The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-01-22
EBENSBURG FRIDAY, JANUARY %. 1897.
THE ACiUk = double.

We were talking about spirit mani
festations at the Thirty-nine club. aud
retailing { he usual second or third hand
accounts of deceased ladies and gen
tlemcn showing themselves to their sor-
row ing relatives.
1t is strange the tricks which our
brains viii sometimes play u.s." said
DIR. Macpherson. Il remember once
seeing a ghost myself, and | can tell
you that the sensation is Il very curious
one. II was n 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 l. was rather sur
prised when | glanced up from my
book to see somebody sitting at the
table where | myself had been few
moments before writing. | felt quite
startled for an instant. until | recog-
nized the intruder. He was a little hay,
but | could see plainly enough who il
wcS."
~ dead reIative?" asked Maj. Den
nett, who was firm believer in th''
good old-fashioned ghost.
Macpherson answered in his pecui-
iarly quiet way: NO. it was myself.
The experience of seeing ones own
ghost is not altogether unusual, | be-
lieve."
Now, I do not think your expert
encc was half so remarkable as one of
minc.'' said Gilbert Dane. the we'll
known actor and manager of the How
ard theater, who happened to be there
.,f
the Thirty-nine. 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 on the stage as
young man.
My story begins prosaically." said
the actor, when we begged to hear IL
Il lost the latchkcy with which let
myself into the theater. and took some
body eIsc's to the Iocksmith's TO have Il
duplicate made. l agreed to call for It
the following morning as | WAS gong
UP to town for rehearsal. was living
at Putney then, and we were actively
preparing play which deserved a BET
tcr fate than il received. if thought
and preparation go for anything. for
came near making myself i'll over it. |
was feeling out. of sorts on the morning
that | called for the Iatchicy. and " hen
he Iu--smith swore positively that hc
isad given me the thing already-that
less than ten minutes previously / had
come in for the key. paid for it. and
taken il away with me-I viii confess
that lost my temper, and stormed at
the fellow; but / could not get him TO
budge a 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 10 Waterloo. 1t was NOV
ing when | reached tho platform, and |
had 10 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 well hidden be
hind a daily paper. l had fortunately
bought my own paper before calling al
the locksmith's. and | speedily followed
their example. So far the story i
painfully commonplace. Now comes TIL
truly rcE.aI! able cNper;CEce whic..
has stamped the doings of that day in
dclibly on my memory"
The actor paused to strike match
and relight a cheroot, which he had al
lowed TO go out, and We all watched him
III =, -u,g. u ordering what was com ns.
Macpherson only had the air OF man
who had heard the story before.
II had become rather interested III
Ilv Tarcr." nane went on, v hen the
cigar was EgLtcd again, land did nor
notice my CONF aniors talking uEt / on"
of them started telling an anccdote-
Tho story and voice startled me, but
i. is difficult 10 describe my feelings
when put down my paper TO gIanceat
thc narrator
lit was yourself?'' asked Maj. Den
nett. cScitsdly, as the actor paused;
and Dane nodded.
Yes. gentlemen, I saw seated AT the
other end of the compartment by the
window, opposite his companion, a fig
ure that was an exact fac-simile of the
reflection which see in my glass every
,Iay when | have dressed for the part o.
4 respectable citizen. 1t was myself
complete in every detail of face and at
tire
AN optical delusion, I SUPPOSE |
surpested: and the actor shook his
head.
NO; that was the first idea that oc-
CURED to me-that | had been working
and worry ing too much over the new
play. and my brain had played ne
trick The unconcerned way in which
the third man glanced at me encour-
aged me in the belief. for the likeness
unless I was imagining it, was enough
to attract instant attention. | won
tiCrcd whether there was actually
man sitting and talking where | had
seen and heard my fac-simile: for the
third man, an ordinary, everyday indi-
vidual, had not spoken a word to him,
and might from his expression have
been listening TO his anectiote or simply
thinking. | was relieved when nc
laughed at the point when my double.
as I began to call his conn anion. came
to the joke of the story, but when he
onCnad his mouth il was only to in
crease the mystery of the affair. for it
showed me that my double possessed
my name. as well as my voice, my dress.
, my face, my figure.
Il began to wonder then, not whether
the man at the window was reality.
but whether | was reality myself. ard
~ certainly would not have surprised