Ghost Story Review: "The Shadow on the Blind" by Mrs. Alfred (Louisa) Baldwin

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When Mr. Stackpoole and his wife came across Harbledon Hall, it had been empty for seven years. The gardens, untended in that time, “were returning to a state of savage nature, and the rank growth of weeds choked and overtopped the flowers and shrubs.” And though humans had abandoned it, it was not untenanted; mice overran the place. Mr. Stackpoole looked at the Harbledon Hall through an iron gate and told his wife he found the abandoned house “picturesque.” “It may be the kind of place we are in search of.” Recently retired, Mr. Stackpoole kept himself busy, in part, by finding old houses and refurbishing them. He’d stay in one long enough to get his wife thinking they’d settled down—finally—until something else caught his eye. While being shown around Harbledon Hall, Mr. Stackpoole asks about the former tenants. The agent hems and haws, but admits they left suddenly long before their lease was up. And not that he gives much mind to rumors and such, but there was talk of ghosts. “They fled before ghosts, did they? ... If the house is supposed to be haunted I should like it all the better for its reputation.” The ending is not a surprise, but reading this was fun. I liked the Stackpooles. I smiled at their adventures apart from any of the ghost story. There’s no mean-spiritedness about it. Though some of the later explanations were facile I could almost overlook that. It would have been better if the ghost story angle were worked in more smoothly, of course, but nevertheless, I like this tale. I regret I cannot find an online copy of this story. _____ Title: “The Shadow on the Blind” Author: Mrs. Alfred (Louisa) Baldwin (1845-1925) First published: The Shadow on the Blind and Other Stories 1895 Source: ISFDB