The Washington critic., 1886-12-23
TWO OF A KIND.
A Tale Of Canny Christmas.


earlier hours of the evening; later on by
the carols, sometimes sung, but more fire.
quently dscordantly howled by belatcd
and not always strictly steady groups who
were having "a Merry Christmas" with
all that the term In its widest application
implies. Even when, at midnight, came
from the church towers the chant OF
"Peace on earth, good will to men," hal
lowed by time, and sanctiied by associa-
tions, the keen atmosphere, which was de-
scribed to Hamlet on the important oc-
casion when he first saw his fathers
ghost as "an eager and nipping air."
was laden with such melody, rather
fadly out Of joint, as only careless roy
sterers can produce.
AS they are always particularly promi-
nent when the Yule log is burning most
brightly, 1t was a night for ghosts to be
abroad, and in such guise they could be
seen by other than ghostly eyes. And on
the Christmas night with which we are
concerned, the ghosts were even more
plentiful than usual. There was a vast
army OF dead hopes, Of crushed hearts, of
blasted aspirations, of cruelties suffered, of
wrongs endured, and all fitting sorrow
fully hither and thither, but always to the
grief-laden refrain:
oh, suffering, sad humanity
Oh. ye afflicted ones who lie
Steeped TO the lips In misery,
Longing, and yet afraid to die,
Patient, though sorely tried
pledge you IN this cup Of grief,
Where floats the fennel's bitter leaf,
The battle of our life Is brief
The alarm-thc struggle--the relief
Then sleep We side by side.
Those who thus chanted, or seemed to SO
chant, made up nearly all of the great
nf to1 rit lt,tt tI,nrn
few who were not SO lugubrious. Among
the less uncanny spectres that were to be
seen on Christmas night, clothed In their
habit as they lived, were two especially In
teresting ghosts, who are essential to this
veraclous narrative. One was tall aud
massive in figure, and rubicund in visage,
giving rise to the suspicion that during his
earthly career he had occasionally tested the
potentinlity OF liquids, having as a basis
something trife stronger than Adams ale;
the other was short and stout, not to say
podgy, In figure, and was provided with
features cast in the Teutonic mold. By
some happy accident, or possibly an ar
spectres met on Christmas night In the
place where the last years Of their sojourn
on earth had been passed, and where they
were, or seemed to be, entirely at home.
The taller of the two ghosts, who was also
the one who possessed the rubicund visage,
glanced about him critically, and yet with
satisfaction that was fully apparent, as he
and his companion sat so close to the stove,
filled with glowing anthracite, as to raise
suspicion they had lattery been used to
having things warm and comfortable.
"These people appear to be keeping up
the old stand pretty WELL" remarked the
tall ghost in voice that might have been
impressive II 1t had not been so remarkably
like that OF fog-horn with bad cold.
"Yah, dat is yust So" remarked the
podgy ghost. "Der sthock seems bigger as
we had. Yust you look, pardner, at dose
champagnes! More as We ever had at der
once time. Dere is der Gordon Rouge,
Extra Dry, undt der Dry Versenay from dot
&. ii. Mumm; derc ish dot Pommery Sec,
undt der Vie Clicquot, undt der Dry Mono.
pole Extra Dry, undt der Piper Heidseck
= Sec, undt der Geissler Sec, Extra Dry;
dere De st. Marcaux Carte dor, undt der
L. Roderer Carte Blanche, undt der Souve-
rain Extra Dry"
'Good lot of stuff" sententiously re-
marked the rubicund ghost; ''about all the
really flrst-class brands In the world.'
There was apparently another and an un-
seen ghost in the company, for Just then
voice broke forth, from precisely where the
two original ghosts could not say, but
seemingly from the pile of boxes, on top
has his bed at night and his refuge in the
day. Wherever the voice came from, it re-
marked:
"Very good in their way,
Are the Verzenay,
And the Sillery, soft and creamy;
But the best of the lot
Is the Widow Clicquot,
More dulcet, delicious and dreamy"
'I'm not going to say whether or not you
tail ghost, "but II any fellow wants Clic-
quot, let him say Clicquot and HEN get it.n
The cat was plainly OF the same opinion,
for 1t gave an affirmative meOV.
just then the Voice broke out again, and
this time to inform whoever might be
within hearing and whom 1t might concern:
Judged by no o'erzealous rigor,
Much this mystic throng expresses:
Bacchus is the type of vigor
And Silenus Of excesses."
"Right you are again, old fellow, who
ever and wherever you are,h said the rubl-
cund ghost. The cat, which itself looked
like ghost, was plainly getting tired OF
these disturbances of the quiet Of the night,
Tor he got on his feet, arched his back, aud
said "meow" In remonstrative voice.
But the short, pudgy ghost was not much
absorbed by or even Interested in all this
for 1t had been wandering about the place
on tour of inquistiye investigation, which
now resulted in the remark
"From dot time ven Noah dat vineyard
planted unull uls very nlght uCre hls been
nodngs, undt der is no dings vot Ia goo'
undt Wholesome, vot men shall drink Oh
schmoke, but vat is desc shellefs on, OF
desc barrels undt casks in."
"Guess you're on the mark old fellow
reloined the tall ghost; "what's more, these
people who have come after us have had the
good sense TO keep thlngs very nearly al
they were. They've even kept my name
and seem to think I'm as potent now in
raising good spirits as used to be in down
Ing the same sort. They've painted up
little, but here are the counters, shelves
glassware, tiered barrels aud casks, noun
tains OF baskets aud eases of wine Just az
they were in the old times, only more OF
them.n
Evidently tho tall ghost was In a lolua
cious mood, for It went on:
'lt's no wonder, though, the Old place
prospers. Even tine people here are almost
unchanged. There Is Gus, who worked
himself up from before the mast to be cap
tain, and his partner, our Old friend Frank
with his experience and bouhOmmle-ther her,
is Dan. and Ed, aud George. Here, too are
Wash aud johnson, the porters, whose face:
are known to nearly all the best people III
town, because they have been delivering
goods at their residences for many years
$50 1t is no wonder our old establishment Il
| 4yet the clty's favorlte.h
Out OF every nook and Granny OF the great
store, even from the frosty air of tha now
deserted streets, came an echo: "City'a
tEayorlte.h At this moment, out of cor
" which was slightly in shadow, came