Rudyard Kipling

The Phantom 'Rickshaw, and Other Ghost Stories Rudyard Kipling

The Phantom 'Rickshaw, and Other Ghost Stories by Rudyard Kipling

After an affair with Mrs. Agnes Keith-Wessington in Simla, the narrator, Jack, disowns her and finally becomes engaged to Miss Kitty Mannering. However, Mrs. Wessington continually reappears in Jack's life, begging him to reconsider, insisting that it was all just a mistake. But Jack wants nothing to do with her and continues to despise her. Finally, Mrs. Wessington dies, much to Jack's relief. However, sometime later she sees her old rickshaw and assumes that someone has bought it. Then, to her amazement, the rickshaw and the men pulling it pass through a horse, revealing themselves as ghosts, carrying the late ghost of Mrs. Wessington. This leads to increasingly erratic behavior that Jack tries to cover up by inventing increasingly elaborate lies to assuage Kitty's suspicions. Finally, Dr. Heatherlegh welcomes him, assuming that the visions are the result of illness or insanity. Despite her efforts, Kitty and her family become increasingly suspicious and eventually cancel the engagement. Jack loses hope and begins to wander the city aimlessly, accompanied by the ghost of Mrs. Wessington.