Greetings from the Graveyard Excerpt

8/12/2019 Greetings from the Graveyard Excerpt

1/16

Kate Klise M. Sarah Klise.Illustrated by

43 Old Cemetery Road

B O O K

S I X

GREETINGS GRAVEYARDFROMTHE


2/16

Text copyright 2014 by Kate KliseIllustrations copyright 2014 by M. Sarah Klise

This is a work of ction. All the names, characters, places, organizations, and events portrayed

in this book are products of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to any organization,event, or actual person, living or dead, is unintentional.

All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce

selections from this book, write to Permissions,Houghton Mifin Harcourt Publishing Company, 215 Park Avenue South,

New York, New York 10003.

www.hmhco.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.ISBN 978-0-544-10567-6

Designed by M. Sarah Klise

Manufactured in the United States of America

DOC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 145XXXXXXXX


3/16

Ignatius B. Grumply Olive C. Spence

and their son,

Seymour Hope

Welcome to 43 Old Cemetery Road!

If youve visitedbefore, you knowthis mansion is

occupied by


4/16

Together, this trio creates the bestselling book43 Old Cemetery Road.

That title is also the address of Spence Mansion,the 32-room house built by Olive C. Spence in 1874.

Ever since her death in 1911, Olive has hauntedSpence Mansion and the town of Ghastly, Illinois.

Frightened? Dont be.Olive is a happy-go-lucky ghost.

4 3 O l d C e m e t

e r y R o a d

Front Back


5/16

Youve probably seenOlives opera glasses

oating around town.

And if youve ever been invited for dinner at Spence Mansion,youve surely noticed Olives eyes following you

from the painting that hangs in the dining room.

Or perhaps youve heardher playing the piano at

Spence Mansion.

Maybe youve evenseen her reading at theGhastly Public Library.


6/16

Though she can be mischievous, Olive is usually harmless.

Spence Mansion is usually quiet.Ghastly is usually peaceful.

Or it was, anyway, until a mystery rattled this tranquil town.

A mystery, you say?

What happened? How did it start? Who was involved?

Was there a lot of blood?And, of course, most importantly:

Who did it?

To answer that question, you must turn the page

and read the letter that started it all.


7/16

OVERNIGHT MAIL

May 11

Ignatius B. Grumply43 Old Cemetery Road

Ghastly, Illinois

Dear Ignatius,

Surprise! I hope you didnt have a heart attack when youopened this letter. I nearly had a heart attack myself lastnight when I was at a party and everyone was talking abouta wonderful book called 43 Old Cemetery Road. Nadia, yousimply must read it , my friends said. Its about a hauntedmansion in Ghastly, Illinois.

I pretended to be interested, even though I find tales of

haunted houses quite dull. Whos the author? I askedwith a yawn. Well, said my friends, thats the fascinatingthing about this book. Its cowritten by a ghost namedOlive C. Spence and the man who rented her mansion lastyear. His name is Ignatius B. Grumply.

Ignatius B. Grumply? The man who asked me to marry him years ago? The man whose proposal I turned down like abedspread?

Nadia S. Richenov455 Fifth Avenue, Apt. 2

New York, NY 10016

5.


8/16

I said nothing to my friends. I was too shocked to speak.Iggy, you were a two-bit childrens book author when Iknew you. You were also as poor as a church mouse. Andnow youre a bestselling author?

Well, all I can say is lets celebrate! Shall we meet for a cozydinner in Chicago? Or perhaps a moonlight cruise in Paris?

Just name the time and place. Ill be there! Im dying to seeyou again, Iggy.

Love always,

P.S. Id love to help with your book. I have oodles of goodideas!

2.

6.


9/16

May 12

Nadia S. Richenov455 Fifth Avenue, Apt. 2New York, NY 10016

Dear Nadia,

Ill be brief: No.

You refused to marry me twenty-one years ago. Im

the same person I was back then, only richer, whichIm guessing is why youd like to see me again.Sorry, Nadia. Im not interested. Not today, nottomorrow, not ev

Iggy! Shame on you.

Olive, please let me finish this letter. I know whatIm doing.

I know, too. Youre being extremely rude to anadmirer.

You dont understand. Nadia is no admirer. Shesnot even a friend.

IGNATIUS B. GRUMPLYA WRITER IN RESIDENCE

43 OLD CEMETERY ROAD 2ND FLOOR GHASTLY, ILLINOIS

7.


10/16

I know, dear. I read your diary last summer,remember?

Id rather forget. Do you know how much time andmoney I wasted on Nadia and her cats?

Youve mentioned buying a diamond-studdedcollar for one of her feline friends.

With emeralds. Can you imaginea cat collar withdiamonds and emeralds? Is that really what bothers you, dear? Or is itthe fact that Nadia broke your heart when shedumped you? If youre trying to make me feel better, youre doinga lousy job. I havent thought about Nadia in a longtime. I dont want to start now.

Fine. But you cant send her a rude letter.Is there a greeting card for occasions like this?Something along the lines of Roses are red,violets are blue, please forgive me if I choose toforget about you?

Iggy, youve just hit upon a marvelous idea!

2.

8.


11/16

I have?

Yes! We shall launch a line of greeting cardsfor sticky situations like the one youre in withNadia.

Please tell me youre kidding.

Ive never been more serious in my lifeor inmy death. Greeting cards were just catching onwhen I died. I never had a chance to send one.Oh, wont this be fun, Iggy? You and I can writethe cards. Seymour will illustrate them, just aswe do with our book.

I dont want Seymour to get tangled up with Nadia.

He wont, dear. Hes simply going to illustratea card for you to send her. Now, what shall wename our card business? Hmm. Im not sure, butlets not waste another moment. Call the news-paper and schedule an interview. Well think of agood name before the reporter arrives.

3.

9.


12/16

W e

r e L i v i n g i n G h a s t l y T i m e s

THE GHASTLY TIMES c ci

Tuesday, May 12Cliff Hanger, Editor

50 centsAfternoon Edition

Greetings from the Graveyard!There are plenty of greeting cards that

celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. Butwhat kind of card do you send to an oldfriend youd rather not see? That stickywicket is the basis for a new business

based in Spence Mansion.Olive thinks there might be a marketfor greeting cards to send when times are

bad, explained Ignatius B. Grumply.Were going to make cards to send

when everythings gone dead wrong,added Seymour Hope, the adopted son ofGrumply and Olive C. Spence.

In addition to creating greeting cards,Grumply, Hope and Spence will continueto publish new chapters of their bestselling

book, 43 Old Cemetery Road.

Grumply, Hope and Spence announceplans for a greeting card company.

Its happened again. Rob Z. Lott andLiza Lott, the husband-and-wife team ofcon artists, have escaped from the IllinoisState Penitentiary in Peoria. The Lotts wereserving thirty-year sentences for a string of

robberies committed over the past decade.We kept them inside two years this

time, but they jumped out an open windowlast night, said Penny Tenshury, prisonwarden. Rob and Liza took off in oppo-site directions. We didnt catch either one.

Tenshury advised Illinois residents tokeep their doors and windows locked.And if you have anything valuable in your

house, she added, be extra careful.

Convicts Escape from Prison

Rob Z. Lott (left) and Liza Lott (right)

are notorious con artists.

We plan to have new chapters ready byJune 21, said Grumply.

June 21 is Fathers Day this year.


13/16

Art Smart, host of the popular TV showWhats It Worth?, will be at the GhastlyPublic Library on May 19.

Were inviting everyone in town to bring in one item for a free appraisal, saidM. Balm, chief librarian at the GhastlyPublic Library.

Smart, whose show is enjoyed by mil-lions of viewers every week, says most

people have no idea what their possessionsare worth. You could be sitting on a for-

tune, Smart said in a telephone interviewfrom his TV studio in Boston. Literally,that old rocking chair your grandmothergave you could be worth a lot of money.So bring your favorite piece of furni-ture, jewelry or art to the Ghastly PublicLibrary next Tuesday and Ill tell you whatits worth.

Page 2 The Ghastly Times May 12

Art Smart Coming to Ghastly

Smart knows the value of everything.

GhastlyCottage for

Rent

Clean . Cozy . Comfortable

Contact M. Balm

Greetings from the Graveyard

Cards in rhymes

for difcult times

$2 per card(includes envelope and stamp)


14/16

LLLL:: WhWhereree rr u?u?

LLLL:: ChChicicagago.o. RReaeadydy 44 nnewew nnamameses,, frfreseshh ststarart!t!

LLLL:: 22 mamanyny ppeoeoplple.e. WWhahattss itit llikikee whwhereree uu r?r?

LLLL:: ThTherereess $$ evevererywywheherere.. JuJustst hhavavee 22 nndd itit.. II hahaveve aa nnewewbibizz idideaea..

LLLL:: JuJustst hhadad aa 22-y-yeaearr brbreaeaththerer.. TiTimeme 22 ggetet bbacackk @@ itit.. CaCann uunndd usus aa ccheheapap pplalacece 22 llivive?e?

RL: Small town, middle of the state. U?

RL: In Chicago??

RL: Quiet. Peaceful. Not a lot of $ here.

RL: We could take a breather 4 a while.

RL: Done. C u when u get here.


15/16

LLLL:: WaWaitit.. WhWhereree rr uu exexacactltly?y? NNamamee ofof tthehe ttowown?n?

LLLL:: ThThininkk II rereadad aabtbt iitt inin ppririsoson.n. DDonontt ttheheyy hahaveve ssomomee sosortrtaatrtricickk ghghosostt ththereree 22 atattrtracactt totoururisiststs??

LLLL:: DeDeadad == ggooood.d. WWee neneeded 22 bb iinvnvisisibiblele.. CC uu sosoonon..

RL: Ghastly.

RL: If so, not working. Town = dead.


16/16

May 13Olive C. Spence43 Old Cemetery RoadGhastly, Illinois

Dear Olive,

a Greetings from the Graveyard card? I hope so, and let

Ive been trying for years to sell my mothers old cottage on

already?

Ghastly soon.

tenant, Ben Bizzy.

M. Balm

GHASTLY PUBLIC LIBRARY

14.

Documents

Greetings from the Graveyard Excerpt