Connecticut western news., 1877-07-27

s.51,he two Fnen drew -DacK.< Ss {SI have ilo bill, sir,'' said the under taker; ''but hearing a report that that-'' -..s i.. ..~ a.-.
 ''That Peggy had seen my ghost, I suppose" said Choker.. ''Very well, sir, draw your own conclusions; but you deserve to be paid. You buried me very respectfully, very respectfully, indeed; and your jury gave me correct verdict, MT. Coroner. It was apoplexy. An, well, don't go; don't be iu hurry"
 But his visitors had retreated.
 ''It is Choker," said the undertaken to the coroner; "yet buried him, and he was dead man then.'' - -
 tHt's Choker, but he was dead when held an inquest over him." said the coroner.
 They hurried away, and the crowd hurried away too.
 That day the grave was examined. It was empty; even Choker's coffin was gone.
 After that every one believed the story but the clergyman and scientific gentleman. 5at ;. .+.- ..~.~ -f'.
 The former declared. that it was wicked to believe in ghosts; the latter ghosts. 7.+5- 2 -tr @
 ''Choker is not at the house at all, :" he said, tand his body is in the grave, but your imaginations have been so worked upon that you fancied you saw him in the house, and you believed you did not see him in the grave. When man is dead and buried there's an end of him." l
 "But go to the house and see for your- self,'' said some one. 'Alive or dead, Choker is there."
 'sSir," said the scientific gentleman, tsneither alive or,dead, can he be there. A body cannot burst it's coffin lid, arise through the turf, and walk about the town as before. Nor can spirit exist without body. If I should see MT. Cheker should not believe saw him. E My common sense tells me that cannot see him, nnti Sicvor affow my senses to contradict my common sense. The house is empty. There is no one there. It is all imagination"
 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 prospered under his ghostly til1age. He drew the money at the bank as usual.
 As ghost, his silent, reserved con- duct seemed very suitable to his condi- tion.
 As ghost, it seemed very proper that he should have no friends and no kin dred.
 People avoided his house of nights, and boys ran scampering away when they saw him plodding along lonely roads by moonlight, and old folks shook their heads and said it was curious; but there was Choker, fact to every one but the scientific gentleman, who, when he passed him, muttered to himself, "Optical Illusion" and whether he was a ghost or a man endowed with the power of defying death and the under- taker, no one felt prepared to answer.
 He was known sometimes as "Cho- ker's ghost," and sometimes as 'sChoker that came to-" but no one doubted for a moment that somehow he was Choker, and the very Choker that had been dead, subjected to an inquest, and 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 ill. l "Choker."
 "Don't go, dear," said the doctors wife.
 "I must" said the doctor; and went accordingly.
 He found the door of Choker's house ! open and the popular ghost himself wrapped in blanket by the fireside.
 "Come in," he said, gasping for breath;'I wasn't sure you'd come. Tve been feeling the inconvenience of being supernatural since I've been too ill to make myself cup of tea. Just see what is the matter with me, will you ? I think it's serious, whatever it is.
 The doctor did his best.
 His private opinion was that Choker whoever he might be, had not long tc live. ..,.., I Whether he had ever been dead be. fore or not, he was certainly going te die now. ....
 ''It is as I thought" said Choker looking into his face. "I knew the nal. ady 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 I ex. amined you once when you were cer. tainly dead man; and I can't judge for you. I don't ask your confidence MT. Choker, but that affair is puzzle to me, though of course I have never taken you for ghost.'
 "I think I'll confide in you, doctor,' , said Choker, "only you must promise to keep my secret while I live. The night before you held the inquest on olt Choker, I came into Grabtown. Pt been an actor once, then soldier; los leg, and come home to starve or beg ''The door of the house stood open and in it stood man. I went up t, him.