""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," rehea.r.s.ed 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 XV
HOW 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.