Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-12-16

1
Martha didn't ike TO see him disap-
| pointed, IL IT were only in joke, 80 she came
Out prematurely from behind the closet
door, and ran into his arms. while the two
young Cratchits hustled Tiny Tim, and bore
him on into the wash-house that he might
near the pudding singing In the copper
| ana how did little Tim behaveg' asked
MRS. Cratchit when she had rallied Bob on
MS credulity, and Bob had Rugged his
daughter to his hearts content
AS good as gold. said Bob. land better
somehow he gets thoughtful sitting by
himself so much, and thinks the stranrest
things you ever heard He told me conInr
nome. that he hoped the people saw him IA
the church. because he was a cripple and
! might be pleasant TO them 70 remember.
upon Christmas day. who made lame beg.
gars walk and blind men TO see"
| BOD voice was tremulous when he told
Them this. and trembled more when he said
hearty eHe
His active little crutch was heard upon
the moor. and back came Tiny Tim before
snoIher word was spoken escorted by his
orotner and sister to his stool beside the
IRE: and while Bob turning up his cuffsNas
II, poor Fellow, they were capable OF being
mace more shabby-compoundec some HOT
INJURY nik.ure IN jug with gin and lemons, and
uIFeo IL round and round and put IL on the
mop TO simmer, Master Peter and the two
UBIQUITOUS young Cratchits went 20 fetch
high procession. -
such a hustle ensued that YOU NIGH, hav.
tnought goose the rarest of all birds: a
leathereo phenomenon, to which a black
=. was matter Of courss-and IN truth
:. Wa something very like IL in that house.
Mrs. Cratchit made the gravy ~eadv hatore
manu- IN little saucepan, Kissing hot. Mas
Yer Peter mashed the potatoes with tncred
80, or, MISS Belinda sweetened up the
apple sauce; Martha busted the hot plates.
SOD took Tiny Tim beside him IN a tiny cor.
her at the table: the two young Cratchif.
then, saS,,.s lor everybody. not forgetting
nosas o- aho mounting guard upon their
p.'s. erammed spoons into their mouths
| iest they should shrek for goose heforc
snslr turn came to be helped At last the
ssnes were set on, and grace was said. II
Vas succeeded by q b-eathless pause as
Mrs. Cratchit. looking slowly All along The
| Sns KNIFE. prepared TO plunge IL IN the
Urea rreast: put when she did, and when the
one , nnpee.ed sash OF stuffing issued forth,
| ons murmur OF delight arose all round the
ooau, ana even Tiny Tim. excited by the
| Two young Cratchits beat on the IN HE u,ffh
| Hurrah! e Aeeoy cried
There never was such a goose r.oh Gaia
ne oiont believe there ever was such =
| goose cooked. Its tenderness ana flsyor
$500 anu eneapness. were the themes Of uni
seIsaI aomiration. Fixed out by apple saucs
sno mashed potatoes. Il was A sufficient
ainner for the whole family; indeed as NJ
SaatcnIt SAID with great delight surveying
one small atom Of a bone upon the dishe
they hadn't ate IL all at last Yet ever, o..
mao mao enough. and the youngest cratchits
IN particular were STEPPED In sage ana on
,on 70 tne eyebrows! But now the plates
oeins changed by Miss Belinda Mrs. Graf
emit LEFT the room alone-too nervon. 20
| bring IL in. e W. anu
Suppose 1t should not be done enough
| SSappose u should break in turning Quit
suppose somebody should have got over the
| wall OF the back yard. and stolen a. ys,hiis
,,n ss were merry with the goose-a suppose
| uon At which the two young CrarcbI,s -.
came livid! All sorts OF horrors were ~
posed. A0''0is were sup
haiIo! A great deal OF steam, The pud-
III, ,, vas out OF the copper. A smell IKE a
'ra sn-s Gay! That was the cloth. smell
IKE an eating house and a pastry cooSs.
neAt ooor 70 each othe-, with a laundress,
| next door 10 thati That was the nusdincr
.nshss Z minute Mrs Cratchit entered-
| .usne1. Out smiling proudly-with the mud
| ons, IKE a speckled cannon ball SO bsrd
sno nrm, blazing in half OF half-a-ouartern
oi Hniteo brandy, and bedight with Christ
mas molly stuck into the ton
y. a wonderful pudding, Roh cra,c,,,
SAG, ana calmly too. that he regarded n a,
ene greatest success achieved BY Mrs. Graft
ny ny . since their marriage. Mrs. cratchit
salo that now the weight was of her mind
she would confess she had her doubts about
me quantity OF -four. Everybody had some
thihg TO say about IL. but nobody said or
,arse =. !, was at al small pudding for
| esy 10 90 so. Any Cratchit would havs
piushed to hint at such a thing.
AZ last the dinner was all done the cloth
was cleared. the hearth swept and the fire
made up. The compound in the sur heins
lasted. ana considered perfect appies and
oranges were put upon the table. and a
snov1 s fuI. or ehestnuts on the fire. Then
an the Crachit family drew round ths
hearth. In what Bob Cratchit called a cIrcis
meaning half a one: and at Bob Cratchif'.
elbow stood the family display OF glass~two
handle 1'
These held the hot stun from IN. ,ur
however. as well golden goblets vonid
ne zone; ana Bob served Il out with
oe&ming looks, while the chestnuts on the
nre sputtered and cracked nolsily. Then
Bob proposed:
"A merry Christmas to US all. my dssr~.
God bless usI'
Which all the family re-echoed.
the last OF all A'AAA'
He sat very close to his fathers side, upor
his little stool Bob held HIS u,itharei it,,is
hand In his. as II he loved the child. ana
wished to keep him by his side and dreaded
that he might be taken from him Roh
Sratehit told them how he had a situation
IN ms eye Tor Master Peter. which would
bring In, IL obtained. full five-and-six-pence
weekly The two young Cratchits laughed
tremendously at the idea OF Peters being
man OF business; and Peter himself looked
thoughtfully at the fire from between his
collars as IL he were celebrating what IA r
ucular Investments he should favor when
he came into the recipe of that bewilderfnr
at a milliners. then told them what Kind o;
work she had to do and how many hour
she worked at a stretch. and how she meant
10 lie abed tomorrow morning for a rood
long rest; tomorrow being a holiday, she
passed at home. Also how she had seen A
countess and a lord some laws before: ana
how the lord was much about AS tan an
Peter; at which Peter pulled up mis- collars
SO high that you couldn't have seen his head
IL you had been there. All this time the
chestnuts and the jug went round ana
ROUND; and by and by they Rad a tong
about lost child travelling IN the snow
from Tiny Tim. who had a plainllve hsaso
voice and sang II very well indeed
There was nothing of high mark In rhfI
They were not a handsome family: they
were not well dressed; their shoes were far
from being waterproof: their clothes were
scanty; and Peter might have known. snd
very likely did. the inside OF a pawn
brokers'. But they were happy, grateful,
pleased with one another, and contented
with the time: and when they faded and
looked happier yet in the bright sprinkiinEs
OF the Spirits torch at parting Scroogu
had his eye upon them, and especially On
Tiny Tim, until the last
And now, without a word OF warning from
the Ghost. they stood upon a bleak and
desert moor, where monstrous masses Of
rude stone Were cast about rs though ft
were the burial place OF giants: and water
spread itself wheresoever II listed; or would
have done 90, but for the frost that held &
prisoner; and nothing grew but moss and
a ~ A.