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 ant
crisp upon the ground, and spread owe
the thickly strewn mounds of earth, s,
white and smooth cover, that it seemed
as corpses lay there, hidden only by thei!
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.
SIT was the echoes,' said Gabriel Grub
raising the bottle to his lips again.
at was not said a deep voice.
Gabriel started up and stood rooted &c
the spot with establishment and terror; fol
his eyes rested on form which made his
blood run cold.
Seated on an upright tombstone, close
to him, was a 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 slnewy arms were bare, and his
hands rested on his knees. On his short
round body he wore 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 the same tombstone very
comfortably for two or three hundred
years. He was sitting perfectly still; his
| tongue was put out, as if in derisioM; and
he was grinning at Gabriel Grub with such
a grin as only goblin could call up.
ut 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.
50 came to dig grave, SIR stammersd
Gabriel Grub.
"'What man wanders among graves and
church-yards on such night as this!' said
the goblin.
"'Gabriel Grub! Gabriel Grubn screamed
wild chorus Of voices that seemed to fill
the church-yard. Gabriel looked fearfullv
round-nothing was to be seen.
What have you got in that bother
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 goblins.
"'Who 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.
1.-The goblin leered maliciously at the
terrified sexton, and then raising his voice,
exclaimed:
Sand 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 a 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 Grubv
1.-The goblin grinned broader grin than
before as he said, well, Gabriel, what do
you say to this?'
The sexton gasped for breath.
"'What 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 think I'll 90
back and finish my work, sir, if you please.'
Work said the goblin, what work.
"'Ihe grave, making the grave,'
stammered the sexton.
oh, the grave, eh?' said the goblin:
who makes graves at a time when all
other men are merry, and takes pleasure
in it?'
"Again the mysterious voices replied,
Gabriel Grub! Gabriel Grub!'
Pm 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-'Pm
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; I don't think the
gentlemen have ever seen me, SIR
"'Oh, yes, they have replied the COB
lin; we know the 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 q 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-loaf 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! no! hov
-.''As the goblin laughed, the sexton OBJ
served for ono 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 |
ping for an instant to take breath, but |