The weekly clarion., 1873-07-10
ScrOOge and Marley.

Marley was dead, to begin with. Their
is no doubt about that. The register o
his burial was signed by the clergyman
the clerk. the undertaken and the chic
mourner Scrooge signed it, and Scroogei
name was good on Change for anything
he choose to put his hand to. Old Mar
lev was as dead az door nail.
Mind, | don't say that [ know OF my
own knowledge, what there is particu
larIy dead about door nail. NIGH
have been inclined myself to regard 6
coffin nail as the deadest piece of iron
mongery in the trade. But the wisdom
of our ancestors is in the smile, and
nv unhallowed hands shall not disturb
it, or the eountry's done for. You will
therefore permit to repeat emphatically
that Marley was as dead as door nail.
Scrooge knew he was dead. OF course
he did How could it be otherwise
Scrooge and he were partners tor l don
know how many years. Scrooge was his
sole executor, his sole administrator, his
sole assignee, his sole residuary legatee,
his sole friend, his sole mourner And
even Scrooge was not so badly cut up by
the sad event, but that he was an excel
lent man of business on the very day OF
the funeral, and solemnized 1t with an
undoubted bargain.
Scrooge never painted out Old Mar
Iey's name There it stood years after
wards, above the warehouse door
Scrooge & Marley The firm was known
as Scrooge and Marley. Sometimes
people new to the business called Scrooge
Scr0oge, and sometimes Marley, but he
answered to both names it was all the
same to him.
Oh but he was a tight listed hand at
the grind stone, ScroOge squeezing,
wrenching, grasping, scraplng, clutch
ing, covetous old sinner! Hard and
sharp as flint, from which no steel had
ever struck out generous fire; secret and
and solitary as an oyster
The cold within him troze his old fea-
lures, pipped his pointed noise, shrlveied
his cheek, stifened 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. lie carried
his own low temperature always about
with him he iced his office in the dog
Id >, anu hiuH lIldN II OhN NNSASN -
Christmas
External heat and cold had little in
Huence on Scrooge. No warmth could
warm, nor wintry weather chill him. No
wind that blew was bitterer than he, no
falling snow was more intent upon It's
purpose, no rain less open to entreaty.
Foul weather didn't know where To have
aim. The heaviest Iain, and snow, and
,leet could boast Of the advantage over
lim in only the one respect; they often
. came down" handsomely, and Scrooge
never did.
Nobody ever stopped him in the street
o say, with gladstone looks, My dear
5crooge, how are you? When will you
'ome to see me ?" No beggars implored
him to hestow trihe, no children asked
lim what it was o'clock, no man or wo-
nan ever once in all his life inquired the
way to such place, Of Scrooge. Even
he blind mems dogs appeared to know
lim, and when they saw him coming on,
would tug their owners into dOcrways |
md up courts, and then would wag their |
ails as though they said, ''nO eye at all
; better than evil eye, dark master? ?"
But what did Scrooge care? It was
he very thing he liked. To edge his
way along the crowded paths of late,
warming all human sympathy to keep its
distance, was what the knowing ones |
all nuts to Scrooge. Charles Dickens. |
An Indiana R3nOcII Arden CIH inns /
his Wife and EIOPes with
Har..Emm I'm SfOeI<don