The Ghosts of Stukeley Castle — Bret Harte

There should have been snow on the ground to make the picture look more in season. But the American had lived in England long enough to know that this only happened in the pages of a holiday magazine. On the 24th of December, he cheerfully accepted the low, brooding sky, and the delicate tracery of leafless pines. This was the background to the turrets and peacefully stacked chimneys of Stukeley Castle. Even in this lack of color, the outlines of the long, gray, pile of a castle seemed as wonderful as ever. It still dominated the whole landscape. The castle was often described in the local guide-books. Pictures showed a view of its “South Front,” “West Front,” and “Great Quadrangle.” Tales of old said that it was based on a Roman encampment.Important papers had recorded the date when a Norman man obtained the royal license to build a castle. It had done duty on Christmas cards with the snow laid on thickly in crystal. It had been lovingly written about by a fair correspondent of the “Eastern Sentinel” with complete disregard of facts.Stukeley Castle was rich in tapestries, paintings, armor, legends, and ghosts.Find out what happens when “the American” spends a night in Stukeley Castle, among its fabled halls, and its ghosts.Ages 9 and up.LearningIsland.com believes in the value of children practicing reading for 15 minutes every day. Our 15-Minute Books give children lots of fun, exciting choices to read, from classic stories, to mysteries, to books of knowledge. Open the world of reading to a child by having them read for 15 minutes a day.