High Cost of Living and too much fuss Makes Folks want a Sane Christmas Me Too. S. C. "Ain't that neat?" said Simeon. Ebenezer looked. "What's the flag for?" he inquired dryly. "Well," said Simeon, "he had to carry something. I thought of a toy gun--but that didn't seem real appropriate. A Japanese umbrella wasn't exactly in season, seems though. A flag was about the only thing I could think of to have him hold. A flag is always kind of tasty, don't you think?" "Oh, it's harmless," Ebenezer said, "harmless." "No hustling business," Simeon pursued, "can be contented with just _not_ doing something. It ain't enough not to have no Christmas. You've got to find something that'll express nothing, and express it forcible. In business, a minus sign," said Simeon, "is as good as a plus, if you can keep it whirling round and round." This Ebenezer mulled and chuckled over as he went on down the street. He wondered what the Emporium would do to keep up with the Exchange. But in the Emporium window there was nothing save the usual mill-end display for the winter white goods sale. Ebenezer 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.