The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1856-05-03
e'T,H.lEss.P P.ATRIOT.
#THE iDOPPELGANGH
q, Nlssm.ris lpslerp. /

A,b.r. L.chmer w.s ny particular iitisSs
and fellow student. We studied ItXfethee u
Heidelberg; we lived together; We. had no 70.
crets from each other Wc called each othei
| by, the, ,endeering name,of fbrQtAeE OnElsAsiea
the university, Albert decided on following III
profession of medicine Iewss p6ssss ~ u |
moderate competence and SaittlG dIAHtea a
Ems. on the Lain 50 devoted myself 70 tht
tranquil life Of proprietor and q b06 disani
er. Albert went u sssidsswith physician, I,
pupil and assistant. q, the little town Of Cas3
sci. established myself in my ihhstita1ce.
u was delighted with mi Rome !; with ii
garden, sioping down tes the tushya MAsgiuaS
| tho river ;With the view Of Ems, t6SstnfEStpd
old Kurhaus, tho suspension bridge and, fuf:
ther away, the bridge Of boats, and the darn
wooded hills, closing lin the little colunyl on
every sidc. 4 planted my garden in the Eng
lish style fitted up my library and smoking.
room and furniehcd ono bed.chamber cspo.
cially for my friend This room overlooked
| the water, and a-clsmatis- grew up round the
window. placed thero a book. cease, and filed
il will, his favoriie books hung tho walls with
engravings which knew lio admired, and
chose draperies of his favortc coisr. When
all was complete, l wrote to him. and sbade him
come and spend his summer holiday with mo
at Ems. ...,, K.
He came but / found l,,mnI greatly altcred
He was u pale, dark man.. Always somewhat
taciturn and sickly, he was now paler. more
silent, more delicate than ever. He seemed
{ subject to fits Of melancholy abstraction, and
appeared asif some aIl!absorbing subject was
weighing upon his mind--s0me haunting care,
ffomswhich even was excluded, atiia,,f,i,,
He had never been, gay, it is true /; he had
nevcr mingled in our Heidelberg extravagan.
ces-ncvcr fought a duel at the Hifschgasse--
never been one Of tho followhood of Foxes
| never boated, and quarreled, and gambled like
the rest Of US, wild boys as wo were! But,
then he was conslitntionally untitled for such
violentsports and alamenoss which dated
from his early childhood proved an effectual
bar to the practice of all those athletic exeroi-
| ses which secure to youth the mems sana in
corpore sano. Still, he wes. strangely altered ;
| and it cut me to the heart TO see him 80 sad,
and not to be permitted to partake Of his anx,
ieties. Sometmcs ! fancied that ho was in
live bnt / was som convinced Of my error.
He was changed-but how, or why, I found il
impossible to discover. 'NQ'@19a' i1 l3'%97Q
After he had been with me about a week,
chanced one day 10 ailudo 10 the rapid progress
that was muking everywhere in; favor Of mes-
merism, and added some light word Of incre-
dulity as spoke. To my surprise, he ex-
pTtbdGO nS uueu1utG l0iul III 6vGIY ueY0ltuItut
of tho science. and defended all its phcnomena,
even to clairvoyanee and mcsmeric revelations,
with the fervor Of determined believer. ..og
found his We've on the subject more .ex-
tended than any / had previously heard To
mesmeric influences, he attributed all those
| spectral appearances, such 40 ghosts. wraiths.
doppclgangers /; all those noises and troubled
spirits all those banshcese0r family appari-
tons all uaoso hauntings and miscellaneous
phenomena, which have from the earliest ages
occupied the fears, the thoughts. and the inqui-
ries Of the human race. r'F '''''t ''' N'']'fl
After about three wecks' stay, he left me, and
returned to his medical studies At Cassel, prom
Using to visit mo in the autumn, when the grape
| harvest should be in progress. HE parting
words were earnest and remark able: /" Faro
well. Heinrich, my brother farewell, ill the
gathering season. In thought, I shall DO Otto
with you!"
He was holding my hands in his own as X,
said this, and peculiar expression fitted across
his countenance the next moment he had
stepped into the diligence, and was gone.
Feeling disturbed, yet without knowing why,
ma dc my way slowly buck to my cottage.
This visit Of Albert's had strangely unsettled
me, and found that for some days after his
| departure, could not re.urn to tho old quiet
round Of studios which had been my occupa-
AHu O0hikue USIvIC Uo VubuC' k1ouuSuOW
our long arguments dwolt unploasantly upon
my mind, and induced nervous sensation oi
which felt ashamed. had no wish 10 be-
licve; l struggled uguinst conviction, and the
very struggle caused INC to think of il tho more.
AT last, tho effect wore away; and when my
friend had been gone about fortnight. ro-
turned almost insonsibly To my former routine
Of thought and occupation. The sesson slow
" advanced. Ems became crowded with tour.
lists, attracted thither by the fame Of our medi-
cinal springs; and whut with freqpcntng con
cerls, pro'nenades and gardens, reading, receiv-
ing few friends, occasionally taking part in
music meetings, which are 30 much tho fashion
hero, and entering altogether into little moro
socicty than had hitherto bccn my habit, sue
cceded in bnniahing entirely from my mind tho
doubts and reflections which had sO much dis
turbed me-. 'Hf lfnHf''e lhi Ili"d1n 90
si One evening, rs was returning homcward
from the house Of friend in tho towu, oxpe-
rienced a delnsion which, 10 say the least Of il,
caused mo very disagrecuh!c sensation. j
have stated that my cottage was situated on
the banks of tho river, and was surrounded by
garden. Tho entrance lay at the other sido,
by the high road hut l am fond Of boating,
and had constructed, therefore, a little wicket,
with fight Of wooden steps, leading down 10
the waters edge, near which my small rowing-
DouS lay ubovSu. ctCIluK CuuO olOuH
by the meadows which skirt the stroam tho
meadows are here and there intercepted by vil~
las and private enclosures. Now, mine was
the first, and could walk from tho town to my
own garden fcnce, without once dverging from,
tho river. path. was musing, and hummng
to myself some bars Of popular melody, when,
all al once, began thinking Of Abort and his
theories. This was, / assove.ate, the first time
he had even entered my mind FOR at least two
days. Thus going along, my arms folded, and
my eyes fixed on the ground, reached the
boundaries Of my little domain before knew
had travcrscd half The distance Smiling at
my own abstraction, paused TO go round by
the entrance, when suddenly, tn my great sur
prise, saw my friend standing by tho wicket,
and looking over the river towards tho sunset
Astonsllmcnt and delight deprived me at first
Of all power of speech. Al last-" Albert"
Dried, "t this is kind Of you. When did you ar
rivc?" Ho seemed not 10 hear me, and re-
mained in the same attitude. repeated tho
words, and with similar result "Albert look
round, mani" Slowly he turned his head and
looked me in the face! and then, oh, horror !
even as was looking at him, he disappeared.
He did not fade AWAY he did not fall but, in
the twinkling Of an eye, lie was not there.
Trembling and awe-struck, I went into the
house, and strovc. TO compose my shattered
nerves. Was Albert dead, and werc apparitiOns
lrurhsY dared not think--I dared not ask
myself the question. passed a wretched
tvht . nd il,s ovt dos I otc LoI a.,