Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1869-05-28

| OF nervous RgltallOD, euuodfOi0u "
cry out, but could not. was paralyzed
with the cold-cold that seemed to make
my limbs rigid, and numb my vitals; for
| saw the man sitting before me was
no longer stranger-no mere friend
or acquaintance; he had become Me!
held up my hands, to try and shut
out the sight, and as l did so, saw they
were withered, and thin, and old.
pressed them on my brow, to see if |
were dreaming; but found it shrivelled,
and scanned, and puckered. And !
knew that this man, this fiend, had stol.
en- my body. and given me his. Mad
dened with the discovery, | rose to my
feet-his feet-which swayed beneath
me, aud struck wildly at the vision OF
myself on the other seat. But l found
my arms light as vapor, for they passed
over his body, whirh went through them,
giving me the impression of pain. II
was body of shade that had been CIV
en- me for my own body of flesh and
blood, which this wretch had stolen.
By some sorcery or other, we had indeed
changed places.
"Sorcerer -demonp l cried out, only
to hear myself speaking with his sharp,
cracked voice. When | saw myself sit
ting opposite to me, addressing me in my
own voice, l could no longer credit my
own senses, if indeed had any of them
at all left of my own.
"Dare say You think you are speaking
loud now,' he said.
/ answered by calling the guard as
loudly as | could halloo.
"Ah, you might call good deal loud
er than that, if the carriage were full OF
passengers, and they could no more hear
you than they could see you" he contin-
ued, chuckling and screwing my features
into hideous and knowing grin, such
as could never have made them assume
"You see. my friend, yours is body Of
air, of shadow, insensible, impalpable to
all but myself, just as it was to all but
you when entered the carriage. You
wish, perhaps, to know who | am?-
Well, two years ago to night | was a
passenger by this very up mail. There
was a collision with stupid down goods,
you see, and the result was that several
passengers were injured. One of them
was-well, it's no use mincing matters
killed on the spot. Quite so; it was
l. Yes, am called ghost, though we
consider the world rather mira dig.
amongst ourselves, and have a better
49, g "a No,y boya foIJ x,a,, m, bot
am, you will like to know what l want
Very good. You shall see.'
The ghost in my body then began to
feel in my pockets, from which he drew
out my meerschaum, loaded it from my
pouch, and lighted it with one of my
Vesuyians.
"Ah," he proceeded, whiting the
weed rapidly, 'you smoke very good
stuIf-Golden Leaf and returns; not q
bad mixture, though prefer little Lat.
aka with it myself. Not at all bad
body yours, either, he went on, cycling
the form in which he was sitting-"not
at all bad body; and it fits me to a T.
only little short in the arms. BY The
way, | find one of your front teeth 9
little loose, so don't say | did that, when
you come to yourself again; and your
nose is little too long for me, but
dare say it blows mono the worse fol-
that" [ shuddered as l saw him tak'
out my handkerchief and use it on tina
cherished organ of mine.
"Yes, | dare say you feel the cold |
| little; l did at first; but its nothing
when you are used to it. fluid youi
body very hot, being heavier than | am
accustomed to wear; but it won't be TO
long. l require positively for this nigh
only as you say in your play-bills, anC
will return it uninjured by the time W.
get to Chichester. By the by, let mi
beg you to be little careful how 20,
throw your arms about so much as you
did inst now, for my body is of mor'
delicate construction than yours; and
being so thin in substance, 1 am afraiC
you will scag it under the armpits. Yor
will observe, ladies aud gentlemen" b.
went ON in lecturers style, 'that if
take a lighted Versuvian and insert it il
the corner of the patients eye, he vii
feel no pain" Saying this, my dreadful
companion proceeded to illustrate his re
mark by making dive at my shadow
eye with burning match. | felt M
pain as the match burned in my bead
certainly.
"You will allow, after all YOU see, tina
my shape has its advantages" the ghos
proceeded; "bht it has its disadvantages
Try the pipe now" l tried to take tht
pipe; it dropped through my vaporl
fingers. He placed it in my mouth;
could not hold it nor get Whit from it
"Precisely So" said the ghost. "Now
this is just what brought me here to
night. A great smoker all my life, do
ing my six pipes day regularly, | hay
been defunct these two years, and during
all that time haven't had a smoke!-.
not blessed draw! miss my 'bacc'
dreadful. There is provision made 70
smokers down with us, you will under
stand; but we are governed by a boart
of directors, whose incapacity quite equal
that of most of your city boards. Their
is a stock of bodies kept on purpose 70
smokers, so that il, you want a pipe yo'
must 90 into one of the bodies to EMO,
"a d. &c -, ill hal;ova mo tha ouY,