The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1877-07-17

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The two men drew back.
Il have no bill, SIR" said the under
taker; " but hearing report that
that"
That Peggy had seen my ghost,
SUPPOSE said Choker. Very well,
sir, draw your own conclusions; but
you deserve to be paid. You buried me
very respectfully, very respectfully In
deed; and your jury gave a correct YER
dict, Mr.. Coroner. 1t was apoplexy. All,
well, don't be in n hurry"
But his visitors had retreated.
1t is Choker," said the undertaken
to the coroner; yet / buried him, and
he was a dead man then"
ITS 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.
1t was empty; even Choker's coffin
was gone.
After that, every one believed the
story but the clergyman and scientific
gentleman.
The former declared that it was wicked
to believe in ghosts; the latter that there
was no such things as ghosts.
"Choker is not at the house at ALL"
he said, "and 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, that's an end of
him.
I" But go to the house and see for your
self" said some one. "Alive or dead,
Choker is there"
"Sir," said the scientific gentleman,
"neither alive nor dead, can he be there
A body cannot burst its coffin lid, arise
through the turf, and walk about the
town as before. Nor can spirit exist
without a body. If should see Mr..
Choker / should not believe saw him.
My common sense tells me that can
not 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 Grabtown saw him sooner or
later.
The lamp burned bright in his window
at night. The garden prospered under
his ghostly tillage. He drew the money
| at the bank as usual.
AS a ghost, his silent, reserved conduct
seemed very suitable to his condition.
AS n ghost, it seemed very proper
that he should have no friends and no
kindred.
People avoided his house of nights,
and boys ran scampering away when
they saw him plodding along lonely
lanes by moonlight, and old folks shook
their heads and said it was curious; but
there was Choker, q fact to every one
but the scientific gentleman, who, when
he passed, muttered to himself, "Optical
Illusion" and whether he was ghost
or a man endowed with the power of de-
flying death and the undertaken, no one
felt prepared to answer.
He was known sometimes as "Chok-
er's ghost" and sometimes as "Choker
that came to, but no one doubted for o
moment that somehow he was Choker,
and the very Choker that had been dead, d,
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 small note
was brought to the doctor, bearing these
words:
"Come to me. I'm i'll.
CHoKER."
"Don't go, DEAR" said the DOCTORS
wife.
Il 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;
81 wasn't sure you'd come. I've been
feeling the inconvenience Of being super
natural since I've been too ill to make
myself cup of tea. Just see what is
the matter with me, will you 1 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 to
live.
Whether he had ever been dead be.
fore or not, he was certainly going to
die now.