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

~. =
Scroogs was very much dismayed 10 hear the
spectre going on at this rate, and began to quake
exceedingly. u
"Hsar me p cried the Ghost. aMy timers
nearly gone"
81 wlll,' said scrooge. But don't be hard
upon me! Don't be flosery, Jacob! PrayT
G How it is that appear before you in q
shape that you can see, may not tell. ! have
sat invisible beside you many and many day."
1t was not an agreeable idea. Scrooge shiver-
ed, and wiped the perspiration from his brow.
g That is no light part Of my penance,' pur-
sued the Ghost. 81 am here to night to warn
you that you have yet chance and hope Of
escaping my fate. A chance and hope Of my
procuring, Ebenezer"
7" You we're always good friend to me- said
Scrooge.. sc Thank'ee !" nsr
s. You will be haunted" resumed the Ghost,
T" by Three Spirits
Scrooge's countenance fell almost as low as
the Ghosts had DONE .a
" Is that the chance and hope you mentioned,
Jacob !" he demanded, in faltering voice.
aItis"
ell think I'll rather not" said Scrooge
g Without their visits,' said the Ghost, 6 you
cannot hope to shun the path tread. Expect
the first tomorrow, when the bell tolls one.''
over. Jacob p limited Scrooge.
Expect the second on the next night at the
same hour. The third upon the next night,
when the last stroke Of twelve has ceased to
yibrate. Look to see me no more and look that,
for your own sake, you remember what has
passed between usp'
When it had said these words, the spectre
took it's wrapper from the table, and bound it
round its head, as before. Scrooge knew this,
by the smart sound its teeth made, when the
jaws were brought together by the bandage.
He ventured to raise his eyes again, and found
his supernatural visitor confronting him in an
erect attitude, with its chain wound over and
about its arm s8s1
The apparition walked backward from him
and at every stepit took, the window raised it.
self little, SO that when the spectre reached it.
| it was wide open. 1t beckoned Scrooge to APP
proach, which he did. When they we're within
two PAGES of each other, Marley's Ghost held
up its hand, warning him to come no nearer.
| Scrooge stopped. ..r
Not SO much in obedience as in surprise and
fear for on the raising of the hand, he became
sensible of confused noises in the air incohe
rent sounds of lamentation and regret wailings
| inexpressibly sorrowful and self-accusatory
| The spectre, after listening for moment, Joined
| in the mournful dirge; and hoated ont upon thu
bleak, dark light.
| Scrooge followed to the window: desperate il
his curiosity. Helooked out. Nh
The air was filled with phantoms, wandering
hither and thither in restless haste, and moan
ing as they went. Every one of them wor,
chains like Mareley's Ghost; some few fthey
might be guilty governments) were linked to
gether; none were free. Many had been per
sonally known to Scrooge in their lives. HI
had been quite familiar with one old ghost in
| white waistcoat, with o monstrous iron safe at
tached to its ankle, who cried piteously at beinl
| unable to assist wretched woman with an in
FAINT, whom it saw below, upon doorstep. TIL
misery with them all was, clearly, that the.
| sought to interfere, for good, in human matters
| and lost the power for ever.
Whether these creatures faded into mist, O.
mist enshrouded them, he could not tell. Blu
they and their spirit voices faded together; an
| the night became as it had been when he walke
home S5-l4 @
Scrooge closed the window, and examined til,
door by which the Ghost had entered. 1t wa
double locked, as he had lockeded it with hi
own hands, and the bolts were undisturbed
He triad to say &c Humbugw but st ipped at tn
first syllable. And being, from the emotion b
had undergone, or the fatigues of the day, o
his glimpse of the Invisible World, or the dull
conversation of the Ghost, or the lateness Of tn
hour, much in need Of repose, went straight t
bed, without undressing, and fell asleep npo
the instant.
Stase H.. The First Of the Three Spirit,
When Scrooge awoke, it was so dark, tina
looking out Of bed, he could scarcely distinguis
the transparent window from the opaque wal
of his chamber. He was endeavoring to pierre
the darkness with his ferret eyes, when tt
chimes of neighboring church struck the fot
quarters. So he listened for the hour.
To his great astonishmest the heavy bell wei
on from six to seven, and from seven to eight, al
regularly up tic twelve; then stopped. Twelv
1t was past two when he went to bed. The cleo
was wrong. An icicle must have got into Il
works. Twelve!
He touched the spring of his repeater, to col
rect this most preposterous clock, Its rapi
little pulse beat twelve; and stopped.
"Why, it isn't possible" said Scrooge, " til;
l can have slept through whole day and ia
into another night. 1t isn't possible that any
thing has happened to the sun, and this is twely
at noon!'
The idea being an alarming one, he scrau
bled out of bed, and CROPPED his way to the wiz
dow. He was obliged to rub the frost off wit
the sleeve of his dressing gown before he coul
see anything; and could see very little thel
All he could make out was, that it was still yer
foggy and extremely cold, and that there wa
no noise of people running to and fro, and ms
king great stir, as there unquesteonably woul
have been if night had beaten off bright da,
and taken possession of the world. This was
great relief, because " three days after sigl
of this First of Exchange pay to Mr. Ebenezt
Scrooge or his order,'' and so forth, would ha,
become mere United States security if the1
were no days to count by.
Scrooge went to bed again, and thought, an
thought, and thought it over and over and owe
and could make nothing of it. The more
thought, the more perplexed he was; and IL
more he endeavored not to think, the more
thought. Marley's Ghost bothered him exceed
ingly. Every time he resolved within himsel
after mature inquiry, that it was all a drear
his mind flew back again, like strong sprir
released, to its first position, and presented IL
same problem to be worked all through, "W'
it dream or not 7"
Scrooge lay in this state until the chimes he
gone three quarters more, when he remembers
on sudden, that the Ghost had warned him
visitation when the bell tolled one. He r
solved to lie awake until the hour was passed
and, considering that he could no more go
sleep than he cjuld go to Heaven, this was pc
haps the wisest resolution.
The quarter was so long, that he was mo
than once convinced he must have sunk into
doze unconsciously, and missed the clock.
length it broke upon his listening ear. "a,
s'Ding, dong!"
GA quarter past" said Scrooge, counting.
ssDing, dong!'
''Half past" said Scrooge.
II 'sDing, dong!"
ga Quarter to it'll" said ScrOoge