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Short Summary of the Chapter: A Shady Plot
The story is about a man named John Hallock. He writes ghost stories for a magazine run by Mr Jenkins. One day, Jenkins asks John to write a new ghost story, but John has no idea what to write. As he is sitting and thinking, a ghost suddenly appears in his room.
The ghost is a woman named Helen. She says she has helped him write all his ghost stories. She also tells him that she is part of a group called the Writer’s Inspiration Bureau, which helps writers by giving them ideas.
But Helen is angry. She says she and her ghost friends are going on strike because people are using too many Ouija boards, and now they are tired. She tells John to stop his wife and friends from using Ouija boards, or she will not help him anymore.
Just then, John’s wife Lavinia enters the room, and the ghost disappears. Later, Lavinia tells John that she bought a Ouija board to help him with his stories. This scares John, but he does not tell her the truth.
On Saturday, Lavinia holds a Ouija board party at their home. Many women come and use the boards. Suddenly, all the Ouija boards start spelling the name “John” and “Helen.” Lavinia thinks John is hiding something. She becomes angry and decides to leave him.
The next morning, John receives a note from Lavinia saying she is going to her grandmother’s house. Then Helen appears again and says it’s his fault that she is tired. Just then, Lavinia comes back. She sees the ghost and instead of fainting, she smiles.
Helen says goodbye and disappears. Lavinia forgives John. At the end, John feels happy and says he now has the best plot ever for a ghost story.
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Detailed Summary of the Chapter: A Shady Plot
1. The Writer and His Problem: John Hallock was a writer. He wrote ghost stories for a magazine run by Mr Jenkins. Jenkins asked him to write another spooky story because the public loved such stories. John agreed, but the truth was, he had no idea what to write. This had happened before too. Strangely, ghost story ideas always came to him when he needed them.
2. The Ghost Appears: John sat at his desk and waited for an idea. Suddenly, a voice answered him. A ghost lady appeared slowly. She was tall, thin, wore glasses, and looked very serious. Her name was Helen. John was very shocked. At first, he thought it was the ghost of a woman who had applied for a stenographer’s job!
3. Helen’s Reason for Coming: Helen told John that she and other ghosts had been helping writers like him for a long time. They worked for something called the Writer’s Inspiration Bureau. This group of ghosts helped writers who had no ideas. But now, the ghosts were tired because people were using Ouija boards too much. These boards kept calling them again and again. So, they decided to go on strike.
4. Trouble at Home: While Helen was talking, John’s wife Lavinia called from outside. Helen disappeared just in time. Lavinia came in and said she had bought a Ouija board—the very thing Helen wanted stopped! She said she bought it to help John get ideas for his stories. John was scared but stayed quiet.
5. The Ouija Party: Next day, Lavinia held a Ouija board party at home. Many women came. Suddenly, the boards started spelling John’s name and the name Helen. Lavinia got jealous and angry. She thought John was hiding something and left the house, saying she was going to her grandmother’s.
6. The Funny Ending: The next morning, John found a letter from Lavinia. She said she was leaving him. Just then, Helen’s ghost appeared again. She said she was too tired because of too many Ouija calls. Then Lavinia came back. She saw the ghost but didn’t get scared. Helen disappeared politely. Lavinia forgave John.
7. The Happy Conclusion: After everything, John was finally full of ideas. He sat down happily to write a new ghost story. He said, “I’ve got the best plot for a ghost story!”
This story is a funny ghost story that shows how ghosts can be helpful too—but only if people don’t trouble them too much!
Pointwise Summary of the Chapter: A Shady Plot
1. John Hallock wrote ghost stories for a magazine run by Mr Jenkins, who asked him to write another spooky story.
2. John had no ideas for a new story and sat thinking when a ghost named Helen suddenly appeared in his room.
3. Helen told him she worked for the Writer’s Inspiration Bureau, a group of ghosts who helped writers.
4. She said the ghosts were tired and angry because people were using Ouija boards too much.
5. Helen said they were going on strike and would stop helping writers until people stopped using the boards.
6. Just then, John’s wife Lavinia entered and said she had bought a Ouija board to help John write stories.
7. The next day, Lavinia held a Ouija board party, and all the boards started calling John’s name and the name Helen.
8. Lavinia thought something was wrong and got jealous. She left John and went to her grandmother’s house.
9. The next morning, Helen appeared again, but then Lavinia returned, saw the ghost, and forgave John.
10. Helen disappeared, and John got a great idea. He happily said, “I’ve got the best plot for a ghost story!”