Davenport's Story
This story is from Montgomery's collection of Short Stories 1902 to 1903.
A tale about ghosts, apparitions and sights of spirits. But I had fun reading about the fact that a group of friends gather together regularly to share and swap stories. Altogether a fun idea for spooky winter evenings.
On a rainy afternoon a group of friends gather to recount a strange ghostly experience which really happened to them or someone they knew. Amidst them, a gentleman Jack who was wont to never believe any of these happenings, denied every tale and declared spirits do not exist.
Soon their friend Davenport arrives and joins in with his story which he claimed really happened to him. His brother Charles was in love with a lady Dorothy. Unfortunately, she died young and Charles unable to bear the sorrow, died of ill health a short period later.
Time passed and, Davenport married Dorothy's sister. They had a child named Dolly. Dolly's face was very similar to Dorothy. Everyone used to be awestruck with the face resemblance.
One day the family decided to travel from New Orleans to Europe as Dolly was planning to study in Paris. Davenport couldn't accompany them due to business matters. Dolly, her mother and uncle went ahead stopping first at New York for two days . The next night, alone at home in Orleans, in his room Davenport could feel a presence in the lonely house. Fearing a robber, he got up to investigate the matter, and behold was his dead brother Charles!
Stupefied by the very real presence of him, Davenport was more shocked than scared as he knew the spirit will not harm him, being his own brother. All Charles said, according to Davenport, was to urgently message Dolly not to travel on the Aragon ship to Europe. After saying that single sentence, Charles left.
Too numb to utter a sound, Davenport stood there. When he composed himself, he did not sit to analyse the matter. He only acted on the message.
So he first sent a wire to his wife in the NewYork hotel, where she was staying, telling her to cancel all plans to Europe and to stay put in the city itself. Next he set aside every business, and set by the overnight train to New York. On meeting his wife and brother in law, he explained the entire happening. They laughed at him saying he must have dreamt of Charles. However they agreed to postpone the trip.
A week later the news came that the ships Aragon and Astarte had collided due to a fog and all lives were lost at sea without any survivors. This incident further astounded the entire family including Dolly. Did Charles really appeared to Davenport? Did Charles see Dorothy in Dolly? Many more questions were left unanswered and murmurings were left in the minds of all those who heard the story.
So while Davenport finished narrating, Jack in the afternoon story telling group, showed signs of shock and intrigue. Finally a story to make him believe in ghosts!
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