Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-12-02
CHAPTER III.
The Second of the Spirits.

that the bell was again upon the
stroke of l.
He felt that he was restored to con-
sciousness in the right nick of time for
the special purpose Of holding a con-
ference with the second messenger dis
patched to him through Jacob Mar
iey's Intervention. But, finding that
he turned uncomfCrtably cold when
he began to wonder which Of his cur
tains this specter would draw back,
he put them every one aside with his
own hands and, lying down again, es-
tablished a sharp lookout all round the
bed. for he wished to challenge the
spirit on the moment of its appear
ance and did not wish to be taken by
surprise and made nervous.
Gentlemen of the free and easy sort
who plume themselves on being ac-
uuainted with q move or two and be-
ing usually equal to the time OF day
express the wide range OF their ca
pacity for adventure by observing that
they are good for anything from pitch
and toss to manSlaughter, between
which opposite extremes no doubt
there lies a tolerably wide and compre-
hensive range of subjects. Without
venturing for Scrooge quite as hardly
as this I don't mind calling on you to
believe that he was ready for a good
broad field of strange appearances and
that nothing between a baby and a
rhinoceros would have astonished him
very much.
Now. being prepared for almost any
thing, he was not by any means pre-
pared for nothing, and consequently
when the bell struck l and no shape
appeared he was taken with a violent
a. 90 t,a, I'M m
minutes, a quarter of an hour. went
by, yet nothing came. All this time he
Law upon his bed, the very core and
center of a blaze Of ruddy light which
streamed upon 1t when the clock pro-
claimed the hour and which, being
only light, was more alarming tnan a
dozen ghosts, as he was powerless to
make out what 1t meant or would De
at, and was sometimes apprehensive
that he might be at that very moment
an interesting case of spontaneous
combustion without having the con-
ISOLATION of knowing 1t. At last, how
ever, he began to think, as you or l
would have thought at first, for 1t Is
always the person not in the predica-
ment who knows what ought to have
been done in 1t and would unques-
tionably have done it. At last, l
say. he began to think that the source
and secret Of this ghostly light might
be in the adjoining room, from whence,
on further tracing it, 1t seemed to
shine. This idea taking full possess
sion of his mind, he got up softly and
shuff1ed in his slippers to the door.
The moment Scrooge's hand was on
the lock a strange voice called him by
his name and bade him enter. He
obeyed.
1t was his own room-there was
no doubt about that--but 1t had un-
dergone a surprising transformation.
The walls and ceiling were so hung
with living green that 1t looked a per-
feet grove. from every part Of which
bright cleaning berries glistened. The
crisp leaves of holly. mistletoe and Ivy
reflected back the light as If so many
little mirrors had been scattered there,
and such a mighty blaze went roaring
up the chimney as that dull petrifac-
ton of a hearth had never known In
Scrooge's time or Marley's or for many
and many a winter season gone. Heap
ed up upon the floor to form kind or
throne were turkeys, geese, game,
poultry, Drawn, great joints Of meat,
sucking pigs, long wreaths Of sausages,
mince pies, plum puddings, barrels or
oysters, redhot chestnuts, cherry
checked apples, juicy oranges. luscious
pears, immense Twelfth cakes and
seething bowls of punch that made the
chamber dim with their delicious
steam. In easy state upon this couch
there sat jolly giant, glorious TO see
who bore glowing torch. in shape not
unlike Plenty's horn, and held 1t up,
high up, to shed its light on Scrooge
l. ,nnninu rnnn6 tho door
Come in" exclaimed the ghost
Come in and know me better, mani"
Scrooge entered timidly and hung
his head before the spirit.
Il am the Ghost of Christmas Pres
ent," said the spirit. Look upon me-
Scrooge reverently did so. 1t was
clothed in one simple deep green robe
or mantle bordered with white fur
This garment hung so loosely on the
figure that it's capacious breast was
bare. as if disdaining to be warded or
concealed by an artifice. Its feet, OBJ
servable beneath the ample folds or
the garment, were also bare, and on
its head 1t wore no other covering than
a holly wreath set here and there with
shining icicles. Its dark brown curls
were long and free-free as its genial
face. it's sparkling eye, its open hand,
it's cherry voice, its unconstrained de-
meanor and its joyful air. Girded
round its middle was an antique scab-
bard, but no sword was in 1t, and the
ancient sheath was eaten up with rust.
The Ghost of Christmas Present
rose.
Spirit" said Scoorge submissively,
conduct me where you will. l went
forth last night on compulsion, and l
learned a lesson which Is working
now. Tonight, if you have aught to
teach me. let me profit by It,"
Touch my robe.'
Scrooge did as he was told and held
1t fast.
Holly. mistletoe. red berries, ivy,
turkeys, geese, game, poultry, Drawn,
meat, pigs, SausageS, oysters pies
puddings. fruit and punch, all vanish
ed instantly. So did the room. the fire,
the ruddy glow. the hour of night, and
they stood in the city streets on Chris
mas morning. where for the weather
was severe) the people made rough
but brisk and not unpleasant kind or
music in scraping the snow from the
in front Of their dwellings
and from the tops Of their houses,
whence it was mad delight to the boys
to see it come Pumping down into the
TOdu DelDW dHu Spliltili6 INV
little snowstOrms.
1t was a remarkable quality OF the
ghost (Which Scrooge had observed at
the barker's) that, Notwithstanding his
gigantic size, he could accommodate
himself to any place with ease and
that he stood beneath low roof quite
as gracefully and like a supernatural
creature as it was possible he could
have done in any lofty hall.
And perhaps it was the pleasure the
good spirit had in showing off this
power of his or else it was his own
kind. generous. hearty nature and his
sympathy with all poor men that led
him straight to Scrooge's clerk. for
there he went and took Scrooge with
him. holding to his robe.
Then up rose Mrs. Cratchit. wife OF
the clerk, dressed out but poorly in a
twice turned gown. but brave In rib
bons which are cheap and make
gondly show for siXpence, and she laid
the cloth, assisted by Belinda Cratchit,
second of her daughters, also brave
in ribbons, while Master Peter Cratchit
plunged a fork into the saucepan OF
potatoes and, getting the corners OF
his monstrous shirt collar (Bob's pri-
L.