Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1877-08-08

lllu Ill lle grave. Wneu man IS QGAu
and buried, that's an end of him.
But 90 to the house and see for your
self, said some one. Alive or dead, Cho-
ker is there.
Sir. said the scientific gentleman, nei-
ther alive nor dead can lie be there. A
body cannot burst its cotfin-ld, arise
through the turf, and walk about town as
before. Nor can II spirit exist without II
body. If | should see Mr.. Choker, l
should not believe l saw him, My COM
mon sense tells me that l cannot see him,
and l never allow my senses to contradict
my common sense. The house is empty.
There is no one there. 1t is all imugina-
ton.
However that may have been, every one
else in Grabtown saw him sooner or later.
The lamp burned bright in his window
at night. The garden prcspered under
his ghostly tillage. He drew the money
ut the bank as usual.
AS II ghost, his SILENT reserved conduct
seemed very suitable to his condition.
As ghost it seemed very proper that he
should have no friends and no kindred
People avoided his house of nights, and
boys ran scampering away when they saw
him plodding along lonely lanes by moon
light, and old folks shook their heads and
said it was curious; but there was Choker,
u fact to every one but the scientific gen
tleman, who, when he passed him, multer-
ed to himself, optical illusion and wheth-
er he was ghost, or man endowed with
the power of defying death and the under
taker, no one felt prepared to answer.
lIe WAS known sometimes rs Choker's
ghost, and sometimes rs Choker that came
to, but no one doubted for moment that
he WIS Choker, and the very Choker they
had seen dead, sub bjected TO ln inquest,
and buried and all this went ON for ten
good years, and people had grown used tC
it, when one cold Winter morning small
note was brought to the doctor, bearing
these words:
Come to me. I'm i'll. CHOKER.
Don't 90, dear, said the DOCTORS wife.
Imust, said the doctor, and went ac
cordingly.
He found the door of Choker's housC
open and the popular ghost himself wrap
ped in blanket by the iireside.
Come in, he said, gasping for breath,
was sure you'd come. I've been feelin.
the Inconvenience of being supernatural
since I've been too i'll to make myself /
cup of ten. Just see what's the matte
with me, will you? | think it's serious
whatever it is.
The doctor did his best.
His private opinion was that ChokeI
whoever he might be, had not long t.
live.
Whether he had ever been dead befor
or not, he was certainly going to di
now.
1t is as l thought, said Choker, lookin
into his face. knew the malady was in
durable years ago. But the end is at han
now. Ell?
In the case of any other man | shoul
say yes, said the doctor; but [ examine
you once when you were certainly II dea
man, and can't Judge for you. | don
ask your confidence, Mr.. Choker, but tn;
affair is Il puzzle to me, though of cours
| have never taken you for ghost
think I'll coniide in you, doctor, sal
Choker, only you must promise TO bec
my secret while live. The night belol
, you held the inquest on old CnoKul cam
into Grabtown. I'd been an actor one
then soldier; lost IL leg and came home
starve or beg.
The door of this house stood open, m
in it stood man. | went up TO him.
Sir, said |, they say that IL fellow fee
ing makes us wonderous kind. You''
got IL wooden leg, and perhaps know
isn't inst the thing to stump over Il
country all night with.
1t was old Chokcr spoke to, and VIII
=, he said was
t don't understand about your poetry,
: scripture, or whatever it is, but | do kno
/ about wooden legs. Come in.
t | went in, and he gave me supper and
bed in the garnet. We both saw that '
e looked considerably alike, and laugh
), over it. That night slept in the sarrt
$ and when l awoke in the morning | tou
P my host dead and the house full of neig
IL bors.
felt as the death was sudden. it mig
d be best for me TO keep out of sight. | "
!, sorry for it us II stranger could be, but L
II being there might be considered suspi
d Gus. l kept hidden up in the garret, il
II great lumber closet, and heard poor Cl
ker's affairs talked over, and learnt
habits.
d Some Of the clothes were up in the q
ret, and an old wiz, and one of the
l. patches he had worn over his eye "
there too; and there was an old dressi
r, glass in corner. tried on the wig Il
Q, the patch, and saw how like old Chol
rs they made me look, only | was not
1t brown Then took some walnuls t
lay on the floor and rubbed the juice i
e, my skin. 1t increased the resemblan
50 did whitening my eyebrows with II
of chalk. And sat down and looked
myself, and the plan that | alterwa
carried out came into my head. | wo
Id play old Choker. as knew | could.
I'd studied his voice and movenlc
en- well, and as told you. had once been
'e' actor. and so should step into IL dec
rs home and comfortable means with
lt' hurting any one. The night after he
t., buried / came out of the garnet and W
ch to the graveyard, and, not to enter
WS details, you'll lind Chokor's coffin III
old vault beyond his grave. Then | W
49, back and tried the effect of my disguise
poor Peggy Kinder. 1t satisfied me
Tor haven't LED II merry life, though | kne
er- would not be long one,
ro- But Eve been very comfortable,
ecu shan't die dogs death out Of doors,
gh once expected, I've never been af
/, that Choker really would haunt
ed though am II rite superstitious, fl
es' think he couldn't find fault with me Il
-he had no relations, never made will,
couldn't take either his banksbook or
'ck farm into the other world with him.
mp And now you have had the story
&C. you've promised to keep the secret |
the last. You can see, now, perhaps
Choker and were good deal alike.
lad four inches taller than he was, for one tt
1T a and my nose is higher. But there is Il
deal in makeup.
'ld. These were almost the last words
Choker's ghost ever spoke, for his end
lor very ncaY, but it was not until.
me Death had taught him more
to- Than this melancholy world doth kl
that the doctor let Grab,own know th,
quel of its ghost story
er;
up How often do we hear people
'aw You don't really believe in the {