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

come in the winter" she added. with
her queer fash OF smile.
When 1t was ?usk. or early In the
morning. Mary Chavah. with her long
shawl over her head. stopped beside
the violets and loosened the earth
about them with her whole hand. and
as II she reverenced violets more than
finger tips And she thought:
Amt II just as II spring was right
over back of the air all the time-and
II could come II we knew how to call
It? But we don't know"
But. whatever she thought about IL.
! Mary kept in her heart For it was as
! II not only spring but new life or some
other holy thing were nearer than one
thought and had spoken to her. there
! on the edge of winter.
! And Old Trail Town asked itself:
Amt Mary Chavah the funniest?
/ Look how nice she is about everything
! and yet you know she won't never
keep Christmas at all. No. sir. She
amt kept a single Christmas in years.
/ dunno why"
Moving about on his little lawn in
T the dark Ebenezer Rule was aware of
/ two deeper shadows before him. They
Were between him and the Ieahess
/ lilacS and mulberries that lined the
street wall. moment before he had
| been looking at that darkness and re-
membering how once as little boy he
had SLEPT there under the wall and
had dreamed that he had a kingdom.
Who is it, he asked sharply.
Hello. Ebenezer.'' said Simeon
Buck. Its only me and Abel. We're
all"
Ebenezer Rule came toward them.
II was so dark that they could barely
distinguish each other. Their voices
had TO do it all.
What you doing out here?' one OF
the deeper shadows demanded.
"Oh. nothing" said Ebenezer irrita-
bly,. mot n thing"
He did not ask them TO go in the
louse. and the three stood awkwardly.
handling the time like a blunt instru-
ment Then Simeon Buck. proprietor
of the Simeon Buck North American
Dry Goods Exchange. plunged into
what they had come to say.
'Ebenezer." he said with those vari-
atoms of fntonation which mean an et-
fort TO be delicate. isis there any
likelihood that the factory will open
up this faIl:''
NO. there amt" Ebenezer said. like
something shutting.
Mormon this winter?" Simeon pur-
sued.
NO. sir" said Ebenezer. like some
thing opening again to shut with n
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 I
have TO pay his men a cent more |
wages" And this was as If something !
had been locked.
Well" said Simeon. then. Abel. ! \
move we go ahead"
Abel Ames proprietor OF the Granger
County Merchandise Emporium c'The
A 7. Stewards of the Middle West"
he advertised iO. sighed heaviIy-a
vast. triple sigh that seemed to sigh
both in and out as a schoolboy whis-
ties.
Well" he said. 81 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. l
done that last year. and Fourth of July
! had all j 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 n citizen. but
amt no patent adjustable Christmas
tree"
Me neither" Simeon said. Last
year it was me give a silk cloak and a
FIVE dollar umbrella and a fur bore and
a bushel of knick-knicks 10 the folks in
this town. My name WANT on the
cards. but It's me that's paid for EN-
up TO now. I'm sick of It The store
keepers of this town may make good
thing out OF Christmas, but they'd
ought to get some Of the credit instead
OF giving it all. by Josh"
what are you going to dor inquir-
ed Ebenezer dryly.
We'll, OF course last year was an eI-
ceptional year." said Abel. owing
He hesftated to say lowing TO the
failure Of the Ebenezer Rule Factory
and 50 stammered with the
utmost deIicacy. and skipped meas
IRE.
And we thought Simeon finished.
that II the factory wasn't going TO
men up this winter we'd work things
.o's 10 have a little or no Christmas In
own this year-being so much Of the
PRESENT giving falls on us TO carry on
,ur books"
1T amt only the factory wages or
curse Abel interposed. ITS the
oIks' savings being ct up in
the failure" he would have added.
mt skipped a mere beat instead.
and we want 20 try TO give 'em a
hance 10 pay US up for last Christmas
efore they come on 10 themselves
-ith another celebration" he added
easOnably.
Ebenezer Rule laughed-a descend
NJ scale OF laughter that seemed to
ave no organs wherewith 10 function ,
, .ba .,,on and sO never got beyond d,