ESPERANTO.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13693, 8 September 1906, Page 14

ESPERANTO.

: KRISTNASKA SONORADO, ARIO UNUA. LA FANTOMO DE MARLEY. "Kelkaj el ni penas kolekli nionaron por aclieti iom da viando kaj trinkajho+ kaj varmajhoj por Ja maJrichuloj.f Kiom' vi Tolas donaci?" V I "Nenio'n," diris Scrooge. "Vi Tolas doni a.nojiime?" "Mi volas esti sola," diris Scrooge. La smjoroj .sentus ke insistadof estus senutila, kaj ili foriris.

.Pli nebtile ankorau kaj pli malvartae! | P(mctranta f f serchanta, mordanta, malvarmeco! So la bona Sankta Dunstano cstus pinchintaf la i:aznn de la Malbona Spirito per una tueho de til vctero, anslatau per siaj kutimaj iloj, tiim li estus krieginta (a) tuto 'pnivc. L% posedanto de mm juna Tiazo, mordita. <le 'fa malvartno kiel ostoj estas morditaj de liundoj, kurbighist jo la , ecrur-truo do Scrooge por. lin regali per Ivristnaska kanteto; .sed che la iirrna Bono do *. "Nun Dio vin benu gaj' sinjor'." / Scroogo ekkaptist-lini-ilon (d) iiel energie I;o la kantinto forflugis pro Icrnro, lasanto i ' h serUrtruon al )a. nebulo kaj al frosto. Pine alvenis la lioro por fcrmi la kontoron.

!'Vi bczonos la. tut an tagon morgan, mi Supozas," diris Scrooge.* "So. estas al Ti plache, sjnjoro." "Ne'estas plachc," diris Scrooge, "kaj ne estas juste. So mi pro tio chi do-premis du shilingojn kaj ses pcncojn, vi rigardus vin mem kiel domaghitan. mi supozas." La; 'komizo ridetis (b) 'etc. "Kaj tamen," dins Scrooge, "min.vi jie rigardos kiel domaghitan, kiam mi pagos itagan salajron eenlabortn." i La komizo riraarkis ke tio okazas nur uriufojo chiujare. . "Malgrandanima senkulpigo!" diris Scrooge, Imtonuinantef siaii eur-tuton ghis Ja mcntono. "Sed mi supozas ke vi postulos la tutan tagon. Tien chi alvenu des pli fruo la matenon sekvantan!"f I La komizo promesis 3te li glim faros; | kaj Scrooge eliris murmurantc.t Tre lmldau ]» oficejo fermighis, kaj la komizo kuris sur glitojon (c) cho Coruliill, post, serio da knauoj,. dudek fojojn, char estis Ivristnaska Antaufesto, kaj p'oste li liejmkuris al Camden Town plej rapidego (a) kiel ebje,' porludi "Blindulon."t .- ■ i

Sorooge vcspcrinanghis mclankolic cn la Itutima mclankolia. rcstoracio kaj leginte chlujn -jurnalojn, _ li iris liojmen pot lusWghi.t Li loghis en chambroj kiuj iain apartonis al lia mortinta kumilo.t La korto estis* tiel mallumat ko cell Scrooge, kiu 1 konis ghian chiun shtonon, devis palpcti per eiaj manoj. Nu, cstas fakto, ke nemo eslis rimarkindat 'en la frapilo (d) sur Ja pordo, kroru ke ghi cstis tre granda. Fakto ankau, ke Sonpoge- ghin cstis vidinia, nokto kaj matenc, dura sia tuta loghtcropo tie. Kaj tiam klarigu al mi, so vi pova.% kicl okazis to Sctoorc, tcnante sian shlosilon (d) en ]& pordscruro, ekvidist cn la frapilo (sen • intonnoza sbangho)—ne Irapilon, sed la .fizaglion do Marky! la vizagho do Marlcy. _ Ghi ne cstis tuto / malluma, kiel cstis la aliaj objekloj cn la korto, sed ghi. lumighjs furiebrc, kicl putrighantat omaro cn malluma kelo. Dum "Scrooge rigardadist tjun chi fenomenosi, ghi'rcghis (e) frapilo. Li pauas raomcnton sen-dccide, antau ol li fermis la pordon; kaj li rigardis. siugardcmet post ghi, kvazau.-lk preskau atondus vidi la har-voston de Marlc.y elstarantan cn la vestiblo. Sed ncnio cstis sur. la pordo; interne krom la shranboj kaj ' shraubingoj (!) kiuj fiksigist la frapilon; tiaJ li diris "Pu! Pul" kaj: bruc fermis la pordon.

Mallumeco cslns nialkara,t kaj Scrooge ghin amis. Sed antau.ol li fermis la pezan pordon, li train's siajn .chambrojn por .vidi chii chio cstas en ordo.- . Tuto'kontcnti li fermis la pordou-kaj sin cn-shlosis; duoble-enshloais, kiq no estis. lau lia; kutimo. Tic! gardita-kontrau ia, surprizo, li de-metis sian'jkravatoh; . suv- : metis sian kaj pantoHojn, kaj . ei«n r '' nokto-chapoil, kaj sidigliis/apud-la ■ fajt^b'iioi- lnanglu, sian grion. /> siaii kapon en. la eeghon li okai'o :cki'igardist lio-uzatan (g)' soiionlon ' (d) kiu pendis cn la chambro, kaj komunikis, por Li.i.celo nun forgesita.t kun chaml>ro en la plej alta etagho do la doino. Jlircge (a), kaj terurege rigardadantcf' li Yidis'xhi iiun sonorilon ekbalancighantan!+ Unue, ghi balancighis tie! kvieto ko ghi preikau Jfaris neniun sonon; sed baldau ghi 6onoris lautego (a) kaj chiuj sonoriloj (d) cn la domo faris same. Tio dauris eble duonminuton, au minuton, sed shajnis dauri unu lioron! La sonoriloj haltis kiel : li komencis leunc. Tiam okazis sono icsona, trc mabmpie.t kvazauonitremis pezan olienon sur lai baroloj cn la. kelo. Scrooge tiam reinemoris (c) kc li . estis audinta ko fantomoj en domoj vizitalaj (g) estis priskrib&taj chcn-ticnante.

La pordo de la fcelo okmalfermighist kun sono bruarita, kaj tuj li audis la. eonon pli lautan sur la plankoj malsupro; poste la hruo supren-Ycnis, kaj line audighis apud lia pordo! " Sen-sencajho! "f dins Scrooge. " Mi gliin Be kredos!" 1 Lia koloro shaiighighist tamen,' kiam, tnj poste, Ghi venis tra la pcza. pordo kaj >n-iris la chambron antau liaj okuloj! (D'aurigota.)

t Notice the affix or affixes (explained last Saturday). It is important to obtain the root-word. (a) —EG a, enlargement of degree: rapida, quick; " rapidega," very quick. (b) —ETa, diminution of degree: ridi, to laugh; "rideti," to smile, ("ete," slightly.) (c) —EJo. place allotted to, specially used for: gliti, to slido, "glilojo," a slide (place). , (d) —ILo, tool, instrument: frapi,- to hit; I " frapflo," knocker. i (e) RE—as English "re"—again, back: " re-ighi,"' to become again. (0 INGo, a holder for ONE object: shraubc-screw, " sliraubingo nut." j " kandelingo," candlestick I (g) ATa, present participle, passive. i 9

A CHRISTMAS CAROL STAVE "T. SIARTjEY'S ghost. "A few of us-.ire.endeavouring lo raise a fund to buy the l'oor some meat • and (Irink. and means of_ warmth. W'liat shall I put you down forf'J "Nothing!" Scrooge replied. "You wish to he anonymous?" "I wish to bo alone," said Scrooge. Seeing clearly i hat. it would he useless to continue the point,£ the gentlemen withdrew. It grow foggier yet. and colder. Piercing searching, biting told. If the good Saint Dunstan had but nipped the Evil Spirit's nose with a iouchbf'such weather as that, instead of using his familiar weapons, then indeed be would have roared io lusty purpo=e.+ Tile owner of one young hose.

gno-wed by the cold as bones are gnawed by dogs, stooped down at Sorooge's keyhole to regain .him with a Christmas carol: but at tho first, sound of " God bless you, merry gentleman!" Scrooge seized the rider with such encrgj that tho singer fled jn terror, leaving the keyhole lo the fog and frost. At length the hour of shutting up the counting-house arrived. "You'll want all day to-morrow, I suppose?" said Scrooge. " If quite convenient, sir."J "It's not convenient," said. Scrooge, "and it's not fair. If I was to stop half, a-crown for it .vou'd think yourself ill-used, I'll bo bound?" The clerk smiled faintly. "And yet," said Scrooge, "you don't think me ill-used when I pay a day's wages for no work." The clerk observed that it. was* only onco a year. "A poor excuse!" said Scrooge, buttoning his groat-coat lo the chin. "But I suppose you must-have the whole day. Bo ■ hero all the earlier next morning." . I The clerk promised that, ho would; and Scroogo walked out with a growl. The

offiie was closed in a twinkling, and tlie clerk went 9 "down a slide on Cornhill, at tho' end of a lane* of boys, twenty times, in honour of its boing Christmas Eve, and then van home to Camden Town as hard as lie could pelt* to play at blindman'sbuff.*

I Scroogc took his melancholy dinner:!: in ' his usual melancholy tavern; and, having read all tho, newspaper.!, went home to lied. He .lived in chambers which had onco belonged to liis deceased partner. The yard was so dark that even fWooge, who know its every stone, was fain 5 to gropo with his hands. Now, it is a fact that there was nothing at all particular about the knocker on the door, cxecpt that it was very large. It is also a fact that Scrooge had seen it, night and morning, during his whole residence, in that placc. ( And then explain to 1113 how it happened that Scrooge, having his key in'tho lock of the door, saw in the knocker, without its undergoing any immediate process* of change—not a knockor, but Marley's face. Marley's face. It was not in impenetrable shadow}: as the other objects in the yard A?erc, but had a dismal light about it,, like a. bad lobster in a.' dark cellar. As Scrooge looked fixedly at this phenomenon, it was* a knocker again. Ho paused, with a moment's irresolution, ■ befor.o he shut the door; and lie looked cautiously behind it first, as if he half expcctcd to be terrified with the fight of Marley's pigtail sticking out into tho hall. But there was nothing on the back of tho door, except the screws and nuts that held I the knocker on, so ho said, "Pooh, pooh!" and closed it* with a bang.

Darkness is cheap, and Scroogo liked it. But before he shut his heavy door ho' walked through his looms to see that all was right.* Quito satisfied, ho closed his door and > locked' himself in; double-locked himself I in, which was not his custom. Thus secir°d against surprise, he took off his .era At. put on his dressing-gown and slippers ami his nightcap, and sat down before the fire to take his gaicL As ho threw his head back in the chair, his glance happened to rest upon a disused hell, that hung in tho room and communicated for some purpose now forgotten with a chamber in the highest story of the building. It was with great astonishment, and with a strange, inexplicable dread, that

as _ho looked lie saw this bell begin to swing. It swung so softly in the outset ' that it scarcely made a sound; but soon jt rang out loudly, and so did every bell in the house. This might have lasted half a minute, or . a minute, but it seeincd an hour. The bells ceased as tlioy' had begun, together. They, were, succeeded hy a clanking noise, , deep down below; as it some person were dragging a heavy chain over- the casks in ■ the 'cellar.-■ Scrooge' then remembered to have heard that ghosts in haunted houses wero described as dragging chains. ! The cellar-door flew open with a booming 1 sound, and tlieu lie heard the noise much I louder,, on the floors below; then coming ■up the stairs; then coming straight towards I his door.

"It's humbug!" said Scrooge. "I won't believe it." His colour changed :hough, when, without a pause, It came on through the heavy door, and passefl into tho room before his eyes! ' (To he tontinued.) * Word freely translated or omitted. 1 Phrase freely translated. • ESPERANTO GRAMMAR. The Adjectives (—A, —AJ, —AX, etc. Adjectives agree with their nouns in number and case: LONGAX UOATON, a long boat (objective): I'ACILAJ LECIOXOJ, easy, lessons (nominative). Tliev are compared by PLI and LA PLEJ, thus: PLI LOXC.A, longer; I<A PLEJ LONGA, the longest. 1 Tho Adverbs (—E, —EN). ' | Adverbs are compared like adjectives, and ! are used where not referring directlv to a noun or prononn (expressed in the sentence). "It is WARM to-day" is " Estas YARME hodiau." j N (sign of objective) is also used to show j movement towards. SUPRE, above: Li | SUPREJfiris, he went above. N is also used in this way with nouns, etc.