ezer opened the store door and put his head in.

"Hey," he shouted at Abel, back at the desk, "can't you keep up with
Simeon's window?"

Abel came down the aisle between the lengths of white stuff plaited into
folds at either side. The fire had just been kindled in the stove, and
the air in the store was still frosty. Abel, in his overcoat, was
blowing on his fingers.

"I ain't much of any heart to," said he, "but the night before Christmas
I guess'll do about right for mine."

"What'll you put up?" Ebenezer asked, closing the door behind him.

"Well, sir," said Abel, "I ain't made up my mind full yet. But I'll be
billblowed if I'm going to let Christmas go by without saying something
about it in the window."

"Night before Christmas'll be too late to advertise anything," said
Ebenezer. "If I was in trade," he said, half closing his eyes, "I'd fill
my window up with useful articles--caps and mittens and stockings and
warm underwear and dishes and toothbrushes. And I'd say: 'Might as well
afford these on what you saved out of Christmas.' You'd ought to get all
the advertising you can out of any situation."

Abel shook his head.

"I ain't much on such," he said lightly--and then looked intently at
Ebenezer. "Jenny's been buying quite a lot here for her Christmas," he
said.

Ebenezer was blank. "Jenny?" he said. "Jenny Wing? I heard she was here.
I ain't seen her. Is she bound to keep Christmas anyhow?"

"Just white goods, it was," said Abel, briefly.

Ebenezer frowned his lack of understanding.

"I shouldn't think her and Bruce had much of anything to buy anything
with," he said. "I s'pose you know," he added, "that Bruce, the young
beggar, quit working for me in the City after the--the failure? Threw up
his job with me, and took God knows what to do."

Abel nodded gravely. All Old Trail Town knew that, and honoured Bruce
for it.

"Headstrong couple," Ebenezer added. "So Jenny's bent on having
Christmas, no matter what the town decides, is she?" he added, "it's
like her, the minx."

"I don't think it was planned that way," Abel said simply; "she's only
buying white goods," he repeated. And, Ebenezer still staring, "Surely
you know what Jenny's come home for?" Abel said.

A moment or two later Ebenezer was out on the street again, his face
turned toward the factory. He was aware that Abel caught open the door
behind him and called after him, "Whenever you get ready to sell me that
there star glass, you