Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-11-13

HAAt thy a III IL say.
"Ebenezer." he said with those vari
ations of information which mean an eff
fort to be delicate, isis there any
likelihood that the factory will open
up this fall?"
mo, there amt" Ebenezer said. liks
something shutting.
Mormon this winter?" Simeon pur.
sued.
mo, sir said E~benezer, like some
thing opening again to shut with a
bang.
We'll, If you're sure said Simeon.
Ebenezer cut him short. "I'm dead
sure" he said. i've turned over my
orders to my brothers house in the
city. He can handle 'em all and not
have tt pay his men a cent more
wages" And this was as IL something
had been locked.
"Well," said Simeon. then. Abel. |
move we go ahead"
Abel Ames. proprietor of the Granger
County Merchandise Emporium CsThe
A. I. Stewards of the Middle West"
he advertised it,. sighed heavily-a
vast, triple sigh that seemed to sigh
both In and out, as a schoolboy whis-
ties.
well" he said. Il hate to do it.
But I'll be billblowed If | want to think
Of paying for a third or so of this
towns Christmas presents and carry
ing them right through the winter.
done that last year. and Fourth of July
l had all l could do to keep from wish
ing most of the crowd Merry Christ
mas, count of their still owing me.
I'm a merchant and q citizen, but |
amt no patent adjustable Christmas
tree"
ME neither" Simeon said. Last
year 1t was me give a silk cloak and a
five dollar umbrella and a fur bore and
a bushel of knick-knicks to the folks IN
this town. My name want on the
cards. but It's me that's paid for 'em-
up to now. I'm sick of 1t. The store
keepers of this town may make a good
thing out of Christmas, but they'd
ought to get some of the credit instead
of giving 1t all, by JOSH"
what are you going to do?" inquir-
ed Ebenezer dryly.
well, of course last year was an ex-
ceptional year." said Abel, owing
He hesitated to say sowing to the
failure of the Ebenezer Rule Factory
company and so stammered with the
utmost delicacy. and skipped a meas
ure.
"And we thought" Simeon finished.
''that If the factory wasn't going to
open up this winter we'd work things
SOS to have a little or no Christmas In
town this ~year-being SO much of the
present giving falls on us to carry on
our books.'
TT amt only the factory wages of
course" Abel interposed, its the
folks savings being ct up in"-
"-the failure" he would have added.
but skipped a mere beat instead.
"-and we want to try to give 'em a
chanceto pay us up for last Christmas
before they come on to themselves
with another celebration" he added
reasonably.
Ebenezer Rule laughed-a descend
ing scale of laughter that seemed to
have no organs wherewith to function
in the open, and SO never got beyond
the gutturals.
slow you going to fix it?s he inuuir
ed again.
"Why." said Simeon. "everyhody In
towns talking that they amt going to
give anybody anything for Christmas
Some means it and some don't. Some'll
do 1t and some'll back out. But the
churches has decided to omit Christ
mas exercises altogether this year
Some thought to have speaking pieces,
but everybody concluded if they had
exercises without oranges and candy
the children'd go home disappointed.
so they've left the whole thing Slide
sit don't seem just right for EN- not
to celebrate the birth of u Lord just
because they can't afford the candy"
Abel Ames observed mildly, but Simeon
hurried on:
slide. and my idea and Abel's is
to get the town meeting to vote a petit
ton to the same effect aeking the town
not to try to do anything with their
Christmas this year. We heard the
factory wasn't going to open. and we
thought II we could tell 'em that for
sure, 1t would settle it-and save him
and me and all the rest OF 'em. Would
would you be willing for us to tell the
Town meeting that? It's tonight-we'rs
on the way there"
.Sure." said Ebenezer Rule. tell en-
And you might point out TO EN-" he
added. with his spasm of g%ufturals.
"that failures is often salutary mea-
eures. Public b~enefactions. Fixes
folks SOS they can't spend their money
fool"
He walked with them across the
lawn. going between them and guiding
them among the empty aster beds
'They think ct up their savings In
ma faflnre4g he went on. AsWhen all ]