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

ne FtFSt OF tne HfoS
When Scrooge awoke it was so dark,
that, looking out of bed, he could
scarcely distinguish the transparent
window from the opaque walls of his
chamber. He was endeavoring to pierce
the darkness with his ferret eyes,
when the chimes of neighboring
church struck the four quarters. So
he listened for the hour.
To his great establishment the heavy
bell went on from six to seven, and
from seven to eight, and regularly uE
to twelve; then stopped. Twelve! 1t
was past two when he went to bed.
The clock was wrong. An icicle must
have got into the works. Twelve
He touched the spring of his repeater,
to correct this most preposterous clock.
It's rapid little pulse beat twelve; and
stopped.
Why, it isn't possible" said Scrooge.
that l can have slept thru whole
day and far into another night. It
isn't possible that anything has hap
pened to the sun, and this is twelve
lat noon!''
The idea being an alarming one, he
scrambled out of bed, and CROPPED his
way to the window. He was obliged
to rub the frost off with the sleeve
of his dressing gown before he could
see anything; and could see very little
then. All he could make out was,
that it was still very foggy and ex-
tremely cold, and that there was no
noise of people running to and fro, and
making great stir. as there unquestion.
ably would have been if night had
beaten off bright day, and taken pos
session of the world. This was
great relief, because Three days after
sight of this First of Exchange pay
to Mr.. Ebenezer Scrooge or his ORDER
and SO forth, would have become a mere
United States securitys if there were
no days to count by
Scrooge went to bed again, and
thought. and thought, and thought ii
over and over, and could make MOTH
|ipg of it. The more he thought, the
more perplexed he was; and the more
he endeavored not to think, the more
he thought.
Marieys ghost bothered him exceed
ingiy. Every time he resolved within
himself. after mature inquiry, that 1t
was all a dream, his mind flew back
again, and presented the same prob
lem to be worked all thru, was ii q
dream or not ?''
Scroege lay in this state until the
chime had gone three quarters more. 8
when he remembered, on sudden. thar
the ghost had warned him of q vista
ton when the bell tolled one. He re-
solved to lie awake until the hour was
passed: and. considering that he could
no more go to sleep than go to Heaven.
this was. perhaps, the wisest resolution
in his power
The quarter was SO long, that he was
more than Once convinced he must
have sunk into doze unconsciousiy.
and missed the clock. At length It
broke upon his listening ear.
ding, dong!'
"A quarter past said Serooca
counting.
Ding, dongi"
Half past" said Scrooge.
Ding, dong!"
"A quarter to it." said scrooge.
Ding, dong!'
The hour ITSELF said Scrooge trf-
umphantly, and nothing else!
He spoke before the hour bell sound
ed, which it now did with deep. dull.
hollow, melancholy one Light mashed
up in the room upon the instant. and
the curtains of his bed were drawn
aside, tell you, by a hand. Not the
curtains at his feet, nor the cGrtaIns
at his back, but those to which HE
face was addressed. The curtains OF
his bed We're drawn aside; and Scrooge
starting up into a half-recunnbent at
titude, found himself face to face witt,
the unearthly visitor who drew them
as close to it as am now to YOU. ana
am staining in the spirit at your
elbow.
1t was strange fgure,-like child:
yet not so like child as like an old
man, viewed thru some supernatural
medium which gave him the appear
ance OF having receded from the view
and being diminished to a chiId's pro-
portions. It's hair, which hung about
its neck and down it's back, was white,
as If with age: and yet the face had
not wrinkle in it, and the tenderest
bloom was on the skin The arms were
very long and muscular; the hands
the same. as if it's hold were of UNI
common strength. Its legs and feet.
most delicately formed. We're, like those
upper members, bare. 1t wore tunic
of the purest white; and round its s
waist was bound lustrous belt, the
sheen of which was beautiful. It held
a branch of fresh, green holly In its
hand; and, in singular contradiction OF
that wintry emblem, had its dress
with summer flowers. But the
strangest thing about it was, that from
the crown of its head there sprung a
bright clear jet of light, by which
all this was visible; and which was
doubtless the occasion Of its using, in
its duller moments, great extin-
guisher for a cap, which it now held
under its arm.
Even this, tho, when Scrooge looked
at it with increasing steadiness, was
not it's strangest quality. For as its
belt sparkled and glittered now In one
part and now in another, and what was
light one instant at another time was
dark, so the figure itself f1uctuated in
It's distinctness: being now thing with
one arm, now with one leg, now with
twenty legs, now a pair of legs without
1 head, now head without body;
Of which dissolving parts no outline
would be visible in the dense gloom