Day 74: Ghost of a Chance by O. Henry

This is a funny story by O. Henry, and I was surprised...generally he writes more macabre themes and characters. This is a ghost story, but not a scary one like the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark series by Alvin Schwartz (The illustrations in that series, by the way, are most of the reason why they are scary...but the stories themselves are frightening enough...Like a story called "The Bride" in the second book. I had nightmares for years!). Anyway, this story is one where an older woman who wants to enter society has a "ghost" in her house. A guest comes to stay there, and that guest says that she did see a ghost, but that it was nothing but a poor bricklayer! Mortified, the hostess begs a Ms. Bellmore to stay at her house, a woman who has never believed in or been afraid of spirits. Ms. Bellmore does see a ghost, but....:) Anyway, I would definitely suggest this story to anyone who needs something to smile about. It is a good one, and for those who have never read O. Henry, this is a good one to start with.