Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1913-01-23
WHO WAS
SHE?
By F. A. Mitchell

There has always been to me some
thing impressive in Il street at night,
when all are in bed. Perhaps it is the
contrast between its quiet and the life
there was in it during the day.
| had recently begun the practice of
medicine, and, having been called up
at midnight to visit a patient not far
from my house. had chosen to walk
rather than get out vehicle. | re-
turned through just such a street as
have described, and, walking along
on the sidewalk. was impressed with
the solemnity of the rows of dark
houses with their slumbering inhab
itants. 1t seemed to me like a GENE
terry for beings whose consciousness
was suspended every night during the
same hours. SO silent was it that my
| footballs sounded loud enough to wake
| the SoeperS.
Suddenly, while passing the portal of
a church. from above came the clang
of a clock striking the hour. So loud
was it, so out Of keeping with the pre-
vaiIlng stiffness, that my heart seemed
L
braced myself against the next stroke
But 1t did not come. | wished it would,
| for there again was the silence, and
silence is not natural to human be-
| ing. We require sound and motion.
These are the two conditions without
either Of which we suffer
My route lay through an open square
used rs a park. In its center was
fountain. and about the fountain were
benches The fountain was still, and
the seats were unoccupied. Something
In this condition of Il city in suspended
consciousness so attracted me that 1
was minded to give myself up for
few minutes to its influence. l sat
down on one of the benches and lost
myself In fancy. On the four sides Of
the quadrangle were dwellings and not
light to be seen in any dwelling.
All within were sunk in oblivion. Sure
ly death could be no more Of nothing
ness than this brief period of slumber.
| was the only live being within the
square.
Whether the god of sleep, annoyed
at one rebellious subject among so
many who were Obedient, touched me
that | should fall under his sway or
whether some other of the many gods
who preside over our transit through
life thought proper to hypnotic me ]
do not know. That | grew drOwsy l
well remember. l am sure | nodded.
Catching myself after a nod, l looked
about me, and there sitting on the
other end of the bench was young
girl. There were city lamps burning.
and | could see her features quite
plainly. She was very pretty but pale.
Her hair was not coiled upon her head,
but hung loose on her shoulders-not
scattered. but In separate locks. Her
dress was that of the lower middle
class.
Somehow 1t did not seem to me that
the conditions | have described were
broken by the girls presence. | did
not feel that there were two persons
where there had been one, Yet there
sat the girl looking out on the trees in
the park or the buildings beyond just
as | did. 1t occurred to me that she
must have come there during brief
interval when | had lost consciousness
through sleep.
But how strange that she should be
there at all! A young girl sitting in
park in the center of city between
and 2 o'clock at night when every one
else was In bed and asleep! 1t occurred
! to me to speak to her. but so uncanny
was the circumstance of our being
there alone together that dreaded to
do So | dreaded lest she should fail
to break the spell by replying to me,
| In that case l should feel that | was
sitting by a supernatural being, and
the very thought caused shudder.
While | was trying to make up my
mind to speak to the girl | noticed
something else about her that excited
a new wonder. This was that she re
sembled me. The discovery increased
the feeling that she was not real, but
| shade. Once or twice in my life
have dreamed that | saw myself in
duplicate and have always awakened
with a horrible feeling and a rapid
beating of the heart But this time
was not dreaming. | was sure of that
l had been drowsy. | had nodded, but
now | was thoroughly awake.
l was interested. My companion did
not seem to me as sister. but as
myself would have been had | been
born a girl. | Judged that she was my
age Her hair and eyes We're exactly
the same color as mine. Her features
were all mine except that they We're
feminine while mine We're masculine.
If had had twin sister l should
have believed this girl to be she. Final
ly made up my mind to speak to her
isn't it rather late
| got no further. At the first break
ing of the silence she was gone.
Wondering, l arose and went home,
At the medical college where grad
uated was a professor who was deep
. / Nd In