silent. in
the branches of the trees. 1t seemed
to him that even the melancholy cry
of Il whippoorwill, with which he had
long been familiar in the north, would
sound companionabLe. There were only
the plain. the trees, the moon and the
sky. over which fioated small clouds
with dark bodies and fieecy borders.
DESPITE his efforts 10 drive away the
impression that his shadow was some
one following him this impression grew
stronger. Turning again, ne cast i
quick glance behind. There was the
shadow as before. Raising his eyes to
the sky, he shuddered. The moon was
behind Il cloud
1t was now clear to Captain Duane
that the mysterious follower was not
his shadow What was it! If Il hui
man enemy it would have long before
this shot or knitted him in the back.
If friend. why did it not declare it
self And why did he not hear its
tread: He listened, but by the closest
attention he could not detect a foot
step. And why, he asked himself, did
he, Il soldier who had been twice
brevetted for bravery. shrink from
turning and confronting this mystical
intensity of shade?
BY an effort he gathered strength to
turn his head for one more glance.
There was the figure, more distinct
than before. yet not continuously so.
1t seemed To Captain Duane that his
eyeSight was not capable OF holding
the image long enough to see exactly
what it was. Now. for an instant, the
head and shoulders would keep their
form-the face bOny. with deep Sunken
ey eS-a broad. prominent mouth. Then
the legs. long thin ones, would be
tramping with one uninterrupted. I'M
changed gait. the whole covered by Il
long flowing mantle which fiuttered in
the wind. yet there was no wind.
Desperate, the officer halted and fac
ed about.
who comes there he cried.
The words broke the stiffness like q
clap of thunder from serene sky.
There was in them a singular distress.
as if they had been for ages asking Il
question to which there had come no
reply. The figure stopped when the
speaker stopped, standing. waiting. as
though neither impatient nor tired. con-
fideut that the object of its attention
would move Oh and it would again fol
low
Tie young captain did move on.
Though his physical strength was I'M
impaired. it seemed TO him that his
soul was tagging. that it was slowly
but surely slipping away from him.
He was as ready to meet an accustom-
ell enemy and fight as bravely as ever
AS Captain Allen Duane he was still
independent; as a human soul he was
losing himself.
And now there in tie distance is
something white. He shades his eyes
from every ray of moonlight and dis
covers white tents. He is nearing the
end Of his mission. y few more miles
and he Will be within the picket line
of a friendly army. Will this shadowy
tramper remain behindE
Captain Duane pushed on. The in
capabilities of the road were no obsta
cles. He took no thought at running
upon some rowing band Of MeXicans.
The mysterious figure was closing up
on him. At last it came so close that
he could almost feel its breath. like the
moldy chill from a tomb.
who comes there" called the
picket
Why did not Captain Duane reply.