The Shadow Between His Shoulder Blades

"The Shadow Between His Shoulder-Blades" by Joel Chandler Harris This post-Civil War narrative features Billy Sanders recounting the story of Wimberly Driscoll to a stranger on a tavern veranda in the town of Shady Dale. Sanders describes Driscoll as a restless, disciplined plantation manager descended from an aggressive missionary Baptist uncle. Both men are discharged Confederate veterans—Driscoll lost his right foot in Virginia, Sanders was wounded at Chickamauga. Sanders reveals that Driscoll, desperate and lovesick over Margaret Featherston (whose family has moved away), volunteers under General Forrest despite his disability, riding on a fine gray mare with a crutch strapped to his saddle. The narrative captures their departure, including an emotional scene with Mammy Kitty, Driscoll's old caretaker, who berates him for chasing after the Featherston girl. The story employs extensive dialect and period detail, illustrated by George Harding.