The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-07-12

positive fact, well At,ssled. All The
heighbJrs knoE whAthAppsHsli. AAfte
neigabors saw Ill that vas TO be seen.
AIltAs nsiE hbofs sGw how !, began and
~ Hi 10 the story Of Uhoker's ghost, i
oould not have begua ubtil Choksr died.
Old Chpker be had been called for a
good many yeuss-beforc be was aciaAily
old, should suppose; bnt be was yey
queer fellew, man without relatives Or
frIends, aud who seemed TO want nobe.
fIe was mysterious man. too.
lie bad 3 wooden leg, aud 90 one
knew bow be came By IT..
lie had black patch over one eye. and
no one couId tell why he wore IL.
r,Rs.bGp Afpsd brosb zig; Apd iher
wss' 20 man 'ihllmase enough 80 know
whether he adopted II because he was
bald or because he was gray.
lie bad deposit In the bank, and no
one Rsew now BIZ earned the money. 2
lilo eame stranger to Grabtowu and
bought house and little farm there,
giving bis name as Guy Choker.
That was al any body knew about him
except that be had the best crops TO be
seen Tor miles around. 8oD 5lk
lie never went to church, and never
chalted to q neighbor.
No one knew anything against him; Ms
they knew nothing, they suspected a
great deal; and when At last he was
found dead one morning, all the bottled
up curiosity popped ont IS champagne
does when it Is uncorked.
Everybody went TO see him where be
lay.
Everybody attended the inquest, and
rybody went to the funeral.
Hwas decided that he died OF apo
plexy. e-rur.erf. .f.,
There was no relatives 10 sec him, but
there would probably be plenty left TO
| pay for his funeral, so there was 10 diff
6culty about that.
The clergyman said doubtful sort of
good word for him, and as be was dead
no one contradicted 4. IA
And Peggy Kinder, who said she
~asn't afraid Of anything, was pa. into
The house TO take care OF Il.
q She Knew old Choker very well, ,hav-
ing done washing for him for FIVE years.
That night, the weather being chilly
Spring weather, ste made up good ilre
iu the kitchen and slept on an old lounge
there.
Once in the night she woke up and
thought she heard the clnmp, ciump
clump of wooden leg overhead, bnt
though she felt chill run up her back.
bone at the thought, she made up her
mind that it was all nonsense, and went
to sleep again.
At six she was up and had put more
coal on the fire and was filling the kettle,
when positiyely-no fancy about it this
time she did hear that clump, elump
again across The room up stairs half a
dozen times, then down the stairs.
The sound of Choker's wooden leg,
and nothing else; and as she turned
about, shaking and trembling, she saw
Choker himself at the door in his big
Powered dressing-gown, with the black
patch over his eye, and the brown wig
on.
Lord have mercy on us cried Peggy.
Then as Chokcr nodded cheerfulIy aud
said:
Breakfast ready YETI she grew bewild-
cred.
I've been havinga horrid dream, sir,
she said, getting away from the figure,
though, as she spoke; and its as natural
as life. dreamed you were dead, sir
but It was so natural that you skeer me.
Do /? said old Choker. Why, bless
.ye, we must all die.
Yes, sir, said Peggy.
And all be buried, too, said Choker.
know that, said Peggy.
Only all OF us won't stay buried, said
Choker, putting bis finger to his nose.
And at that Peggy never waited even
for her bonnet, but bolted out OF the
house, aud came tumbiDg into heI
daughters half an hour after, shaking
| With fright, and vowing she hal seen
Choker's ghost.
The daughter was nearly a. Inuct
frightened as her mother, and the news
spread, but nobody believed il.
At last every one said ii was ridicu'
lous, and that Peggy must have been
drinking.
She did drink more than was good fol
her now and then; and at last the under
takrr himself, accompanied by the coro
neI-tbe two men nervous on the subject
of ghosts, and besides who had thor.
ough knowledge of Choker's death ant
burial-went TO the house together, &C
companied bya trAla OF admirers who
kept at respectful distance AS the,
knocked at The door.
There was no Ans wer 10 the first knocl
bet having Knocked again, ciump, clumI
came the wooden leg across the passage
and there IN the door stood old Choker.
Every one knew him.
lie wore his old dressing gown, be haG
the black patch over bis eye, his Wig sc
a little on one side as usual
Walk In, walk in, gentlemen, he said
believe, Mr.. Undertaken, | owe yon
small bill. You are prompt In calling 70
IL; bat never mind, never mind. Let ml
see The amount, and III settle Il. II no
to-day, some other day.
The Two men drew back.
have no bill, sir. said The undertakes