Review: Ghost Story: "The Ghost of Miser Brimpson" by Eden Phillpots

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Jonathan Drake has spent his youth paying off the debts of his spendthrift father and grandfather so he could keep the land. His long-suffering mother has recently passed away. Now in his mid-thirties, Jonathan, though poor, has begun looking for someone to share the farm with. He’s too proud to marry a woman who has more money than he does. He thinks he’s found the right person in Hyssop Burges, an orphan taken in by her uncle and aunt. In addition to Jonathan’s father and grandfather, the family tree is noted for a cousin, known as Miser Brimpson, who was said to have made his fortune during the time England was at war with France and America. He helped rich folks escape, so the story goes, but no one has ever seen so much as a glimmer of his treasure. Hyssop has small inheritance from her parents, which she’ll come into when she comes of age. It happens to be more than Drake has and Drake has always sworn that he won’t marry a woman who has more money than he. Hyssop knows Jonathan is poor and too proud to marry her. She also knows something about the story of his ancestor. With a little help from her family, she’s decided to do something about it all. While this all sounds dour, this is one of the cutest and funniest ghost stories one is likely to read. Narrated by a surviving child of Jonathan and Hyssop, who describes their marriage as long, happy, and without deceit, except for one harmless bit that will come to light on judgement day. It is innocently amusing and quite bloodless. I can recommend this short story for a nice evening read. Author Henry Eden Phillpotts started his professional life as an insurance officer, but became a prolific author and playwright. He was a friend and admirer of Agatha Christie. He co-wrote several plays with his daughter, Adelaide. When she married at the tender age of fifty-five, he never forgave her and never spoke to her again, having carried on an incestuous relationship with her for some time. This story is available from Project Gutenberg: _____ Title: “The Ghost of Miser Brimpson” Author: Eden Phillpotts (1862-1960) First published: in Tale of the Tenements, 1910 Source: ISFDB: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?1191332 *An earlier version of this review appeared on another site. It has been updated and expanded for its inclusion on myLot*