From: "Roy C. Lackey" 
Subject: Re: (urth) PEACE: ghost of Christmas
Date: Tue, 22 Oct 2002 00:12:05 -0500

mantis wrote:
>Having made my rule about ghosts, then yes, Mr. Tilly was killed by the
>ghost of his wife (case solved!), and Santa Claus switched the presents for
>Mab and Mrs. Weer (case solved!).
>
>Weer asks his mother if Santa will bring presents for grandpa and she says
>"If he's been a good boy"!  And what do you know!

Whoa, now! Since when did Santa Claus get to be a ghost?!

I posted about the switch two years ago. Teenage Den was right about who
switched the gifts--it was his grandfather, for sexual favors anticipated
and received that night. The old man was _not_ a good boy. The proof is the
layout of the house. There were two upstairs bedrooms. When Bella and Della
were girls, one room had been theirs; the other had belonged to their
grandmother. (22) Mab now slept in the old grandmother's room. Den and his
mother slept in the girls' old room. Mr. Elliot's bedroom was on the first
floor. (27) Grandpa Elliot told Den: "I just come down myself to have a look
at these here candles before I puts them out and goes up to bed." Note the
coming down and going up. Christmas morning he "came down and shaved". (25)
Elliot spent that cold night with Mab, who couldn't put her present under
the tree.

-Roy


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