The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-12-03

Of his burial was
>" gyman, the clerk.
the undertaken and the chief mourner
Scrooge signed 1t. and Scrooge's name
was good upon change for anything
he chose to put his hand to. Old Mar
ley was as dead as a doorna1l.
Mind. ! don't mean to say that
know Of my own knowledge what there
IL particularly dead about a doornail
/ might have been inclined myself to
regard a coffin nah as the deadest piece
Of iron mongery in the trade. But the
wisdom Of our ancestors Is In the
simile. and my unhallowed hands shall
You will therefore permit me to re-
peat emphatically that Marley was as
dead as q doOrnail
Scrooge knew he was dead? OF
course he did How could 1t be 9TH
erwise? Scrooge and he were part
ners for l don't know how many
years. ScrOOge was his sole executor.
his sole administrator. his sole assign.
his sole residuary iegatee. bis sole
friend and sole mourner.
ScrOOge never painted out old Mar
iey's name There 1t stood years aft
srward above the warehouse door
Scrooge 4 Marley. The firm was
known as Scrooge & Marley. Some
times people new to the business call
ed Scrooge Scrooge and sometimes
Marley. but he answered to both
names 1t was all the same to him.
Oh. but he was a tight listed hand
at the grindstone. Scrooge-a sQueez-
ing. wrenching. grasping. scraping.
clutching. covetOus old sinner. hard
and sharp as flint. from which no
steel had ever struck out generous
fire: secret and self contained and
solitary as an oyster. The cold within
him froze his old features. nipped bis
pointed nose. shriveled his cheek. stiff
thin lips blue and spoke out shrewdly
In his grating voice. A frosty rime
was on his head and on his eyebrows
and his wiry chin. He carried his OWL
low temperature always about with
him. He iced his Office In the dog days
and didn't thaw 1t one degree at
! Christmas.
days in the year. on Christmas eve
old Scrooge sat busy in bis counting
house. 1t was cold. bleak. biting
weather. fOgey withal. and he could
hear the people in the court outside
f! 60 wheeling up and down. beating
their hands upon their breasts and
stamping their feet upon the pavement
stones to warm them. The city clocks
had only just gone 8. but 1t was quite
dark already.
| The door of Scrooge's counting house
was open that he might keep his cyl
upon his clerk. who In q dismal little
cell beyond. a sort Of tank. was copy
ing letters. Scrooge had q very small
Ore. but the clerks fire was so very
| much smaller that It looked like on,
1 coal. But he couldn't replenish it. fo
Scrooge kept the coal box in his owl
room. and 50 surely as the clerk came
/ In with the shovel the master predict
ed that 1t would be necessary for then
to part, wherefore the clerk put OF
his white comforter and tried to warn
himself at the candle. in which effort
don. he failed.
"A merry Christmas, uncle! Go,
save your cried q cheerful voice.
was the voice Of Scrooge's nephew
who came upon him so quickly tina
this was the first intimation he hat
Of his approach.
Bah said Scrooge. "Humbug!'
/ He had so heated himself with rapi'
walking In the fog and frost. thi
nephew Of Scrooge's. that he was al
On glow. His face was ruddy AM
handsome.
'Christmas a humbug, uncle" sal
Scrooge's nephew. You don't meal
that. l am sure"
II do" said Scrooge. Merry Chris,
~? What reason have you to be mel
yY
Come. then" returned the nephe,
gayly. What right have you to b
dtsmaIY'
. Scrooge. having no better answe
ready, on the spur Of the moment sal
Bah" again aud followed II up wit
"Humbugr
Uncle" pleaded the nephew.
Nephew" returned the uncle ster1
~. keep Christmas in your own va
and let me keep il in mine"
Keep it," repeated Scrooge's nep,
ew. But you don't keep It."
Let me leave il alone. then" sal
Scrooge. Much good may II do yor
Much good II has ever done YOU"