New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1852-12-25
A CHI RIST MAS CAR OIL.
ny CHARLES DICKENS.

49," 20 va ~ tc y . uHOS{.
Marley was dead to begin with. There is no
doubt whatever about that The register of his
burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk,
the undertaken and the chief mourner Scrooge
signed it: and Scrooge's name was good upon
Change, for anything he chose to put his hand
to. Old Marley was as dead as a door nail
Mind don't mean to say that know, of my
own knowledge, what there is particularly dead
about a door-nai. / might have been inclined,
myself, to regard a coffin mail as the deadest
piece of ironDongery in the trade. But the wis.,
dom of our ancestors is in the smile; and my
unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the
Country's done for. You will therefore permit
me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as
dead as a door-nail
Serooge knew he was dead OF course he did
How could it be otherwise Scrooge and he
were partners for don't know how many years
Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole admins
traitor, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee
his sole friend and sole mourner And even
Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad
event, but that he was an excellent man of bust
ness on the very day of the funeral and solem-
missed it with an undoubted bargain.
The mention of Marley's funeral brings me
back to the point started from. There is no
doubt that Marley was dead This must be
distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can
come of the story | am going to relate If we
were not perfectly convinced that Hamlet's
Father died before the play began, there would
be nothing more remarkable in his taking
stroll at night, in an easterly wind, upon his
own ramparts, than there would be in any other
middle aged gentleman rashly turning out after
s dark in breezy spot-say Saint-Paul's Church.
yard for instance-literally to astonish his sons
weak mind.
Scrooge never painted out Old Marleys name
There it stood, years afterwards, above the ware
house door: Scrooge and Marley. The firm
was known as Scrooge and Marley. Sometimes
people new to the business called Scrooge
Scrooge, and sometimes Marley, but he answered
to both names it was all the same to him.
Oh But he was tight-tisted hand at the
grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching,
grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sin
ner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no
steel had ever struck out generous fire. secret,
and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.
The cold within him froze his old features, nip
ped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiff
fened his gait made his eyes red, his thin lips
blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating
voice. A frosty rime was on his head and on
his eyebrows, and his wiry chin. He carried
his own low temperature always about with him
he iced his office in the dog days; and didn't
thaw it one degree at Christmas
External heat and cold had little influence on
Scooge. No warmth could warm, nor wintry
weather chill him. No wind that blew was bit
terer than he, no falling snow was more intent
upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to
entreaty. Foul weather didn't know where to
have him. The heaviest rain, and snow, and
hail, and sleet, could boast of the advantage
over him in only one respect. They often ''came
down handsomely, and scrooge never did.
Nobody ever stopped him in the street to say
with gladstone looks, "My dear Scrooge, how
are you 7 when will you come to see me'" Nc
beggars implored him to bestow a tritle, no chill
dren asked him what it was o'clock, no man OIL
woman ever once all his life inquired the way
to such and such place, of Scrooge. Even the
blindmen's dogs appeared to know him; and
when they saw him coming on, would tug theiI
owners into doorways and up courts; and Their
would wag their tails as though they said, 60 ne
eye at all is better than an evil eye, DARK
master!'
But what did Scrooge care' 1t was the very
thing he liked To edge his way along the
crowded paths of life, warning all human sym
pathy to keep its distance, was what the know
ing ones call :" nuts" to Scrooge.
Once upon time of all the good days in tn,
year, on Christmas Eve-old Scrooge sat busy
in his counting-hous 1t was cold bleak, biting
weather: foggy withal: and he could hear the
people in the court outside go wheeling up snt
down, beating their hands upon their breasts
and stamping their feet upon the pavement
stones to warm them. The city clocks had only
< just gone three, but it was quite dark already
it had not been light all day and candles were
faring in, the windows of the neighbourng of
fees, like ruddy smears upon the palpable brown
air.; The fog came pouring in at every chinl
and keyhole, and was so dense without, tina
although the court was of the narrowest TIN
houses opposite We're mere phantoms. To see thu
dingy cloud come dropping down, obscuring ey
cry thing, one might have thought that Mature
lived hard by, and was brewing on u large scale
The door of Scrooges counting house wal
open that he might keep his eye upon his clerk
who in dismal little cell hey ond, a sort of tank
was copying letters. Scrooge had very small
fire, but the clerks fire was so very much small
er that it looked like one coal. But he couldn'
replenish it, for Scrooge kept the coal-box in hi
own room; and so surely as the clerk came il
with the shovel, the master predicted that i
would be necessary for them to part. Wherefor
the clerk put on his white comforter, and trie,
to warm himself at the candle; in which effort
not being man of strong Imagination, h
failed. @}y
1 sAmerry Christmast, uncle! God save you !!
u cried cheerful voice. 1T was the voice Q
! VScrooge's nephew, who came upon him 50 quick
NJ that this was the first intimation he had Q
hEapproach.
al y said Scrooge, "Humbugf'
He nd SO heated himself with rapid walking
in the ) q and frost, this nephew Of Scrooge's
that he VAS all q in glow; his face was ruddl
and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and hi
breath smoked again.
4 "Christmas humbug, unclep said Scrooge'
!, nephew. ssYou don't mean that, am sure
Il do" said Scrooge. MERRY Christmas
what right have you TO be merry what reaso
have you to be merry You're poor enough
A. 4J,, ,,a,,bapr roll,