The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-04-16
THE RoANoKA ZINES. SUNDAY. April. is, 1898.

y
dcnsed milk, of course. 1 knew it was
without reading the label, only--what
on earth did L want with condensed
milk? gave 1t up as bad job, as L
did several other things which puzzled
me, such as work basket on n table
by the window and a very small pair of
what looked like dolls socks, APP
parently undergoing repairs. which
couldn't by any possibility belong to
me, and yet there was something IA
miliar about them, too, as though I'd
seen them before under different cir
cumstauccs
Finally, sat down and, having com.
pounded myself u tumbler of whisky
and water, took off my boot to see my
corn. Was it the fact of finding my
loot lncased i'll Il red sock, when could
have sworn that never wore anything
but black, that caused me to invcsti.
gate other portions of my attire. and
subsequently,, on discover ing further
discrepancies. stand up and review my
sell III the looliing-glass over the man.
telpiece? Is it possible by the aid of
mere words to chronicle my amazcment
on hnding that the individual therein
rejected was not myself ut all, but
Slmpl1ins? There was his face. with
the nondescript sort of nose and SANDY
mustache which characterized it. and
the clothes, those abnormal checks.
always associated with him, and that
glaring and aggressive ncclstic = all
were his / thought of tile perambu-
lator-a double perambulator, too. If I
remembered rightly-ovcr which had
bruised my-that is. Simplins' Sims,
and the work basket and the socks
doubtless nppertaining to one of those
aforementioned twins), and the con-
denscd milll-thcv were all his! This.
then, was practical cxcmplification of
the truth of Davis discovcry-thisw was
why things had appeared at once so
strange andso familiar-this accounted
for the corn on my right foot was
not myself at all. l was Simplsins
Davis had distinctly said that man
with strong will might, under favor
able circumstances, so exert ii as to
transfer himself. for the time being,
INTO the outward form of any other in
dividual he might fix upon for the pur.
pose. Now, was undoubtedly n man
OF strong will. This proved it nnmis-
takably ] had In some way projected
and merged my own individuality into
that of Simpllins-had, in fact, become
Simpllins. What I had done with nv
own body didn't llnow-whcther Id
left it behind at the club. or dropped
it in the caG--but here I was, with
my perambulutor in the hall.
and, in all probability, my twins
upstairs III the nursery. their condensed
milk on the top shelf of my cupboard,
and Gin, IL
adjoining my cNtrcmitics. Icrc was
go. To think that had got n wife
and family, and. if remembered
rightly. mothcr-in-law overheard
laughed to myself, for fear of walk.
ing the twins, but suddenly rcmcm-
bcrcd fact which brought nv mirth
to an untimcIy conclusion. Suppose I
couldn't find my way back again-sup-
pose was buried under mistaken i'm
preston, and so had melody to get back
to-supposc ] had To remain as I was
for the rest of my natural life? / set
myself firmly to try and will myself
back again into my own proper person.
wherever that might be. But it was of
no good. could not do it, although |
tried for half an hour, until the pcr-
spiration streamcd off me; so. taking
the tnmbler of whisky and water at n
dranght, sank back exhausted into an
arm-c chair and fell either asleep or into
state of Inconsistencies
When l awollc. or came to myself. It
was morning, the gas was out, and the
table laid for break fast, and 10y my side
stood tall, imposing looking figure
frowning down upon me in intense dis
approval ! knew that face and figure,
1T was Simpkins's mother-in-law, now.
alas mine, as was only too evident from
the way in which She addressed me.
"Mis-ter Simplsins = John Edward!
Aren't yon ashamed of yourself? Nine
o'clock in the morning, and you've not
been to bed all night! You, the father
of twins. who are at this identical mo-
ment being bathed in the room over
Your head and screaming at the tops OF
their little lungs as we'll they NAV.
dear inno".nts. with their father not
home ell night. and no doubt running
himself AT billiards, until the poor dear
children won't have SO much as a gum
ring left to cut their teeth on before
many months are over their heads:'
Overcome by this picture of destitu-
ton in the near future. She paused for
Il moment to take breath. while hung
my head in detection and dismsy at the
situation in which l found myself
Truly, if had known before all about
this mothcr-in-law, need not have
lated and dcspised poor Simpkns TO The
extent had done. Perhaps, after ALL
it was just as we'll that he, and not /,
had married the third Miss Tomlins
who now, with Indignation on her brow
and twin on each arm, entered the
room and proceeded to add her re-
proachcs to those Of her maternal