His Unquiet Ghost

Name: His Unquiet Ghost
Author: Mary Noailles Murfree

In Unquiet Ghost, Mary Noailles Murfree tells the story of a young woman named Lizzie who is haunted by the ghost of her dead husband, John. After John's death, Lizzie is left alone and struggling to make ends meet. She is desperate to find a way to make money and keep her family afloat. When a mysterious stranger appears and offers her a job, she takes it without hesitation. The stranger, who calls himself Mr. Gray, tells Lizzie that he needs her to help him find a lost treasure. He believes that the treasure is hidden in the mountains of Tennessee, and he needs Lizzie to help him find it. Lizzie agrees, and the two set off on a journey to uncover the mystery of the lost treasure. Along the way, Lizzie discovers that the ghost of her husband is following her. He is trying to protect her from the dangers of the journey, but he is also trying to tell her something. As Lizzie and Mr. Gray get closer to the treasure, the ghost of John becomes more insistent. He is trying to tell Lizzie something important, but she is unable to understand what he is trying to say. In the end, Lizzie discovers the truth about the lost treasure and the ghost of her husband. She learns that the treasure is not what she thought it was, and that the ghost of John was trying to tell her something much more important. Unquiet Ghost is a story of love, loss, and redemption, and it is sure to leave readers with a sense of hope and understanding.

By Mary Noailles Murfree · First published 1911 · Genre: Southern Gothic, Historical Fiction, Mystery · 9,498 words

First lines

The moon was high in the sky. The wind was laid. So silent was the vast stretch of mountain wilderness, aglint with the dew, that the tinkle of a rill far below in the black abyss seemed less a sound than an evidence of the pervasive quietude, since so slight a thing, so distant, could compass so keen a vibration. For an hour or more the three men who lurked in the shadow of a crag in the narrow mountain-pass, heard nothing else. When at last they caught the dull reverberation of a slow wheel and the occasional metallic clank of a tire against a stone, the vehicle was fully three miles distant by the winding road in the valley. Time lagged. Only by imperceptible degrees the sound of deliberate approach grew louder on the air as the interval of space lessened. At length, above their ambush at the summit of the mountain's brow the heads of horses came into view, distinct in the moonlight between the fibrous pines and the vast expanse of the sky above the valley. Even then there was renewed delay. The driver of the wagon paused to rest the team.

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His Unquiet Ghost is listed on Textopian as a novel by Mary Noailles Murfree, dated 1911 CE.

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Work type: Novel
Author: Mary Noailles Murfree
Date: 1911 CE
Language: English
Genres: Southern Gothic, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance
Length: 9,498 words
Structure: 1 section, 131 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Discussion starters

What should a reader notice first when entering His Unquiet Ghost?
How does this novel by Mary Noailles Murfree fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
Where does Southern Gothic first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

Genres

Southern Gothic — The book is set in the Appalachian Mountains of Tennessee and features a protagonist haunted by his past, which are both common elements of Southern Gothic literature.
Historical Fiction — The book is set in the late 19th century and features a protagonist who is a former Confederate soldier, making it a work of historical fiction.
Mystery — The book features a protagonist who is trying to uncover the truth about his past, making it a mystery novel.
Romance — The book features a romantic relationship between the protagonist and a woman he meets in the Appalachian Mountains, making it a romance novel.