Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-12-02

was goin' to give him some cough
drops. but when l come back from
waiting on somebody he was gone
I never could find out who he was.
nor see anybody that saw him.
! thought mehbe this Christmas he'd
come back. Lord. don't Il look IKE a
/ pasture OF buttercups up there? Here.
| Simeon"
Simeon. talking. toois the glass and
| lifted IL TO the stars.
"Cut paper doin's is all very WE'LL
he said. but the worst nightmare of
the year to the stores is Christmas
! always think it's come to be Peace
on earth. good will 10 men and ex.
travaCance OF women Quite a nice
little till Of gold pieces up there in
the sky. amt there? I'd kind o. like
TO stake claim up thereof? Lay It
out along about around that bright
one down thereby JOSH" he broke
Off. Took at that bright one"
Simeon kept looking through the
glass. and he leaned little forward
to try TO see the better.
What is it," he repeated. whats
that one? It's the biggest star l ever
see
The other two looked where he was
looking. low in the east. But they saw
nothing save bouGhs indetermina tely
moving and spntter of sparkling
points not more bright than those of
the upper field.
you look" Simeon babe the vague
presence that was his host; but through
the glass Ebenezer still saw nothing
that challenged his sight.
"I don't know the name of a star in
the sky except the clipper" he grum-
bled, but ] don't see anything out of
the ordinary, anyhow"
1T is" Simeon protested. 81 tell you.
it's the biggest star I ever saw. It's
blue and purple and green and gel
low
Abel had the glass now. and he had
looked hardly sooner than he had rec
ognized.
SURE he said. 1--WE got It It is
blue and purple and green and yellow.
and it's as big as most stars put to-
gether IL twinkles-yes. sir. and it
swings He broke off. laughing at
the mystification of the others. and
laughed so that he could not go on.
rs it a comet. do you s'pose?" said
Simeon.
No" said Abel-"no. It's come to
stay. It's our individual private star.
It's the arc light in front of the town
hall you two are looking at"
They moved to where Abel stood. and
from there. up the rise of ground to
the east. they could see Simeon's star
shining softly and throwing long rays
IT seemed. almost to where they stood
NI,aN ,rI-n 81, -
the village.
''Shuckst' said Simeon.
''Soldr' said Ebenezer.
"Why, l don't know" said Abel 81
kind of like to see it through the glass.
1t looks like it was bigger light than
we give it credit for
Its a big enough light" said Ebe-
nezer testify. 1t was his own plant at
the factory that made possible the
towns three arc lights, and these had
been continued by him at the factory's
closing.
NO use making fun of your friends
eyesight because you're all of twenty
minutes younger than them" Simeon
grumbled. Come on, Abel. 1t must
be gettin' round the clock"
Abel fingered.
"A man owns the hull thing with n |
glass o. this stamp" he said. How |
much does one like that cost?" he in |
quired.
IN sell you this one began Eb- |
enezer; wait n week or two and / |
may sell you this one" he said. II |
amt really looked through it myself |
vet"
Not much after this the two went
away and left Ebenezer in the dark
yard.
He stood I'm the middle of his little
grass plot and looked through his glass
again. That night there was. so to say.
nothing remote about the sky save its
distance 1t had none of the reticence
Of clouds. 1t made you think of bed
Of golden bells, each invisible stalk
trying on its own account TO help for
ward some spring. As he had said, he
lid not know one star from another,
nor planet for planet with name.
Il had been years since he had seen
he heavens so near. He moved about,
ooking, and passed the wall of afless
ilacs and mulberries. Stars hung in
MS boughs like fruit for the plucking.
They patterned patches of sky He
ooked away and back. and it was as
f the stars repeated themselves. like
he chorus of everything
You beggars,'' EbeneZer said. Jaw
nj dressed up, amt you? 1t must be
or something up there-it amt for ,
Inything down here. let me tell you"
He went up to his dark back door. :
From without there he could hear
Kate Kerr, his general servant, who !
lad sufficient personality TO compel the
ERIN "housekeeper." setting sponge for
,read with n Shaping. hollow sound
md a force that implied frown for {
very down stroke of the iron spoon !
lie knew how she would turn toward ]
he door as he entered, with her way
II arching eyebrows. in the manner
f one about TO recite the symptoms
Il change for the worse-or at best
o say about the same" to everything
n the universe. And when Kate Kerr 4