The Sixth Ghost Story Megapack: 25 Classic Ghost Stories Read online

  Table of Contents

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

  The MEGAPACK™ Ebook Series

  THE SEVENTH MAN, by A.T. Quiller-Couch

  THE PHANTOM COACH, by Amelia B. Edwards

  AT THE DIP OF THE ROAD, by Mary Louisa Molesworth

  A TERRIBLE VENGEANCE, by Charlotte Riddell

  THE LADY’S MAID’S BELL, by Edith Wharton

  A PAIR OF HANDS, by A.T. Quiller-Couch

  THE GHOST IN ALL THE ROOMS, by Daniel Defoe

  THE MYSTERY OF THE SEMI-DETACHED, by Edith Nesbit

  THE GHOSTLY RENTAL, by Henry James

  THE SOUL OF LAPLOSHKA, by Saki

  THE OLD HOUSE IN VAUXHALL WALK, by Charlotte Riddell

  THE GHOST IN THE MILL, by Harriet Beecher Stowe

  JOHN GRANGER, by Mary E. Braddon

  AN ITINERANT HOUSE, by Emma Frances Dawson

  THE PHANTOM MODEL: A WAPPING ROMANCE, by Hume Nisbet

  THE BEGGAR WOMAN OF LOCARNO, by Heinrich von Kleist

  A SET OF CHESSMEN, by Richard Marsh

  IN THE CONFESSIONAL, by Amelia B. Edwards

  M. ANASTASIUS by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik

  THE DOOMED MAN, by Dick Donovan

  THE GHOST-SHIP, by Richard Middleton

  A GHOST-CHILD, by Bernard Capes

  THE SAND-WALKER, by Fergus Hume

  THE UNDERGROUND GHOST, by John Berwick Harwood

  H.P., by Sabine Baring-Gould

  COPYRIGHT INFO

  The Sixth Ghost Story MEGAPACK™ is copyright © 2015 by Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

  * * * *

  The MEGAPACK™ ebook series name is a trademark of Wildside Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

  * * * *

  “The Seventh Man,” by A.T. Quiller-Couch, originally appeared in 1900.

  “The Phantom Coach,” by Amelia B. Edwards, originally appeared in 1864.

  “At the Dip of the Road,” by Mary Louisa Molesworth, originally appeared in 1896.

  “A Terrible Vengeance,” by Charlotte Riddell, originally appeared in Princess Sunshine and Other Stories, 1889.

  “The Lady’s Maid’s Bell,” by Edith Wharton, originally appeared in Scribner’s Magazine, Nov. 1902..

  “A Pair of Hands,” by A.T. Quiller-Couch, originally appeared in 1898.

  “The Ghost in All the Rooms,” by Daniel Defoe, originally appeared as part of Essay on the Reality of Apparitions (1727)..

  “The Mystery of the Semi-Detached,” by Edith Nesbit, originally appeared in 1893.

  “The Ghostly Rental,” by Henry James, originally appeared in 1876.

  “The Soul of Laploshka,” by Saki, originally appeared in 1910.

  “The Old House in Vauxhall Walk,” by Charlotte Riddell, originally appeared in 1882.

  “The Ghost in the Mill,” by Harriet Beecher Stowe, originally appeared in 1870.

  “John Granger,” by Mary E. Braddon, originally appeared in Belgravia Annual, 1870.

  “An Itinerant House,” by Emma Frances Dawson, originally appeared in An Itinerant House, and Other Stories, 1897.

  “The Phantom Model: A Wapping Romance,” by Hume Nisbet, originally appeared in The Haunted Station (1894).

  “The Beggar Woman of Locarno,” by Heinrich von Kleist, originally appeared in 1810.

  “A Set of Chessmen,” by Richard Marsh, originally appeared in Cornhill Magazine in April, 1890.

  “In the Confessional,” by Amelia B. Edwards, originally appeared in 1871.

  “M. Anastasius by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik, originally appeared in Nothing New (1857).

  “The Doomed Man,” by Dick Donovan, originally appeared in Tales of Terror (1899).

  “The Ghost-Ship,” by Richard Middleton, originally appeared in 1912.

  “A Ghost-Child,” by Bernard Capes, originally appeared in Pall Mall Magazine, Jan. 1906.

  “The Sand-Walker,” by Fergus Hume, originally appeared in The Dancer in Red (1906).

  “The Underground Ghost,” by John Berwick Harwood, originally appeared in Major Peter (1866).

  “H.P.,” by Sabine Baring-Gould, originally appeared in 1904.

  A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

  And so we return for another selection of 25 ghost stories in the classic tradition—chosen from the vast storehouse of history’s fiction for your personal delectation. As in our last meeting, we remind you that there are many kinds of ghosts—from the kind to cruel, the savage to the sad—and readers should not always assume they know just which they’ve gotten in any particular tale.

  In your reading, you will meet the spirits of explorers and beggars, priests and artists, sailors and gentlemen, lovers and the very-much hated—as well as some things that live under the ground. The gothic and the psychological, the romantic and the (penny) dreadful will all be found here—suffused in the pall of the grave and the chill of the tomb. From recently deceased children to ancient spirits, spectral servants eager to help and vengeful revenants out to destroy, myriad forms haunt the following pages. There will be visions, omens and mysteries, as well as curses and oaths—and you may even question, on occasion, whether there was a ghost at all.

  Some of history’s finest writers have been arrayed for the purpose of your entertainment, so sit back and partake from this wide-ranging sampler of phantasmic delights—I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed assembling it for you!

  —Shawn Garrett

  Editor, Wildside Press

  ABOUT THE SERIES

  Over the last few years, our MEGAPACK™ ebook series has grown to be our most popular endeavor. (Maybe it helps that we sometimes offer them as premiums to our mailing list!) One question we keep getting asked is, “Who’s the editor?”

  The MEGAPACK™ ebook series (except where specifically credited) are a group effort. Everyone at Wildside works on them. This includes John Betancourt (me), Carla Coupe, Steve Coupe, Shawn Garrett, Helen McGee, Bonner Menking, Colin Azariah-Kribbs, A.E. Warren, and many of Wildside’s authors…who often suggest stories to include (and not just their own!)

  RECOMMEND A FAVORITE STORY?

  Do you know a great classic science fiction story, or have a favorite author whom you believe is perfect for the MEGAPACK™ ebook series? We’d love your suggestions! You can post them on our message board at http://movies.ning.com/forum (there is an area for Wildside Press comments).

  Note: we only consider stories that have already been professionally published. This is not a market for new works.

  TYPOS

  Unfortunately, as hard as we try, a few typos do slip through. We update our ebooks periodically, so make sure you have the current version (or download a fresh copy if it’s been sitting in your ebook reader for months.) It may have already been updated.

  If you spot a new typo, please let us know. We’ll fix it for everyone. You can email the publisher at [email protected] or use the message boards above.

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