The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1898-08-19
THE ACTORS DOUBLE.

retailing the usual second or third hand
accounts of deceased ladies and gen
ticrlcn showing themselves 10 their sor-
rowing relatives.
1T is strange the tricks which our
brains VIII sometimes play us SAID
Dr. Mac nhcrson. Il remember orc"
seeing ghost myself, and can tell
you th2t he sense; on is 4 very curious
one. 1t was gocI many years ago, in
my examination days, and l had been
sitting u until the carly hours cram
ming Everybody in TIC house had
long since gene to bed, where ought to
have been myself. % / was rather sur
prised when | glanced up from my
look to see somebody sitting at the
table where | ny9clf had been q few
moments before writing. | felt quite
startled for an instant, until | recog-
nzed the intruder. IIc YVES little hazy,
bu. 1 could see plainly enough who it
wce''
"a dead relativc?' asked Maj. Den
nett. who was a firln believer in the
gocd oli-fashioncd chest.
Mcpherson answered in his pecul-
iarly quiet way: 60, il was myself.
The experience ef seeing ones own
ghost IS not altogether unusual, L be
licve."
Gov. | do not think your expert
cncc VS. half so remarkable as one OF
mine" said Cilbc3. Dane. the we'll
known actor and manager OF the How
ard thcater, who happened to bc there
lat night. Dane is not a member Of
The Tkirty-nine, but had come with
Macphcrson. Most of the brain spe-
cialist's friends ar9 in the profession. 4
fact which is perhaps due to the year
which he himself spent on the stage rs
young man.
Ny story begins prosaic1lly," said
he actor. wien v,c begged to hear it.
y lost the latchlley with winch | let
myself into the thCater, and took some
body else's to Ghc ioci;smith's 10 have 4
duplicate made. ! agreed 70 call for It
the following morn. ng as was gong
up to town for rchc 2Tsal. | was living
at Putney then, and We were actively
preparing play which deserved BE-
ter fate than it received, if thought
and preparation 60 for anything. for
| came near making myself Ill Over It. 1
was feeling out Of sorts Gil The morning
that c2llcd fer the iatch!.c..', :;I:I WIcn
the loc.,sn..t;l swCrc positively that he
had given me the thing :!rcady-that
less than ten minutes previously ] had
cone in for the k, PAID for it, ard
taken it away with mel viii confess;
that l lost my temper. ana stormed II
the fellow; but | could not get him TO
bulge q line from his story. lie
seemed to have an idea that 1 was play
ing practical joke. and the only &c
suit of my talking was that l nearly
lost my train to Waterloo. It was NOV
ing when ! reached tho platform, and l
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 well hidden be-
hind daily paper. l had fortunately
bought my own paper before calling at
the loclsmith's, and speedily followed
their example. SO far the story is
painfully commonplace. Now comes the
truly remarkable experience which
has stamped the doings of that day in
deibly on my memory
The actor paused TO strike a match
and relight a 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
who had heard the story before.
II had become rather interested in
my paper" Dane went on, when the
cigar was lighted again, land did not
notice my companions talking until ono
Of them started telling an anecdote.
THE story and voice startled me, but
j: is difficult to describe my feelings
when put down my paper to glance at
the narrator"
1T was yonrself?' asked Maj. Den
nett, eXcitedly, 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, fig
reflection which ! see in my glass every
day when have dressed for the part Of
respectable citizen. 1t was myself
complete IN every detail of face and at
tire"
'An optical delusion, 1 SUPPOSE"
suggested: and the actor shook his
head.
''No; that was the first idea that &C.
CURED to me-that had been working
and worrying too much over the new
play, and my brain had played ne Il
trick. The unconcerned way in which
the third man glanced at me cncour-
aged me in the belief. for the likeness
unless l was imagining it, was enough
to attract instant attention. ] won
Gered whether there was actually a
man sitting and talking where I had
seen and heard my fac-simile: for the
third man, an ordinary. everyday indi-
eidual, had not spoken a word to him
and might from his expression have
been listening to his anecdote or simply
thinking. l was relieved when he
laughed at the point when my double,
as began to call his companion, came
to the joke of the story. but when he
opened his mouth it was only to in
crease the mystery of the affair. for il
showed me that my double possessed
my name, as well as my voice, my dress
my face. my figure.
II began to wonder then, not whether
the man at the window was a reality
but whether l was reality myself, and
il certainly would not have surprised
ma if hid lnc,l.n6 in ~ n, :,1.n,. n nd