The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-06-25
A Thrilling Exnarianca.

a thrilling Experience.
Two young Englishmen sailed to-
gether on board Cunard steamer from
Liverpool for New York short time
ago. They had never met before, but
they happened to come together in the
first evening on board, and finding that
they had a great deal in common, soon
became something more than mere ac-
qaaintances. 1t was rough passage,
and they were seldom able to get on
deck, so they spent most of their time
playing ecarte. 1t was between the
deals OF one of their games, and the one
who was sitting on the bunk (whom we
Will call Mr.. Al was shuffling the cards,
when both became aware that third
person was standing at the cabin door
looking at them.
Good God, Jackr' exclaimed Mr.. B.
jumping up from his couch, ''how on
earth did you get here?'
The figure at the door said nothing,
but quietly turned around and walked
away again. The boat was rolling bad
ly, and whenB had done tumbling over
the portmanteau and had made his way
to the door some few seconds had elaps-
ed. A. was naturally somewhat aston
ished at the mysterious interruption and
the way his friend had treated it, so he
threw the cards on the bed, and, hang
ing on to the door, scrambled out after
him. When he got into the passage he
saw B. standing some ten yards off look
ing up and down in a bewildered kind
of way, and nobody else in sight.
"Who was it?" asked A., as the other
came slowly back to him after question
ing the steward. Il have not seen him
on board before"
He was my brother, and he is not on
board, y was the startling answer. Il
left him in Liverpool, and 1 know he
can't have come away"
Nonsense, my dear fellow; it must
have been some one of the passengers.
certainly don't believe il was your
brother. He was as utterly unlike you
as one man can be unlike another He
was tall and you are short, he was fair
and You are dark, he was stout and you
are slim, and your faces are completely
different"
L L,
but he is really my half-brother. His
name is c., and we are totally unlike
each other But that man was my half
brother. Jack c., as sure AS am stand
ing here, or-his ghost"
Well, there was no more ecarte that
afternoon; none Of the officers or pas
sengerS had seen anyone answering to
the description of the supposed c.. and
| he never appeared again until they
reached New York,
When they landed, B. found cable
message telling him that his half brother
was dead.
Now, so far, this incident was not diff,
ferent from ascore of others which have
been reported and published at various
times; and, beyond the fact that the APP
partition was seen clearly by twopersoas,
it supplies no further evidence of the
eXistance o. appearance OF ghosts OF
| doubles than has been adduced ovel
and over again But there was sequel
to this which lends CHASTITY circum'
stantiality to the whole affair, and makes
it very hard to laugh the matter off as &
mere optical illusion.
A. lost sight of B. entirely, a few days
after arriving in America. While the
former went West at once, the latter
stayed in New York three or four day.
| and then recrossed to England. Two
years had passed before A went bach
again, and he had pretty well given W
puZzling over the mystery, when on.
day as he was walking along Piccadilly
he saw the man who had appeared il
the state-room that day coming TO NEE
him.
Pardon me. sir, " he began, sis no
your name c. g''
Yes was the answer, my name i
c., but must confess you have the ad
vantage over me.
| Il dare say. only saw you once be
fore, and that was on board the steam
ship Papua in mid Atlantic.
Good heavens! Then your name i:
A, and you were with my half-brother
Charlie B., when he saw Jack. No, tina
was not THAT was my brother. w
were exactly alike, and were continual
ly being taken for one another. Charli
is utterly difIerent-but then Jack and
took after our fathers. wish you woul
turn in here" he said pointing TO ella
house close at hand, land tell me a
about the day. You know, of course
that Jack died that very afternoon?
Oh, yes, A knew it well enough bu
the horrible difficulty was this: He ha
never seen Charlie B. until he met hiI
on board ship. and had never see
either the brothers C. at all The onl
knowledge which he had of their fe'
lures, or could have, was from that on
short glimpse on board ship. Whol
had he seen, then? Scarcely anotht
4 person altogether, when the remen
: brance of his features enabled him
recognize his brother. If it was an OF
teal illusion it was very wondertI
one that could so picture face whie
he had never seen before; If it was NJ
an optical Illusion, what was it?-Ne
I York Tribune.