Christmas

him and the leafless lilacs and mulberries that lined the street wall. A moment before he had been looking at that dark

?" he ask

Simeon Buck, "it's only

dark that they could barely distinguish

here?" one of the de

d Ebenezer, irrita

dling the time like a blunt instrument. Then Simeon Buck, proprietor of the Sime

on which mean an effort to be delicate, "is-is there a

Ebenezer said, like

s Winter?" S

like something opening a

u're sure-"

s to my brother's house in the City. He can handle 'em all and not have to p

n, "then, Abel, I

T. Stewart's of the Middle West," he advertised it), sighed heavily-a vast

s and carrying 'em right through the Winter. I done that last year, and Fourth of July I had all I could do to keep from wishing most of

cks to the folks in this town. My name wa'n't on the cards, but it's me that's paid for 'em-up to now. I'm sick of it. The storekeepe

to do?" inquired

ar was an exceptional ye

Ebenezer Rule Factory Company," and so stammere

p this Winter, we'd work things so's to have little or no Christmas in town th

f course," Abel interposed, "it's t

d have added, but skipp

up for last Christmas before they come on to thems

that seemed to have no organs wherewith to function

to fix it?" he

l do it and some'll back out. But the churches has decided to omit Christmas exercises altogether this year. Some thought to have speaking pieces,

birth of our Lord just because they can't afford the ca

their Christmas this year. We heard the factory wasn't going to open, and we thought if we could tell 'em that for sure, it would settle it-and

added, with his spasm of gutturals, "that failures is often salutary measur

wn, going between them and guidin

em face to face with the fact that for years they've been overspending themselves. It takes C

aid, "it's a spendin' s

ed thing, with a beard of dead creepers and white shades lidded over its never-lighted windows-a fit home for this man least-liked of the three hundred neighbours who made Old Trail Town. He touched the

got there?

. "It's an old glass. I was looking over some rubb

glass out in the dar

ittle shaver," Ebenezer said. He put the gl

ove the little side lawn, the firmament had unclothed itself

el said, "loo

with the lens, Ab

in the store around Christmas," he said,-"t

re with cut paper, I guess," sa

and he took in everything in the place. I ask' him his name, and he just smiled. I ask' him if he was glad it was Christmas, and he says, Was I. I was goin' to give him some cough drops, but when I come back from w

ok the glass and li

ace on earth, good will to men and extravagance of women.' Quite a nice little till of gold pieces up there in the sky, ain't there? I'd kind o'

glass, and he leaned a little

"what's that one? It's th

hey saw nothing save boughs indeterminately moving and a spatter

t was his host; but through the glass, Ebeneze

except the dipper," he grumbled, "but I don

it's the biggest star I ever saw. It's

d he had looked hardly soo

big as most stars put together. It twinkles-yes, sir, and it swings ..." he broke off

, do you s'pos

r individual private star. It's the arc light in

st, they could see Simeon's star, shining softly and throwing long rays, it see

," said

said E

to see it through the glass. It looks like it

plant at the factory that made possible the town's three arc lig

re all of twenty minutes younger than them," Simeon grumb

lin

ss o' this stamp," he said. "How much

week or two and I may sell you this one," he sai

two went away and left

, each invisible stalk trying on its own account to help forward some Spring. As he had said, he did not know one star from another, nor a planet for a planet with a name. It had been years since he had seen the heavens so near. He moved about, loo

ain't you? It must be for something up there-it

ping, hollow sound and a force that implied a frown for every down stroke of the iron spoon. He knew how she would turn toward the door as he entered, with her way of arching eyebrows, in the manner of

nezer. He turned and wandered back down the little dark yard, l

know about them," he thought, "

meon and Abel, and la

idn't I?" he thought; "I've fixed folks

overtook a woman. She had a long shawl over her head

g, Mary?" Simeon aske

ed for it. But it's such a nice

t meeting, I guess," said Simeon; "ain'

t," Mary assented; "I don't ever

round to your way of think

" Abel Ames called b

rybody dips Christmas up out of their pocketbooks,

dim post lamps. And high at the far end of the street down which they went, hung the blue arc light before the Town Hall, center to the constellation of the ho