The herald., 1911-11-30
The Mysterious
Shadow
By n. SANBORNE BROWN
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911.

Notwithstanding that this is a ra
tional age there has not ceased TO be
q border line between the spiritual and
bodily elements. There are as strange
things happening today as ever hap
things. for we viii
believe nothing now unless we can
eliminate every possibility Of fraud.
am a country doctor. Formerly l
used horse and buggy to make my
round of visits, then bicycle, then an
When | was using my
bicycle | was called to see q patient
one moonlight evening in early sum
mer Hanging my medicine case TO
the handle bars. | started of on very
smooth road to go a couple of miles.
The night was still. and the air was
soft. did not need my lamp.
could have heard a leaf fall among
the trees beside the road.
A bicycle in good condition moves
very silently. Nevertheless, though
mine was in perfect trim. it was not
without some sound on this very still
night. | was riding with my back to-
ward the moon, which stood high in
the heavens and shone down oblique-
ly over my right shoulder. casting my
shadow before me. inclined a little to
the right Suddenly another shadow
came into my field of view. gaining
on mine very slowly. ] did not turn
my head. keeping watch of the object
following In my wake by its shadow.
When / could trace on the ground
distorted human figure riding wheel
not six feet away from and abreast
Of me l turned my head, expecting to
see fellow traveller.
Neither figure nor bicycle was there.
/ dropped my eyes again to the road,
and there was the shadow.
I'm not going to describe my feel
ings, for there are no words for the
purpose. j was recalled to myself by
the wabbllng Of my bicycle. Then.
somewhat recovering my equanimity,
studied the shadow beside mine. 1t
was so punched that I concluded 1t be-
longed TO a woman, especially since
there was a part which f1uttered by
passing through the air. l listened for
the slightest sound. but notwithstand-
ing the proximity of the mysterious
and invisible object casting its shad-
ow / heard nothing.
Spook lore Is full of cases Of shad-
owless beings. but never before had !
heard Of q shadow with no intervening
object between IL and the light that
cast it. ] turned my wheel to the
| other side Of the road. but the shadow
| turned with me. So absolutely did II
| follow mine that II occurred to me
| that Il must be a duplicate OF mine
| I turned in my saddle and looked be
hind me to see II there was any OBJ
ject to produce such result. The
space at my back was free from any
intervening object.
BY this time my nerves were all In
| ouiver-not that there was anything
to be afraid Of. and l did not fear thu
invisible, but / would have given tel
years Of my life to get rid Of the thin!
simply because 1t was uncanny. L
would not be got rid of. II l turned ]
turned; IL my wheel wabbled 1t wab
bIed: IL / slowed down 1t slowed down
If went faster 1t went faster.
For a time it did not occur to m
that l might have received some braIl
shock. A single minute drop OF bioo
breaking through a vessel Of the bral
will produce strange results. Paralysi
is the most common, loss of memory ]
another, and we do not know HOY
MANY Authorizations occur from tina
cause. / fancied that one OF thes
drops of blood might have tmpinge
upon my eye in some way to cause m
to see a duplicate shadow Of myself
But In that case 1t would have bee
an exact duplicate, and In the preser
the other was not mine.
entered a place where overarchin
trees cast their own shadows an
mine. and my attendant was lost
prayed that when l emerged into II
moonlight mine would alone remai
. Alas, was doomed to disappoin
ment. 1t was there as perfect as whe
I entered the archway.
| A few hundred yards ahead Il
, road forked Would the invisible ira
eler take my road to the left or go
, herself to the right? ! watched vii
Z bated breath. Nearer and nearer v
| neared the fork; faster and faster be
nv heart. At last point was reac
ed where my companion must make
, turn. When / saw our shadows sho
{ the faintest deviation l heaved de-
sigh. Wider and wider grew the d
( lance till all doubt as to our followil
T different roads was removed.
: / had got rid Of the thing, and tn
Q Is what I most wished for. Nothil
a was accounted for, but I felt that fro
{ this divergence the shadow was SON
!. thing independent of me; that j D.
q not created 1t, nor was ] in any W
responsible for It
;. Once and once only I saw 1t aga
q The two roads came together just !
d fore l reached the house where
8 my patient. The shadow Joined
e for a few moments In unobstruct
d moonlight at the roads junction: tn
9 II was lost under overhanging trees
1 found my patient to be girl abe
twenty years old. She was in tran
+ that had come over her during an
d ness I had been sent for to see II