The faithful ghost and other tall tales (Level 3)

44 Pages·72.11 MB·English

by  Bowler Bill.

O X r O K I)
The Faithful Ghost
and Other Tall Tales
A Tall Tale' is a story that's hard to believe, and
the five tall tales in this book all tell of ghosts.
Some have dark secrets buried in the past, others
bring messages for the living. Some are laughable,
some are sad, and some are just evil.
Sometimes there's a logical explanation for the
i i l'
strangest happenings, but often things cannot be
explained by logic alone. Either way, you're sure to
find some frightening reading between the covers
of this book.
Illustrated by Zdenko Basic
I This book is supported by a MultiROM, containing a complete
' dramatized audio recording of the story plus interactive activities.
Series Editors: Bill Bow/ler and Sue Parminter
Word count 12,933
lEVEL I: r ; HEADWORDS
S Three l.i".l I- _ dominIdes • ^
Two 700 r'"
One 400
l i i i^ I . l i f h i i il t i h o si
Starter 250
u u\ I I I I mm I . i ll
OXPORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
www.oup.com/elt
O X P O RD DOMINOES
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Great Clarendon Street. Oxibril оx2 (i I)!•
Oxford University Press is a deparlnuMil (il I he I liilviMnlly (il Oxlorcl.
It fiirthers the University's objective oCexc'elleluc in icsiMlch, si holai-ship, Series Editors: Bill Bowler and Sue Parminter
and education by publishing worldwide in
Oxford New York
Auckland Cape Town Dares Salaam Hong Kong Karaclii
Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi
New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto
With offices in
Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece
Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore
South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam
The Faithfu
OXFORD and OXFORD ENGLISH агс registered trade marks of
Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries
This edition © Oxford University Press 2010
The moral rights of the author have been asserted Ghost and Other
Database right Oxford University Press (maker)
First pubhshed in Dominoes 2008
2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 Tall Tales
10 98765432
ISBN: 9780194248259 BOOK
ISBN: 978 019 424783 2 BOOK AND MULTIROM PACK
MULTIROM NOT AVAILABLE SEPARATELY Retold by Bill Bowler
No unauthorized photocopying
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
virithout the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press,
or as expressly permitted by law. or under terms agreed with the appropriate
reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction
outside the scope of the above should be sent to the ELT Rights Department.
Oxford University Press, at the address above
You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover Illustrated by Zdenko Basic
and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer
Any websites referred to in this publication are in the public domain and
their addresses are provided by Oxford University Press for information only.
Oxford University Press disclaims any responsibility for the (tontent
Printed in China
This book is printed on paper from certified and well-managed sources.
Ghost stories and tall tales have always interested Bill Bowler.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
niustrattons and cover by: Zdenko BasicfTlie Bright Agency This collection contains stories by two of the finest tellers of
The publisher would like to thank the/ollowing/or permission to reproduce photographs: Alamy ghostly tales in English - Washington Irving and M. R. James.
Images pp iv (Jerome K Jerome/Classic Image), iv (Edith Nesbit Strand/Mary Evans Picture
Also included are three excellent ghost stories by writers who
Library). 12 (folding plate camera/Antiques 81 Collectables). 73 (Dover Castle gatehouse/
Martin Beddall); Corbis pp iv (Rudyard Kipling), 28 (Wurzburg/Jose Fuste Raga), 37 are perhaps more famous for other types of tale - J. K. Jerome,
(Strawberry Hill Manor/Historical Picture Archive), 74 (Vanderbilt Mausoleum/Bettmann);
Rudyard Kipling, and E. Nesbit. You will find exciting, sad,
Fotolia pp61 (garden/Martini), 74 (haunted liouse/Photoeyes); Getty Images pp iv
(Washington Irving/Bob Thomas/Poppeifoto), iv (M.RJames/Hulton Archive). 60 (Field of strange, and amusing stories in this book. But if you are easily
Yellow Irises at Giverny 1887 (oil on canvas). Claude Monet/ The Bridgeman Art Libraiy);
frightened, be sure to read them in the light of day - not late
iStockphoto pp 7 (headstone/Neil Sullivan), 21 (Fortress Marienberg/Exkalibur). 37 (ghosts/
Andrey Khritin). 61 (graveyard/Adrian Beesley). 61 (marble column/Ryan Scott). 61 (tomb/ at night, alone.
Melissa Rodgers). 61 (pumpkins/Lisa Thornberg). 61 (cottage/fotoVoyager). 61 (advert/Une
Collins). 61 (celtic cross/George Clerk), 61 (pipe/Joan Vicent Canto), 72 (lighthouse/Brian
Scott); Maiy Evans Picture Library p 52 (French public transport/Rue des Archives); OUP
p 61 (lightning/Digital Vision).
O X P O RD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
A l f O f ff [he A n t hm
Washington Irving (1783-1859) was born - the youngest
of I I children - in New York, the United States. He studied
law, but worked for only a short time. He lived in Europe A
for many years, and was the first world famous American
writer He is best known as the writer of Rip Van Winkle and
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, also available as a Dominoes
reader CimUntr
The Faithful Ghost
Edith Nesbit (1858-1924) was born in London, England.
She went to school in France and Germany where she was Meeting Mrs Dumoise
very unhappy In 1871 she moved back to England and started
The Ghostly Bridegroom
writing. Edith married and had children, but also wrote. She
is best remembered today for her children's stories, of which Part 1 14
one of the most famous is The Railway Children (1906). Part 2 22
Part 3 30
Jerome Klapka Jerome (1859-1927) was born in The Haunted Doll's House
Staffordshire in central England. His childhood was difficult
as his parents were poor and died when he was 13. He took Part 1 38
jobs working for the railways, as a journalist, a teacher and Part 2 46
an actor. He wrote stories all this time but he only became
Man-size in Marble
famous with Three Men in a Boat (1889), an amusing story
of a boat journey on the river Thames. Part 1 54
Part 2 62
f
Montague Rhodes James (1862-1936) was born in Kent, Project A 70
England. He was a brilliant student at Cambridge University
Project B 72
and later taught there. M. R. James also wrote some of the
greatest ghost stories in English. He started writing them to
amuse friends, and every Christmas Eve read a new story aloud
to them. He published five books of ghost stories.
Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) was born in Bombay (now
Mumbai) in India to English parents. He loved listening to Indian
rhymes and stories as a child. When he was six he went to
school in England. In 1881 he returned to live in India and
started work as a journalist. He travelled widely as a journalist
and a fiction writen and lived in both the USA and England.
His most famous book is The jungle Book (1894).
rhefftithfrf ahm
ly J. K.
BEFORE READING
I was little more than a boy when I first met Johnson. I was
1 You otten find these things in ghost stories. Match the words with the pictures
home from school for the Christmas holidays and, because it
Use a dictionary to help you. moan a low
wiis (he night before Christmas my parents let me stay up very sad sound that
a a grave liilo. When I went to my room that night and opened the door, someone makes;
to make a low sad
b a candle I found myself face to face with Johnson, who was coming out. sound
c a churchyard I Ic passed through me and, giving a long low moan of great
d a coffin MKIIU-SS, he disappeared out of the window by the stairs.
e a tomb I'or a moment I was very surprised. I was only a
f poison Nclidolhoy at the time, I'd never seen a ghost before,
g a chapel .Mill so I felt a little afraid about going to bed. But,
h a cross lliiiiking about it, I remembered ghosts could
liiii I only bad people, so I got under the bed
(incrs and went to sleep.
2 Match the titles of the stories on the Contents page with these summaries.
a Some dolls show the owner of an old doll's house a terrible story,
b The ghost of a man's dead wife comes to warn him about something,
c A young couple move to a country village. As Halloween gets near, they hear a
terrible story about two knights whose marble tombs are in the church nearby,
d A handsome young man is on his way to get married when he is killed.
Later people see his ghost meet his future bride,
e An old ghost haunts the house where his love once lived. The people who
live there plan to make him leave.
3 Do you know any ghost stories? Tell a partner.
In IIH' Mioniiii^;, I (old my lather about what I'd seen. And so,' Father said, 'when I moved into this house, the rent the money
that you give
'Oh, yes, Hull was old jolinson,' he answered. 'Don't be landlord took ten pounds off the rent for me.'
every month for
frightened ol' him: lu- lives here.' And then he told me the After that, I often met Johnson around the place at all hours a place to live; to
give money every
poor thing's life slory. of the night, and so did everybody. At first we used to walk month for a place
to live
It seemed that Johnson, wlien he was alive and young, had round him or stand to one side to let him pass. But when we
faithful true to
loved the daughter of a man who'd once owned our house. She became more comfortable with him, it didn't seem necessary your husband
was a beautiful young woman and her first name was Emily. I о he so polite, and we used to walk straight through him. You or wife and not
having other
Father didn't know her other name. I'oukln't say he was ever very much in our way. lovers; true to
your friends or
Johnson was too poor to marry her, so he kissed her goodbye, I k' was a gentle old ghost who wouldn't hurt a fly, and we people that you
work for and not
and said, 'I'll soon be back.' Then he left for Australia to make III! fell very sorry for him. For a while, indeed, he was a real
forgetting them
his fortune. But Australia wasn't then what it became later. liivoiirite with the women of the house. He was so faithful to annoy to make
In those days there weren't many people who travelled across Ills dear Umily, and their hearts were touched by it. you feel a little
angry
the wide open country there that you could rob and kill. Hill as time went on, he started to become a little boring.
sigh to blow air
Because of this, it took Johnson nearly twenty years to get all N'oii see, he was full of sadness. There was nothing amusing from your mouth
with a sad or tired
the money he wanted. Ol pleasant about him. You felt sorry for him, but he annoyed sound; air that you
blow from your
But at last the job he'd given himself was done. Escaping \'(iii. lie used to sit on the stairs and cry for hours at a time.
mouth with a sad
from the police and leaving Australia, he returned with his ЛІНІ when we woke up in the middle of the night, we were sure or tired sound
fortune to England - full of great happiness and hope - to ask III hear him moving up and down the stairs and in and out drawing room a
living room in a
Emily to marry him. III I he dilTerent rooms, moaning and sighing. It really wasn't large house
When he reached the house, he found it silent and empty. I'lisy lo go back to sleep again. And when we had a party, he depressing
making you feel
None of the neighbours could tell him much. They said iiM'd Id come and sit outside the drawing room door and very unhappy
that, soon after he himself had left England, the family had I ry hlllcrly all the time. He didn't really do anything to hurt grave a hole in
the ground where
disappeared quietly one-,cold, wet night, and that nobody had iiii\'boily, hut he made everything a little depressing.
you put a dead
ever seen or heard anything of them since then although the 'I'm getting tired of that stupid old ghost,' said my father body
landlord and many of the owners of nearby shops had tried line cveiiiiig after Johnson had been even more annoying than haunt to spend
lots of time in a
very hard to find them. ti Mial. I le was sitting up the chimney, moaning, and had made place (often used
fortune money,
of ghosts)
houses and Poor Johnson, crazy with grief, had gone to look for his lost II Impossible for us to think straight while we were playing
valuable things
that make you a love all over the world. He never found her, and after years of II I',lime of cards. 'We'll have to get rid of him, one way or
rich person
unsuccessful searching, he returned to end his lonely life in the mmlhcr. і wish I knew how to do it.'
landlord a man
same house where, in happy earlier days, he and his dearest 'Well,' said my mother. 'You can be sure we'll never see the
who gets money
from renting out a Emily had spent so many wonderful hours together. liiii'N of him until he's found Emily's grave. That's what he's
house
He'd lived there all alone, walking about crying and calling to liiiiMng for. Find Emily's grave and let him know where it is,
grief great
sadness that you his Emily to come back to him. And when the poor old thing mill he'll go and haunt that. It's the only thing to do.'
feel after someone
that you love dies had died, his ghost had gone on with the same business.
'All right, let's try it!' said my father. So the next morning
we had some workmen in to dig a little grave between the
apple trees at the bottom of the garden, and to put a nice
white gravestone at one end of it, with these words on it: In
loving memory of Emily. Her last words were: 'Tell Johnson
I love him.'
"I'hal's sure to work,' said Father to himself, and it did.
We made sure that Johnson went down there that same
iilj'.hl, and - well - the way he ran and threw his arms round
dial gravestone, moaning and sighing, was one of the saddest
lhlii).'.s I've ever seen. Dad and old Squibbins the gardener cried memory what
you remember
like children when they saw it.
We've had no more trouble from Johnson in the house since
llii'ii. I Ic spends every night now crying bitterly on the grave,
iiiid .'.ccnis really pleased.
I', lie slill (here? Oh, yes. I'll take you down and show
hiiii U) voii (he next time you come to our place - ten
III IHC evening to four in the morning are his
II .mil hours, (en o'clock to two o'clock on
'.iiliiKliiys.
The idea seemed reasonable, but the difficulty was that none
|In Loving Mcmory'of
of us knew where Emily's grave was. Father said that we
^ Smify
should find some other Emily's grave and pretend it was the
real thing, but, unluckily for us, no Emily of any kind was
HerLfT'Wordswere:
buried anywhere for miles around. I've never seen a place so
terribly empty of dead Emilies.
bury to put a i -6 ftimS'i
I thought for a while, and then I said, 'Couldn't we just
dead person
under the ground make a grave for Emily in our garden.? He doesn't seem to be
believe to think
the cleverest of ghosts. He might believe it's the real thing.
that something
is true At least we can try.'
READING CHECK 2 Use the words in the gravestone to complete the gaps in Johnson's letter.
1 What do you know about Johnson? Tick the correct column.
И4 darling &пііЦ,
True False Don't ki
• •
a He was a frightening ghost. I came bza to england with a (a) f.Qr+W:ve in
• •
b He loved Christmas. П m^i pocke-tfi hoping we could be married. S-ut where
• • •
c His girlfriend had lived in the storyteller's house. were -jou then, and where are -(ou now? Have *(ou
• • •
d He went to Australia to find a good job. brrn (b) to me, or are <|ou married to
• • •
ndllieone ЄІ6Є?
e He arrived back in England a rich man.
• • Uiefte davfs vfour old {c) is letting
f When he returned to England Emily was already married
• • •
iiir live in the house. I paN| him (d)
g He died in the storyteller's house.
• • • (i| rnurfte. I'm writing to >(ou now from the (e)
h He wanted to frighten the people in the house.
• • • where we spent man^( happ^j
і At first everyone in the house felt sorry for him.
• • • lidurf. together. &ut it's (f) living here
j He cried and made a lot of noise.
• • • •ildur with опЦ (g) of '(ou in head.
k His girlfriend's grave was at the bottom of the garden.
• • • I І14 lo (h) that one da-j I will see fou
1 At the end of the story he stops haunting the house. (Mur .igairi,
WORD WORK Vnui'ft lovingl-f,
Joe Johnson
1 Tick the correct word in each sentence.
a The old ghost... the house where his girlfriend once lived.
1 0 haunts 2 • annoys 3 • buries
b They say that the King ... his gold under the castle before he died. OBiSS WHAT
1 • moaned 2 • haunted 3 • buried Miiliih the main characters in the
c Johnson wakes the family with his loud ... . 11 DM I «lory, Meeting Mrs Dumoise
1 • grief 2 • moans 3 • sighs Willi llio phrases below.
d 'Please don't go,' he ..., 'I love you.'
II I I iliiiH soon after the story begins.
1 • sighed 2 • annoyed 3 • buried
It I I iKKi.s a ghost.
e Johnson ... the family because he is always sad.
ti I I in 11 doctor.
1 • haunts 2 • buries 3 • annoys
il I I IH very frightened.
f Some people say that the old man went crazy with . after his wife died. H I I IH viiry sad when his wife dies. В Mrs Dumoise
1 • grave 2 • grief 3 • moans I I I p.ivdH Ram Dass a message.
g No one can find Emily's ....
1 • grief 2 • grave 3 • bury
В Ham Dass
Meeting Mn l>ttmift
hj Anilpri Kiplmij
This story can be explained by people who know about ghosts.
I've lived long enough in India to know it's best just to tell
things the way they happened.
Dumoise worked as our doctor at Meridki in the Punjab,
in the north-west of India. He was a round, sleepy little man,
and he married a young woman as round and sleepy-looking
as himself. After their wedding they forgot about the rest of
the world and were very happy Life in Meridki went on quite
well without them.
But Dumoise was wrong to shut himself away from the world,
as he discovered when there was an epidemic of typhoid in
Meridki, and his wife became ill with the disease. Five days were
lost before he realized she had more than just a fever. Three
more days passed before he visited Mrs Shute, the engineer's wen! with him, to help with his
Dumoise wife, and spoke to her in a nervous way about his trouble. lii|',l',ai',e. The man was lazy and not very
/ilii'mwii:// She almost hit him round the ears. hoiii'Nt, but he'd been his wife's favourite and
epidemic whon a
Idl (ll |)(!()|lll! IlilVn 'It's a crime you waited so long to tell someone,' she said, IMIINI faillil'ul servant, and Dumoise was happy to
Ihi! siimi! illniiss (It and went off immediately to care for the poor woman. Seven II 1 lilin manage everything.
Ihd slunii limo
people in Meridki caught typhoid that winter, and for fifty-six (In his way back from the hills, Dumoise went to a place
typhoid an illness
wlioro you get days we fought the disease and brought them back to the I iilli'd Hagi. The house where walkers can stay there is open
a tiad stomacti,
world of the living. III Ihc winds and a bitterly cold place. He stopped at seven
a fever, and red
spots on your body Just when we thought it was all finished, little Mrs Dumoise (M liM'K in the evening, and his servant went down the hillside
disease illness
became worse again, and died in less than a week. Everyone mill Ihc village to find carriers for the next day. The sun had
fever when
went to the funeral. Dumoise started crying at the edge of ^iiiiic down, and it was windy. Dumoise stood in front of the
you get very hot
because you are ill the grave and was taken away by friends at once. iiiiii'ii', waiting for the man to come back. He returned almost
nervous a little
After his wife's death, Dumoise went back to their house alone. I (Ilalely, and so quickly that Dumoise thought he'd probably
afraid
funeral the time He didn't want help. He did his job well, but we all told him he Mil I iiiiiie wild animal on the way. He was running as hard as
when a dead should take a holiday. Dumoise was grateful for the idea, and 111 niiild up the side of the hill.
person is put
under the ground went to the hills in north-east India, on a walking tour. W hen he reached Dumoise, he fell down at his feet. Blood
Memsahib the
servant a person He took a gun and a big camera with him, hoping to take lots I iiMii' I'll Mil his nose and his face was grey with fear. Then he word Indian
who works for servants used for
someone rich of photographs and forget his grief. A useless Indian servant •iiilil. 'I've seen the Memsahib.' a British woman
^ 'Where?' asked Dumoise. place at the hospital while he was away. This man was an old
^ 'Down on the road to the Iriend of his, and they talked for a day about work. In the
village. She was in a blue (•vcniiig Dumoise told the man what had happened at Bagi.
^ dress, and she looked at me AI lhat moment the telegram boy ran in with a telegram
from under her hat and said, IrDin (he government offices in Simla. Dumoise read it with
"Ram Dass, say hello to my iMlcrcsl. It said:
husband and tell him I'll meet
him next month at Nuddea."
NUDDEA. B E N G^
Then I ran away because I felt GOVH^-^H
,;,)Vl';KNMENT...№EDS.JELP.....t;
very afraid.'
I don't know whcit Dumoise •;KNI)INGJOT..THE№..
did. Ram Dass said he walked up
and down in front of the house Kiiinoisc threw the telegram on the table. 'Well!' he cried.
and waited for the Memsahib The oilier doctor said nothing. What could he say.'
to come up the hill, holding Thru he remembered Dumoise had passed through Simla.
out his arms in front of him Dill you hear about this already and take the job in order to
like someone who was crazy. But iiiiilu' an enil of your-.?' he began, but Dumoise stopped him.
no Memsahib came, and the next 'Niil al all. It's the first I've heard of it. But if death comes
day Dumoise travelled onwards to liii MIC. I won't be sorry.'
Simla, the summer home of the British In I he hall'light the other man helped to put Dumoise's things
government in northern India. He asked lull K III his hags. Ram Dass came in with a light.
telegram a very
Ram Dass endless questions about what had 'Where's Hie Sahib going.?' he asked. short letter that
you send very
happened to him in Bagi along the way. I'll Nuddea,' answered Dumoise softly. quickly
Ram Dass could only say he'd met Mrs Dumoise, \l lliiil, lUim Dass fell to the floor, pulling at Dumoise's legs cholera a
stomach illness
she'd looked at him from under her hat, and had said the mill iiNkliig him not to go. He cried and moaned until he was
you get from
words he'd reported. He never changed his story. iiilil 111 leave the room. Then he put all his things together and drinking dirty
water, which can
'I don't know where Nuddea is, I've never been to Nuddea, 1 mill' lo ask I'or a reference. kill you
and I don't want to go there, even if I'm paid twice what I I 111 mil going to Nuddea to see the Sahib die, and perhaps Sahib the word
Indian servants
usually get to go,' he added. illr iiivsell'.' he said. used for a British
Nuddea is in Bengal in southern India. It has nothing to do 'ill IMiiiioise paid him, gave him a reference, and went to man
reference a
with a doctor working in the Punjab. It's more than twelve iliiililrii alone. Eleven days later he'd joined his Memsahib,
letter from a past
hundred miles south of Meridki, where Dumoise lived. I I he Bengal government had to And a new doctor to light employer saying
how well you work
government Dumoise passed through Simla without stopping, and then llii r|iiileinic in Nuddea. For Dumoise lay dead from cholera that you can show
the people who when you are
control a country went on to Meridki. There he met the doctor who'd taken his III llii' liospilal there. looking for a job
10 11
READING CHECK d I've got a hot head and feel ill today. Yuk!
Read the summary of Meeting Mrs Dumoise and cross out nine more extra
pieces of information not in the story. 0 I xcuse me, I want to send a short, quick message to Australia.
Dumoise was a doctor in a modorn liOopitjl in the north of India. He married
1 I hiivo to write an essay about Myanmar life and the people who control the country.
Mrs Dumoise one beautiful summer day and they were both very happy. Although
Dumoise was a very good doctor, his wife got ill and died from a bad disease. After
K Wd're not going to Vietnam because of the flu that a lot of people have there.
her death Dumoise went on holiday for a month in the Indian hills to forget his grief
He took his camera, his gun and his wife's favourite servant with him, a lazy man
h riiiiiso send a letter about you from your boss if you are interested in the job.
with six children called Ram Dass. One windy evening, on their way home from the
hills, Ram Dass saw Mrs Dumoise's ghost. She was wearing a blue dress and she GUESS WHAT
looked very sad. She gave him a message for her husband; to meet her on the first
llin noxt story is called TIte Ghostly Bridegroom. Which two
Monday of the next month in a place called Nuddea. Nuddea was a large town in unnloiioos do you think are true about each of the main
the south of India, a long way from Dumoise's home. When they returned home, iihiiriiclors at the beginning of the story?
Dumoise told another doctor about his wife's ghost. While they were speaking in
II Hill hndo ...
the garden, he got a message from the government about a new job in the south of
I I I lives in a castle in a forest.
India. It was in Nuddea. Mr Dumoise travelled to Nuddea with some other servants,
'i I I IS waiting to meet her future husband.
but without Ram Dass. Eleven days later, he died there of a bad disease.
A I I I'liMlly doesn't want to get married,
h Hill hriilogroom ,..
1 I I roally doesn't want to get married.
WORD WORK
2 I I IS killed by some thieves.
Rewrite each sentence with a word from the 5 I I IS cxcited about meeting his future bride.
camera instead of the underlined words. iHEHia c ma II I III! Iiridc's father...
a Are you a little afraid about the exam 1 I I arranges his daughter's marriage.
tomorrow? 2 I I isn't a kind man.
/Are >^ou nervous abou+ +he 5 I i loves telling ghost stories.
exam tomorrow? . mmmm li llui bridegroom's friend ...
b He died last week and his time to be buried 1 • hates adventures.
is today. 2 • is the son of one of the bride's father's enemies.
c More than 200 men and women work in the 3 • makes a promise to his dying friend.
palace.
^
" m mm
10 12