Cold As Clay Kitty: ⭐ ⭐ Winterjoy: ⭐⭐
It’s month 8 of our Scary Stories Book Club thing, and this time we will be exploring the folklore motif dead lover’s malevolent return. Last week we learned about forerunners when we read The Thing. If you’d like to start from the beginning of this series, please visit the original post here.
Cold As Clay
A farmer had a daughter for whom he cared more than anything on earth. She fell in love with a farmhand named Jim, but the farmer did not think Jim was good enough for his daughter. To keep them apart, he sent her to live with her uncle on the other side of the country.
Soon after she left, Jim got sick, and he wasted away and died. Everyone said he died of a broken heart. The farmer felt so guilty about Jim’s death, he could not tell his daughter what had happened. She continued to think about Jim and the life they might have had together.
One night many weeks later there was a knock on her uncle’s door. When the girl opened the door, Jim was standing there.
“Your father asked me to get you,” he said. “I came on his best horse.”
“Is there anything wrong?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said.
She packed a few things, and they left. She rode behind him, clinging to his waist. Soon he complained of a headache. “It aches something terrible,” he told her.
She put her hand on his forehead. “Why, you are as cold as clay,” she said. “I hope you are not ill,” and she wrapped her handkerchief around his head.
They traveled so swiftly that in a few hours they reached the farm. The girl quickly dismounted and knocked on the door. Her father was startled to see her.
“Didn’t you send for me?” she asked.
“No, I didn’t,” he said.
She turned to Jim, but he was gone and so was the horse. They went to the stable to look for them. The horse was there. It was covered with sweat and trembling with fear. But there was no sign of Jim.
Terrified, her father told her the truth about Jim’s death. Then quickly he went to see Jim’s parents. They decided to open his grave. The corpse was in its coffin. But around its head they found the girl’s handkerchief.
~*~*~*~*~
Schwartz states that this tale is based on an English ballad. He sites Child, vol. 5, no 272 p.66. Dating back to the 1700s, this ballad is called The Suffolk Miracle. It is also sometimes called The Holland Handkerchief or The Lover’s Ghost. (1) Here is the full text of this ballad. I typed this as true to this broadsheet as I could read. (2) It is in old English, so be prepared! (3) I will also warn that it is a little graphic in parts, so if you are squeamish about dead bodies that have been buried for a while, don’t read this. Okay, here it is.
The Suffolk Miracle
A Wonder strange as e’r was known,
Then what I now shall treat upon,
In Suffolk there did lately dwell,
A Farmer Rich and known full well.
He had a Daughter fair and bright,
On whom he plac’d his chief Delight,
Her Beauty was beyond compare,
She was both virtuous and fair.
A young Man there was living by,
Who was so charmed with her Eye,
That he could never be at Rest,
He was with Love so much possest.
He made address to her, and she
Did grant him Love immediately,
Which when her Father came to hear,
He parted her and her poor Dear.
Forty Miles distant was she sent,
Unto her Uncle’s with Intent
That she should there so long remain,
Till she had chang’d her Mind again.
Hereat this young Man sadly griev’d,
But knew not how to be reliev’d;
He sigh’d and sobb’d continually,
That his true Love he could not see.
She by no Means could to him send,
Who was her Heart’s espousd Friend;
He sigh’d, she griev’d, but all in Vain,
For she confin’d must still remain.
He mourn’d so much that Doctor’s Art
Could give no Ease unto his Heart,
Who was so strangely terrify’d,
That in short time for Love he dy’d.
She that from him was sent away,
Knew nothing of his dying Day,
But constant still she did remain,
To Love the Dead was then in vain.
After he had in Grave been laid,
A Month or more, unto this Maid,
He came about Middle of the Night,
Who joy’d to see her Heart’s Delight.
Her Father’s Horse, which well she knew,
Her Mother’s Hood and Safeguard too,
He brought with him to testify
Her Parents’ Order he came by.
Which when her Uncle understood,
He hop’d it might be for her Good,
And gave consent to her straight way,
That with him she should come away.
When she was got her Love behind,
They pass’d as swift as any Wind,
That in two Hours, or little more,
He brought her to her Father’s Door.
But as they did this great Haste make,
He did complain his Head did ake;
Her Handkerchief she then took out,
And ty’d the same his head about.
And unto him she thus did say,
Thou art as cold as any Clay,
When we come home, a Fire we’ll have,
But little dream’t he went to Grave.
Soon were they at her Father’s Door,
And after she ne’er see him more;
I’ll set the Horse up, then he said,
And there he left this harmless Maid.
She knock’d, and straight amian he cry’d,
Who’s there? Tis I, she then reply’d;
Who wonder’d much her voice to hear,
And was possest with Dread and Fear.
Her Father she did tell, and then,
He star’d like an affrighted Man.
Down Stairs he ran, and when he see her,
Cry’d out, My Child, how cam’st thou here?
Pray, sir, did you not send for me,
By such a Messenger? said she,
Which made his Hair stand on his Head,
As knowing well that he was dead.
Where is he then, to her he said,
He’s in the stable, quoth the Maid.
Go in, said he, and go to bed;
I’ll see the Horse well littered.
He star’d about, and there could he
No Shape of any Mankind see,
But found his Horse all in a Sweat,
Which made him in a deadly fright.
His Daughter he said nothing to,
Nor no one else, though well they knew
That he was dead a Month before,
For fear of grieving her full sore.
Her Father to his Father went
(Who was decay’d) with this Intent,
To tell him what his Daughter said;
So both came back unto this Maid.
They asked her, and she still did say,
’Twas him that then brought her away;
Which when they heard they were amaz’d,
And on each other strangely gaz’d.
A Handkerchief she said she ty’d
About his head, and that they try’d,
The Sexton they did speak unto,
That he the Grave would then undo.
Affrighted then they did behold
His body turning into Mould;
And tho’ he had a Month been dead,
This Handkerchief was about his Head.
This thing unto her then they told,
And the whole Truth they did unfold;
She was thereat so terrified
And griev’d, she quickly after died.
Part not true Love, you rich Men, then;
But, if they be right honest Men
Your Daughters Love, give them their way,
For force oft breeds their Life’s decay.
—————————————————————–
Schwartz also sites Gainer, pp. 62-63. This took a little more digging than the ballad did, and I discovered that it is printed in Patrick W. Gainer’s book entitled Witches, Ghosts, and Signs from 1975. (4) Here, the tale is called The Ghost Rider. It was told to Mr. Gainer by Bud Workman of Raleigh County, Virginia. Gainer states in his introduction to the story that it is rare for a ballad to become a prose tale. Here it is for your consideration:
Once there was a couple that had a beautiful daughter, and they thought she was about the finest thing in the whole world. They took her to the city often and saw that she got to meet important people. They were sure that some day she would marry a rich man. This family was pretty well-to-do and had a big house in the country, with lots of people working on their estate, and they owned the finest riding horses.
There was a young man working for them who was a good horseman. He could ride any horse on the place. Well, they got this young man to teach their daughter to ride. They say she got so that she could ride just about as well as any man.
One day the girl came in home looking happy and laughing. And she said to her father, “Daddy, you know I like Jim.” (The young man’s name was Jim.) Well, they knew right away that the two young people had fallen in love. So the father and mother talked it over, and they decided that it would be a good thing to send the girl to the city to go to school and live with her uncle so that she would get over her feeling for this farmer boy. The girl didn’t want to go, but finally she had to give in. The city where the uncle lived was three hundred miles away, and she was expected to stay there for at least a year.
When Jim heard about it he thought he couldn’t stand it, for he loved her so much he said he’d rather die than live without her. When he told her goodby, he said he wished he had something to give her so that she would always think of him. “Just give me your handkerchief,” she told him, “And I’ll always carry it with me.” He gave her his best handkerchief, and as she was leaving she waved to him with it.
Well, after she left he grieved so much that he took sick and had to go to bed. There was nothing they could do for him that would get him out of that bed. In about two weeks he died. The people all around said that he died of a broken heart.
The girl went to her uncle’s house, but she wasn’t very happy because she was still in love with Jim. Many times she used his handkerchief to hold her tears. A year passed and she never heard anything from him. Then one night there was a knock at the door, and when she went to the door, there stood Jim. He told her that her father had sent him to fetch her back home. She hurried up and got ready to go, and he took her on the horse behind him. After a while he said, “I’ve got an awful headache.” “Here, let me tie this handkerchief around your head,” she said. And she tied around his head the handkerchief that he’d given her. Then he turned around to her, and she kissed his lips. “My, Jim,” she said. “Your lips are colder than the clay.”
He never said a word, but rode on faster than ever, until before long they were back at the house of her parents. She got off and knocked on the door. When her father came to the door she put her arms around his neck and thanked him for sending her lover to fetch her back home. “Your lover!” the father exclaimed, “Why, that man has been dead for a year!”
They looked around, but her lover had disappeared. They found the horse standing near the grave where Jim was buried. The father went to the judge of the district and got permission to open the grave, and there they found Jim’s corpse with the handkerchief tied around his head.
It wasn’t long then till the girl took sick and died. They buried her in the graveyard beside Jim, just as she asked them to do before she died.
~*~*~*~*~
And now for the ratings!
Kitty
- In what environment did you read the story? In a noisy coffee shop in the early afternoon.
- Do you remember having read this story as a kid? Definitely!
- Analyze the actions of the characters in the story. Did they make sense? Would you have done anything differently? If I were the parent, I would have at least tried to get to know my daughter’s boyfriend to make sure he was a good person before I tried to separate them the way the father in the story did. I guess it did make sense with the mindset of the father to send her away. The ghost lover going to pick up his girlfriend to come back to her father’s house does not make sense, though. Why did he bring her home? He could easily have appeared to her in her dream or something to tell her he’d died instead of bringing her back home to her controlling father. The girl was only a pawn in the story, so her actions were totally normal, although I think if I were riding on a horse for hours with the man I loved, I would have exchanged a few words with him, asked him how he was (she hadn’t seen him for some time). It would definitely not be a silent ride, and I’d question the thin explanation and ask why her father would send him to get her after he had sent her away to separate the two. It’s also a weird move to reopen the grave to check if he’s in there.
- Which was your favorite and least favorite character and why? My favorite character was the horse, as he had the most reasonable reaction to all these shenanigans. My least favorite character is the father, because, like, let your daughter choose her own man, for goodness sake!
- What did you think of the storytelling style? The storytelling style was pretty regular and straightforward.
- Examine the art for the story. What are your thoughts on it? I like that the corpse has five fingers.
- Your overall rating and why: ⭐⭐ I’m mad that she thought tying a handkerchief around her boyfriend’s head was going to help his headache.
Winterjoy
- In what environment did you read the story? In my cabin room on my cruise somewhere on the Atlantic Ocean!
- Do you remember having read this story as a kid? Hm, I don’t really remember this one.
- Analyze the actions of the characters in the story. Did they make sense? Would you have done anything differently? I can’t say how I would feel on the actions of the father. But they might seem harsh though. I would probably go to meet my father if I was told to. This might be the one story where all the actions make sense to me!
- Which was your favorite and least favorite character and why? My favorite character was the daughter because she seems sensible and kind. My least favorite character is Jim for dying from a broken heart instead of finding the daughter!
- What did you think of the storytelling style? This one was probably the most mature of the stories so far.
- Examine the art for the story. What are your thoughts on it? The artwork is purposeful. This is a rare story in this series with the focus on love and not so much horror. The artwork does not have a focus of being scary but to evoke an emotion of sadness.
- Your overall rating and why: ⭐ ⭐ I didn’t love this one. Not very scary but at least had a twist at the end.
Sources
- https://mainlynorfolk.info/watersons/songs/thesuffolkmiracle.html#noracleary
- https://mainlynorfolk.info/folk/images/large/thesuffolkmiracle_broadside.jpg
- https://archive.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch272.htm
- https://archive.org/details/witchesghostssig0000unse/mode/2up
- Scary Stories Treasury, wherever good books are sold.