The Ocala evening star., 1910-12-17

they must De allowed 10 nave been
competent judges b@cuuse they had
just h-4 diAn i @ul. wi,A tie ,lsr>~er,
upon the table, wee clustered round
the fire - ls1.IjIi-ill.
.'Ncl!. an yery glad to hear it,
SAID Scroo-e,s nephew. ''becuu>e
haven't any great faith III these young
houseIieepcrs. What do You .-ay. Top
per-"
Topper had clearly got his eye upon
one Of Scrooges niece's sisters. for he
answered that a bachelor was
wretched outcast who had H. nigh;
to express an opinion on the subject.
whereat Scrooge's nieces sister-the
plump one with the lace tucker, no:
the one with the roses-blushed.
After tea they had some music. for
they were musical family and knew
what they We're about when they sang
glee or catch. can assure YOU. esre-
cially Topper, who could crowl away
In the bass like q good Cne and never
swell the large veins in his forehead
or get red In the face over il.
ScrOOee's niece played well upon the
harp and. among other tunes. Il simple
little air "a mere n0thinG-y0u might
learn 70 whistle it in two minutes
which had been familiar to the Child
/ who fetched ScrOOcc from the board
ing school, rs he had been reminded
by the Ghost Of Christmas Past.
When the strain Of music sounded all
the things that ghost had shown him
came upon his mind. He softened
more and more and thought that If he
could have listened TO it often years
ago he might have cultivated the kind
nesses Of life for his own happiness
| with his own hands without resorting
! to the sexton's spade that buried ia
cob Marley
I But they didn't devote the whole
evening to music After awhile they
played at forfeits, for it is good to he
children sometimes and never better
than at Christmas. when its mighty
Founder was child himself Stop.
There was first game at blind mans
; buff. OF course there was. And | no
more believe Topper was really blind
than I believe he had eyes in his
boots. Ny opinion is that it was n
done thing between him and Scrooge's
/ nephew and that the Ghost of Christ
mas Present knew it. The way he
went after that plump sister in the
lace tucker was an outrage on the
credulity of human Misunderstanding
down the fire irons. tumhling over the
chairs, humping up against the piano
smotherng himself among the cur
tains. Wherever she went. there went
ho a, In hn ,1l,,
sister was. He wouldn't catch any
body else. If you had fallen up
against him. as some of them did. and
stood there he would have made a
feint of endeavoring TO seize YOU.
which would have been an affront to
your understanding, and would instant
~ have sidled off in the direction OF
the plump sister. She often cried out
that it wasn't fair, and it really was
not. But when at last he caught her
/ when, in spite of all her Silken rus
things and her rapid fiutterin-s past
him. he got her into a corner whence
/ there was no eScape-then his con-
duct was the most execrable, for his
| pretending not to know her. his pre-
tending that it was necessary to touch
ueI ucdtuIcSS anu, 10 assure
himself of her identity by pressing a
certain ring upon her finger and a
certain chain about her neck. was vile,
monStrouS! No doubt she told him her
opinion Of it when. another blind man
being in office, they We're so very con-
fdential together behind the curtains.
Then they played game called yes
and no, where ScrOOge's nephew had
to think of something and the rest
must find out what, he only answer
ing to their questions yes or no. aS
the case was. The brisk fire of ques-
tfonfng to which he was exposed elicit
ed from him that he was thinking of
an animal, live animal. rather Il dis
agreeable animal, savage animal.
an animal that crOwled and grunted
sometimes and talked sometimes. and
lived in London. and walked about
the streets, and wasn't made a show
of, and wasn't led by anybody. and
didn't live in mena Cerie. and was
never killed in 4 market. and was not
horse. or an ass, or COW, or bull
or tiger, or dog, or 4 pig. or a cat.
or 4 bear At every fresh question
that was put to him this nephew
burst into fresh roar Of laughter and
was So inexpreSSihly tickled that he
was obliged to get up off the sofa and
stamp. At last the plump sister, fall
ing into Il similar state. cried out:
Il have found it out. know what
1t IS. Fred, I know what il is"
What IS it, cried Fred.
Its your Uncle Scro-o-u-o-oce."
Which it certainly was Admiration
was the universe! sen unour. though
some objected that the reply TO "Is it a
bear ought Ia have been Yes" in
aSmuch * an answer i'll the negative
was sufficient 10 have diverted their
thoughts from Mr.. Scrooge. Supposine
they had ever had any tendency that
way.
He has given Us plenty of merri
ment. l am sure said Fred. and ii
would be un
S-S grateful not t.
@-szSs5 drink his health
rSE, EsxX Here IS n glass
SE&kyr4 of mulled wine
SMexF II ready to our hand
SX II, 81 1T the moment