I have known several instances of persons who have seen the “fetch” or apparition of a living person, called in Germany the “Doppelgaenger;” yet, though such appearances are usually supposed to portend the death or illness of the person thus strangely “doubled,” I have never yet heard of a case where any unpleasant consequences followed.  For instance, an old friend of mine, a gentleman of undoubted veracity, once told me that on one occasion he entered his house about five o’clock in the afternoon, and ran up stairs to his mother’s bed-chamber, where he saw her standing near the centre of the room, clad in a loose white gown and engaged in combing out her long black hair.  He remained looking at her for some moments, expecting that she would speak to him, but she did not take notice in any way of his presence, and neither spoke nor looked at him.  He then addressed her, but, receiving no reply, became indignant and went down stairs, where, to his amazement, he found his mother seated by the parlor window, dressed and coiffee as usual.  It was some years before he would trust himself to tell her of what he had seen, fearing that she might consider it an omen of approaching death, and indeed, though not a superstitious man, he was inclined so to view it himself; but his mother lived for many years after the appearance of her wraith.  I also knew a young gentleman to whom the unpleasant experience of beholding his own double was once vouchsafed.  He had been spending a quiet evening with some young ladies, and returned home about eleven o’clock, let himself into the house with his latch-key and proceeded to his own room, where he found the gas already lighted, though turned down to a mere blue spark.  He turned it up, and the full light of the jet shone on his bed, which stood just beside the burner, and there, extended at full length, lay—­himself.  His first idea was of a burglar or some such intruder.  But his second glance dispelled that impression.  He stood for some moments gazing at the prostrate figure with feelings which must have been anything but agreeable:  he noticed little peculiarities of his own dress and features, and marked the closed eyelids and easy respiration of slumber.  At length, plucking up courage, he attempted to pass his hand under the pillow to draw out a small revolver which he usually kept there, and as he did so he felt the pressure of the pillow as though weighed down by a reclining head.  This completely unnerved him.  He went out of the room, locking the door on the outside, and spent the remainder of the night on a sofa in the parlor.  He did not re-enter his chamber till broad daylight, when, to his delight, he found that his ghostly visitor had vanished.