Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1917-09-07
T h 9 d ally
Short Story
NJ OTHER SELF.
By Esther yandeveer.


live alone with my servants, a
woman cook and a bousemaid. am
!. so years old. tail for a woman and
with grizzly gray hair wear
glasses. and as have esouble with
+ one eve the glass before that eye Is
I eoE9rea light amber
These details are necessary to an
understanding of an incident I am
about TO relate.
One afternoon -or rather evening
for the dag was fading went home
/ after shopping, opened the front door
with NY latehkey and went upstairs
To nay room. The door was open. and
woman was standing before the mir
ror of the bureau p0wdering her face
7 saw her reflection in tbe glass and
what was my establishment TO sea
myself Il had any doubt the
woman was 7. IT was dispelled by see
/ ing that one of a pair of glasses she
wore was cof0red and was amber
While I was gazing az her she sud
denly caught sight of me, and her
face took on the same expression as
mine She was apparently as much
! ast0nisbed al seeing me as j was al
/ seeing her Indeed she caught 8t the
7 bureau for support ] felt very much
/ Ike catching al something for sap
2 ttEEE AtAFStt4s Es1E IL occurred
that / had better keep grip ON my
( self and retain nay faculties that +
might find out what this strange oc-
curFence meant Nevertheless / viii
admit thar / was obliged 10 make a
great effort To do SO.
Who are youT ! stammered.
who are you p asked the ether
/ looking ready to faint
Z am Wilhelmina Bunting"
/ You cannot be. / am Wiihelm3Ha
Bunting CO away Do. please, "a
await"
strained my eyes to discover some
want of resemblance between the
woman AMI myself 1T was shortly
before she time for lighting the
lamps. and OF course L could not dis
tinguish minor parts as we'll as il
had seen her at nooudav but she was
my height and build had the same
grizzly gray hair as T. with two short
curls on each temple. But more con
yinclnE than all else was the amber
C0l8red glass before her left eve And
YET / doubt If this was more stagger-
ing than the fact that the woman
seemed 10 be even more appalled, st
seeing me than / was az seeing her
The first explanation that occurred
to me was that had been stricken
been feeling as well up to the very
moment / saw this strange reflection
of mEseIE IS had ever felt i'm MY
life. And Notwithstanding its APP
pearance now felt myself TO be in
q perfectly normal condition I was
conscious also that this woman was
not Shade but q person Of flesh and
blood. Perhaps it, was this conscious
ness that enabled me to get ms frs
grip en- myself began to throw OF
the idea that I had brain trouble or
dlsordered vision or anything Of
physical nature that would cause me
30 see double me. The w0man's
actions iu that case sh0uld be am ex-
act duplicate of mine They were
not Her motions we're not III unison
with mine. though they were similar
20 mine.
Next came suspicion that ms
double was playing me. As soon as
j got control of nay faculties I began
90 see that her actions were not al
together spontaneous Thare was
something forced in them In other
words, I realized that she was acing
q part AT least I suspected she was
[ had no theory as to what would iu-
iuce her to do this. It simply seemed.
to me that she did It.
By this time I was ia condition
10 ask questions
When did you come here?"
asked
II came in about half an hour ago
Where from ?''
4 had been-shupuIng
She hesitated before speaking the
asst word. It seemed 10 nae that She
vas celebrating what answer III
make 10 my question. But I had been
hopping myself, and the reply tended
90 discomfort me However. by this
lme the woman had recovered some
u her eQuauimity and seemed to me
o be bracjng herself for an exam
nation. tt suddenly flashed anon me
hat her appearance in my house was
or purpose. Quickly Withdrawing.
stepped back into the hall and pull
ng the door after me. locked IT,
Whatever had been the w0man's oh
ect-1f indeed she were q real won
n and had an obiact-she was a
prisoner, for there was but one door
o raE bedroom, aud there was no
means for her escape I staggered te
ne telephone auG calling 2 friend
old nay tory somewhat incoharently.
IS true, but managed 70 make her
Understand me. She came right over
nd after satisfying herself that was
z sound BODY and mlud advised me
o send for the police
MeII, the upsbot of the matter was
bat fae woman had seen ma buying
EVERY, OF which I am fond. though
seldom decorate myself with it, and
ytzgAH& our similar personal ppear-
nee. decided 30 get herself up ike
let lapers1nate Ioe to the servants
nd myself If necessary and get away
}t1 some q NV valuahfes Her
caring glass like the one ] wore
7Tlain.y pat finish on her makeup
men came home SHa faH "a