The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1897-02-05
THE ACTORS DOUBLE.


retailing the usual second or third hand
accounts of deceased ladies and gen.
tlemen showing themselves to their sor-
rowing relatives.
at is strange the tricks which our
brains will sometimes play u.s." said
DR.. Macpherson. 81 remember once
seeing ghost myself, and l can tell
you that the sensation is very curious
one. 1t was good many years ago, in
my examination days, and had been
sitting up until the early hours cram
ming Everybody in the house had
long since gone to bed, where ought to
have been myself, so / was rather sur
prised when 1 glanced up from my
book to see somebody sitting at the
table where l myself had been a few
moments before writing. felt quite
startled for an instant, until 1 recog-
nized the intruder. He was little hazy,
but l could see plainly enough who it
was"
"A dead relative?" asked Maj. Den.
nett, who was a firm believer in the
good old-fashioned ghost.
Macpherson answered in his pecul-
iarly quiet way: mo, it was myself.
The experience of seeing ones own
ghost is not altogether unusual, be-
lieve."
''Now, do not think your expert
ence was half so remarkable as one of
mine," said Gilbert Dane, the we'll
known actor and manager of the How
ard thcater, who happened to be there
that night. Dane is not member of
the Thirty mine, but had come with
Macpherson. Most Of the brain spe-
cialist's friends are in the profession,
fact which is perhaps due to the year
which he himself spent OH the stage as
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 theater, and took some
body else's to the locksmith's to have
duplicate made. 1 agreed to call for il
the following morning as 1 was going
up to town for rehearsal. 1 was living
at Putney then, and we were actively
preparing play which deserved bet
ter fate than it received, if thought
and preparation go for anything, for
1 came near making myself i'll over it. ]
was feeling out of sorts on the morning
that l called for the latchkey, and when
the locksmith 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
that lost my temper, and stormed at
the fellow; but l could not get him tc
bulge line from his story. He
seemed to have an idea that was play.
ing a practical joke, and the only re.
suit of my talking was that ! nearly
lost my train to Waterloo. 1t was NOV.
ing when l 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
hat each was pretty we'll hidden be.
bind daily paper. l had fortunately
bought my own paper before calling at
he locksmith's, and speedily followed
their example. So far the story is
painfully commonplace. Now comes the
Eruly remarkable experience which
Afas stamped the doings of that day in.
tielibly on my memory"
The actor paused to strike a match
hnd relight cheroot, which he had al
lowed to go out, and we all watched him
IN silence, wondering what was coming.
Macpherson only had the air of man
Fho had heard the story before.
81 had become rather interested in
by paper" Dane went on, when the
eigar was lighted again, land did not
hotice my companions talking until one
Pf them started telling an anecdote.
"The story and voice startled me, but
is difficult to describe my feelings
Fhen put down my paper to glance at
he narrator"
at was YOURSELF" asked Maj. Den
lett, excitedly, as the actor paused;
md Dane nodded.
Eyes, gentlemen, saw seated at the
.ther end of the compartment by the
sindow, opposite his companion, a fig
Re that was an exact fac-simile of the
affection which 1 see in my glass every
BY when / have dressed for the part of
respectable citizen. 1t was myself
smplete in every detail of face and at
Re-"
Fan optical delusion, I SUPPOSED"
tggested; and the actor shook his
lad.
mo; that was the first idea that oc-
9rrred to me-that had been working
nd worrying too much over the new
10y, and my brain had played me "a
}riek. The unconcerned way in which
khe third man glanced at me encour-
led me in the belief, for the likeness.
1nIess was imagining it, was enough
ga attract instant attention. ! won
led whether there was actually a
Man sitting and talking where I had
se4n and heard my fac-simile; for the
third man, an ordinary, everyday indi
Yidpal, had not spoken word to him,
and might from his expression have
been listening to his anecdote or simply
linking. 1 was relieved when he
iau8hed at the point when my DOUBLE
81 began to call his companion, came
a he joke of the story, but when he
oNsAed his mouth it was only to in
efeSse the mystery of the affair, for it
III II - -