The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-12-14

Hlsic's. Mines-occupies- me constantly.
Good afternoon, gentlemen!"ca
Seeing clearly that 1T would be
useless to pursue their point. the
gentlemen withdrew. Scrooge re-
snmed his labor with an improved
|op.nion of himself. and in more
facetious temper than was usual
with him.
Meanwhile the fog and darkness
thiekened SO that people ran about
with flaring links. proffering their
services to go before horses in car
riasej and conduct them on their
way. The ancient tower of a
church, whose gruff old bell was
always pceping slyN down at
Scroose out of a gothic window in
the. wall, became invisible, and
struck the hours and quarters in
the clouds. with tremulous vbra-
tons afterward. as if it's teeth were
chattering in its frozen head up
there. The cold became intense.
In the main street, at the corner of
the ccHrt, some laborers were re-
pairing the gas pipes, and had
lighted great fire in brazier.
round which a party of ragged men
and boys were gathered: warming
their hands and winking their eyes
before. the blaze in rapture. The
water plug being left in solitude, its
overflow suddenly CONCEALED
and turned to misanthropic ice. The
brightness of the shops where
holly sprics and berries cracked in
the lamp heat of the windows,
made pale faces ruddy as they
passed. Poulterers' and grocers
trades became a splendid joke: a
glorious pageant. with which it was
next to impossible to believe that
such dull principles as bargain and
sale had anything to do. The lord
MAYOR, in the stronghold of the
mighty Mansion house. gave orders
TO his 30 cooks and buffers to keep
Christmas IS a lord mayors house
hold should; and even the little
tailor, whom he had fined five shil-
lings ON the previous Monday for
being drunk and bloodthirsty in the
streets, stirred up tomorrow's pud-
ding in his garnet. while his lean
wife and the baby sailed out to buy
the beef.
Fogg'er vet, and colder. Pierc-
ing. searching, biting cold. If the
good St Dunstan had but nipred
the evil spirits nose with touchc
of such weather as that, instead of
using his familiar weapons. then in
deed he would have roared to lusty
purpose. The owner of one scant
young nose, gnawed and mumbled
by the hungry cold as bones are
gnawed by dogs, stopped down at
Scrooge's keyhole to regale him
with a Christmas carol; but at the
! first sound of
, God bless you, merry gentleman,
May nothing YOU diSmay,'
Scrooge seized the ruler with such
energy of action, that the singer
fled in terror, leaving the keyhole
to the fog and even more congen-
ial frost.
At length the hour of shutting IN
| the counting house arrived. With
an i'll will Scrooge dismounted from
his stool. and tacitly admitted the
fact to the expectant clerk in the
tank. who instantly snuffed his
candle out, and put on his hat.
You'll want all day tomorrow,
SUPPOSE said Scrooge.
IF quite convenient, sir"
It's not convenient said
/ Scrooge. land it's not fair. If I
was to stop half a crown for it.
you'd think yourself i'll used. I'll be
/ bound?"
The clerk smiled family.
/ And yet" said Scrooge, you
don't think me i'll used. when | pay
a days wages for no work"
/ The clerk observed that it was
only once a year.
"A poor excuse for picking a
! mans pocket every twenty-fifth of
/ December" said Scrooge. button