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Show Ghost of John Gear i !! r. -!-- 1 1 cm In his coflln bed John Gear lay dead, But John Gear's ghost stood near; And tho clorKyman talked at tho funeral And tho ghost bent low to hoar; Tho waiting ghost of tho man who was dead, He lingered to hear whnt tho clergyman said: So tho clergyman spake and tho pooplo wept. And tho shost looked on and tho doad man slept And tho dead man slept. "The man who Is dead," tho clergyman said, "Woh tho true, truo salt of the earth: 'Who shall Kaugo tho good of his well Hpcnt llfo And tho mensuro of his worth? For ho was a man of the olden typo. Of the honest, noble, sterling strlpo." Hhame foil on tho ghost as ho stood nigh, For ho alono know those words wore a He Theso words wore a He. And tho ghost was afraid and was sore dismayed As he heard the words of praise; And ho thought of tho wreck and tho wrong ho had dono Through, the stretch of the long-gone days; . And a woman's face that was blnnchdd with tears , , Loomed up from the vast of tho clamoring clamor-ing years; ' ,;. But tho ghost, while he heard all tho praise of tho priest, ':;'' Folt burn on his forehead tho mark of tho beast Tho mark of tho beast. ' ,- And tho priest preached on, but the ghost of John Heard naught but tho woman's tears; For the silent tears of her silent llfo Wero thunder Jn his cars. And tho priest still preached .with kls words of pralso, And tho fnco loomed up from tho long- gono days; Tho priest still praised and the people wept, And tho ghost passed on and tho dead man slept Tho dead man slept. Sam Walter Fobs. |