Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-29

and Scrooge walked out with growl
Scrooge took his melancholy dinner
in his usual melancholy tavern and
having read all the newspapers ant
beguiled the rest Of the evening witt
his bankers book, went home to bed
He lived in chambers which had once
belonged to his deceased partner.
Now, it is a fact that there was moth
ing at all particular about the knock
er on the door except that it was very
large. And then let any man explain
to me if he can how it happened that
Scrooge, having his key in the lock OF
the door, saw in the knocker withou,
it's undergoing any intermediate pro-
cess or change, not knocker, bu'
Marley's face.
Marley's face. 1t was not in i'm
penetrable shadow, as the other OBJ
jects in the yard were, but had a dls-
NAL light about it, like a bad lobster
I'm a dark cellar. 1t was not angry OF
ferocious, but looked at Scrooge as
Marley used to look-with ghostly
spectacles turned up upon its ghostly
forehead.
AS Scrooge looked fixedly at this
phenomenon it was a knocker again
To say that he was not startled or
that his blood was not conscious or a
terrible sensation to which it had been
a stranger from infancy would be un-
true But he put his hand upon the
key he had relinquished, turned II
sturdily, walked in and lighted his
candle.
He did pause, with a moments ir-
resolution, before he shut the door,
and he did look cautiously behind II
first as if he half expected to be terri
fed with the sight of Marley's pigtail
sticking out into the hall. But there
was nothing on the back of the door
except the screws and nuts that held
the knocker on, so he said Pooh,
pooh!" and closed it with a bang.
The sound resounded through the
house like thunder. Every room
above and every cask in the wine
merchants cellar below appeared to
have a separate peal Of echoes of its
own. Scrooge was not a man to be
frightened by echoes. He fastened the
door and walked across the hall and
up the stairs. slowly, too, trimming
his candle as he went.
But before he shut the heavy door
he walked through his room to see
that all was right. He had just
enough recollection of the face to de-
sire to do that.
Quite SdllSIleu, lie ClOSSu HlS uOol
and locked himself in, double locked
himself in, which was not his custom.
Thus secured against surprise, he took
off his cravat, put on mis- dressing
gown and slippers and his nightcap
and sat down before the fire to take
his Cruel.
1t was a very low fire indeed, moth
ing on such a bitter night. He was
obliged to sit close to it and brood
over it before he could extract the
least sensation of warmth from sucn a
handful of fuel The fireplace was an
old one built by some Dutch mer-
chant long ago and paved all round
with quaint Dutch tiles, designed to
illustrate the Scriptures. There were
Gains and Abels. Pharaoh's daughters.
queens of Sheba. angelic messengers
descending through the air on clouds
like feather beds, Abrahams, Belshaz-
Ears, apostles putting off to sea in
butter boats, hundreds Of figures to
attract his thoughts, and yet that face
of Marley, seven years dead, came like
the ancient prophets rod and swal-
lowed up the whole.
"Humbug." said Scrooge and walk
ed across the room.
After several turns he sat down
again. AS he threw his head back in
the chair his glance happened to rest
upon a bell, a disuSed bell, that hung
in the room and communicated for
some purpose now forgotten with a
chamber in the highest story Of the
building. 1t was with great astonish-
ment and with a strange, ineXplicable
dread that as he looked he saw this
bell begin to swing. 1t swung so soft
ly in the outset that it scarcely made
n hI1t
and so did every bell in the house.
This might have lasted half a min
ute or a minute, but it seemed an
hour. The bells ceased as they had
begun-together They were succeed
ed by a clanking noise deep down be-
low, as if some person were drag
ging a heavy chain over the casks in
the wine merchants cellar.
The cellar door flew open with
booming sound, and then he heard the
noise much louder on the floors below,
then coming up the stairs, then COM
ing straight toward his door.
It's humbug still" said Scrooge
Il won't believe It,"
His color changed, though, when
without a pause it came on through
the heavy door and passed into the
room before his eyes.
The same face, the very same
Marley in his pigtail, usual waistcoat,
tights and boots the taSSelS on the
latter bristling like his pigtail and his
coat skirts and the hair upon his head.
The chain he drew was claSped about
his middle. 1t was long and Wounr
about him like tail, and 1t was made
(for Scrooge observed it closely) of
cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers,
deeds and heavy purses wrought IN
steel. His body was transparent, so
that Scrooge, observing him and look
ing through his waistcoat. could see
the two buttons on his coat behind.
How now" said Scrooge, caustic
and cold as ever. What do you want
with me-"
Much" Marley's voice. no doubt
about it.
"Who are you?"
Ask me who / was"
who were you. them" said
Scrooge. raising his voice. you're
particular-for a shade" He was go
ing TO say Ito a shade" but substi-
tuted this as more appropriate.
I'm life l was your partner, Jacob
Marley"
Can you-can you sit down."
asked ScroOge, looking doubtfully at
him
Il can.
DO it, then"
The ghost sat down on the opposite
side of the fireplace as if he were
quite used to it.
You don't believe in me-" observed
the ghost.
II don't" said ScroOge.
To sit staring at those fixed, glazed
eyes in silence for a moment would
play. Scrooge felt, the very deuce with
him. There was something very aw-
full, too. in the Specter'S being provid-
ed with an Internal atmosphere of its
own. ScrOOge could not feel it him.
self. but this was clearly the case, for,
though the ghost sat perfectly mo-
tionless. its hair and skirts and tas-
sells were still agitated as by the hot
vapOr from an even.
You see this toOthpick?" said
ScrOoge, wishing. though it were only
for a second. to divert the visions
stony gaze from himself.
Il do" replied the ghost.
We'll" returned Scrooge. II have
but to swallow this and be for the rest
Of my days prosecuted by a legion of
COLLINS all of my own creation. Hum
bug. | tell yOu-humbug,"
At this the spirit raised a frightful
cry and shook it's chain with such
a dismal and appalling noise that
ScroOge held on tight to his chair to