The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1877-05-24
CHOKER'S GHOST,

| The only true ghost story L know Is
the story of Choker's ghost. That is q
positive fact we'll attested. All the
neighbors know what happened. All
the neighbors saw how it began: and AS
it is the story of Choker's ghost, il
could not have begun until ChQkel
died.
| Old Choker, he had been called fol
q good many years-before he was actu-
ally old, l should suppose; but he was
very queer fellow, man without rela.
tives or friends, and who seemed tc
want none.
! He was mysterious man, too.
He had wooden leg, and no cnt
knew how he came by it.
| He had a black patch over ono eye,
and no one could tell why he wore 1t.
| He had rusty brown wig, and there
was no man intimate enough to know
whether he adopted it because he was
bald or because he WAS gray.
| He had deposit in the bank. and nc
one knew how he earned the money.
| He came a stranger to Grabtown and
| bought house and little farm there,
giving his name rs Guy Choker.
! That was all that any one knew abou;
! him, except that he had the best crops
! 10 be seen for miles around.
/ He never went to church, and never
chatted TO neighbo",
| No one knew anything against him
! "a they knew nothing, they suspected q
| great deal; aud when NJ last he wa
! found dead one morning, all the bott ed
I 70. tall g
does when 1t Is uncorked.
! Everybody went to see him where he
/ !sy.
! Everybody attended the inquest, ana
everybody went to the funeral.
! It was decided that he died of apo
p!exv.
There were no relations to se" 10 him
| but there wouid probably be plenty left
/ to pay for his fnnerai, 50 there vas nc
difficulty about That,
The clergyman said a doubtful sort oi
good word for him. and as he WAS dead
no one contradicted it.
And Peggy Kinder. who said she
WASH afraid OF anything, was put into
the house to take care of it.
She knew old Choker very we'll, hav-
ing done washing for INN for five years
That night, the weather being chilly
spring weather, she made up Il good fire
in the kitchen and slept on an ole
| lounge there.
! Once in the night she woke up ant
thought she heard the clump, clump
clump of wooden leg overhead. bu
though she felt chill run down hel
backbone at the thought, she made III
her mind that it was all nonsense, anf
went to sleep again.
At six she was up and had put more
coal on the fire and WAS filling the ket-
tie. when positively--no fancy about j
this time-she did hear that ciump
clump again across the room upstairs
half a dozen times, aud then down tn,
stairB.
! The sound Of Choker's wooden les
nothing else; and as she turned about
shaking and trembling, she saw Choke
himself at the door IN his big f,weret
dressing gown, with the black patel
over his eve, and the brown wig on.
"Lord have mercy on us!'' cried Peg
gy.
Then as Choker nodded cheerfully
and said
Breakfast ready yet?' she grew be
wildered.
I've been having q horrid dream
sir" she said. getting away from th'
figure, though. as she spoke; "and III
rs natural rs life. dreamed you were
dead, sir, but it was so natural that yol
skeer me.
"Do I?' said old Choker. "Why
bless We, we must all die"
Yes, SIR said Peggy.
"Aud all be buried too. said Choker
"I know that" said Peggy
"Only all of us won't stay buried,
said Choker, putting his finger to hi
nose.
Aud at that Peggy never waited evel
for her bonnet, but bolted out of th
house, aud came tumbling into he
daughters half on honr after, shaking
with fright, and vowing she had seel
Choker's ghost.
The daughter WAS nearly as mucl
frightened as the mother, and the new
spread, but nobody believed it.
At least every one said it was ridicu
lous, and that Peggy must have bee
drinking.
She did drink more than was good fo
her now and then; and at last the un
dertaker himself, accompanied by tn
} coroner--the two men nervous on tn
subject of ghosts, and besides who ha.
n thorough knowledge Of Ghoker'
; death and burial, went to the house to
Igether accompanied by train OF ad
| mirers who kept at q respectful dis
tance as they knocked at the door.
There was no answer to the firs
knock, but having knocked again, ,clumr
j clump came wooden leg across tn
passage, and there in the door stood OF
Choker.
Everyone knew him.
; He wore his old dressing gown, h
had the black patch over his eye, NJ
wig set q little on one side as usual. :.
"Walk in, walk in, gentlemen, b
said. II believe, Mr.. Undertaken,
owe you small bill. You are promr
in calling for it; but never mind, neye
mind. Let mo see the amount and Il
. settle it; / if not to-day, some other day.
The two men drew back.
s.I have q bill, sir, eaid the undertal
or; .sbut hearing report that-1that =
THAT Peggy had seen my ghost,
! suppose, said Choker. very vel
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