The Morning herald., 1877-07-24

ID me, though of course ! have never
taken you for a ghost" u
|. "f'thtnk Iii ,conide in you, doctor''
said Chokcr, .only you must promise
tos,k keen my secret while I live. The
tight before you held the inquestonold
Choker, came into Grabtown. I'd
,ceni an actor once, then a soldier; lost
leg, and come home to starve or beg.
"rhe door Of the house stood open,
md IL it stood man. I went up to
i'm. astlir"s. t"o. cl2.aj Hta r.raei..
Mssir,' said I, sthey say that fellow
feeling makes us wondrous kind.
You've got a wooden leg, and, perhaps,
know 1t isn't just the thing to stump
over the country all night WITH L "
asIt was old Choker Ispoke to, and
what he said was: 'a~'
"'I don't understand about your
poetry or scripture, or whatever it Is,
but I do know about wooden legs.
Come in rnre ,.l4af :, .',.... F..
81 went in, and he gave me supper
and bed in the garret. We both saw
| that we looked considerably alike, and
laughed over it. That night l slept in
the garret, and when ! awoke in the
morning l found my host was dead, and
/ the house full of neighbors.
| F"I felt that as the death was sudden,
| It might be best for me to keep out OF
sight. was as sorry for 1t as stranger
could be, but my being there might be
considered suspicious. I kept hidden
up III the garret IN great lumber closet,
and heard poor Choker's affairs talked
over, and learnt his habits.
"Some Of his clothes were up in the
garrett, and an old wig; and one OF the
patches he had worn over his eye was
there too; and there was an old dress
ing glass in the corner. I tried on the
wig and the patch, and saw how like
old Choker they made me look. only l
was not so brown. Then 1 took some
walnuts that lay Oh the floor and rubbed
the juice into my skin. It increased
tho resemblance, so did whitening my
leyebrows with bit of chalk. And
| sat down and looked at myself, and the
plan that afterward carried out came
| into my head. / would play old Choker,
as knew l could.
| I'L studied his voice and movements
we'll, and as I told you, had once been
an actor, and so should step into de-
cent home and comfortable means with.
out hurting any one. The night aftel
he was buried came out of the garret
and went to the graveyard. and not tt
enter into details, you'll find Choker's
coffin in the vault beyond his grave.
Then went back and tried the effect Of
nv disguise on poor old Peggy Kinder
lit satisfied me. haven't led merry
life, though knew it would not be a
long one.
"But I've been very comfortable, and
sha'n't die dogs death out of doors, az
I once expected. I've never been afraid
that Choker really would haunt me,
though I'm trifle superstitious, for
think he couldn't find much fault with
me, as he had no relations, never made
a will, and couldn't take either hls
handbook or his house and farm into
the other world with him.
"And now you have had the story
and you've promised to keep the secret
until the last, You can see now' per.
haps, that Choker and were gooe
deal alike. I'm four inches taller than
he was, for one thing, and my nose Ii
higher. But there's good deal in tht
make up" :,
These were almost the last WORDS
Choker's ghost ever spoke, for his enc
was very near, and it was not until
death had taught him more
Than this melancholy world doth KNOW"
that the doctor let Crabtown know tn
) sequel of its ghost story.
! TEAS AND COFFEES