A Spirit of Avarice

A Spirit of Avarice by W. W. Jacobs

In the small English village of Little Wrykyn, the inhabitants are living in fear of a mysterious spirit that has been haunting the area. The spirit, known as the Spirit of Avarice, is said to bring bad luck and misfortune to anyone who crosses its path. The spirit is believed to be the ghost of a miserly old man who died in the village many years ago. He was so obsessed with money and possessions that he refused to part with any of it, even in death. Now, his spirit is said to roam the village, searching for anyone who has something of value that it can take. The villagers are desperate to rid themselves of the spirit, but no one knows how. Then, one day, a young man named John arrives in the village. He claims to have a plan to rid the village of the spirit, but he needs the help of the villagers to make it work. John's plan involves a daring and dangerous mission to the spirit's lair, where he hopes to find a way to break the spirit's curse. With the help of the villagers, John sets out on his mission, but will he be able to succeed and save the village from the Spirit of Avarice?

By W. W. Jacobs · First published 1843 · Genre: Fiction, Humor, Mystery · 4,111 words

First lines

Mr. John Blows stood listening to the foreman with an air of lofty disdain. He was a free-born Englishman, and yet he had been summarily paid off at eleven o'clock in the morning and told that his valuable services would no longer be required. More than that, the foreman had passed certain strictures upon his features which, however true they might be, were quite irrelevant to the fact that Mr. Blows had been discovered slumbering in a shed when he should have been laying bricks.

"Take your ugly face off these 'ere works," said the foreman; "take it 'ome and bury it in the back-yard. Anybody'll be glad to lend you a spade."

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A Spirit of Avarice is listed on Textopian as a novel by W. W. Jacobs, dated 1843 CE.

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England · English · Fiction · Humorous stories · Sailors · Social life and customs · air · ancient · beer · blows · breath · buried

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