The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-04
YRlcKT 1907 BY IRVING KING. ALL RtcKT1 RE1ERXED

less man.. And, putting on his hat and whistling a tune. ia left the room
 Peter determined at all hazards to seek the hand of Minna. At the for ester's house he found the family as- sembled in the arbor. which had come to be known as Count Peters arbor Minna was weeping. while her father paced up and down in agitation. occa- sionally glancing ove- a written paper that he held in his hand.
 Count Peter" said he. do you happens to know one Peter Schlemihlr'
 What if I were the man myself?" asked Schlemihl:
 Your cried the forester. Why he has no shadow!'
 Oh" exclaimed Minna, 'I have long known 1t. He has no shadow" and re- stunned her weeping.
 Well" said Peter desperately, what is lost today may be found tomorrow"
 Be pleased to explain" said the for ester sternly. 'how you lost your shad- ow."
 "A boor of a fellow" said Peter, "one day trod 70 rudely upon 1t that he tore paired-for money can work wonders and yesterday I expected 1t home again."
 Very we'll" returned the forester, T will give you three days to find your shadow. If at the end of that time you are not here with a well-ftting shadow my daughter Minna becomes the bride of another. On the fourth day, remember. she marries-and mar ries a man with a shadow"
 Overcome by the horror of his posi- ton. Peter. after vainly attempting to address some words to Minna, fled wildly from the arbor and plunged in to the neighboring wood. Here. as he wandered frantically about. he sud- denly felt his sleeve pulled and looking around found himself face to face with the gray man.
 "I had." said the weird stranger. "ap- pointed this day for our meeting. but in your anxiety you made a mistake in your calculations and thought me due yesterday. But now all will be right. All you have to do Is to sign this docu- ment. No, keep the purse. It could not be in better hands"
 On a parchment which the stranger held out was written: By virtue of these presents hereby bequeath my soul to the holder after Its natural separation from the body" The man dipped the pen in a drop of blood which appeared on Peters hand where he had scratched 1t with a thorn. and offered 1t to him.
 Trembling in every limb, Peter re- fused to sign. Threats and entreaties wore useless. Even when the stranger called to his mind the fact that his sig would otherwise soon be the bride of another, his resolution was firm. He would not sign.
 At last the man drew Peters shadow from his pocket. and. casting 1t on the ground, called upon him to see what a fine shadow 1t was and how well 1t would look joined to its former owner: but the wretched man persisted in re- fusing to touch the pen. Bendel. who had been seeking his master, now made his appearance and set upon the stranger with the idea of taking the shadow from him by force; but the gray man, putting the desired article back in his, pocket, made off swiftly. with BendeI in hopeless pursuit. For three days Peter wandered alone through the woods and over the de- serted plains avoiding the sight or nu- man beings. On the morning Of the fourth day as he was passing across a sunny plain, he saw to his surprise a shadow dancing along before him. No human being was visible, but there was the shadow apparently unattached.
 The idea at once seized him that 1t was a shadow which had lost It's mas ter, and that if he could but catch 1t he might make 1t his. On and on fled the
 
 Peter. He had just come up with it and placed his foot on 1t when he felt himself felled to the earth by blow and at the same time grasped a small roundish object, which he saw was a birds nest in his hand
 As he picked himself up he saw the gray man. It was the gray man s shadow, and that mysterious person had been carrying the magic bird' nest. which makes its possessor invisi- ble. Now" said the man, "as you see you cannot have my shadow. perhaps you will give me back my birds nest But Peter knew that he was invisi- ble. even to the stranger. He ned to- ward the home of the forester where he entered his accustomed arbor and heard Minnas father telling her mother that his daughter must be married that very day to Rascal. He Is a man of immense wealth, said the forester.
 He must be a great thief, then" said the mother He, a liveried servant. to become possessed of so much money.
 How foolishly you talk. rejoined the forester. He has simply been sav- ing. And at all events he has an ire proachable shadow which is more than can be said for Count Peter, for whom Minna persists in weeping
 Just then Peter heard voice at his side, and turned to see the gray man. who whjspered: Can you endure this? Have you no blood in your veins? Yes, positively, you have some blood" and he pricked Peters finger and. dipping a pen in the blood, once more offered him the fatal parchment to sign. Peter fled again into the forest, drop hing the birds nest in flight Although | inc stranger pursued him with many ingenious manners of persuasion. he still refused to sign the bond which forfeited his soul
 When his tormentor, with impreca- lions and curcos. had finally left him he returned under cover of night to his mansion in the town. He found the windows had been broken by a mob led | bv Rascal, who had that day been mar ried to Minna; but the faithful Bendel was still presiding over the wreck Of | the house Bendel informed him that the authorities had banished Count Pe- ter as a suspicious person and had given him twenty-four hours in which to cross the border.
 There must still be some chests of gold in the house." said Peter. ''rhey are yours, Bendel. I shall go forth alone. an accursed wanderer. We prob ably shall never meet again, but your fatthfulness has been to mo the one consolation in my wretched life" Peter fled on horseback. without def mite aim as to destination. being only anxious to place far behind him the scene of his unfortunate love. In the course of the night he was joined by a traveller on foot. When day broke he