The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1876-01-05

youngest Cratchits in particular
were stepped in sage and onion to
the eyebrows. But now, the plates
being changed by Miss Belinda,
Mrs Cratchit left the room alone
too nervous to bear witnesses-to
take the pudding up and bring it
in.
Suppose it should not be done
enough! Suppose it should break
in turning over! Suppose some
body had got over the wall of the
back yard, and stolen it while they
were merry with the goose; a sup
position at which the two young
Cratchits become ivid! All sorts
of horrors were supposed.
Halo! A great deal of steam! D.!
The pudding was out OF the cop
per. A smell like washing day!
That was the cloth. A smell like
an eating house and pastry cooks
next door to each other, and a laun-
dress next door to that! That
was the pudding. In b alf a
minute, Mrs. Cratchit entered ;
flushed but smiling proudly; with
the pudding, like speckled can
non ball, so hard and firm, with
Christmas holly stuck on the top.
| Oh, a wonderful pudding! Bob
Cratchit said, and calmly too, that
he regarded it the greatest success
achieved by Mrs. Cratchit since
their marriage. MRS. Cratchit
said that now the weight was off
her mind, she would confess that
she had had her doubts about the
quantity OF thefour. Everybodyhad
something to say about it, but no
body said or thought it was at all
a small pudding for so large a fam
lily. It would have been fat
heresy to do, so. Any Cratchit
would have blushed to hint at such
a thing.
At last dinner was all done and
the cloth being cleared, the hearth
! swept anu rne IRE made up, apples
and oranges were put upon the ta-
bic and sho7elful of chestnuts on
the fire. Then all the Cratchit fam
lily drew around the hearth, in what
Bob Cratchit called a circle, mean
ing half one. Then Bob propos-
ed:
"a merry Christmas to us all,
my dears. God bless us!'
Which all the family re-echoed.
"God bless US every one!" said
Tiny Tim the last Of all.
He sat very close to his fathers
side, upon his little stool. Bob
held his vithered hand in his, as if
he loved the child and wished to
keep him by his side and dreaded
that be might be taken from him.
"Spirit," said Scrooge, with an
interest be had never felt before,
s'tell me if Tiny Tim will live"
II see vacant seat" replied
the Ghost, Gin the poor chimney
corner, and crutch without an own
er, carefully preserved. If these
shadows remain unaltered by the
future, the child will die"
"No, no, said Scrooge. ''Oh no,
kind spirit! say he will be spared"
sIf these shadows remain unal-
tered by the future, none other Of
my race" returned the Ghost,
"will find him here. What then
if he be like to die, he had better
do it and decrease the surplus pop
ulation."
Scrooge hung his head to hear
his own words quoted by the spirit
and was overcome with penitence
and grief.
"Man," said the Ghost, eff man
you be in heart, not adamant, for
bear that wicked cant until you
have discovered what the surplus
| is, and where it is. Will you de-
eide what men shall live, what men
shall die2 It may be that in the
sight of Heaven you are more
worthless and less fit to live than
millions like this poor mans
child. Oh God! to hear the insect
on the leaf pronouncing on the
too much life among his hungry
brothers in the dust"
Scrooge bent before the Ghosts
rebuke, and trembling cast his eyes
upon the ground. But he raised
them speedily on hearing his own
name.
:Mr. Scrooge!' said Bob; "Ill
give you, Mr.. Scrooge, the founder