The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1877-10-12

came a wooden leg across the passage, and
there in the door stood old Choker.
Every one knew him.
He wore his old dressing gown, he had
the black patch over his eye, his wig set
little back on one side as usual.
walk i'll, walk in. gentlemen" he said:
81 believe, Mr.. Undertaken, | owe you a
small bill. You are prompt i'll calling for
it but never mind, never mind. Let me
see the amount, and III settle i. +; if not
to-day, some other day"
The two men drew bach.
81 have no bill, sir,'' said the underta-
ker but hearing a report that-that'
THAT Peggy had seeh my ghost, 7 srp-
pose,'' said Choker. every well. sir, draw
your own conclusions but you deserve to
be paid. You buried me very respectfully,
very respectfully indeed; and your jury
gave correct verdict, Mr.. Coroner. 1t
was apople1y. All, well, don't go; don't
be in a hurry"
at is Choker," said the undertaken to
the coroner; ''yet l buried him, and lie
was dead man Them
ats Chuker, but he was dead when |
held an inquest over him" said the ooron-
er
They hurried away and the crowd hur-
ried away too.
That cay the grave was examined.
1t was empty; even Checkers coffin was
After that every one believed, the story
but the clergyman and a scientific gentle
man.
The former declared that it was wicked
to believe in ghosts; that there We're no
such things as ghosts.
"Choker is not at the house at ALL" he
said, ''aud his body is in tie grave, bct
your imaginations have been worked
upon that you fanced you saw him in the
house, and you believed You did not see
him in the grave. When man is dead
and buried, that's an end of him"
But GO to the house and see for your
SELF" said one. "hlive or dead, Choker is
there"
Sir" said the scientific gentleman,
"neither alive nor dead can he be there.
a body cannot burst lis coffin lid, arise
through the rurf, and walk about the tcwr
as before. Nor can n spirit exist without
body. IF | should see Mr.. Choker [
should not believe him. My common sense
tells me that ] cannot see him, and | never
allow my senses to contradict my common
sense. The house is empty. There is no
one there. 1t is all imagination"
However that may have been, every
one else IN g abtoxn saw him sooner or
later.
The lamp burned bright in the window
at night. The garden prospered under his
ghostly tillage. He drew money at the
bank AS usual.
As a ghost. his silent, reserved conduct
seemed very suitable to his condition.
AS ghost, 1t seemed very proper that
he should have no friend and no kindred.
People avoided his house of nights, and
boys ran scampering away when they saw
him plodding along lonely lanes by NOON
light. The old folks shook their heads
and said it vas curious but there was
Choker, a fact to every one but the scien-
tic phn he r,a
muttered to himself, Optical illuson,"
and whether he was ghost, man en-
dowed with the power of defying death
and the undertaken, no one felt prepared to
answer.
He was known sometimes as ''Choker's
ghost" and sometimes ''Choker that
came too, bat no one doubted for mo-
men. that somehow he was Choker and the
very Cboker that had been dead. subjected
TO an inquest and buried and all this went
on for ten years, aud people had grown
used to it, when one cold winter morning a
small note was brought to the doctor bear
ing these words.
Come TO me. I'm i'll. CHoKER."
"Don't go, DEAR" said the doctors wife.
81 must,'' said the doctor, aud went ac-
cordingiy.
He found the door OF Choker's house
open and the popular ghost himself wrap
ped in blanket by the fireside.
Come in,' he said casping for breath,
81 wasn't sure you'd come. I've been
feeling the Inconvenience of being super
natural since I've been too i'll to make my
self cup of tea. Just see what is the
matter with me, will you? | think it's Sc
rious, whatever it is"
The doctor did his best.
His private opinion was that Choker,
whoever he might be, had not bong to live.
Whether he had ever been dead before
or not, lie was certainly going to die now.
cit is as thought" said Choker, look
ing into bis face. II knew the malady was
incurable years ago. But the end is at
hand now, ell ?''
In the case of any other man | should
say yes" said the doctor; ''but | examined
you once when you were certainly dead
man, and | can't judge for you. | don t
ask your confidence, Mr.. Choker, but that
affair is puzzle to me, though of course
have never taken you for a ghost"
Il think I'll confide in you, DOCTOR" said
Cboker; ''pnly, you must promise to keep
my secret while live. The night before
you held the inquest on old Choker came
To Grabtown. I'd been an actor once, theu
soldier lost leg, aud came home to
starve or beg.
'.The door of the house stood open, and in
it stood a man. / went up to him ::
"'Sir,' said |, they say that a fellow feel
ing makes us woudrous kind. You've
got a wooden leg. and, perhaps, know it
isn't jnst the thing to stump over the coun-
try all night with
1T was the old Choker / spoke to, and
what he said was
~ don't understand about yonr poetry
or whatever it is. bue | Go know about
wooden legs. Come in
81 went in and he gave me supper and
bed in the garret. We beth that we
looked considerably alike, and laughed
over it. That night slept in the garret,
and when awoke in the morning found
my host was dead, and the house full of
neighbors.
~ felt that the dealt, was sudden. 1t
might be best for me to keep out of sight.
was as sorry for it as a stranger could b.
.,ut my being there might be considered
suspicious. | kept hidden up N the garnet
In, L., i,1, nlc I'd