I have mentioned several times before that Wales has produced some of my favorite ghost stories. An outstanding example was related by Iorwerth C. Peate in the Summer 1975 issue of the journal “Folklore,” under the title of “A Strange Tale.” It’s not every day that you see a dead man turn real estate agent.
The author’s grandfather, David Peate, was a carpenter living at Glan-llyn, Llanbryn-Mair, Montgomeryshire, where he owned two semi-detached houses. Peate’s family lived in the northernmost of the homes, which was partly built over his workshop. One night sometime in the 1880s, Peate and his brother (who shared a bedroom) were awakened to the sound of sawing and hammering in the workshop, exactly as if someone was hard at work. Except…they knew no one was in there. After a few minutes of uneasy pondering, the brothers decided there was nothing to be done except go back to sleep. Early the next morning, when they went down to breakfast, they found a neighbor talking to their father. The man had come to order a coffin for his wife. She had died at the exact time the brothers had heard the activity in the workshop.
When David Peate married in 1897, he and his wife moved into the southern of the two houses. Peate’s mother stayed in the other residence until her death in 1907, after which Peate rented the house to various tenants. Some time around 1918, a widow named Mrs. James, who lived in a neighboring parish, called on Mrs. Peate to ask about the rental. Mrs. Peate had never met the woman before, but instantly liked her a great deal. As the two women were having tea, Mrs. Peate decided her new acquaintance would make a very pleasant neighbor. She resolved to let Mrs. James have the house, although she said nothing about the matter. When the widow rose to leave, she asked if she could move in within a fortnight. Mrs. Peate was shocked when she found herself instantly replying, “No, I am sorry; you cannot have the house.” Mrs. James was quite upset at the news, but not half as much as Mrs. Peate. She could not imagine what made her turn the woman down.
Before long, the house was rented to a mother and daughter who were both widows. They were both amiable ladies who were excellent neighbors. The Peates were taken aback when one morning, the mother stormed into their house, in a very bad temper. She exclaimed that it was highly inconsiderate for David to be laboring away in his workshop at three in the morning. The cacophony of his hammering and sawing and planing made it impossible for her to sleep. The Peates promised her that David had been in bed all night, and certainly had no reason to be working at such a bizarre hour. While they were talking, there was a knock on their door. A neighbor had come to order a coffin for a family member who had died during the night. At 3 a.m.
The ending to Peate’s little narrative is, as he noted, the oddest part of the tale. One morning, the elder of their two tenants came by, shaking with fright, to ask for Mrs. Peate’s advice. She said that the night before, she had been awakened by the presence of a man in her bedroom. She immediately recognized him as “John,” an old beau who had deserted her right before they were to be married. She was in shock, as she knew he had been dead for many years. The spirit said he had come to ask forgiveness for jilting her, and asked to shake her hand. Instead, the poor terrified woman hid under the bedclothes until dawn.
The widow asked Mrs. Peate, “What shall I do if he comes again tonight?”
Mrs. Peate reassured her that the spectral visitor meant no harm, and added, “Are you ready to forgive him?”
“Forgive him, yes, I forgave him many years ago, for I had a far better man than he.”
“Then,” Mrs. Peate replied sensibly, “why not tell him so and shake his hand?”
The next morning, the widow returned to the Peate house, this time beaming with happiness. She said, “He came and I took his hand and told him that I had long ago forgiven him. He said: ‘Thank God. I shall now leave you in peace, but remember that I have tried to take care of you and I did see to it that you should have this house.’”
Mrs. Peate contemplated that peculiar statement for a moment. Then she asked, “What was John’s surname?”
“James,” her visitor replied.
Mrs. Peate realized that the woman she had so inexplicably refused to have as a tenant was John’s widow.
That was a surprising and interesting conclusion to the story. I hope Mr James was able to secure a good home for his own widow, too.
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