SCROOGE and MARLEY (Deceased) by Paul Curtis (the first e reader .txt) 📕

turning to his wife smiling,
"I saw an old friend of yours this afternoon darling"
"Who was it?" she asked "Guess!" was his only reply
"Oh I don’t know,” she said exasperated “How can I?”
She added in the same breath, laughing as he laughed
"Mr. Scrooge" she laughed again “oh I don’t know”
"Mr. Scrooge it was. I passed by his office window
As it was not shuttered and he had his candle lit
I could see him clear and was curious I must admit
His partner Marley lies on the point of death, I hear
And there he sat Quite alone I do believe my dear"
"Spirit!" said Scrooge his voice breaking slightly
"Remove me from this place." He said pleadingly
"The shadows are of things that have been you see,"
"That they are what they are, do not blame me!"
"Remove me!" Scrooge exclaimed, "I cannot bear it!"
He turned round to the Ghost “remove me please spirit
Then he turned upon the ghost “haunt me no longer”
As he noticed the spirits light was glowing stronger
Scrooge seized the extinguisher cap from the spirit
And tried to put out the light that shone bright from it
The spirit was covered but he could not dim the light
Which now spilled upon the ground both left and right
He was overcome by exhaustion and a sense of doom
And was vaguely aware of being in his own bedroom
He gave the cap a final squeeze to push the spirit deep
Then he reeled to his bed and sank into a heavy sleep

STAVE
3
THE SECOND OF THE THREE SPIRITS

VERSE 1 – REAWAKENING

He woke in the midst of a prodigiously tough snore
And sat up to get his thoughts together once more
Scrooge had no occasion at all to be told by anyone
That the church bell was again upon the stroke of one
He felt that he had awoken just at the right moment
To meet Jacob Marley's second visitor to represent
But turned uncomfortably cold as he became unsure
Which of his curtains this new specter would draw
So decided he would open every one himself instead
And lying down again could see out all round the bed
Despite his preparation the spirits arrival he still feared
But when the Bell struck One, no apparition appeared
He was taken with a fit of trembling wondering why
Five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes went by
Yet nothing came and All this time, he lay on his bed
Then he saw under the adjoining door a glow of red
He got the idea that this glow must have appeared
At the time of the clock striking the hour occurred
He slid into his slippers and shuffled across the floor
And he reluctantly approached the adjoining door

VERSE 2 – A MOST CURIOUS VISITOR


The moment Scrooge's hand was on the door opener
A strange voice called his name, and bade him enter
He obeyed and soon found himself in his own room
There was no doubt though it lacked its normal gloom
It was the most surprising transformation he’d seen
The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green
That it looked a perfect grove full of nature’s livery
With bright gleaming berries glistening full and juicy
The crisp green leaves of the holly, mistletoe, and ivy
Reflected the light like mirrored stars small and shiny
And such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney
Not seen since well before the days of Jacob Marley
Heaped up on the floor, to form a huge kind of throne
Were turkeys, geese, game, poultry and meat on the bone
Sucking pigs, mince pies and long wreaths of sausages
Plum-puddings, chestnuts, apples, and juicy oranges
Pears, twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch
That made the room steam and smell of Christmas lunch
Upon the couch, there sat a jolly Giant glorious to see:
Who bore a glowing torch not unlike the horn of Plenty
He held it high to shed its light on Scrooge and more
As the little man came peeping round the chamber door
"Come in, and know me better, man." said the ghost
He entered timidly, and hung his head before his host
He was not the dogged Scrooge he had been of old
And though the Spirit's eyes were clear and not cold
He did not like to meet them though they were kindly
"I am the Ghost of Christmas Present Look upon me."
The huge ghost was clothed in one simple green mantle
And the robe was bordered with white fur also simple
This flowing garment hung so loosely on the figure
That its great capacious breast was almost totally bare
Beneath the ample folds of the green garments fur
Its feet were just observable and they were also bare
And on its head it wore no other covering than a wreath
Made of holly set with shining icicles above and beneath
It had a genial face and long free dark brown curly hair
Sparkling eyes and general demeanor had a joyful air
It wore an antique scabbard around it coated in dust
But no sword and the sheath was eaten up with rust
Scrooge reverently stood with his back to the door
It said, "You have never seen the like of me before!"
"Never," Scrooge made answer to it quite nervously
"Have you never walked forth with any of my family
Either younger brothers or any of my elder brethren
Born in these later years?" it persisted about its kin
"I don't think I have I’m afraid not” he answered it
Then asked, “Have you had many brothers, Spirit?"
"More than eighteen hundred," said the apparition
"A large family for whom to have to make provision"
He muttered as The Ghost of Christmas Present rose.
"Spirit," said Scrooge submissively and almost froze
"Conduct me wherever you will oh ghostly apparition”
He continued “I went forth last night on compulsion
And I learnt a great lesson, which is working now spirit
To-night, what you have to teach me, let me profit by it."
"Touch my robe." The green giant soberly instructed
Scrooge did so, and held fast and was thus transported


VERSE 3 – IN THE CITY ON CHRISTMAS MORN

Holly, mistletoe, red berries, ivy, game and poultry,
Meat, puddings and punch, had all vanished instantly
And the room, fire, night hour and the ruddy glowing
And they stood in city streets on Christmas morning
It was cold, bleak, biting weather with freezing fog
And the streets were enveloped in thick Grey smog
The throng of people could be heard in the street
Stamping hard on the pavements to warm their feet
The house fronts were black and the windows more so
Contrasting with the smooth and white sheet of snow
In the road the snow was dirtier and left in deep furrow
By carts and beneath snow and ice the mud was yellow
There was nothing very cheerful to see in this place
And yet there was an air of cheerfulness you could trace
The people who shoveled away snow were full of glee
Throwing snowball their joviality was plain to see
Poulterers, fruiterers and grocers were still just open
To accommodate last minute ladies and gentlemen
The myriad of jolly shopkeepers acted out their charade
Amidst all the hustle and bustle of the last minute trade
Soon the bells called good people to church and chapel
And away they flocked through streets to answer the bell
And at the same time scores of peoples began emerging
From scores of bye-streets, lanes and nameless turning
And the innumerable people all talking ten to the dozen
Were carrying their dinners to cook in the bakers' oven
The sight of these poor revelers interested the Spirit
For outside the bakers he stopped and stood beside it
And taking off the covers as their bearers passed by
Sprinkled incense on the dinners from his torch up high
It was a very uncommon kind of torch, for once or twice
When the behavior of dinner-carriers was not very nice
He shed drops of water on them from his horn of plenty
And their good humor was once again restored directly
They said, it was a shame to quarrel on Christmas Day
Scrooge was curious to know what changed their way
In time the bells ceased, and the bakers were closed
And the late churchgoers stride out smartly clothed
Scrooge got up courage to enquire of his companion
"Is there a peculiar flavor,” he asked of the apparition
“In what you sprinkle from your torch like cone?"
The ghost looked at scrooge "yes there is. My own."
"Would it apply to any kind of dinner on this day?"
"To any kindly given. To a poor one most. I would say"
"Why to a poor one most?" asked Scrooge enquiringly.
"Because it needs it most." The spirit answered curtly
"Spirit," after a moment's thought scrooge spoke thus,
"I wonder you, of all the beings in the worlds about us
Should desire to stop these people's innocent enjoyment."
"I!" cried the spirit incredulously “I desire to prevent?”
"You deprive them of their means of dining every Sunday
The spirit cried "I!" and scrooge said, “yes I would say?"
"You seek to close these places on the Seventh Day,"
Said Scrooge. "And it comes to the same thing in a way"
"I seek!" exclaimed the Spirit “if I am wrong forgive me
It’s done if not in your name, then in that of your family,"
"There are some upon this earth " returned the apparition
"Who claim to know us, and do their deeds of passion,
Pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, and bigotry in our name,
Who are strange to us and our kith and kin all the same
Remember, and put the blame on themselves, not us."
Scrooge promised and apologized for all the fuss
And they went on, invisible, as they had been before
Into the suburbs of the town and stopped beside a door


VERSE 4 – IN CAMDEN TOWN

They stood in Camden Town outside a poor mans door
It was the home of Bob Cratchit’s they stood before
The spirit indicated to scrooge that they would enter
Scrooge held the spirits robe with boney hand and finger
The Spirit stopped on the threshold of the door smiling
With a sprinkle from his torch he blessed Bob’s dwelling
Just Think, a fifteen bob a week clerk of no consequence
Has the Ghost of Christmas Present bless his residence
Once inside the four roomed house in Camden Town
They saw Bob’s wife, dressed in a twice-turned gown
Though not dressed in the height of fashion but poorly
Brave in ribbons, which for sixpence decorate cheaply
And she laid the tablecloth, assisted ably by Belinda
Also brave in ribbons who was her second daughter
While Master Peter Cratchit plunged a fork into a pot
In search of a potato to see if it was cooked or not
And now two smaller Cratchit’s, boy and girl, tore in
“We smelt the goose at the bakers” they were screaming
Soon all the young Cratchit’s danced about the table
All squealing in excitement with a hop and gambol
This went on until the slow potatoes began bubbling
Knocking loudly at the saucepan-lid noisily cooking
"Wherever has your father got too what’s keeping him?"
Said Mrs. Cratchit