The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-01-03
A Ghost story.

At town in the west of Scotland, twcnt,
four persons were accustomed to meet once
week to drink, smoke tobacco, and talk pol
tics Like the academy of Rubens at An
werp, each member. had his peculiar chair
md the Presidents was more elevated thar
the rest AS one of the members had been il
;. Ding condition COZ z2!Gc .!:ne, lis sh,!.!
while he was absent, remained vacant Whcr
the club met, on the usual night, inquiries
were naturally made after their associate. A.
ne lived in the adjoining house, a particular
friend went to inquire after him, and return
ed with the melancholy intelligence that he
could not survive the night This threw a
gloom on the company, and all efforts to turn
the conversation from the one sad subject be
fore them were Intellectual. About midnight
the door opened, and the form, in white, OF
the dying or dead man, walked into the room
and took his seat in his accustomed chair
There he remained in silence, and in silence
was gazcd at The apparition continued for
q sufficient time in the chair to assure all
who were present of the vision. At length
he arose and walked toward the door-which
he opened as living--went out and shut the
door after him. After a long pause, some one
at last had the resolution to say: "If any
one Of Us had seen this he would not have
been believed: but it is impossible that so
many of us could have been deceived" The
company, by degrees, recovered their speech
and the whole conversation, rs may be mag
incd, was upon the dreadful object which had
engaged their attention. They broke up and
went home.
In Tie morning inquiry was made after
the sick friend. Ii was answered by an aC-
count Of his DEATH which happened nearly
about the time of his appearance in the club
room There could be little doubt before,
but now nothing could be more certain than
thc reality Of the appartiOn, which had been
simultaneously seen by so many persons.
1t is unnecessary to say that such story
spread over the country, and found credit
even from infidels, for IN this case all reason.
ing became s1periluous when opposed to a
plain fact attestcd by three and-twenty wit
ncsses 70 assert the doctrine of fixed laws
u nature was ridiculous, when there were
80 many people of credit to prove that they
might be uniixed Years rolled on. and the !
story was almost forgotten,
One of the club was an apOthcCary In the /
course ofhiS practice he was called 10 an old |
woman whose business it was to attend sick
persons. She told him she could leave the
he world with quiet conscience bu, for one
hing which lay uDon her mind
"DO you not remember Mr.. -, whose |
SuO5l mas Dccn 50 lnuCn laiRcu Oh was his |
nurse On the night Of his death left his |
Dom for something he wanted. am sure
had not been absent long, but on my return |
found the bed without my patient He was
lelIrious, and feared he had thrown himself
nut of the window. | was so frightened that
had no power to stir; but after some time,
o my great establishment, he entered the
oom shivcrng, and his teeth chattcring, and
aid himself down on the bed, and died. Con
idcring my negligence as the cause of his
eath, | kept this secret for fear Of what
night he done to me- Though | could have
all the story of the ghost, dared
lot. | knew, by what had happened, that it
vas he himself who had been in the club
Dom perhaps recolecting il was the night
t the mceting), but hope God and the poor
cntlcman's friends will forgive me, and | !
shall die cOntentcd." "a