Ghost Story Review: "The Haunted Photograph" by Ruth McEnery Stuart

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The photograph in question was of cheap summer hotel. It hung, sumptuously framed, over the Widow Morris’s mantel in her otherwise unremarkable home in a typical Queen Anne village. The hotel was also where Mr. Morris died in a fire some months after the picture arrived. In her grief, the Widow Morris comes to believe she sees her husband in the hotel, lowering or raising window shades as is appropriate for the weather. Once she thinks he’s beckoning her to join him and she’s willing to do so, though she’s only in her 30s, but then she realizes—he wasn’t beckoning to her. He was only swatting flies. This could have been a maudlin little ghost story or a story of a woman who was just psycho. Instead, the story pokes gentle fun at her while never doubting her grief. The Widow Morris actually takes business advice from her departed husband. Is the ghost real, or just a figment of a grieving woman’s imagination? There’s room for doubt. But there is sadness, as one might expect. According to Wikipedia, author Ruth McEnery Stuart was an American author, producing some 75 published works between 1888 and 1917. She was also known for performances of her work. The present story seems to be her only venture into speculative fiction, however. This short story is available for download. _____ Title: “The Haunted Photograph” Author: Ruth McEnery Stuart (legal name Mary Routh McEnery Stuart) (1852-1917) (There seems to be some question about the year of her birth) First published: Harper’s Bazaar June 1909 Source: ISFDB *An earlier version of this review was posted at another site. It has been expanded and updated for its inclusion at myLot. *