The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-08-04


 from school. The children immediately perceived that Peter had no shadow, and swarmed around him with ieers, and even pelted him with mud People are gen orally accustomed to take their shadows with them when the walk in the sun light" they cried.
 To keep his tormentors away, the shad- owless man threw large handfuls of gold among them, and finally escaped in a hackney coach which some compassionate spectators sent to his rescue
 Peter stopped the coach at the door of the humble inn where he had put up that morning, sent in for his scanty belong ings, and then ordered the driver to take him to the best hotel in town. Locking himself in the room he now took from the magic purse coin after coin in sort of frenzy-gold, gold and still more gold; it strewed the floor, piled high; he trampled on it, rolled in 1t, adding coins to coins until he sank exhausted on the golden bed.
 When Schlemihl awoke the day was just beginning to dawn. He felt weak and famished, for he had not tasted food since the preceding morning. He now cast from him in disgust the very gold which such a short time before had so satiated his foolish heart. He dared not leave 1t lying there and with great labor dragged it to a huge chest which he found in closet opening off his room.
 As soon as he heard the people of the house stirring he rang his bell and sent for the landlord, with whom he held con ference regarding his future establish ment. The landlord recommended for his personal service one Bendel, a young man whose honest and intelligent countenance at once prepossessed Peter in his favor.
 All that day the possessor of the magic purse was occupied in his room with ser wants in want of situation and trades men of every description. Peter dared not venture out by day; but at night, wrapping himself in his cloak and tremb ling like a criminal. he stole from the house and, keeping in the friendly shadow of the buildings. at last reached a distant portion of the town ad emerged into the moonlight, fully prepared to hear his fate from the lips of the passersby. The women whom he passed expressed the deepest sympathy for nina sympa thy not less piercing to his soul than the scoffs of the young and the proud con tempt of the men, especially of the more corpulent ones, who threw an ample shadow before them. Finally, unable to bear this longer. Peter again sought the friendly shade of the houses, and at 2 late hour reached home, worn out with fatigue and oppressed with profound melancholy. He had acquired the wealth for which he had so longed, but at what a. sacrifice:
 lie determined to try the next morning to find the mysterious gray man, in the nope that the stranger would have be- come as sick of his bargain as Peter was of his part of 1t. and so dispatched Bendel to the house of MT. Thomas John, tell ing him briefly the story of what had taken place there.
 The faithful fellow sympathized deeply with his afflicted master and promised not only to keep his secret but to guard 1t so far as possible from the discovery of others. On returning from MT Johns Bendel reported that the tent, the tele- scope, the Turkey carpet and the horses were still there, but nobody would ad init knowing anything of such a person as Peter described the gray man to be- and that all the articles have been pro cured by Thomas John in quite q natural way, and had by him been presented to his guests.
 But as I came in through the city gate said Bendel, "f was stopped by man who inquired after you and asked me to tell you that he was about to cross the sea In a year and day, however, he said he would again have the pleasure of waiting upon you and would then have a proposition to make which he doubted not would be of most agreeable na- ture. I inquired his name but he re- fused to give it. saying that you would remember him.
 What sort of a person was hep cried Peter in great emotion. Bendel described the man, and his master, throwing him self down in agony of despair, said "It was he the very man you sought.
 Scales seemed to fall from Bendel's eyes and he exclaimed remorsefully, 'Fool that I apL-Yes. 1t must have been Alas! L~fave betrayed my master.
 Y Peter consoled the faithful fellow; then he dispatched him with valuable ring to the most celebrated artist in the town with a request for his attendance. The artist came. Sending away his attend ant. schlemihl after Rnjoinug the strict est secrecy put the cese Of a man who wa5 so unfortunate as to lose his shadow and inquired If he could paint him an- other
 By what awkward negligence can man have lost his shadow?" asked the artist. Peter replied with an unb'ushing falsehood, saying that he was traveIing in Russia one winter and on bitterly cold day his shadow became frozen to the ground so firmly that 1t was found impossible to remove it.
 ''Humphi" said the artist. 'I fear I cannot supply the loss. A person With out q shadow would better keep out nf the sum- that is the only rational thing to do." and went away after casting penetrating look at Peter which made that unhappy man shrink.
 Schlcmihl now purchased a house of his own and set out to live as a wealthy man should It was incredible with what providential foresight Bendel con trived to conceal his masters deficiency. Everywhere he was before him and with him, providing against every contingen- cy and in case of unlookedfor danger flying to shield Peter with his own shadow-for he was taller and stouter than hls master Thus Schlenihl once more ventured among mankind and be- gan to take part in worldly affairs, though he was compelled to affect cer- tain peeuliarities and whims; but in a rich man these seemed only appropriate, and so long as the truth was kept con- cealed Peter enjoyed all the honor and respect that gold could procure.
 Peter himself took the greatest precau- ton. He seldom stirred abroad except in a carriage until after nightfall. Tho lovely Fanny. whom he had seen first at Thomas Johns, he now met. in several places, and though she bestowed some notice upon him she did not seem to rec ollect having met him on the fatal day on which he sold his shadow. Wit and understanding seemed to be Schlemihls in