Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-25


tened on the tombstones, and sparkle,
like gems among the stone carvings o
the old church. The snow lay hard an,
crisp upon the ground, and spread owe
the thickly strewn mounds of earth, S,
white and smooth a cover, that it SCENE,
as corpses lay there, hidden only by theil
winding sheets. Not the faintest rustl,
broke the profound tranquility of the sol
emn scene. Sound itself appeared to b,
frozen up, all was so cold and still
1t was the echoes said Gabriel Grub
raising the bottle to his lips again.
! sit was not said deep voice.
| Gabriel started up and stood rooted tc
the spot with astonishment and terror; fol
his cyl rested on a form which made hi:
blood run cold.
Seated on an upright tombstone, close
to him, was strange unearthly figure, who
Gabriel felt at once was no being of this
word. His long fantastic legs, which might
have reached the ground, we're cooked up
| and crossed after a quaint fantastic fash.
ion; his sinewy arms were bare, and his
hands rested on his knees. On his short.
round body he wore q close covering, orna-
mented with small slashes, and short
cloak dangled at his back; the collar was
cut into curious peaks, which served the
| goblin in lieu of ruff or neckerchief; and
his shoes curled up at the toes into long
points. On his head he wore broad,
brimmed, sugar-loaf hat, garnished with
| single feather. The hat was covered with
the white frost, and the goblin looked as if
he had sat on tho same tombstone very
years. He was sitting perfectly still; his
ION \
he was grinning at Gabriel Grub with such
a grin as only goblin could call up.
''It was not the echoes" said the goblin.
Gabriel Grub was paralyzed, and could
make no reply.
"'What do you do here on Christmas
ever said the goblin, sternly.
I came to dig grave; SIR stammered
Gabriel Grub.
"'What man wanders among graves and
church-yards on such night as this? said
the goblin.
"'Gabriel Grub! Gabriel Grubv screamed
g wild chorus of voices that seemed to fill
the church-yard. Gabriel looked fearfully
round-nothing was to be seen.
What have you got in that bottle?'
said the goblin.
Hollands, SIR replied the sexton,
trembling more than ever; for he had
bought it of the smugglers, and he thought
that perhaps his questioner might be in
the excise department of the COLLINS.
"'Nho drinks Hollands alone, and in a
church-yard, On such night as this?' said
the goblin.
"'Gabriel Grub! Gabriel Grubv ex-
claimed the wild voices again.
''The goblin leered maliciously at the
To- sd 81
exclaimed:
''And who, then, is our fair and lawful
prize?'
"To this inquiry the invisible chorus re-
piled in strain that sounded like the
voices of many choristers singing to the
mighty swell of the church organ-a strain
that seemed borne to the sections ears up
on q gentle wind, and to die away as its
soft breath passed Onward-but the burden
Of the reply was still the same, Gabriel
Grub! Gabriel Grub"
"The goblin grinned broader grin than
before as he said, well, Gabriel, what do
you say to this?'
''The sexton gasped for breath.
"'Whst do you think of this, Gabriel?
said the goblin, kicking up his feet in the
air on either side the tombstone, and
looking at the turned-up points with as
much complacency as if he had been con-
templating the most fashionable pair of
Wellingtons in all Bond street.
" -it's-very curious, SIR replied
the sexton, half dead with fright, very Gu
rious, and very pretty, but I think I'll go
back and finish my work, sir, if you please
"'Work!' said the goblin, what work.
"'The grave, Shrinking the grave
stammered the sexton.
"'Oh, the grave, ehy said the goblin:
who makes graves at time when all
other men are merry, and takes pleasure
in it?'
again the mysterious voices replied,
Gabriel Grub! Gabriel Grub!'
" I'm afraid my friends want you, Ga
briel,' said the goblin, thrusting his tongue
further into his cheek than overland a
most astonishing tongue it was-'rm
afraid my friends want you, Gabriel, said
the Goblin.
"'Under favor, SIR replied the horror
struck sexton, 1 don't think they can, sir;
they don't know me, sir; don't think the
gentlemen have ever seen me, SIR
"'Oh, yes, they have,' replied the COB
lin; we know tho man with the sulky face
and the grim scowl, that came down the
street tonight, throwing his evil looks at
the children, and grasping his burying
spade the tighter. We know the man that
struck the boy in the envious malice of his
heart, because the boy could be merry, and
he could not. We know him, We know
him.
''Here the goblin gave loud, shrill
laugh, that the echoes returned twenty
fold, and throwing his legs up in the air,
stood upon his head, or rather upon the
very point of his sugar-losf hat, on the
narrow edge of the tombstone, from
whence he threw somerset with extra
ordinary agility, right to the sextoL's feet,
at which he planted himself in the attitude
in which tailors generally sit upon the
shop board.
"'I-I am afraid must leave you, SIR
said the sexton, making an effort to
move.
"Leave u.s. said the goblin, Gabriel
Grub going to leave Us. Ho! ho! ho'
Gas the goblin laughed, the sexton OBJ
served for one instant brilliant illumina-
ton within the windows of the church, as
if the whole building were lighted up; it
disappeared, the organ pealed forth live
ly air, and whole troops of COLLINS, the
very counterpart of the first one, poured
into the church yard, and began playing at
leap-frog with the tombstones, never stop
Dinp for an instant tn foko hrooth Init