Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1846-01-01
NJ 7 s. o u u u a 81 & O
THE MISER At CHRISTMAS.

In the extract which we give below from
late work of CHARLES DICKENS, our read
ers will find several happy thoughts, which
are at this season, the time-honored and sa-
cred festival Of Christmas, peculiarly appro-
pirate
'It was Christmas Eve. Old Scroone sat
busy in his counting-house. 1t was cold, bleak,
biting weather; foggy wtIal, and he could hear
the people in the court outside 90 wheeling up
and down, beating their hands upon their breasts,
and stamping their feet upon the pavement stones
70 warm them. The city clock had just gone
three, but it was quite dark already and candles
were fiaring in the windows of the neighborng
Offices like rudy linears upon the palpable
brown air. The fog came pouring in at every
ehink and keyhole, and was so dense without,
mat, although The court was of the narrowest,
inc houses opposite were mere phantoms. To
see the dingy cloud come dropping down, OBJ
securing every thing, we might have thought that
Nature lived hard by and was brewing on a
large scale.
''The door of Scrooge's counting-house was
open' that he might keep his eye upon his clerk,
who, In dismal little cell beyond, a sort of tank
was copying letters. Scrooge had very small
hre, but the clerks fire was so very much small
er that 1t looked like one COAL But he could not
repensh 1t, for Scrooge kept the coal-box ia his
own room, and SO surely as the clerk came in
with the shovel the master predicted that it
would be necessary for them to part Wherefore
the clerk put on his white comforter and tried TO
,oarn himself at tie candle; in which effort, not
being man OF very strong Imagination, he
failed.
:" "A merry Christmas, uncle God save YOU y
cried acheerful voice. 1t was Scrooge's nephew.
who came upon him so quickly that it was the
first intimdtion he had of his approach.
"'Bah! said Scrooge. 'Hunbug.'
christmas humbug, = said the me-
phew. You don't mean that. am sure.'
." Il do said Scrooge. 'Merry Christmas =
What right have you to be merry! What rea-
son have you 10 be merryl You're poor e.
nough.'
"'Come, .hen,' said the nephew gaiIy, swhat
right have you TO be dismal, What reason have
you to be morose! You're rich enough
''Scrooge, having no better answer, on the spur
OF the moment said Bah y again; and followed
il with sHumbug.'
Don't be cross, UNCLE, said the nephew.
"'What else can j be- returned the uncle
when l live in such world as this, Merry
christmas. What is Christmas time to YOU but
time for paying bills without money-a time
for finding yourself year older and not an hour
richer-a time for balancing your books and hav-
ing every item in 'em, through round dozen of
months, presented dead against you III could
work my WILL said Scrooge Indignantly, every
idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on
his lips should be boiled with his own pudding,
and buried with stake Of holly through his
heart
"'Uncle" pleaded the nephew.
-" Nephew! returned the uncle siernly, skeep
christmas In your own way, and let me keep it
in NINE"
"'keep it! repeated the nephew, 'but you
don't keep it,
(" Let me leave it alone, them said Scroope.
much good may it do you Much good it has
ever done you
"'Ihere are many things from which | might
have derived good by which have not profited,
dare say returned the nephew-'C Christmas a.
mong. the rest. But 1 am sure l have always
.hought OF Christmas time, when it has come
round, apart from the veneraton due its sacred
name and origin, j any hing belonging TO IL can
DC apart from thai, as good time--a kind, for