Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1891-11-26
A MAN WHO NEVER LIVED.
THE GHOST OF r. J. M'SWlCCAN
LABORED IN VAIN.
n City Drug Clerk Makes Public n
stran2c Conversation With the
Ghost of n Ward BoxS-The Story

l am night clerk in city drug
store, and there are many other mat
ters which, in lesser degree, prey
upon my conscience. hut let that
pass; it is never too late to repent.
My employers are exceptionally for.
tunate in the location OF their estab-
lishncnt. All but six of the saloons
on the block are out of favor with the
police and close promptly at o'clock.
from that hour until daylight our
business is usually good and / am
seldom troubled with ennui. But on
the night of which write trade was
bad. A cold, dreary wind howled
along the street. bearing the tialy
uppercrust of ash barrels and chunks
OF frozen sewer gas from an excava-
ton.
l was awakened at 2 O'Clock one
| morning by draft of cold air from
the door. Something uncanny in the
chill of it suggested ghosts, but I
couldn't suppose that the woman in
the calico dress had come back SO
soon. 1t might be the one who had
bought Rough-on-rats about eleven.
No; 1T was male figure and it was
bending over the directory. Ordinar-
lily that sort of trade doesn't require
any attention for we keep the directory
| and everything near 1t chained. But
| there was an air so strange about this
| customer that l felt he would bear
| watching. Presently he sighed and
| turneo away from the book.
| lit no use," he said. despondently.
81 shall never find him. It's weary
search
| He dropped into chair facing me,
and was disquieted to observe that
the back of it was dinly visible even
after he had sat down. l endeavored
to maintain a careless demeanor, but
in reality felt as though I'd swallowed
| balloon.
"Do You mind my sitting by your
fire minute?" he asked.
Not at all: not ALL l replied,
hastily. Get right inside if you think
you would feel more at home
81 am, as you suppose. a spirit" he
began.
"Then perhaps you'd better come
into the back room" said l, endenvor-
ing to brace up my courage by badin-
age.
But am not n bad spirit"
"Then don't come You'd feel out
of place"
Young man." said he, checking my
1evlty With gesture. do you know
Thomas }. McSwiggan?'
II dunno faltercd; 'you scare me
so that | can t think"
"While you are endeavoring to col.
lect your senses" ne said, Il will tell
You why wish to find Mr.. McSwlggan.
l am his ghost. Every man has ghost
whose visible operations do not legin
till the death OF the body. During the
| 90 hn srhn to- 81, in,
hearsal, as one might say, following
the man about and copying his actions
that they may be repeated after his
decease for the warning and edifica;
ton of subsequent generations. ] ar
appointed to haunt McSwiggan"
Then why cont you go haunt him?'
l cried. isn't my ghost attending t
his business?
HE is" said the visitor, solemnly
"Arduous and unpleasant as his dutie.
are, ! am told that he performs them
would go to McSwiggan, as you sug
gest, but unhappily | cannot find him
Listen to my story. Mr.. McSwiggaI
was entirely unheard OF in the place
where came from until he reached
the age of twenty-one. We infer tina
that was his age because we first saw
lis name ON the registration list OF thu
J Third Precinct of this election dis
,rict He must, therefore, have beer
OF legal age
SWELL, said /, chat depends littl'
!, upon which way he was going t.
. vote.
Il was sent to hunt him up. ant
secured his address from the Inst.
was No 207 on this street. What wa
my surprise to find it in a vacant LOT
/ Nobody in its vicinity had ever hear
J Of McSwiggan. l endeavored to obtai