The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1916-12-25

in, and lighted his candle. He
fastened the door and walked up
the stairs; slowly, too.
Up Scrooge went. Darkness is
cheap, and Scrooge liked it. But be-
fore he shut his heavy door he
walked through his rooms to see
that all was right.
Sitting room, bed room, lumber
room-all as they should be; no.
body under the table; nobody un-
der the sofa; a small fire in the
crate; spoon and basin ready;
and the little saucepan of cruel
tScrooge had cold in his head
upon the hob. Nobody under the
bed; nobody in the closet.
Quite satisfied, he closed his
door and locked himself in; which
was not his custom. Thus Sc
cured against surprise, he took
off his cravat, put on his dress
ing gown and slippers, and his
nightcap, and sat down before
the fire to take his cruel.
As he threw his head back in
the chair, his glance happened to
rest upon bell, that hung i'm the
room, and communicated for some
purpose now forgotten with a
chamber in the highest story of
the building. 1t was with great
establishment, and with a strange
dread, that he saw this bell begin
to swing. 1t swung so softly in
the outset that 1t scarcely made a
sound; but soon it rang out loud
ly, and so did every bell in the
| house.
That might have lasted half a
minute, or a minute, but it SEEM
ed an hour. The bells ceased as
they had begun, together. They
were succeeded by clanking
noise, deep down below, as if some
person were dragging heavy
chain over the casks in the wine
merchants cellar. Scrooge then
| remembered to have heard that
ghosts in haunted houses were de-
seribed as dragging chains.
The cellar door flew open with
a booming sound, and then he
heard the noise much louder, on
the floor below; then coming
up the stairs; then coming
straight toward his door.
cts humbug still" said
Scrooge. 81 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. Upon its coming in, the
dying flame leaped up, as though
it cried, 81 know him; Marley's
Ghost" and fell again.
i, The same face; the very same.
Marley in his pigtail, usual waist
coat, tights and boots; the tas-
sells 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
wound about him like tail, and
it was made (for Scrooge OBJ
served 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 looking through his waist
coat, could see the two buttons on
his coat behind.
Scrooge had often heard 1t said
that Marley had no bowels, but he
had never believed it until now.
How now!" said Scrooge,
caustic and cold as ever. What
do You want with me?"
much! "-Marley's voice, no
doubt about 1t.
who are your"
'In life | was your partner, ia
cob Marley"
"Can you-can you sit DOWN."
asked Scrooge, looking doubtful
ly at him.
81 can"
..Do 1t, then"
Scrooge asked the question. be-
cause he didn't know whether a
ghost so transparent might find
himself in a condition to take a
chair. But the ghost sat down on
the opposite side of the fireplace,
as if he we're quite used to it.