he added, pointing across the street with the citizen's pride in a
successful enterprise in no way his own rival.

"Gorgeous!" responded Richard, eying an undoubtedly eye-catching
arrangement of blankets of every hue and quality piled about a centre
figure consisting of a handsome brass bed made up as if for occupancy,
the carefully folded-back covers revealing immaculate and downy blankets
with pink borders, the whole suggestive of warmth and comfort throughout
the most rigorous winter season.

"Catchy--on a day like this!" suggested the druggist, with a chuckle.
"I'll admit they gave me the key for my own windows."

Richard's gaze followed the other's glance and rested on piles of
scarlet flannel chest-protectors, flanked by small brass tea-kettles
with alcohol lamps beneath.

"We carry a side line of spirit-lamp stuff," explained the dealer. "It
sells well this time of year. Got to keep track of the popular thing.
Afternoon teas are all the go among the women of this town now. The
hardware's the only other place they can get these--and they don't begin
to keep the variety we do."

Richard congratulated the dealer on his window. Lingering by it, his
hand on the door, he said:

"I noticed Benson's as I came by, and I see now the force of what you
say about window display. I'm not sure I can tell what was in their
windows."

"Nor anybody else," declared the druggist, chuckling, "unless he went
with a notebook and made an inventory. Since the old man died last year
the windows have been a hodgepodge of stuff that attracts nobody. It's
merely an index to the way the place is running behind. Young Benson
doesn't know how to buy nor how to sell; he'll never succeed. The store
began to go down when the old man got too feeble to take the whole
responsibility. Hugh began to overstock some departments and understock
others. It's not so much lack of capital that'll be responsible for
Hugh's failure when it comes--and I guess it's not far off--as it is
lack of business experience. Why, he's got so little trade he's turned
off half his salespeople; and you know that talks!"

It did indeed. It talked louder now in the light of the druggist's
shrewd commentaries than it had when Benson had spoken of his "short
force." Richard wondered just how short it was, that the proprietor
could not venture to leave for even a few hours.

He drove on thoughtfully. He wanted to go back and look those windows
over again, wanted to go t