The Washington herald., 1911-10-15
THE
REBELLIOUS
SHADOW
By Charles Leonard Moore

y
the faculty of the l. University. Because
of his prodigious learning, and the repute it
brought the university. he was released from
any but voluntary duties in lecturing and instruction
For the part he buried himself in his large
gloomy house. amid his fossils and specimens, busted
with writing papers paleontology and monographs
on geology. But occasionally. of course he did out
and his appearance such to engage the atten-
ton and fix the remembrance forever.
He tall, very thin and always clothed in a long,
closely buttoned frock If the weather afforded
any excuse whatever he a shawl around his
shoulders after fashion which had gone out thor
oughly his mastodons. His stock of yellow hair
up projected in wrthing wisps in every direc
ton like Medusas serpents. He had bushy eyebrows,
great goggy eyes long thin nose perked up lips and
chin which retreaed into his high collar until it
not Such the picture which existed in the public
mind of this learned and excellent man.
One night the Professor in his study. 1t
large lofty room with furniture of desks,
tables and bookcases, but it was given a grim and
ghostly air by the skeletons and relics of bygone
ages which decorated the walls hung suspended
from the ceiling The restored anatomy of Eohippus
was planked above bookcase. Over the fire
place gaped the jaws of a Dinosaur, and the bones
of a Mastodon made sort of a cave in one corner.
The large table desk before which the Professor
:eated lighted by powerful electric bulb in a
ground glass globe. There was no other illumination
in the room.
As he bent his task, which the sorting Of
some fossil specimens recently unearthed in Nevada
ba haar aDd
voice exclalmed:-"I am sick and tired of thisP'
The Professor turned quickly around, for he had
supposed himself alone And alone he seemed to be.
No living being was visible the room. But on the
wall. back of him. he saw his shadow, greatly mag
nifed, and apparently in state of Independent
motion. Its stretched out as though in
weariness and its lips were trembling as if they had
just spoken
"Who you and what you tired off," he cried,
starting up The shadow preserved its former out
line, though it should have altered with its owners
posture.
81 your Shadow" its voice replied, "and I am
tired you and of this existence This is very dogs
life for Shadow. I don't get the red blood Of
sunshine in my veins once week. I am shut up in
this musty old house. where, in the daytime, exc
a pale anaemic existence, and where at night am
created solely by the electric light No romantic
moonlight projection for the soft sufusion of
fire candles. Don't you know that the electric light
is bad for the morals of a shadow"
mo, I didn't" said the Professor rather aston
ished, but taking the matter calmly. Have you
anything else to complain off,"
81 have nothing but complaints" answered the
puny, peaked boy, shut up books while your
fellows were playing in the sun, and had be tied
to you. Then came your college days and your pro.
fessorship with your eternal mousng over old bones
and skeletons. Do you suppose 1 care anything for
skeletons? They remind too much of my own
state shadow likes to be gay. A shadow likes to
see life. shadow likes to be admired by the ladies'
What chance have L? think 1 am as well turned
out shadow as the most but repeat what chance
my own mates and equals.
Il warn you that am tired Of the whole thing. I
am going to break away from you occasionaIy-have
some time of. You do very wei! without me- for
you live so much alone that nobody will know whether
you have shadow or not. You don't deserve to be
well set up with such property, anyhow"
With this the Shadow gave oonvusive twist and
seemed to wrench itself from its juncture with the
Professors feet
The Shadow Gets Into Trouble. /
The latter looked about himT-the Shadow had GER
tainy disappeared. Place himself anyway he would
against the light nothing defined itself from the OBJ
structon Well, it did not much matter 1t would not
affect his great study of the possible fossils of the
AzOic period. He would not go out while his black
familiar was away His housekeeper was shorsighted
and for the other he could keep in the twi
light while they about The Shadow did not
threaten entire separation.
Indeed. he soon found that by some law of its
being it was required to be on duty for part
OF each day If he-lost it in ihe morning it re-
appeared before dinner. If it left at night he