The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-09-09

did not touch pen to, paper for nearly half year. In the meantime my mind was active, and I was constantly think ing out the plots of new stories, and in- venting scences and incidents to be used later on.
 One day I was astonished to find in a new magazine a story signed by my pen-name, and written in exact imita- tion of what I was pleased to call my style. was sure I had never written the story. It was one of many stories on which my mind had dwelt while lay in bed with a broken leg. and its appearance in print was a mystery to me. However, finally decided that l must have written the story and for gotten all about it. It annoyed me to think that my memory could thus play me false; but I could find no other eX- pIanation of the fact that the story was actually in print.
 "A little later the same thing oc- cured again. This time was abso- lutely sure that the story purporting to have been written by me was the work of someone else, for could swear that the plot and the incident had come to me only a few weeks before the story appeared, and that had never, during ! that time touched pen. l at once dic- tated a letter to the editior-for 1 was still forbidden to write-informing him that someone had imposed upon him a forgery signed with my name. signed the letter John Alderman for the editor knew me only by that name. You can fancy my surprise when he replied that had myself brought the story to him, and that we had chatted some time together about it. He gave date of this alleged meeting, and it was a day when 1 was at my worst with pneumonia, Then I began to think that possibly I was going mad.
 l But the more I thought of it the less the theory that was mad ex- plained the fact. The editor had as- sured me that John Alderman had personally brought him the story which I had thought out while lying on my bed, but had never written. l was certain that the editor was telling what he thought was the truth, but how, then. could I account for my alleged presence at his office? To suppose that anyone had initiated my manner of writing as perfectly as it was initiated in the story in question seemed grossly improbable, but 1t was not absolutely impossible that 1t might have beeen done. To suppose that had spoken ot the story in state of delirium, and that my nurse had written it and then happened to sign it John Alderman, without dreaming that there existed any connection between John Acker- man and myself was next to impossi- ble. To suppose, furthermore, that anyone could have initiated my person al appearance in the character of 'Ac. herman so closely as to impose on tht editor, who had seen me and talked with me so many times, was simply unthinkable. And when one came t( add all these suppositions together the mystery grew more insoluble than ever
 ,"Once more the same thing happened Another story by John Alderman, which l had invented but never com mitted to paper, appeared in print. | was one of the latest stories that hat come to me during my convalesence I had made a few notes of it tha would have been ineligible to no ont but myself, but not word as to it hat ever assed my lips. And here it was written out in full, and signed witt my penname. That habpened only three days ago.
 Last evening, for the first time sine my illness, I put on my disguise anC went to the room where had been ac customed to work. I thrust the Ike! into the door, but the door was alread. unlocked I opened it, and there b. the table sat John Alderman dressed precisely as I was at the moment, ant wearing the same beard and spectacles The lamp, which was large and pow erful one, stood at his right hand ol the table. It threw the shadow of tn
 big inkstand on the table, but, thougl the figure sat directly between me ant the lamp, no shadow lay on the floor II stood motionless for moment.
 knew was not dreaming, but a horri
 ble fear that had gone mad paralyze tme. Then the figure raised it's face