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

/ claimed the hour; and which, DelnS
only light, was more alarming than a
dozen ghosts, as he was powerless to
/ make out what it meant or would be
at; and was sometimes apprehensiye
that he might be at that very moment
ian interesting case of spontaneous COM
bustion,, without having the consolation
of knowing it. At last however, he be-
gan to think,-as you or [ would have
thought at first; for it is always the
| person not in the predicamel.t who
| knows what ought to have been done
| in it, and would unquestionably have
done it too,-at last, / say, he began
! to think that the source and secret
of this ghostly light might be in the
adjoining room, from whence, on fur
| Their tracing it, it seemed to shine. This
idea taking full possession of his mind,
he got UP softly, and shuffied in his
slippers to the door
| The moment Scrooge's hand was on
the lock, strange voice called him
by his name, and babe him enter. He
obeyed.
1t was his own room. There was no
doubt about that. But it had undergone
| a surprising transformation. The
walls and ceiling were so hung with
| living green that it looked perfect
grove; from every part of which bright,
cleaning berries glistened. The crisp
leaves of holly, mistletoe, and ivy re-
| Elected back the light, as if SO many
| little mirrors had been scattered there,
and such a mighty blaze went roaring
up the chimney, as that dull petrifac-
| ton of a hearth had never known in
Serooge's time, or Marley's, of for many
! and many a winter season gone.
| Heaped up on the floor, to form kind
| of throne, were turkeys, geese, game,
poultry, Drawn, great joints of meat,
sucking pigs, long wreaths of sau-
sages mince-pies, plum puddings, bar
| rels of oysters, red hot chestnuts, cher
ry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, lu-
scious pears, immense twelfth cakes
and seething bowls of punch, that
made the chamber dim with their de-
licious steam.
In easy state upon this couch, there
sat jolly Giant glorious to see; who
bore a glowing torch, in shape not un-
like Plenty's horn, and held it up, high
up, to shed it's light on Scrooge, as he
came peeping round the door.
Come in!" exclaimed the Ghost
Scrooge entered timidly, and hung
his head before this Spirit. He was not
the logged Scrooge he had been; and
tho the Spirits eyes were clear and
kind, he did not like to meet them.
Il am the Ghost of Christmas Pres
ent,'' said the Spirit. Look upon mel"
Scrooge reverently did SO. 1t was
clothed in one simple, deep green robe,
or mantle, bordered with white fur.
This garment hung so loosely on the
figure that it's capacious breast was
bare, as If disdaining to be warded
or concealed by any artifice. Its feet.
observable beneath the ample folds of
the garment were also bare. and on
it head it wore no other than a holly
wreath, set here and there with shin
ing icicles. Its dark brown curls were
long and free; free as its genial face,
it's sparkling eye, it's open hand, it's
CHEEKY voice, its unconstrained de-
meanor. and its joyful air. Girded
round its middle was an antique
scabbard; but no sword was in it, and
the ancient sheath was eaten up with
rust
You have never seen the like of me
before!" exclaimed the Spirit.
Never" Scrooge made answer to 1T.
Have never walked forth with the
younger members of my family; mean
ing (for I am very young) my elder
brothers born in these later years?"
pursued the Phantom.
81 don't think have" said Scrooge.
81 am afraid have not. Have you had
| many brothers. Spirit?"
| More than eighteen hundred" said
the Ghost.
"a tremendous family to provide for
muttered Scrooge.
The Ghost of Christmas Present
rose.
Spirit" said Scrooge submissively,
conduct me where you will. I went
forth last night on compulsion, and
learnt a lesson which is working now.
Tonight, if you have aught to teach me,
let me profit by it,
"Touch my robei"
Scrooge did as he was told, and held
it fast.
Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy,
turkeys, geese, game, poultry, Drawn,
meat, pigs, sausages, oysters, pies, pud-
dings, fruit and punch, all vanished in
stantly. So did the room, the fire, the
they stood in the city streets on Christ
mas morning, where for the weather
was severe) the people made a rough,
but brisk and not unpleasant kind of
music, in scraping the snow from the
pavement in front of their dwellings,
and from the tops of their houses,
whence it was mad delight to the boys
to see it come Pumping down into the
road below, and splitting into artificial
little snow storms.
The house fronts looked black enough,
and the windows blacker contrasting
with the smooth white sheet of snow
upon the roofs. and with the dirtier
snow upon the ground; which last de-
post had been ploughed up in deep fur
rows by the heavy wheels of carts and
wagons; burrows that crossed and re-
crossed each other hundreds of times
where the great streets branched off;
and made intricate channels, hard to
trace, in the thick yellow mud and icy
water The sky was gloomy, and the
shortest streets were choked up with a
dingy mist, half thawed. half frozen,
whose heavier particles descended in
shower of sooty atoms. as If all the
chimneys in Great Britain had, by one
consent, caught fire, and were blazing
away to their dear hearts cFntent.
There was nothing very cheerful in the
climate or the town, and yet was there
an air of cheerfulness abroad that the
clearest summer air and brightest sum-
mer sun might have endeavored to
diffuse in vain.