The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1943-08-21
"THE DARK SHADOW
CHAPTER I

CHAPTER
Come in. please a. Young
girls soft voice said Mother Is
expecting YOU
The Young girl was very prei-
~. ! saw that al my first glance
She was dark. eyes black. and her
tsir smoothly curlcd and shining
II she had been horn IN Samoa
o. In the Philippines she would
have been called ain island heau-
y But she was horn IN The Unit
ed States Of America IN the riiy
Of Philadelphia
She wore a white dress plain
and smart. and as she Tod the
way into The quiet house iha
stood on quiet street. saw
she had that peculiar grace which
one sees 50 often IN the South
seas But there WAS nothing FOR
c'xn about her when she talked
Her speech was pure American
"Wil you please come up
stairs" she said
So followed her upstairs in
70 a identified and even handsome
room whore we sat down while
We waited for her mother
Mother Is talking 10 nv grand
mother she said "Grandmothcr
has just had long distance call
from my father because It is
Mothers Day you know NV
father IS a major IN the army. n
doctor with the new flying corps
Of Tuskegee"
She was proud OF her father.
could see that But could inn
aginc any father being proud. too.
Of this daughter 50 graceful so
fun Of ease and poise even with
stranger
This child" thought watch
Ing her and listening as she an
swered my questions about her
school LIFE is happy child
She told me that she went 70
q pahIic school waefc colorcd and
white girls mingled together
without self-con~ciousness Sho
J liked her friends She said and
had q good time and she was ncf
often treated differently because
she was not white But as she
said this saw little shadow
In the really beautiful ewes
put question 10 that shadow
Don't your colored school
mates ever feel any disadvantage
IN not being white
Yes. il seemed they did espec-
iallv when they were seniors
There had been pleasant Gus
en- in the school that The senior
lass Went before it was grad
uoted on rip 10 Washington.
The capital Of their country II
was meant as sort Of climax
Ia their years Of cducatiou IN The
e,celIent public school Actually
it was anii-climav and contradio-
ton 70 what they had hecn taught
Fer The coloed girls could not
20 because they would not be adj
miifcd to the hotels with their
schoolmates There was no hotel
in Washington which would take
the girls II some Of them were
colored.
So the white girls 20 and We
don't" this child said quietlys
She added hastily "Of course We
wan, them To 90 We wouldn't
want them to miss the fun just
because We must"
Il should like YOU 20 know !
said, that II We're white girl
in your school ! wouldni 60 Il
you could not, am ashamed Of
those white girls who so without
YOU to visit Washington Of all
places"
She did not answer this, but
she smiled a painful little smile.
y won't he problem this
YEAR anyway she said We
can't any Of us 20 because Of The
war"
Her mother came in then. q
woman graceful and pretty
enough 10 explain her daughter.
She was quiet woman. gentle
with long breeding
"How long have YOU heen in
Philadelphia ." asked when we
lscran To talk
She had heen born IN Phila-
adclpiia. and her family had been
here for three generations That
IL She VAS ~ an old American
family The generation earlier
had becn in The south a white
ancestor had brought Them here
suspected several white an
testors IN this Beautiful woman
Her skin was golden brown. and