New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-12-25

another when she laughed; and the smnn Eas
pair OF eyes you ever saw in any little craoN
lures head. Altogether she was what vou
would have called provoking, you know; but
satisfactory, too: Oh, perfectly satisfactory
He's comical old fellow" said Scrooge's
as he might be. However, his offences carry
their own punishment, and I have nothing to
say against him."
'sFm sure he is very rich, Fred" limited
Scrooge's niece. cat least you always tell me
3d."
"What of that, my dear p said Scrooge's
nephew. "His wealth is of no use to him. He
don't do any good with it. He don't make him
self comfortable with it. He hasn't the satisfac-
ton of thinking-ha, ha, ha THAT he is ever
going to benefit US with it,
81 have no patience with him. observed
Scrooges niece. Scrooge's niece's sisters, and
all the other ladies, expressed the same opinion.
sob, have!" said Scrooge's nephew. "I
nm sorry for him; l couldn't he angry with
him if / tried. Who suffers by his i'll whims
HIMSELF always. Here, he takes it into his
head to dislike us, and he won't come and dine
with us. What's the consequence! He don't
lose much of dinner
&c Indeed, l think he loses very good dinner"
interrupted Scrooge's neice. Everybody else
said the same, and they must be allowed to have
been competent judges, because they had just
had dinner and, with the desert upon the ia
BILE, were clustered round the fire, by lamp
light.
swell l am very glad to hear it, said
Scrooges nephew, e" because Haven't any great
faith in these young housekeepers. What do
you say, Topper'''
Topper had clearly got his eye upon one of
Scrooge's nieces sisters, for he answered that a
bachelor was wretched outcast, who no right
to express an opinion on the subject Whereat
Scrooges niece's sster-the plump one with the
lace tucker--not the one with the roses
blushed.
Do go on. Fred" said Scrooges niece, clap
ping her hands, He never finishes what
he begins to say He is such ridiculous fell
lowp
Scrooge's nephew revealed in another laugh,
and as twas impossible to keep the infection off;
though the plump sister tried hard to do it with
aromatic vinegar; his example was unanimously
followed
81 was only going to say said Scrooges
nephew, "that the consequence Of his taking a
dislike to us, and not making merry with us is,
as | think, that he loses some pleasant mo-
ments, which could do him no harm. ] am sure
he loses pleasanter companions than he can find
In his own thoughts, either in his mouldy old
office, OF his dusty chambers | mean to give
him the same chance every year, whether he
Christmas till he dies, but he can't help think
ing better ofit-I defy him--if he finds me go
ing there, IN good temper, year after year, and
saying Uncle Scrooge, how are you If it only
put him IN the vein to leave his poor clerk fifty
pounds, that's something and think / shook
him yesterday
1t was their turn to laugh now, and the notion
OF his shaking Scrooge. But being thoroughly
good natured, and not much caring what they
Ian hate n,, 1a,, o1nIa /.
encouraged themin their merriment, and passed
the bottle joyously.
After tea, they had some music. For they
were musical family, and knew what they
were about, when they sung a glee or CATCH
can assure you; especially Topper, who could
growl away in the bass like good one, and
never swell the large veins in his forehead, or
get red in the face overit Scrooges niece
played well upon the harp and played among
other tunes simple little air Ga mere nothing:
you might learn to whistle it in two minutes,)
which had been familiar to the child who fetched
Scrooge from the boarding school, as he had
been reminded by the Ghost of Christmas Past.
When this strain of music sounded all the
things that Ghost had shown him, came upon
his mind; he softened more and more; and
thought that if he could have listened to it
often, years ago, he might have cultivated the
Kindness OF life for his own happiness with his
spade that buried jacob Marley.
But they didn't devote the whole evening to
music. After while they played at forfeits,
for 1t is good to be children sometimes and
never better than at Christmas, when it's mighty
Founder was child himself Stop! There
was first game at blindman's buff. OF course
there was. And no more believe Topper was
really blind than / believe he had eyes in his
boots. My opinion is, that it was a done thing
hnf nn hin arndG
the Ghost of Christmas Present knew it, The
way he went after the plump sister in the lace
tucker, was an outrage on the credulity of HUI
man nature. Knocking down the fre-irons,
tumbllng over the chairs, humping up against
the plano, smothering himself among the cur
tains, wherever she went, there he went. He
always knew where the plump sister was He
wouldn't catch anybody else, If you had fallen
up against him, as some of them did, and stood
there, he would have made feint of endeavor-
ing to seize you, which would have been an
affront to your understanding; and would in
stantly have sidled off in the direction of the
plump sister. She often cried out that it wasn't
fair; and it really was not But when, at last,
he caught her; when, in spite of all her silken
rustllngs, and her rapid futterings past him, he
got her into corner whence there was no es-
cape; then his conduct was the most execrable
For his pretending not to know her his pretend
ing tiaG IL was necessary to touch her head
dress, and further to assure himself of her iden-
tity by pressing d certain ring upon her finger,
and certain chain upon her neck; was vile,
monstrous! No doubt she told him her opinion
of it, when, another blindman being in office.
they were so very confidential together, behind
the curtains
Scrooges niece was not one of the blind mans
buff party, but was made comfortable with
large chair and footstool in snug corner, where
the q host and Scrooge were close behind her,
But she Joined in the torfets and loved her love
to admiration with all the letters of the alpha.
bet Likewise at the game of How, When, and
Where, she was very great, and to the secret Joy
OF Scrooges nephew, beat her sisters hollow:
though they were sharp girls too, us Topper
could have told you. There might have been
twenty people, young and old, but they all
played, and 30 did Scrooge; for, wholly forget
ting the interest he had in what was going on,
that his voice made no sound in their ears, he
sometimes came out with his guess quite loud
and very often guessed right, too for the sharp
est needle, best Whitechapel warranted not to
cut IN the eye, was not sharper than Scrooge
blunt as he took it in his head to be.
The Ghost was greatly pleased to find him in
this mood, and looked upon him with such favor
that he begged like a boy to be allowed to stay
until the guests departed. But this the Spirit
said could not be done
" Here's new game" said Serooge Zone
half hour, Spirit, only one"
1t was game called Yes and No, where
scrooges nephew had to think of something, and
the rest must find out what; he only answering
% their questions yes or no, as the case was.