Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-12-02

OWL, anu, DdShlHS Ill luAuTlOuS
thoughts Of sage and onion, these
young Cratchits danced about the ta-
BILE and exalted Master Peter Cratchit
to the Skies while he (not proud, al
though his collar nearly choked him)
blew the fire until the slow potatoes,
bubbling up, knocked loudly at the
saucepan lid to be let out and peeled.
| What has ever got your precious
father, them" said Mrs. Cratchit.
And your brother. Tiny Tim. and
Martha warn't as late last Christmas
day by half an hour"
| Here's Martha, mother" said a
girl. appearing as he spoke.
Here's Martha, mother" cried the
two young Cratchits. 'Hurrah!
There's such goose. Martial
| why, bless your heart alive, my
dear, how late you are!" said Mrs.
| Cratchit kissing her a dozen times
and taking off her shawl and bonnet
for her with officious zeal.
wed a deal of work to finish up
last night" replied the girl. "and had
to clear away this morning, mother"
| well, never mind so long as you
are come" said Mrs. Cratchit. ''Sit ye
down before the fire, my dear, and
have a warm, Lord bless ye!"
NO no! There's father coming!"
cried the two young Cratchits, who
were everywhere at once. Hide, Mar
tina, hide!'
So Martha hid herself, and in came
little Bob, the father with at least
three feet Of comforter, exclusive of
the fringe. hanging down before him
and his threadbare clothes darned up
and brushed to look seasonable and
Tiny Tim upon his shoulder. Alas
for Tiny Tim. He bore little crutch
and had his limbs supported by an
iron frame.
"Why, where's our Martha?" cried
Rob Cratchit looking round.
| Not coming" said Mrs. Cratchit.
| mot coming!" said Bob. with sud-
den declension in his high spirit for
he had been Tins blood horse all the
way from church and had come home
rampant. Not coming upon Christ
mas day."
Martha didn't like to see him disap-
| pointed, If it were only in joke, so she
came out prematurely from behind the
closet door and ran into his arms
while the two young Cratchits hustled
Tiny Tim and bore him off into the
washhouse that he might hear the
pudding singing in the copper.
And how did little Tim behave?"
asked Mrs. Cratchit when she had
rallied Bob on his credulity and Bob
had hugged his daughter to his hearts
content
"As good as gold" said Bob, land
better Somehow he gets thoughtful
| sitting by himself so much and thinks
the strangest things you ever heard.
He told me coming home that he
hoped the people saw him In the
church because he was q cripple and
| it might be pleasant to them to re-
member upon Chritmas day who
made lame beggars walk and blind
men see."
Bob's voice was tremulous when he
told them this and trembled more
when he said that Tiny Tim was grow
| ing strong and hearty.
His active little crutch was heard
upon the floor, and back came Tiny
Tim before another word was spoken,
escorted by his brother and sister to
| his stool beside the fire, and while
Bob, turning up his cuffs-as If, poor
fellow, they were capable Of being
made more shabby-compound some
hot mixture in a jug with gin and
lemons and stirred it round and round
and put it on the hob to simmer Mas
ter Peter and the two ubiquitous
young Cratchits went to fetch the
goose, with which they soon returned
in high procession.
DuCH d DuSllc tiint yOu
have thought a goose the rarest Of all
birds-a feathered phenomenon, to
which a black swan was matter OF
course-and in truth 1t was something
very like it in that house. Mrs.
Cratchit made the gravy (ready be-
forehand in little saucepan) kissing
hot, Master Peter mashed the pota-
toes with incredible vigor. Miss Be-
linda sweetened up the apple sauce,
Martha busted the hot plates. Bob took
Tiny Tim beside him in tiny corner at
the table, and the two young Cratch-
it's set chairs for everybody. not forget
ting themselves, and, mounting guard
upon their posts, crammed spoons in
to their mouths lest they should shrek
for goose before their turn came to
be helped. At last the dishes were
set on, and grace was said. 1t was
succeeded by a breathless pause as
Mrs. Cratchit, looking slowly all along
the carving knife, prepared to plunge
it in the breast, but when she did and
when the long expected gush Of stuff |
ing issued forth one murmur of de-
light arose all round the board, and |
even Tiny Tim, excited by the two
young Cratchits. beat on the table |
with the handle of his knife and fee
bly, cried "Hurrah!"
There never was such goose. Bob
said he didn't believe there ever was
such a goose cooked. Its tenderness
and flavor, size and cheapness were
the themes of universal admiration.
Fixed out by the apple sauce and
mashed potatoes, 1t was sufficient |
dinner for the whole family. Indeed, |
as Mrs. Cratchit said, with great de- |
light, surveying one small atom OF |
bone upon the dish. they hadn't eaten |
it all at last. Yet every one had had |
enough, and the youngest Crtachits IN
particular were stepped In sage and |
onion to the eyebrows But, now, the |
plates being changed by Miss Belinda, |
Mrs. Cratchit left the room alone-too |
nervous to bear witness-to take the |
pudding up and bring it in.
Suppose 1t should not be done
enough! Suppose it should break in
turning out! Suppose somebody !
back yard and stolen it while they
were merry with the goose, a suppo- |
sition at which the two young Cratch- |
its became livid. All sorts of horrors
were supposed.
Hello. great deal of steam. The |
pudding was out Of the copper A |
smell like a washing day! That was
the cloth. smell like an eating |
house and a pastry cooks next door
10 eaCn OtneT, WITH Il ldunuTeSS next
door to that That was the pudding. |
In half a minute Mrs. Cratchit enter
ed, flushed, but smiling proudly, with
the pudding. like a speckled cannon
ball, so hard and firm. blazing in half
a quartern of ignited brandy and be-
digit with Christmas holly stuck into
the top.
"Oh. a wonderful pudding" Bob |
Cratchit said, and calmly, too, that he
regarded it as the greatest success
achieved by Mrs. Cratchit since their
marriage. Mrs. Cratchit said that now
the weight was off her mind she
would confess she had had her doubts |
about the quantity of flour Every
body had something to say about it, |
but nobody said nor thought it was at |
all small pudding for large family. |
1t would have been fiat heresy to do |
so Any Cratchit would nave blushed !
to hint at such thing.
At last the dinner was all done, the |
cloth was cleared, the hearth swept |
and the fire made up. The compound |
in the jug being tasted and consider
ed perfect. apples and oranges were
put upon the table and shovelful of
rhesnuts on the fire. Then all the |