The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-12-27
After tea, they had some music

they sung q Glee or Catch, can as
sure you. Especially Topper, who
could growl away In the bass like
a good one, and never swell the
large veins in his forehead or get
red in the face over 1t. Scrooge's
niece played we'll upon the harp,
and played among other tunes
simple little air "a mere nothing;
you might learn to whistle it in two
L, minutes). which had been familiar
to the child who fetched ScrOoge
from the boarding house, as he had
been reminded by the Ghost OF
Christmas Past. When this strain
of music sounded, all the things
that the Ghost had shown him came
upon his mind; he sOftened more
and more; and thought that If he,
could have listened to 1t often.
years ago, he might have cultivated
the kindnesses Of life for his own
happiness with his own hands, with
out resorting to the sections spade
that buried Jacob Marley.
But they didn't devote the whole
evening to music. After a while
they played at forfeits, for 1t Is
good to be children sometimes, and
never better than at Christmas,
when it's mighty Founder was a
child himself. Stop! There was
first game at blind mans buff.
OF course there was. And l no
more believe Topper was really
blind than I believe he had eyes
in his boots. My opinion Is that
il was a done thing between him
and Scrooge's nephew and that the
Ghost of Christmas Present knew
it. They way he went after that
plump sister in the lace tucker was
an outrage on the credulity of hui
man nature. Knocking down the
fire irons, tumbling over the chairs,
humping up against the piano.
smothering himself among the cur
tains, wherever she went, there
went he. He always knew where
the plump sister was. He wouldn't
catch anybody else. If you had
fallen up against him, as some Of
them did on purpose, he would
have made a feint of endeavoring
to seize you, which would have
been an affront to your understand
ing and would instantly have sidled
off in the direction of the plump
sister. She often cried out that 1t
wasn't fair; and 1t really was not
But when at last he caught her;
when, in spite of all her silken
rustlings and her rapid flutterings
past him, he got her into a corner
whence there was no escape; then
his conduct was the most execrable.
For his pretending not to know her;
his pretending that it was necessary
to touch her head dress and further
to assure himself of her identity by
pressing a certain ring upon her
finger, and certain chain about
her neck, was vile, monstrous. No
doubt she told him her opinion of
it, when, another blind man being
in office, they were SO very conf
dental together behind the cur
tains.
Scrooge's niece was not one of
the blind mans buff party, but was
made comfortable with large chair
where the Ghost and Scrooge were
close behind her. But she Joined in
the forieits and loved her love to
admiration with all the letters of
the alphabet Likewise at the
game of How, When and Where.
she was very great, and, to the Sc
cret joy of Scrooge's nephew, beat
her sisters hollow, though they
were sharp girls too, as Topper
could have told you. There might
have been 90 people there, young
and Old but they all played, and
20 did Scrooge; for, wholly forget
ting in the interest he had in what
was going on that his voice made
no sound in their ears, he some
times came out with his guess quite
loud. and very often guessed right.
too; for the sharpest needle, best
Whitechapel, warranted not to cut
in the eye, was not sharper than
Scrooge, blunt as he took 1t in his
head to be.
The Ghost was greatly pleased to
find him in this mood, and looked
upon him with such favor that he
begged like boy to be allowed to
stay until the guests departed But
this the Spirit said could not be
done.
Here is a new game" said
Scrooge. zone half hour Spirit,
only one,"
1t was game called Yes and
No, where Scrooge's nephew had
to think of some thing, and the rest
must find out what, he only answer
ing to their questions yes or no. as
the case was. The brisk fire of
questioning to which he was ex-
posed elected from him that he was
thinking of an animal, live animal,
rather a disagreeable animal. a saw
age. animal. an animal that growled
AID grunted sometimes and talked
sometimes and lived in London and
walked about the streets. anu
wasn't made a show of, and wasn't
led by anybody, and didn't live in q
menagerie, and was never killed la
market and was not horse. or an
ass, or a COW, or a bull, or tiger
or a dog, or a pig. or cat, or a
bear. At every fresh question that
was put to him, this nephew burs!
into a fresh roar of laughter and
was so inexpressibly tickled that he
was obliged to get up off the sofa
and stamp. AT last the plump sis
ter, falling into similar state
cried ont:
81 have found 1t out. know
what 1t Is, Fred! | know what II
is"
What is it?" cried Fred.
Its your uncle Scro-o-oose!
Which it certainly was. Admin
tion was the universal sentiment
though some objected that the no
ply to is it n bear?" ought to have
been yes; inasmuch as an an
%-Yef in the negative was sufiicicn
10y have diverted their thoughts from
AR. Scrooge, supposing they hat
ever had any tendency that way.
In hns- .rtx L..