The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1915-12-25
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

And &. rs Tiny Tim observed. God bless Us Every onei-
scrooge was a squeezing. wrenching. grasping. clutching. covetous old
sinner. Spectre" said scrOoge. "something Informs he that or parting mo-
ent is at hand know it, but know not how. Tell me what that man was
whom W "a lying dead7'~
The sput of Christmas Yet to Come convened i'm a., before-thouRh
ut a different time he thought. indeed. there seemed n o order in these latter
Visions sa that they were in the .future-tnto In resorts of business men.
rraisht m a to III end tustn now desired until they reached a churchyard.
The Spirit stood among the graves. and pointed down to He advanced
toward It, trembling. The Phantom "a exactly as It had been. but he dreaded
that he say new meaning in tits solemn shape.
Before 1 draw near to that stone o which you point said scrooge,
ranswer ne n question Are these the shadows OF the things that will be-
Or are they shadows of things that may be oniyT"
Still the Spirit pointed downward to the grave by which 1t stood.
MEMS courses win foreshadow certain ends to which. if persevered in.
they must lead" said scrooge. But Il the courses be departed from. the ends
win change. Say It is thus with what you show mel"
The Spirit vas immovabe as ever. Scrooge crept towards IT, trembling
rs be went. and following the finger. read non the stone OF III negIeotad
grave his W name. EBENEZER SCROOGE-
Am 1 that ma who lay upon the bedr he cried upon his knees
The finger a still there.
Spirit" he cried. tight clutchtng at its robe. hear mel 1 am not the man
was win not be the mar must have been but fOr this intercourse. Why
show m e this. If a past all hopper"
For the frs. time the hand appeared to shake.
Good Spirit" he pursued, as down upon the ground he fell before II.
your nature intercedes or me, and bites me. Assure m 9 that yet may
change these shadows you have shown me- by a altered nfei"
The kind hand tembed.
81 will honor Christmas in my heart. and try to kep It all the IA I
will live in the Past. the Present and the Future. The spirits II all three shall
strive within me. I will nt shut u the lessons that they teach. oh. tell
me may sponge away the writing o N this stone!"
Holding up his hands in n last prayer to have his fate reversed. he saw
al alteration in the Phantom's hood and dress. 1t shrunk. collapsed. and dwin-
died down into a bedpost-
scrooge IA bettert thar his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and
to Tiny Tim. who did not die. he a second father. He became a good a
other good old city town " borous In the good I'D world. Some people
laughed TO SCI the alteration in him. but he let them laugh. and little needed
them; for he "a wise enough to know that nothing vel happened on this
globe. for good, in which ONE people didn not ave their I'LL of laughter in the
outset; and knowing that such Is these would be blind n wy he thought II
quite as well that they should wrinkle up their eyes In grns. as have the
malady in less attractive forms His WI heart laughed; and that as quite
enough for him.
He had no further intercourse with Spirits. but lived upon the Total Alb
sdnence Principle. ever afterward; and it as always said Of him that he
knew how 70 keep Christmas well, II any man alive possessed the knowledge
May that be truly said OF Vi. and ali OF US.
And so, Is Tiny Tim observed. God bless Is Every oneI