Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-12-24

d peals he had ever heard. Clash, elias
t hammer; ding, dong, bell! Bell, don
i ding; hammer clang, clash! oh, glor
: Gus. glorious!
Running to the window, he opened |
i and put out his head. No fog, no mist
e clear, bright jovial, stirring, cold; col
/ piping for the blood 20 dance to-; golde
e sunlight; heavenly sky; sweet fires
, air; merry bells. oh, glorious! Glori
Dust
S Whats today?" cried Scrooge, call
mig downward to boy in Sunda
: clothes, who perhaps had loitered in t
look about him.
} "Eh?" returned the boy, with all hi
might Of wonder.
whats today, my fine fellow" sal
!. Scrooge.
TODAY" replied the boy. 'Wh,
: Christmas day
It's Christmas day!" said Scrooge t
himself. IT haven't missed it. TIL
Spirits have done it all in one nigh,
. They can do anything they like. Q
| course they can. OF course they car
: Halo, my fine fellow!'
"Hallo!" returned the boy.
J do you know the poulterer's. in TIL
next street but one, at the corner?
Scrooge inquired.
Il should hope did" replied the lad
IAN intelligent boy!" said Scrooge
"a remarkable boy! Do you know
whether they've sold the prize turke,
1 that was hanging UP there Not thu
little prize turkey, the big one?"
4 What. the one as big as me?" re
turned the boy.
What a delightful boy" sail
Scrooge. Its pleasure to talk to him
4 Yes. my buck!"
1 Its hanging there now" replied thu
boy.
rs it?" said scrooge. Go ant
buy it."
Walk er!.* exclaimed the boy.
mo, no." said Scrooge, II am in earn.
est. Go and. buy it, and tell 'em to brins
it here, that / may give them the di-
| rections where to take it. Come back
with the man, and I'll give you shill-
| ing Come back with him in less thar
five minutes. and I'll give you half q
| crown!"
The boy was off like shot He must
who could have got shot off half SC
/! fast.
"I'll send it to Bob Cratchit's," whis-
irered Scrooge, rubbing his hands, and
| splitting with laugh. "He shan't know
who sends it. It's twice the size of Tiny
Tim. Joe Miller never made such a
joke as sending it to Rob's will bel" .
| The hand In which he wrote the adj
dress was not a steady one, but write 1t
he did, somehow, and went downstairs
Is open the street door ready for the
coming of the poulterer's man. AS he
stood there awaiting his arrival, the
knocker caught his eye.
II shall love it as long as I live!'
cried Scrooge, patting it with his hand.
II scarcely ever looked at it before.
What an honest expression it has in it's
face! It's wonderful knocker! Here's
the turkey. Halo! Whoop! How are
you? Merry Christmas"
1t was turkey! He never could have
stood upon his legs, that bird. He
would have snapped 'em short off in a
minute. like sticks of sealing-wax.
why. it's impossible to carry that to
Camden Town." said Scrooge. You
must have cab"
The chuckle with which he said this,
and the chuckle with which he paid for
the turkey, and the chuckle with which
he paid for the cab, and the chuckle
with which he recompensed the boy,
were only to be exceeded by the chuckle
with which he sat down breathless in
his chair again, and chuckled till he
cried.
Shaving was not an easy task, for his
hand continued to shake very much;
and shaving requires attention, even
when you don't dance while you are at
it. But if he had cut the end of his nose
off he would have put piece of stick
ing plaster over 1t, and been quite sat
isfied.
He dressed himself "all in his best"
and at last got out into the streets. The
reople were by this time pouring forth,
as he had seen them with the Ghost OF
Christmas Present: and walking with
his hands behind him, Scrooge regarded
every one with a delighted smile. He
looked so irresistiply pleasant, in
word. that three or four good-hurnored
fellows said. Good morning, sir! A
merry Christmas to you'll" And Scrooge
said often afterwards that OF all the
blithe sounds he had ever heard, those
were the blithest In his ears.
He had not gone far. when, coming on
towards him, he beheld the portly gen.
tleman who had walked into his count
ing house the day before. and said,
"Scrooge & Marley's, / believer? 1t
sent a pang across his heart to think
how this old gentleman would look upon
him when they met; but he knew what
path lay straight before him, and he
took it.
my dear sir" said Scrooge, quicken
ing his pace and taking the old gentle
man by both his hands, how do you
do? / hope you succeeded yesterday. 1t
was very kind of you. A merry Christ
mas to you, sir!"
.sNfr. Scrooge?"
"Yes," said Scrooge. THAT is my
name, and / fear it may not be pleas
ant to you. Allow me to ask your par
don. And will you have the goodness"
Here Scrooge whispered in his ear.
Lord bless mel" cried the gentle
man, as if his breath We're taken away.
my dear Mr.. Scrooge, are you seri-
ous?''
eff you please" said scrooge. mot
farthing less. A great many back