The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-11-01
THE ACTORS DOUBLE.

We were talking about spirit mnnifes-
tations at the Thirty-nine Club, and re-
failing the usual second or third Inland nc.
counts of deceased ladies and gentlemen
showing themselves to their Borrowing
relatives.
1T is strange the tricks which our
brains will sometimes play us, said DIR.
Macpherson. 81 remember once seeing u
ghost myself, and can tell you that the
sensation is q curious one. 1t was Il
good many years ago, in my examination
days. and had been sitting up until the
early hours cramming.' Everybody in
the house had long since gone to bed,
where / ought to have been myself, so L
was rather surprised when | glanced up
from my book to see somebody sitting at
the table where myself had been a few
moments before writing. | felt quite
startled for an instant, until recognized
the intruder. He was II little hazy, but
could see plainly enough who he was"
GA dead relative:'' asked Major Den.
nett, who was Il firm believer in the good,
old fashioned ghost.
Macpherson answered in his peculiarly
quiet way: "No, it was myself. Thn ex-
perience of seeing ones own ghost is not
altogether unusual, | believe
"Now, don't think your experience
was so remarkable us one of mine,'' said
Gilbert Dane, the we'll known actor and
manager of the Howard theatre, who hap
pened TO be there that night. Dane is not
Il member Of Thirty-nine, but had come
with Macpherson. Most of the brain spe-
cialist's friends are in the profession, II
fact which is perhaps due to the -ear
which he himself spent on the stage as II
young man.
"My story begins prosaically," said the
actor, when we begged TO hear it. II lost
the latchkey with which let myself into
the theatre, and took somebody else's to
the locksmith to have IL duplicate made.
agreed to call for iu the following morn
ing as was going up TO town for rehear
sal, was living mt Putney then, and we
We're actively preparing Il play which de.
served Il better fate than it received if
thought and preparation 20 for anything,
for came near making myself i'll over it.
/ was feeling out of sorts on the morning
that called for the latchkey, and when
TIE lJchsmith swore positively that he
had given me the thing already-that less
than ten minutes previously | had come
in for the key, paid for it, and taken it
away with mel will confess | lost my
temper, and stormed at the fellow; but |
could not get him TO bulge II line from
his story. He.,scemed to have an idea that
| was playing II practical joke, and the
only result of nv talk was that nearly
lost my train TO Waterloo. 1t was NOV
ing when reached the platform, and
had to run for the only compartment of
which the door was open, near the end of
the train.
The compartment contained two other
passengers, but if | glanced at them at
all, noticed nothing except that each
was pretty we'll hidden behind daily
paper had fortunately bought my own
paper before calling ut the locksmith's,
and l speedily followed their example. So
far the story is painfully commonplace
Now comes the truly remarkable expert
ence which has stamped the doings of
that day indelibly on my memory
The actor paused to strike a match and
relight his cheroot, which he had allowed
to go out, and we all watched him in
silence, wondering what was coming.
Macpherson only had the air of Il man
who had heard the story before.
~ had become rather interested in nv
paper Dane went on, when the cigar
was aiight again, ''and did not notice my
companions talking until one of them
started telling an anecdote. Then it
gradually dawned upon me that the story
he WAS telling WAS one that | could con-
slider my own particular property, and
when listened it struck me that the
story was being told not only in my
exact words, but also in my own voice.
They say that IL man does not recognize
his own voice-when he hears it in the
photograph, for instance; but that is
possibly the fault of the photograph, and,
at any rate, know that recognized mine
instantly.
1
it is difficult TO describe my feelings when
put down my paper 10 glance ut the mar
rator."
''It was YOURSELF" asked Major Den
nett eXcitcdly, as the actor paused and
Dane nodded.
eyes, gentlemen, ! saw seated at the
other end of the compartment by the
window, opposite his companion. il figure
that was an exact fac similc of the rchec-
ton which see in my glass every day
when have dressed for the part of a re
spectacle citizen. 1t was myself complete
in every detail OF face and attire
An optical delusion, suppose sug-
gested; and the actor shook his head
mo; that was the first idea that oc-
CURED to me that / had been working
and worrying too much over the new
play, and my brain had played me Il trick
The unconccrncd way in which the third
man glanced at me encouraged me in the
belief for the likeness, unless / was i'm
agning il, was enough TO attract instant
attention | wondered whether there
was actually man sitting and talking
where ! had heard and seen my c-smlc:
for the third man, an ordinary everyday
individual, had not spoken word to
him, and might from his expression have
been listening to his anccdotc or simply
thinking. was relieved when he laugh
ed mt the point, when my double, as
began.to chll.his companion. came to the
joke of the story, but when he opened his