The Haunted Room

The Haunted Room

By Charlotte Maria Tucker (Bef. 1900)

as A. L. O. E. (A Lady of England)

 Myst Hall, the newly inherited estate of Mr. Trevor and his three children, is rumored to contain a haunted room. While timid Emmie shrinks from the idea of moving into the mysterious house, the sensible and practical Bruce deems the whole affair superstitious nonsense, and Vibert, their thoughtless and spoiled younger brother, embraces the move with his typical thoughtless enthusiasm, as a new opportunity for some fun. Their uncle, Captain Arrows, expresses his own belief--not in haunted houses, but in "haunted rooms" of the heart, where sin lurks unseen. Stung and nettled by the seeming injustice of his observations, the three siblings are convinced that this time, at least, their astute uncle has made a mistake. Yet, as they settle into their new home, Emmie realizes the truth of her uncle's observations. Selfishness and pride have strained her brothers' relationship, and Emmie finds her influence over them waning due to her losing battle with unreasonable fear. Will the sister and brothers ever conquer the bosom sins that so effectually bar their ways? Will the haunted room of Myst Hall--and, more importantly, the "haunted rooms" of the hearts--ever be opened to the light?

Character Lessons:

Humility, Unselfishness, Faith, Boldness, Compassion, Brotherly Kindness.

Elements for Parental Consideration:

"Gay" = bright or happy; "queer" = odd; a "hang it"; a reference to "Aladdin's palace"; some brief comparisons of locations and happenings to those of Greek Mythology; mention of dancing; mention of "Goths and Vandals" (quite possible a reference to Germanic raiders--jokingly); mention of a boy's looks as "somewhat effeminate"; Vibert mentions trying to shoot one of the thirty-nine cats around the Hall, and later insinuates that the cook must have stewed a couple up for dinner (not true, but he dislikes her cooking); mention of cigars, and several mentions of wine, drinking, & a cordial; Mr. Trevor is once mentioned as drinking wine with a meal; Vibert declares his dislike for cheap wines, and that he knows how good-quality wines taste; Emmie is given watered down wine to warm her after two separate ordeals; Bruce is stated to refuse wine, but later is given some when in a weak physical condition; many mentions of a house being haunted (it is not); mentions of ghosts, specters, goblins, evil spells, and omens; mention of Fridays being "unlucky"; a reference to a phrenologist and reading a person's character by the bumps on his head; a woman mentions that she bought a charm to make her well; a woman says: "ghost-fearing is all of a piece with fortune-telling, and spirit-rapping." (Amen!!!!); A woman's death (semi-detailed, stated that "death rattle" and a person closing the deceased's eyes); Emmie's life threatened (with a knife, detailed); a fight, in which a man is pushed against a wall, half-choked, and whacked on the head with a blunt weapon; his assailants, thinking him dead, propose to throw the body into a pond (decided against when they realized he is still alive); a young man is tied up in a house, which is struck by lighting. It catches fire, but he is rescued and both people escape; a man suffers from delirium during a sickness.

        *Thoughts on Personal Religion by Dr. Goulburn, and The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan are quoted.

                                                                                          

A Comment From the Reviewer:

This story may not be appropriate for younger readers, but would no doubt be quite beneficial to teens, as it thoroughly teaches several very important lessons. Despite its flaws, I highly recommend this story. 

                                                                                            

This title can be downloaded for free:

Multiple Formats: gutenberg.org

Kindle Format: amazon.com