CHAPTER XIVTHE B. B. & B. B. MAGAZINE
By the fifteenth of October the Blue Birds and Bobolinks were deep in the work of constructing a magazine. Uncle Ben sent out the two young men he had spoken of, and they showed the children what to do and how to do it.
The Oakdale Paper Mills passed a vote to supply the paper for one year, and the B. B. & B. B. Company had agreed to give the mills advertising credit for the donation.
The two important letters which had caused such consternation in the Bobolink nest were all printed on beautiful grey paper in blue ink, and the envelopes all addressed and packed in boxes ready to be used.
All the stories, articles and lessons had been given to Uncle Ben before the tenth of the month and he had sent back the linotype by the thirteenth as he promised he would. Then work began in real earnest.
The Bobolink Boys had to make a galley proof of the printing, and the Blue Birds had to read it (or at least their mothers did) and construct the dummy. This last work was great fun.
Every evening fathers and mothers visited the Publishing House and the Winter Nest and assisted where they could, or watched progress when they were not needed; after every meeting it became the custom for one or the other of the fathers to treat the publishing company and guests to refreshments. This, Don thought, was reward enough for every aching back or arm. To keep the children from tiring of the treats, the fathers planned each morning, while going into the city, just what new kind of a surprise to furnish that night.
The interest shown at first had not abated—possibly due to the fact that so much fun was always to be had from unexpected sources—and the two men from the city said it was a marvel that children could produce such splendid work.
“Goodness! those Bobolinks ought to! they spent heaps and heaps of time fooling with those machines to learn how to work ’em!” said Dot Starr, overhearing what the men said.
“And just see how the fathers help!” added Norma.
“I guess the magazine wouldn’t be much of a paper if the Blue Birds hadn’t done their part so well,” said May.
“And the Blue Birds’ mothers!” reminded Ruth.
The Blue Birds were sitting on the steps of the piazza waiting for Mrs. Talmage and Aunt Selina to join them, when Dot told them of the “city-man’s” commendation of the work.
“Here comes Flutey, now,” said Ruth, hearing the slow steps of her aunt.
“Well, Blue Birds, how’s the song this morning?” cried Aunt Selina, happily.
The children all turned with one accord and looked at her. Some great happiness must have been sent her, for she was bubbling over with secret joy and her face looked as young as one of the Blue Bird’s. She took a chair near the children.
“Say, Flutey, you won’t be offended if I ask you a very happy question, will you?” asked Dot, in a half-whisper.
“Why, of course not! Ask it, child,” smiled Aunt Selina.
“Well, you look so happy, you know, I thought maybethatsoldier-man came back to marry you—maybe his being shot was all a mistake and he has been a prisoner all this time and just got away,” said Dot with horror and awe in her tones.
Mrs. Talmage had stepped out just in time to overhear the funny little girl’s remark and she had to run inside and smother her laughter in a handkerchief, for Dot was most serious in her statement, and it would never do to make her feel badly by laughing at her sympathy.
“Oh, no, dearie, those prisons were abandoned soon after the war. But this surprise I have for the Blue Birds is entirely different from anything personal,” replied Aunt Selina.
“Oh, what is it?” asked several voices.
“I have a letter here,” said Aunt Selina, taking it from her reticule, “in reply to one I wrote an old-time friend a short time ago. This friend started an advertising business in Philadelphia many years ago and has been very successful.Let us see what advice this friend gives about securing contracts for advertising.”
The Blue Birds hovered about Aunt Selina’s chair eager to hear the letter read.
The letter was short, but to the point. Mr. Sphere said he was delighted to hear from his old friend and hoped his information would give her little friends the satisfaction they deserved for their undertaking. He said that one of his best representatives had been told to call at Mossy Glen to interview the Blue Birds and to do just as the ladies directed. This man would tell them how to get advertising.
“Oh, Flutey! is that all he said?” murmured Ruth.
“Why, I don’t call that such a piece of ‘happy’ news to smile over as you did!” pouted Dot.
“He didn’t ask you how you had been all the time since you two knew each other, and he never said a word about our magazine,” grumbled Norma, feeling a personal offence in the letter.
“Why, children!Ithink it is a wonderful piece of good news to hear that he takes enough interest in the work to send one of his best men down here to talk matters over,” said Mrs. Talmage.
“If you knew my friend you would understand this letter better, for he always was a quiet chap who listened to others, but said little himself,” explained Aunt Selina.
The following day while the Blue Birds were at the Publishing House watching the wonderful process of stitching and trimming completed magazines, a very alert young man rang the bell at the Talmage house.
Mrs. Talmage and Aunt Selina welcomed the visitor.
Shouts of excitement reached the house where the ladies were talking with Mr. Sphere’s representative, and soon a crowd of boys and girls swarmed up the steps and ran pell-mell for Mrs. Talmage, nothing daunted by seeing the stranger.
“Mother, mother, see, see!” cried Ruth, dragging Jinks by the sleeve.
“Oh,” gasped little Betty, “see our magazine!”
“It’s perfectly lovely, Mrs. Talmage!” cried Dot.
The older boys were more subdued when they saw the stranger.
Mrs. Talmage introduced the gentleman, Mr. Richards, one of the New York advertising solicitorsfor the Philadelphia agency. He smiled in a condescending way when Don asked, “Want to see our magazine?”
“Yes, indeed! It is such an unusual thing to find such dear little children interested in such a way,” replied Mr. Richards, looking about at the boys and girls.
Don looked at Dot with a glance that said as plain as day, “Pooh! he’s trying to pat us on the back!”
And Dot said to the visitor: “Don’t think that we like to be fussed over just because we are working!”
The rest of the publishing company looked uncomfortable at the very evident tendency to humor them on account of their work.
The fact was, that the man couldn’t understand why his firm (such a sensible lot of business men) should send him away from his important work in New York to call upon some wealthy ladies and a number of children, to talk about advertising pages in a toy magazine.
The two copies of the completed magazine had been given to Aunt Selina and Mrs. Talmage and they expressed such satisfaction at the appearanceof the work that the man turned his attention to Mrs. Talmage. She handed him her copy.
When Mr. Richards saw the magazine, he was surprised out of his usual self-possession and exclaimed,
“Why, who did this?”
“Blue Birds and Bobolinks,” replied Ned, with head tilted on one side the better to see the precious book the man held.
“But this is first-class work!” exclaimed the visitor.
“Sure! did you think we were going to turn out anything else?” asked Jinks, insulted.
“Oh, of course not, but it takes experienced hands to do anything as good as this,” continued Mr. Richards, turning the pages slowly and examining each one carefully.
“Well, Uncle Ben knew the kind of workers we were when he trusted us with his pet hobby!” declared Ned, proudly.
Mr. Richards looked rather helpless, so Mrs. Talmage explained who “Uncle Ben” was and what part he had taken in the enterprise.
Light gradually began to break in upon the young man’s brain as he heard the story of themagazine. Suddenly he sat up as if electrified with a new idea. He looked about at the children, the house, lawns, and ladies; finally he took his return railroad ticket from his pocket and noted the name printed on the card—Oakdale.
“Well, well, well! is this place called ‘Mossy Glen’?” he asked.
“It is,” replied Mrs. Talmage, wonderingly.
“And these youngsters, the same that set folks agog last summer with their ‘Fresh Airs’?”
Mother Wings bowed affirmatively, but the Blue Birds, who had never dreamed that their doings had ever been heard of outside of their own little community, were as surprised as their visitor.
The solicitor looked everyone over with a new interest after that, and breathed softly to himself, “Great Scott! What a piece of luck to get the lead in this idea!”
“We do not understand exactly what you mean,” said Mrs. Talmage, with dignity.
“Well, I was present at a meeting a short time ago when the talk veered to a project evolved by some children. It was creating quite a little interest among the older men, but I paid little attentionto it at the time, for I had my mind full of other matters. But I remember hearing one of the leading publishers state that he believed we would hear of this undertaking in the future, for he knew some of the children who were in it. Now, here I am, unconsciously dropped into the heart of it.”
From that moment Mr. Richards was the enthusiastic collaborator of the company. He went over the pages of the magazine again and made some valuable suggestions for the future. When he expressed a desire to visit their plant, everyone jumped up ready to show him the B. B. & B. B. Publishing House.
Another great surprise awaited Mr. Richards. He had an idea that the work was done upon toy machinery, or hand presses; but, to find a shop equipped with electric motors and up-to-date machines, to say nothing of type-stands and a real office, was more than he could comprehend.
“I’m not surprised at the statement that man made at the meeting—he must have known you children, indeed!”
“Seems to me that we are getting this young man ‘rooted’ in this work,” laughed Aunt Selina,who liked the expression ever since Mrs. Talmage told her how to interest friends in the work.
“Well, I’m ‘grafted’ upon this idea even if I’m not ‘rooted,’” returned Mr. Richards, laughingly. “So much so, in fact, that I am going to make a suggestion that I think will meet with the approval of all of you.”
The children came closer to await his proposition.
“At present I am an advertising man, but I used to be on one of the large newspapers in the city, and whenever any unusual story came in I was supposed to ‘dress it’ for publication. Now, in my opinion, this whole affair will make a fine story for the press and at the same time give this magazine the publicity it needs.” Mr. Richards looked at the ladies for approval.
“It doesn’t seem valuable enough for a paper to print,” ventured Mrs. Talmage.
“It is theunusualthat papers are always after,” replied Mr. Richards. “Show me anything more unusual than this (waving his arm about to embrace the children, the plant and the work) and I will run after it!”
“What would you say in the story?” asked Aunt Selina.
“Well, I’d take kodak pictures of this office, of the plant, and of the Winter Nest you have been telling me about. Then we would group the children on the lawn in front of the house and have a picture of the Blue Birds and Bobolinks who own and publish this magazine.”
“What would Mr. Sphere say if he saw the story in the papers?” asked Aunt Selina.
“He’d say, ‘Richie, old boy, I always knew you had a grain of sense in your head!’” laughed Mr. Richards.
“I have a fine camera in case you want to use it,” said Ned, eagerly.
“And we have everything in good shape to have a picture taken,” added Meredith.
“If the ladies consent we will lose no more time, but get the pictures while the sun is right,” Mr. Richards said, as he turned toward the ladies and Blue Birds.
“Yes, yes, Mother Wings, let’s do it!” cried several Blue Birds. So Aunt Selina and Mrs. Talmage smiled a consent.
Ned brought his camera and Mr. Richardsgrouped the Bobolinks about the machines in as workman-like poses as possible, and managed to get a good picture of them. Next, the office, with Jinks at the typewriter and Ned at the desk, was photographed. Outside, the Blue Birds and Bobolinks grouped themselves in front of the door and another picture was taken. The Blue Birds were given their pose as editors in the large library of the house, where books and writing material could be utilized in the picture. The Winter Nest was the last picture to be taken.
“Now, watch the papers for a story of your entire plan and achievement, with illustrations, and if you don’t tell me the next time I come out that my idea was the best publicity plan imaginable, then you’ll be ungrateful, indeed!” said Mr. Richards, pleased as he could be with the success of his visit.
“When will the papers come out?” asked Ned.
“I’ll keep you posted day by day. I’m not going to lose sight of such a promising crowd of young folks,I tell you!” laughed the young man as he placed the film in his pocket and started to say good-by.
“Say, here, are you going to take that magazinewith you?” cried Don, seeing the magazine rolled up in the visitor’s hand.
“Well, I guess! I’m going to exploit this everywhere I go,” said Mr. Richards, tapping the paper with his hand.
“And tell the newspaper man that lots of famous folks have promised to write for us,” said Ruth, who desired the magazine to have all the glory possible.
“And tell him to be sure and say that Aunt Selina will be glad to have grown-ups write to ask her about Happy Hills,” added Aunt Selina, anxious to have the children’s farm advertised.
“I’ll make them write everything I can think of, and more too, if possible,” laughed the young man as he started down the steps.
“Oh, Mr. Richards, I forgot to tell——” Don started to say something, but Ike interrupted from the automobile which had been waiting for some time in front of the house.
“There’ll just be time to jump aboard that train if we get off at once!”
Mr. Richards jumped in and raised his hat to the ladies, while Ike started the car at fullspeed, the children meantime waving their hands and shouting reminders after the visitor.
Back to the Publishing House trooped the bevy of workers, more eager than ever to continue their work.
“Now, he’s what I call an ‘all right’ man!” declared Don Starr, emphatically, as he accented his words with punches at the stitcher.
“What a piece of luck for us,” exclaimed Ned, overjoyed at the promised newspaper story.
“I always said I wanted to go through college,” said Tuck Stevens, thoughtfully; “but what’s the use? When I have such a good business to work in and will be all ready to live on my money by the time I’m a man, why should I bother?”
“That’s so, Tuck; better have a good time on that money,” laughed Jinks.
“Better ‘not count your chickens before they’re hatched’ or they may never come out of the shell,” teased Ned.
The Blue Birds had been equally busy talking, while folding pages, but the work soon engrossed too much of their attention to keep up any conversation.
After several hours’ work the Blue Birdsbegan to feel tired and decided to carry the finished magazines to the house.
As each little girl came up the steps carrying a heap of neatly finished magazines, the two ladies stopped talking and turned to watch the girls deposit the magazines on the table in the hallway.
“What were you saying about Happy Hills, mother?” asked Ruth.
“Aunt Selina was telling me all about the three beautiful hills at the back of the estate. She said what pretty kodak pictures they would make if we wanted to use them for the magazine, and I said it might be a good plan to write up a short story about our plan for next month’s issue.”
“Oh, yes, that would be a fine start for the farm,” cried Ruth.
“And we think that we would need all of the time we can get to make sure of next summer’s success,” added Aunt Selina.
“Aunt Selina, how many poor children do you think we can keep at Happy Hills?” asked Ruth.
“We could not tell without having expert help to show how many camps can be built there,” said Aunt Selina.
“Oh, are you going to build camps, Aunt Selina?” asked Norma.
“I thought the children were going to live in the woods,” said Dot.
“But you didn’t expect them to sleep on the ground and dress behind the bushes, did you?” said May.
“I never thought what they would do,” returned Dot.
“Will you have nests to live in like ours in the cherry-tree?” asked Betty.
“No, dearie, I am planning to build little houses that will hold about six or eight bunks, and a locker for each child. These houses will have a floor and a roof with posts to hold it up, but the walls will be made of canvas curtains that we can roll up when we want the house wide open. The long building where the children will gather to eat or have games, will be centrally located if we build it in the valley between the three hills,” explained Aunt Selina.
“Are we going to give the camp a name?” asked Edith.
“Why, we hadn’t thought of that—we can usethe name ‘Happy Hills,’ couldn’t we?” said Mrs. Talmage.
“Nobody will know the camp is any different then. The place has always been called Happy Hills, so how is a stranger going to know that it is the same where the children are living?” said Dot.
“The name ‘Hills’ sounds all right, but you can’t call the big house in the valley by the name of ‘Hills’; we ought to have a new name forthatso the children will know what place we mean when we talk about the dining-room,” suggested Norma.
“Just say ‘Valley where the long house is,’” said Edith.
“That doesn’t sound nice, a bit! Everything else we have have such nice names,” complained Ruth.
“But, why do you children want a name for the valley and one for the children’s camps?” asked Aunt Selina.
“Doesn’t everything in the world have a name?” asked Dot.
The others laughed, but Ruth added, “Dot’s right; we have a name for our cherry-tree nest,and one for the new nest; and Mrs. Catlin is going to call her Blue Birds’ nest ‘Hill Top Nest’—‘Blue Birds of Hill Top Nest.’”
“But this is different,” argued Mrs. Talmage.
“No, it isn’t, Mrs. Talmage,” insisted Dot. “We call our house ‘Oakwood’ and you call this place ‘Mossy Glen’—and our town we call Oakdale. Why, what for? Everyone knows where the Starrs live, and where the Talmages live, and we all know where the town lives, so what’s the use of having names?”
“Dot, you hit the nail on the head every time,” said Aunt Selina, as all of the others laughed at Dot’s explanation.
“Yes, but that’s why we want a name for our children’s camp and the valley,” said Ruth.
“Really, it doesn’t matter to us how many names you choose to give it—just please yourselves about it,” said Aunt Selina.
“All right, then, if you don’t mind, we’ll try to get a real lovely name for it,” said Betty, smiling at Aunt Selina.
For quite a time, silence reigned, for the Blue Birds were trying to think of a pretty name for the farm.
“In ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’ there is a ‘Valley of Humility,’” suggested May.
“I’ll run and get the Bible Concordance—that will have some valley names in it,” said Ruth, running indoors to get the book.
“Now, listen while I read some for you,” continued Ruth, bringing the book over to the wicker table.
“Here’s one—‘Inhabitants of the Valley’—turn that about and call it ‘Valley of Inhabitants.’”
“No, that isn’t nice!” objected several voices.
“Then comes a lot of hard-spelled names of valleys that won’t do, either. Next comes: ‘valley of passengers’ and ‘valley of vision.’”
“We don’t want either one,” grumbled Dot.
“Would you like the name ‘Valley of Joy’?” asked Aunt Selina.
After a few moments’ thought the children replied, “Better, but not right yet.”
Aunt Selina smiled and thought how difficult to please were these Blue Birds; but Mrs. Talmage smiled, knowing that the children knew just what they wanted.
After much thinking and suggesting, Ruthsaid, “We ought to have a name that will fit with Happy Hills, you know.”
After “pleasure,” “fun,” “contentment” and other names had been suggested, Aunt Selina suddenly mentioned “delight.”
“Valley of Delight,” repeated Mrs. Talmage to hear the sound of it, while the Blue Birds hailed the name as just right.
“Happy Hills in the Valley of Delight!” said Aunt Selina, as pleased as the children were.
“Write it down—that’s its name from now on,” cried Dot.
“We want it printed on all of our letter paper that will be used for farm purposes,” said Mrs. Talmage.
“Oh, yes; won’t it look fine to send out letters asking folks to send donations for the poor children of ‘Happy Hills in the Valley of Delight!’ and let them see the name on top of some nice grey paper,” cried Edith.
“Wish we could find a name for those poor children. I never like to say that word—‘poor,’” complained Ruth.
“Neither do I,” added Norma.
“I know I wouldn’t like a country child to bealways calling me ‘poor city child,’” declared Betty.
“Then you ought to find a nice name for all of them, too, so we won’t have to say ‘poor’ any more,” said Mrs. Talmage.
All heads were bent down again while busy brains tried to find a suitable name for the protégés coming from the city.
“Could they be called ‘birds’ like us?” asked Dot.
“I do not think city children would care for such a name. You see, dear, they are so precocious from their daily experiences that they might think a bird-name silly,” said Mrs. Talmage.
“Maybe they would like the name ‘Little Soldiers,’” ventured Norma.
“Oh, that makes you think of ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ and they would guess we were goin’ to make them join a Sunday School class right off!” objected Dot.
Everyone laughed at Dot’s viewpoint, but Aunt Selina was given an idea by Norma’s suggestion.
“How would ‘Little Workers’ sound?” she asked.
“Then they will all fear you are going to make them work,” laughed Mrs. Talmage.
“‘Little Lambs’—‘Little Folks’—‘Little Friends,’” recited Dot, zealously, then waited for a verdict.
Heads were shaken in negation of the names, and Ruth started a list of names.
“‘Little Americans’—how’s that?”
“Better, but not good enough,” replied her mother.
“Oh, here’s one—everything that lives in a forest is called a ‘denizen’ of the forest—let’s call our children ‘Little Denizens,’” cried Norma.
“Wish someone could find a name that would mean the same as Americans and woods folks,” came from Betty wistfully.
“How does ‘Little Citizens’ sound?” asked Ruth.
“Wait! say it again!” exclaimed Mrs. Talmage, while the children and Aunt Selina seemed to like the name.
“Little Citizens—of Happy Hills in the Valley of Delight,” rehearsed Ruth.
“Why, just the thing—it’s lovely!” cried Aunt Selina.
“Yes, Fluff, couldn’t be better,” said several of the Blue Birds.
“Sounds almost like a book story-name, it’s so pretty,” commended Mrs. Talmage.
There was no more leisure to admire their new names, because shouts were heard in the direction of the Publishing House, and the boys came out, each carrying a stack of magazines piled up in their arms. They reached the steps and Mrs. Talmage hurried to the hallway to show them in which closet to place them.
“My, but that was a big load!” exclaimed Don.
“Big piece of work, that!” said Jinks.
“More fun than I’ve ever had,” commented Meredith.
“But it makes a fellow awful hungry to work so hard. I wish it was night so the men could treat,” hinted Don.
The last remark from Don made the children laugh at him, but Mrs. Talmage said, “Don, if you will take Ned into the dining-room you will find something there which you can carry out here.”
Don looked surprised, but Ned led him indoors to find what the surprise could be.
Soon both boys appeared again carrying a tray of cakes and dishes, while the maid followed with a huge platter upon which stood a high brick of ice-cream.
The refreshments were so delicious that the boys said they could start another day’s work if they were sure of being treated with more ice-cream afterward.
“How many magazines do you suppose you finished to-day?” asked Ruth, of her brother.
“Guess.”
“I don’t know; we girls carried in ’most a hundred, but our piles were not so high as the ones you boys brought in.”
“Well, we counted before we left the office; there were thirty in a pile, and we brought over thirty piles—that made nine hundred all told, but the hundred you girls carried in makes just one thousand copies. Isn’t that great?” cried Ned.
“Then we can begin mailing copies to our philanthropists to-night, can’t we?” asked Norma.
“Yes, and bring your mothers with you, to help,” said Mrs. Talmage.
As everyone felt eager to get the thousand copies wrapped and mailed, the children soon said good-by and went home to tell the great news of the day’s work.
CHAPTER XVHOW THE MAGAZINE WENT OUT
Before nine o’clock that night the magazines had all been wrapped, ready for Ike to take to the post-office. The children were just as eager to continue the work, but Mrs. Talmage said that nine o’clock was time to go home.
“We’ll all be here Monday afternoon to help some more, Mrs. Talmage,” promised the Blue Birds as they skipped away beside their mothers.
It took the Bobolinks all of that week, working every moment after school, and many of the evening hours, to finish the rest of the magazines. Everyone had decided that ten thousand would be enough for the first issue, for it took so long to wrap each copy that no extra time could be given to printing.
The first week of November results began to appear. One day the Blue Birds came to the Winter Nest and found several letters lying on the table, addressed to the “Blue Birds of Oakdale.”
“Oh, oh! who do you s’pose they are from?” eagerly asked Norma.
Dot was trying to look right through the envelope and the others laughed at her expression.
“Let’s open them and see!” said sensible Ruth.
Mrs. Talmage entered the room just then and the letters were given her to open and read aloud.
“Maybe they are subscriptions,” suggested Mrs. Talmage, as she slipped a paper-knife under the flap of an envelope.
“Goodness! suppose they are?” whispered Betty.
“What would we do with them?” said Dot.
As this was an entirely new and unexpected problem, the Blue Birds looked at each other and then at Mrs. Talmage.
“I think we will have to invite the Bobolinks to a conference to-day and talk this matter over,” said Mother Wings.
Norma was sent to the Publishing House to invite the boys to be present at the meeting that afternoon at five. As it was four-thirty, the boys hurried to wash their hands and pull down their shirt sleeves, for almost all of them had taken off their coats and rolled up their sleeves.
The meeting proved to be very important in the judgment of the children, for the letters were found to contain money orders and checks which had to be deposited in some bank.
After looking over the papers, Ned said, “We must sign these and send back a receipt, eh, mother?”
“Yes, and we must select some bank in which to place our account; shall we say the Oakdale Trust Company?” said Mrs. Talmage.
So that was agreed upon and the secretary told to stop at the bank in the morning and get the necessary blanks for the company to fill in.
“What a heap of money the magazines must make,” said Dot. “Just look at all the money we have already with no list.”
“But you forget we have really no costs to pay at present so all that is paid in is profit. But the city publishers have heavy expenses to pay out of all their income,” explained Mrs. Talmage.
“Uncle Ben says that hardly any magazine published could pay its expenses on the subscriptions only; it is the advertising that pays for the work,” said Ned.
“We ought to get busy on our advertising, then,” urged Jinks.
“If we don’t we won’t pay costs after all of these free donations of paper and postage are over,” added Meredith.
“You boys practised that part of the work, so why don’t you try and call upon some big firms and ask for contracts?” asked Dot.
“How do you know we practised?” questioned Ned, looking at the Blue Birds, who started giggling as they recalled the visit to the loft over the carriage house.
“Ho, didn’t you?” insisted Dot.
“No one but we boys knew it—we kept the doors closed while we tried to see which one could do it best,” replied Don.
“A little bird whispered it in our ears,” teased Ruth.
“Say, Jinks! do you remember the time I heard those noises in the loft?” asked Ned.
The Bobolinks saw that the girls were laughing at them.
“I wonder when Mr. Richards will get that story printed in the papers—that will help so much!” sighed Betty.
“Don’t be impatient, little girl,” said Mrs. Talmage. “Remember, we have only just begun, and I think there have been marvelous steps taken.”
“And when it once gets started, the subscription list will grow very rapidly,” added Aunt Selina.
And so it proved. In a few weeks’ time the letters containing checks and money orders for subscriptions reached such proportions that Mrs. Talmage was distracted trying to attend properly to the clerical work. Mr. Talmage saw that it was such tiresome application to detail that he telephoned Uncle Ben to send out a competent filing clerk; in a few days a nice young girl of about eighteen arrived and took charge of all the mail, and Mrs. Talmage heaved a deep sigh of relief.
Uncle Ben had made it a custom to visit his brother’s family every week-end since the inception of the magazine, and one Saturday he arrived unusually early—in time for lunch.
“Ned, can you call a meeting of the B. B. & B. B.’s at the Publishing House for two o’clock?” asked Uncle Ben.
“The Bobolinks will be there anyway, but I am not so sure about the Blue Birds,” said Ned, looking at Ruth.
“We had something to talk over in the Winter Nest, but we can postpone it until afterward,” said Ruth.
So at two o’clock all of the children were gathered about Uncle Ben to hear the news he had to tell them.
Uncle Ben made a great fuss clearing his throat as if in preparation for an oration, then took a packet of letters from his pocket.
“The sample issue of your magazine made such a stir in various publishing circles, that one of the officers of the Publishers’ Association asked me Thursday night who was back of all this business that a lot of youngsters had started down at Oakdale.
“I didn’t reply right away, and a man sitting near me said, ‘Oh, some folks, probably, who have a smattering of how to do printing!’
“Some of my friends laughed hilariously, for they thought it a good joke on me, but the President of the association was not satisfied.
“‘This is no amateurish work, Mackensie,’ hesaid; ‘here is a copy of the magazine and I tell you it can compete with any juvenile publication in the country. Why, man, the names of some of the contributors are familiar to me, for I know of offers made to induce these same writers to throw us morsels of their wisdom.’
“Then a friend of mine spoke.
“‘This whole affair sounds very much like the pet hobby of a friend—he told me about it years ago.’
“The other men laughed at the explanation, but my friend looked at me and said, ‘Talmage, what doyouknow about it?’
“Then I said, ‘My niece and nephew belong to the Blue Birds and Bobolinks that started the poor children’s outing at Oakdale, last summer. They have become so interested in the work that they propose raising enough money this winter to take over a farm of a few thousand acres and send out hundreds of children for all of next summer.’
“‘They what?’ exclaimed every man present.
“‘Say that again!’ commanded the President, so I gladly told them the story in detail.
“Well, B. B. & B. B.’s—do you want to know the result of that meeting?”
The children shouted and begged to be told at once, so Uncle Ben continued with evident pleasure in the telling.
“Those great publishers talked for hours of ways and means in which to help along your good work. Some promised to interest prominent people they knew, and others offered to insert advertising cards in their own publications to tell about the magazine and its purpose. Almost every one of them offered to make special clubbing offers with their own magazines to induce readers to subscribe for yours.
“Now, these letters are the results of some of the promises already kept by these men. I will read them to you.”
Uncle Ben then proceeded to read aloud the letters from prominent people and philanthropists who had responded to the call made by friends. They commended the interest shown by the younger generation and hoped the sympathetic work done for the sick and poverty-stricken little ones of the cities would win success. To this end a donation was inclosed.
As Uncle Ben read the last letter, he took from his wallet a package of checks and handed them over to Ned.
Ned saw the figure written on the face of the first check on top and held the package as if it were dangerous.
“Heigh, there, Ned, they aren’t loaded, are they?” laughed Jinks.
“Read it off, Ned,” urged the boys and girls.
“This top one is from the Cage Foundation and is for five hundred dollars—subscriptions to be sent to hospitals. The next one——” and Ned gasped again as he took up the second paper.
Uncle Ben laughed at his evident amazement.
“The second is from the Sarnegie Fund and is made out for a thousand dollars, subscriptions to be sent to homes and orphanages.
“And here’s another for five hundred dollars from Harriet Rowld. Then there’s—let me see! One—two—three—four—for a hundred dollars each for cripples’ homes.”
When Ned finished the children were too surprised to say a word, but Uncle Ben spoke for them.
“Well, Chicks—I mean Birds—you see thatany time you grow weary of working out this scheme there will be no difficulty in selling the business for cash. Any wide-awake publisher will jump over the moon to get this magazine from you.”
“Oh, Uncle Ben! what a dreadful thing to say!” cried Ruth.
“As if we ever would sell out such a wonderful plan,” murmured several of the children.
“If every one of you feel the same about this matter, why not pass a resolution that we will never sell out this business for mere commercial reasons?” suggested Uncle Ben.
It was instantly agreed upon and the resolution made a part of the by-laws of the company.
“Now, for a social proposition,” said Uncle Ben, smiling in his possession of a pleasant secret.
“I was thinking that we ought to get out an extra fine Christmas number, and send out as many samples as could be turned off the press. To do this you would have to have several men working during your school hours, so I thought it best to ask the men already here to wait for further orders. With all of this money on hand you can easily pay their salary and that of anothergood man that I should like to send out here to boss the work. Ike says he can fix up some rooms in the loft overhead and the men can take their meals with him. The two men who are working here like it very much and will remain if you want them to.”
“But we would be crowded out of our work if the men did all of it,” complained Don.
“Not a bit of it! I said: ‘During school hours,’ so an extra large number of magazines can be printed for Christmas. You boys worked every moment of your time but could only finish ten thousand this month,” explained Uncle Ben.
So it was cheerfully agreed to have the men help them with the next month’s magazine.
“You said ‘social,’ but I don’t see anything social in having the men help with the work,” grumbled Don.
“Now that you will have the men to help with the work you will have time to think of the social side of the plan I am going to suggest,” replied Uncle Ben, winking at Don to cheer him up. “So many of my friends in New York have heard of this B. B. & B. B. Company that I am constantly answering questions as to your ages, looks, andother personal matters. I think it will be a splendid plan to have all of you meet them soon and spare me so many extra words and time, to say nothing of wear and tear on my vocal cords.”
“I know you’ve got a lovely surprise to tell us—I can tell it in your voice!” cried Ruth, jumping up and hugging her uncle about the neck.
“I don’t know whether it is or not—how can I say until the others tell me whether it is,” said Uncle Ben, trying to look troubled over the doubt.
“Out with it, Uncle Ben!” laughed Ned.
“Well, if I must, I must!” groaned Uncle Ben. “I have discovered a very amusing play that has Saturday matinées. Of course, I suppose Birds could get into a theatre, couldn’t they? Well, if we went to see the show in the afternoon and then went to a hotel where we could have a dining-room all to ourselves and give a little party to all of my friends, it would save me so much trouble for the future.”
Mere words failed to express the excitement and delight of the children as they fully realized what Uncle Ben meant.
“Oh,” said Betty, “I’ve never been to a theatrein my life—and to think of going to one in New York, oh!”
“Neither have I, Betty,” replied May. “Can you go?”
“Will mother go with us, Uncle Ben?” asked Ruth.
“Most assuredly, for you Blue Birds will have to have a Mother Wing to cover you—and Aunt Selina, too, if she will come,” said Uncle Ben.
“When can we go?” asked Don, eagerly.
“Have you decided to come?” teased Uncle Ben.
The storm of acceptance made him laugh.
“Well, then, let’s say a week from next Saturday, if everyone can arrange it for that time. I will invite my friends to be at our party at six o’clock sharp, for afterward we will have to come home on the nine o’clock train.”
“And will some of those real publishers be there, Uncle Ben?” asked Ned, sceptically.
“Some of the greatest in America, my boy,” said Uncle Ben, seriously, as he understood Ned’s ambition to meet them and his doubt of having the desire fulfilled.
“What must we wear?” asked Norma.
“The prettiest that you have, for I want to show off my publishing company to the very best advantage,” replied Uncle Ben.
Just then Mr. Talmage appeared at the doorway and said,
“Do you know that dinner is almost ready and no one there to sit down to table?”
Then everyone began to tell of the party to be given in New York, and Mr. Talmage seemed very much surprised.
“If that is the case, you will all have to do your very best to have a fine Christmas magazine so that the friends you meet in New York will want to come to another party at some other time. Perhaps if the magazine was very, very attractive they would feel so proud of being acquainted with you that they would take the trouble to come all the way out to Oakdale to have a party this winter,” ventured Mr. Talmage.
“Wouldn’t it be fun to invite them all here at the Christmas Holidays and give them a real country Christmas tree with Uncle Ben for Santa Claus!” cried Betty, expectantly.
“And sleigh-rides from the train, and bob-sleddingdown Oakdale Hill, then over to our Publishing House for the Tree,” added Dot.
“And have a present for everyone like we had on our Fourth-of-July tree,” cried Ruth.
“And after all the fun is over, a great big feast with plum-pudding,” sighed Don, making them all laugh.
“Yes, I think that will be fine, and I don’t believe one of those New Yorkers will stay away if you tell them all the fun you propose giving them,” laughed Uncle Ben.
“But, first, let us have our party with you, Uncle Ben, then we can talk about the Christmas one,” advised Ned.
Families in Oakdale were entertained that Saturday night by hearing the children tell of the plans made by Uncle Ben for the social side of the B. B. & B. B.’s life. Many were the dreams of all the fun to be had when that New York party came off.
While the children were home talking over the anticipated dinner-party, the grown-ups at Mossy Glen were engaged in perfecting plans for the party. Invitations on grey paper, printed in blue ink, with a flight of birds shadowed acrossthe sheet was the suggestion of Aunt Selina. The favors for the table and the tokens presented for speech-making were suggested by Mrs. Talmage, while the dinner and decorations were planned by Mr. Talmage and Uncle Ben.
Much fun was the result of the party in New York. The guests accepted the B. B. & B. B.’s invitation to have a Christmas Tree at the Publishing House with great eagerness. But it will take another book to tell about everything that happened.
This book, called “THE BLUE BIRDS’ UNCLE BEN,” is the third of the series.