West-Jersey pioneer., 1877-08-09

| IL, Dub utVef Luluu LOU l1e See Gue amount ,
and I'll settle it; if not to- day, some other
day.
The two men drew back.
81 have no bill, SIR" said the undertaken;
''but hearing report that-that-"
''That Peggy had seen my ghost 1 sup
pose," said Choker. every well, sir, draw
your own conclusions; but you deserve to
be paid. You buried me very respectfully,
very respectfully indeed; and your jury
gave correct verdict, Mr.. Coroner. 1t
was apoplexy. All, well, don't be in a
hurry"
But his visitors had retreated.
SIT is Choker,'' said the undertaken to
the coroner; ''ye. buried him, and he was
dead man then."
"It's Choker, but he was dead when l
held an inquest over him." said the coroner.
They hurried away and the crowd hur-
ried 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 gentle
man.
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, land 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 a man is dead
and buried, that's an end of him.
''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
body. If should see Mr.. Choker I should
not believe saw him. My common sense
tells me that cannot 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.
Tie 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 ghost, his silent, reserved conduct
seemed very suitable to his condition.
AS 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 MOON
| light, and old folks shook their heads and
said it was curious; but there was Choker,
fact to every one but the scientific gentle
man, who, when he passed, muttered to
| himself, ''Optical Illusion" and whether he
was ghost or a man endowed with the
power of defying death and the undertaken.
| no one felt prepared to answer.
He was known sometimes as 'sChoker's
| ghost" and sometimes as "Choker that
came to-" but no one doubted for 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
small note was brought to the doctor,
bearing these words:
"Come to me. I'm i'll.
CHoKER.'
"Don't 60, dear,' said the doctors wife.
81 must" said the doctor; and went &C
cordingly. ......-. ...-
He found the door of Choker's house
open and the popular ghost himself wrap
ped in blanket by the fireside.
''Come in" he said, gasping for breath;
'I wasn't sure you'd come. I've been
feeling the inconvenience of being superna-
tural since I've been to i'll to make myself
a 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, who
ever he might be, had not long to live.
| Whether he had ever been dead before or
not, he was certainly going to die now.
cit is as l thought" said Choker, look
ing into his face. 81 know the malady was
incurable years ago. But the end is at
hand now, eh!'
'In the case Of any other man l should
say yes" said the doctor; 'sbut examined
you once when you were certainly dead
man; and can't judge for you. dom t
ask your confidence Mr.. Choker, but that
affair is puzzle to me, though of course
have never taken you for ghost"
81 think FL confide in you DOCTOR" said
Choker, ''only you must promise me to
keep my secret while live. The night be.
fore you held the inquest on old Choker,
came into Grabtown. I'd been an actor
once, then soldier; lost leg, and come
home to starve or beg. .aa
| "The door of the house stood open, and
in it stood man. went up to him.
''Sir," said I, ''they say that fellow
feeling makes us wonderous kind. You
have got wooden leg, and, perhaps, know
it isn't just the thing to stump over the
country all night with
ssIt was old Choker spoke to, and what
4 he said was: M
/ "'I don't understand about your poetry
or scripture or whatever it is, but dc
know about wooden legs. Come in.' 81
Il 81 went in, and he gave me supper ani
| a he'd in tho oarret We both saw that ve
!. looked considerably alike, and laughed ovel
it. That night slept in the garrett ant
when awoke in the morning I found my
host was dead, and the house full of neigh
bors.