Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-11-04
Evening Story.
SHADOWS.
BY Dorothy Douglas.

~ OofotHy Douglas.
Copyright, 1912, by the Associated
Literary Press)
There was no moon.-the faint
glimmer from an arc light shone on
the huddled figure. Trevor drew
nearer the statue that stood in the
center of the square, but the figure
dropping near it's base neither moved
nor made sound.
A fog-hung, damp midnight was
not the time for either man or beast
to be grazing the foot of statue,
and Trevor approached the person
there, keen sense OF duty toward
the outcasts of life squirting him on.
In the dim light he could discern
nothing save huddled mass He
touched the human wreckage gently
with his walking stick.
From the darkness and shadows
the ghostly outlines of white tragic
face appeared like mirage in the
desert Trevor caught his breath
sharply and half recoiled. The face
was that Of woman, drawn and
miserable in its portrayal of abject
failure. She would have sunk down
lagain into that semi-conscious stupor
of desolation had not Trevor pre-
vented her by speaking.
what is IT." he asked gently. =
want to help you
The girl raised slender, tapering
hand to her brow as il to brush away
an imaginary shadow When she
spoke, the low pitched anguish in her
voice gripped at Trevor's heart with a
hitherto unknown terror. He real
lied suddenly that he had never ex-
perienced big emotions.
'rYou are kind" she managed to
say in that sorrowful voice that trem-
bled even as frightened child's but
my faith is gone-faith in God. in my
self, in art, and even my faith in death
as peace giver has gone, and have
not the power to take my"
"Dont!' Trevor stopped her alb
ruptly, shrinking from the words that
would have followed.
The woman drew long weary
breath and her head fell forward on
I her outstretched arms. Trevor stood
a long moment looking down at the
huddled mass that was the habita-
ton of a woman's soul. broken and
utterly trodden under by the hoofs
Of destiny. "a
"But why (Trevor was scarcely
conscious of voicing his thoughts) ds
she here? What upheaval in the hui
man reckoning has sent her adrift?'
Her voice came from the muffled
depths Of her arms. She had not
raised her head nor moved. II
thought you had gone she. sighed:
then her voice continued it's low MUIR
murings. II am here because during
the last year have given brain and
body and everything that possessed
to my art-struggling fighting and
always sure of winning the big prize
that was at stake. failed An iron
|ical hardness had come into her voice.
after giving gladly, freely of the
very breath drew toward the COM
pletion of my competition statue ]
was awarded the second prlze-a
shining gold medal with red ribbon
attached to IT," Trevor again flinched
from the timbre of her voice. II
tried to crush the golden bauble with
a rock just now, but 1t only Knocked
me in the glimmer Of the arc light
and flung it into that fountain"
'Do you mean" questioned Trevor.
to whom her words were not quite
clear, "that you have won some kind
of medal and that you have cared
so little as to throw 1t away
what good did golden bauble do
me-" she asked, with "a mockery OF
laughter in her voice when have
struggled for the $4,000 prize? What
good is the sign of genius II you have
not the food with which to keep the
body alive? What irony to give a
starving sculptor medal with the red
ribbon attached" She laughed dis.
cordantly. but there was tragedy I'M
derneath it all that could not pass I'M
noticed. Trevor paced the length OF
, the stone steps.
After moment of restless move.
ment he returned to the side OF the
girl. Her head had again fallen on
!her outstretched arms
Be it said Of Trevor that he had
not once doubted the girls honesty.
Tonight" he began hesitatingly
81 won three times the amount you
have lost. Every night at the club
like sums pass from one to the other
of us, and 1t is, as 1t were, p farth.
Ing exchanging hands--so horribly
lwealthy we all are. Will you let me
give you the sum I won tonight?'
An unusual, pleasurable sensation
swept over Trevor After the halt
ing words had left his lips he realized