The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1877-07-12
no anr ll.a rrara - eramInea.


bat The clergyman aud scientific esa.
tlemAb.
The former declared itwas Wicked %
believe Ia ghosts; the laissr, lhas thsse
were no such things ns ghosts. sv@s
Cboker il uol ct The honse st. all be
sshl. and hia body isiR the grave. bat
year lmaslpAlioas havssbsss 20 worked
uPon that you believed yep say HIN 10
the house, and you believed, you did not
see him 10 the grave. When 4 man Il
dead and buried, thsi's ~ cod OF him.
But 20 70 the house sud sce fotSoot.
self, said some one. Alive Or dead cho-
Eer IL there. as
sir, said the scientific genllemAn, nei-
ther alive nor dead can be be there. A
body cannot bnrst is eofin-lId, arise
through the turf, and walk about town
as before. Nor can spirit exist witb-
ont body. III. should zee Mr.. Choker,
| shonld not believe saw him Ny
common sense tells inc thai cannot see
him, aud never allow my senses 10 con-
lradict my common sense. The house is
empty. There IL no one there. 1t is all
Imagination.
However that may have been, every
one else 10 Grabtown saw him sooner or
later.
The lamp burned bright in bis window
al uight. The garden prospered under
bis ghostly tillsge. lie drew the money
at the bank as usual.
AS ghost, his silent, reserved con-
duct seemed very suitable TO his copdi-
ton.
Asa ghost II seemed very proper that
he should have no friends aud no kin
dred.
People avoided bis house Of nights.
and boys ran scampering away when
they saw him ploddiDg along lonely
lanes by moonlight, and old foiks shook
their heads and said it was curious; but
there was Choker, ! fsc. 10 every one but
the scientific gentleman, who, when he
passed him ,muttered to himself, optical
Illusion, aud whether lie was ghost, or
man endowed with the power Of defy
ing death and the undertaken, no one fell
prepared to answer.
Ile was known sometimes as Chokers
ghost, aud sometimes as Choker that
came TO, bnt no one doubted for amo-
nent that he was Choker, and the very
Choker they had seen dead, subjected to
an inquest, aud buried; and all this went
on for ten good years, and people had
grown used to it, when one cold Winter
morning a small note was brought TO the
doctor, bearing these words:
Come to ME. Pm in. CHoKER.
Don't go, dear, said The doctors wife.
must, said the doctor, and went ac-
cordingly. -
lie found the door OF Choker's house
open, and the popular ghost himself
wrapped in blanket by the freside.
Come in, be said, gasping for breath,
was sure you'd come. I've been feeling
the inconvenience of being supernatural
since fve been too i'll 10 make myself !.
cup of tea. Just see what's the matter
with me, will you? think it's serious,
whatever IL Is.
The doctor did his best.
His private opinion was that Choker,
whoever be might be, had not long to
live.
Whether he bad ever been dead before
or not, be was certainly going 10 die now.
1t is as thought, said Choker, looking
into bis face. kuew the malady was
incurable years ago. But the end is at
hand now, eh?
In the case of any other man should
say yes, said the doctor: but examined
you once when you were certainly a dead
man and ] cant judge for you. don'I
ask your confidence, Mr. Choker, but
that affair is puzzle to me, though Of
course have never taken You for a
ghost,
think III confde in you, doctor, said
Choker, only you must promise to keep
my secret while live. The night before
you beld the inquest on old Ch0ker
came into Grabtown. I'd been all actor
once, ben q soldier; lost u leg and come
home 10 starve or beg.
The door Of this house stood open, aud
in II stood man. went up TO hiHI.
Sir, said /, they say that fellow feel
Ing makes us wondrous kind. You've
got wooden leg, and perhaps know i
isu't just the thing 10 stump over the
country all night with.
1t was old Choker spoke 10, and wha
he said was
don't understand about your poetry
or scripture, or whatever Il Is, but dc
know about wooden legs. Come 10.
went In, aud be gave me supper sut
bed 10 the garret. We both saw tina
we looked considerably alike, and laugh
ed over II. That night slept in the gar
ret, and when ! awoke Ia the morning
found my host dead and the house faI
Of neighbors.
| felt that as the death was sudden, !
might be best for me TO keep out Of sight
! was as sorry for II rs stranger coul,
be, but my being there might be nsid
cred suspicious. kept hidden up IN Ca
garret, ina great lumber closer, an,
heard poor Choker's Affairs talked over
aud learnt bis habits.
/ Some Of the clothes were up ia lb'
gArrel, aud an old wig, and one Of tia
/ patches he had worn over bis eye wa
there too and there was an old dressing
glass In eoruer. tried ON the wig au'
49, F.i,. IL