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' like to stake a claim out up there--eh? Lay it out along about
around that bright one down there--by Josh," he broke off, "look at that
bright one."

Simeon kept looking through the glass, and he leaned a little forward to
try to see the better.

"What is it?" he repeated, "what's that one? It's the biggest star I
ever see--"

The other two looked where he was looking, low in the east. But they saw
nothing save boughs indeterminately moving and a spatter of sparkling
points not more bright than those of the upper field.

"You look," Simeon bade 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 dipper," he
grumbled, "but I don't see anything out of the ordinary, anyhow."

"It is," Simeon protested; "I tell you, it's the biggest star I ever
saw. It's blue and purple and green and yellow--"

Abel had the glass now, and he had looked hardly sooner than he had
recognized.

"Sure," he said, "I've got it. It _is_ blue and purple and green and
yellow, and it's as big as most stars put together. It 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.

"Is 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: the lamp that marked
the heart of the village.

"Shucks," said Simeon.

"Sold," said Ebenezer.

"Why, I don't know," said Abel, "I kind of like to see it through the
glass. It looks like it was a bigger light than we give it credit for."

"It's a big enough light," said Ebenezer, testily. It was his own plant
at the factory that made possible the town's 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. It
must be gettin' round the clock."

Abel lingered.

"A man owns the hull thing