The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1880-04-01

tho midst Of a dialogue, the person
up the Aue gavea derisive "Hah
hah, hah !"
/ was startled. I spraug from
my seat. Surely" said 1, half aloud
"those are the voice and tone and
words which moro than once came
from the msintop Of the Niger.
And while / was staring at the Pro
lessor with eyes ready to leap out oI
their sockets, he came TO the front oI
the stage TO perform his part Then,
in spite Of his flowing board and
other decorations, I saw in Profes sor
Meredith the identical Jack Chester
who, over twelve months before, was
believed 10 have leaped. in fit OF
madness, into the sea aud drowned.
'Chestor!" cried out in my OK
cite,Dent.
"Sit down y cried one "Put him
out y said some other. In the
meantime I had come to myself aud
resumed my seat, but not before I
had got from the Professor sigu OF
recognition.
When the performance was over.
my old shipmate (for il was bel
beckoned me to him. aud taking me
to his private room, he grasped my
hand in all the ferveucy Of ardent
friendship.
est down, Henry, my boy he
said, "and you shall have solution
Of the mystery which hangs over rue
aud the past"
"How came you TO be saved from
q watery grave on that awful night
when you plunged into the raging
sea 7" 1 impatiently asked.
Il did not jump overheard" re-
piled y i't1r,l r,l'dsIin, ; neither WAS
| any less sane than I am at this
moment. The entire affair was q
trick OF my own invention to freigh-
ten th, captain aud then got away
from his clutches. Ny madness
was sham, and the mau over board
was simply bundle Of old togs.
topped by my old hat, which l had
just put together. The moment
pitched them over the rail / slipped
down into the fore-peak, where
lay hid until the night after tho
ship entered the port, when | stole
out and went on shore. had taxi
en- care to lay up junk, and mau-
aged to avoid detection until the
Niger sailed. The cries which you
heard from the maintop. from be.
hind the loug-boat, aud in the cabin,
! need not now explain.
No said L; "all is mad, clear
by the doings of this night
"Exactly 81" and he. And then
he cont,uued IL had performed
as a voutriloquist in most large Cit
leg aal towns in u irops before you
knew mo blt, becoming somewhat
restless in my habits aud having
so ,in Tered all my earnings, in fit
Of restlessuoss l took TO tho SEA, aud,
in the capacity Of sailor. found nv
WY to Puget Smut But hal
not in me tue stuff of which sailors
ARE made so. after my adventures
on board the Niger, went back to
my old profession, in which have
done we'll. My wild oats are all
sown, hope, and having learned
wisdom by bitter experience. /
shall stick to that line of life for
which / have capacity-a better
thing than splicing old ropes or
taking in topsail reefs on blowing
night
II should think so.' / said.
"But you nearly killed the captain
with fright, whilst you caused us
many hsartacbo ut your supposed
loss"
"For the latter I am sorry" re-
turned Chester. "But cannot say
that 4 pitied the captain. His oru-
city to mo was terrible, and he
would possibly have ended by kill.
ing me, but foI my fortunate gift OF
ventriloquism. Aus we'll that ends
we'll. ~
"True," returned. "And I re-
joics that you are alive to say 80.
You kept your secret famously, for
neither Captain Phillips nor any OF
bis crew ever suspected that inoa-
psble Jack Chester was the ghost
that haunted the Niger"