The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-09-04
:. My :.
Other Self
By ESTHER VANDEvEER


fifty years old, tall for a woman ant
with grizzly gray hair. ! wear glasses
and as | have trouble with one eye thu
glass before that eye is colored ligh
amber
These details are necessary 10 an I'm
Outstanding of an incident / am about
TO relate.
One afternoon-or rather evening
for the day was fading-I went home
after shopping. opened the front door
with my latchkey and went upstairs "a
my room. The door was open, and a
woman was standing before the mir.
ror Of the bureau powdering her face.
! saw her reflection in the glass, and
what was my establishment to see my.
self II | had any doubt the woman
was |, 1t was dispelled by seeing that
one of pair of glasses she wore was
colored and was amber.
While | was gazing at her she sud
denly caught sight of me. and her face
took on the same expression as mine.
She was apparently as much aston
ished at seeing me as was at seeing
her. Indeed, she caught at the bureau
for support. / felt very much like
catching at something for support my
self, but IL occurred TO me that had
better keep a grip on myself and re-
tain my faculties that l might find out
what this strange occurrence meant.
Nevertheless l will admit that was
Oh % offa 70 do
"Who are you?" ! stammered.
"Who are your" asked the other,
looking ready to faint.
II am Wilhelmina Bunting"
mo, no, no"' gasped the woman.
You cannot be. am Wilhelmina Bunt-
ling. Go away! Do, please, go away
l strained my eyes to discover some
want OF resemblance between the wo-
man and myself. 1t was shortly before
the time for lighting the lamps. and
of course | could not distinguish mi
nor parts as well as if had seen her
at MONDAY, but she was my height and
build, had the same grizzly gray hair
as |, with two short curls on each tenn
pie. But more convincing than all else
was the amber colored glass before her
left eye. And yet / doubt if this was
more staggering than the fact that the /
woman seemed TO be even more appall- /
ed at seeing me than / was at seeing |
her
The first explanation that occurred to
me was that | had been stricken with
some brain trouble. But ! had been
feeling as well up to the very moment
| saw this strange reflection of myself
as had ever felt in my life. And not
its appearance now felt
myself to be in a perfectly normal
| was conscious also that
this woman was not shade, but per
son of flesh and blood. Perhaps it was
this consciousness that enabled me to
get my first grip on myself ! began to
throw off the idea that / had brain
trouble or disordered vision or any
hing of physical nature that would /,
cause me to see double me. The wo-
mans actions in that case should be an ,
exact duplicate of mine. They were
1ot. Her motions were not in unison
With mine, though they were similar to
nine.
Next came a suspicion that my dou-
de was playing me. AS soon as | got :,
control Of my faculties began to see /,
hat her actions We're not altogether :
spontaneous. There was something
orced In them. In other words, | real :,
zed that she was acting part. At
east suspected she was l had no Z
heory as to what would induce her to !.
10 this. 1t simply seemed to me that
he did 1t.
BY this time was In a condition to :
SIX questions.
when did you come here?" / asked. u
IT came in abeut half an hour ago"
Where from?" u
II had housekeeping" y
She hesitated before speaking the c
lst word. 1t seemed to me that she r.
as celebrating what answer to make u
, my question. But / had been shop te
ing myself, and the reply tended to al
lsconcert me. However. by this time q
lie woman had recovered some of her Ipc
luanimity and seemed to me to be al
IdSiu5 uclstiL IOI All tAdllludJIoH. II ~
iddenly flashed upon me that her APP la
,arance in my houAe was for pur- lii
,se. Quickly withdrawing. | stepped in
ick into the hall and, pulling the door It
ter me, locked II. to
Whatever had been the woman's OBJ -
ct-if indeed she were a real woman =
Id had al object-she was prisoner, 4
r there was but one door 10 my bed
ON, and there was no means for her
cape. I staggered to the telephone
ID, calling friend. told my story.
mewhat incoherently, 1t is true. but
anaged to make her understand me.
e came right over and after satisfy -
z herself that / was of sound body -
d mind advised me to send for the
lice.
Well, the upshot of the matter was
ut the woman had seen me buying
velTy, of which / am fond. though
dom decorate myself with il, and, no.
ing our similar personal appearance,
.ided TO get herself up like me. i'm m
me TO the servants and my RI
I if necessary and get away with
ne of my valuables. Her wearing a Il
SIS like the one I wore certainly put | II
Inish on her makeup. When I came | II
ne she had all my jewels, but. hear iii
me come IN. attempted the game I I'LL