The Blue Birds' Winter Nest Part 11

CHAPTER VI

BEGINNING THE WINTER WORK

It is needless to say that the moment school was dismissed the following afternoon every boy and girl who was interested in the new Publis.h.i.+ng Company, ran toward the carriage house at Mossy Glen. The teachers, pupils, and even some of the members of the Board of Education had heard of the plans made the day before--for in a small community like Oakdale, news travels rapidly--and the men on the school board were as much interested in the success of the children's work as if it had been their own undertaking.

Ike had found some splendid pine boards, a number of two-by-four joists, plenty of odds and ends of railing, posts, moulding, and other trim that would make a boy delight in amateur carpentry work.

Nails, screws, hammers, saw, and tools of all kinds were provided, so that each boy could work without delaying or inconveniencing the others.

Ike and Simon were to superintend the construction and show the boys how to put things together properly.

Uncle Ben and Mr. Talmage, who went to the city early in the morning to attend to the s.h.i.+pping of the machinery, had not yet returned.

The Blue Birds gathered merrily in their Nest in the cherry tree, with several little girls who had been away during the summer and were eager to join the Nest.

Miss Selina insisted upon walking along the path from the house when Mrs. Talmage started for the Nest and, upon arriving at the foot of the steps that led up to the Nest, looked up imploringly.

"Flutey, I believe you can get up here if I help you!" exclaimed Ruth, seeing her aunt's expression.

"Oh, no, dearie! What about the rheumatism in my ankles?" groaned Miss Selina.

"Leave it behind!" laughed Ruth, gayly hopping down from the Nest.

"I wish I could!" declared Aunt Selina, taking a firm hold on the handrail and trying to lift up her foot.

"Ouch! that hurt my knee-joint!" cried she.

"Flutey! That's no way to leave that rheumatism behind!" reprimanded Ruth. "Now, make up your mind to walk right up and forget the nasty little pain."

Mrs. Talmage and the Blue Birds were hovering over the railing of the Nest to advise the two at the foot of the steps. Dot Starr, with her usual bluntness and funny way of expressing herself, called down to Miss Selina:

"Flutey, you just feel those twinges in your joints because you're spoiled. Mumzie says I am always sicker if I let myself be fussed over and spoiled. _She_ just says, 'Try to forget it.' Now, if you were me, you never would be down there a second, but you'd jump here two steps at a time. So, I say like Mumzie would, forget you're not me, and we'll see you pop up here like magic!"

Aunt Selina felt like rebuking Dot, but the children smiled sympathetically and knew Dot was sincere in her desire to help the old lady, so the invalid replied instead,

"Dot, that is just the trouble! I can't forget the habits of seventy years. I wish I could make-believe I was as young and spry as you are."

"If you wish, then you can! Remember the story of Sarah Crewe?" cried Ruth, helping Miss Selina to the next step.

"I saw an old lady up in Cas...o...b..y town last summer who was older than you and she never had time to remember her age, because she had to work all day for other folks. She said she slept like a baby every night.

Daddum said one reason she looked so young was that she hadn't time to worry about growing old," said Dot.

"If I had had to work for others instead of being pampered until I couldn't do a thing for myself, maybe I would feel as young as anyone,"

admitted Aunt Selina.

Meantime, without being conscious of the act, the old lady was being helped up the steps by Ruth, until, at the last words, she reached the top.

"Why, I'm up and never knew it!" she laughed.

"That's just the way to forget!" cried Dot, clapping her hands.

"And you've left your troubles behind as I told you to," added Ruth.

A chair was placed for Aunt Selina who looked about the Nest with keen interest.

"Mary Talmage, I just wager this was all your idea, wasn't it?" she commented, as she noted the sides of the Nest covered with straw matting, and the cute wicker table and chairs.

"Yes, Flutey, it was. But listen until we tell you how we found this Nest and the furniture," said Ruth, and all the Blue Birds chirped in to tell the story about the Nest and how the furniture was found hidden in unexpected places about the lawn and in the shrubbery.

Aunt Selina chuckled, but Mrs. Talmage spoke with some seriousness.

"Blue Birds, time is flying, and we must talk about our magazine."

Ruth then explained the presence of the children who wished to join the Nest. Mrs. Talmage looked sorry.

"Dearies, I would like to have you with us, but really I cannot take proper charge of more than I have at present. I want to do the work right and that will be impossible with too many in one Nest. But I have a suggestion to offer. Mrs. Catlin is so interested with us in the work that I am sure she will gladly start you in a Nest of your own. She has plenty of time, and a beautiful place, so you will be just as happy there as here. We can all meet when necessary and talk over affairs together. I will write a note to her and explain, then you can take it over."

"I know Mrs. Catlin! We live on the same street!" exclaimed one of the children.

"I guess we all know Mrs. Catlin, and like her; if we can't join Ruth's Nest, I'd like to be in one of Mrs. Catlin's," said another little girl.

After bidding them good-by as they ran across the lawn, the Blue Birds settled down to hear the plans for work on the magazine.

"I have some ideas which I would like to present to save time," said Mrs. Talmage.

"I apportioned a page to each one of you to edit and expect you to have the line of writing that best suits your ability.

"For instance," continued Mrs. Talmage: "To Dot Starr, who did the cut-out paper furniture so well at the school-house this summer when we made the paper doll houses for the city children, I gave a page called, 'What Can Be Made of Paper.'

"To Edith, who always makes such good candy, I gave the 'Candy Kettle.'

"To Betty, who is clever with her pencils, I gave the 'Drawing Lesson.'

"To Ruth, who loves housekeeping, I gave 'Household Hints.'

"To Norma, who likes to sew, I gave the 'Doll's Wardrobe.'

"To May, who takes such good kodak pictures, I gave the 'Camera Corner.'

"To Frances, who is an adept at puzzles and games, I gave 'Puzzledom.'

"There are besides many other pages to edit which I think will have to be done by the boys, and some grown-ups, so I just jotted down the names of the boys that I think are capable of doing it.

"I gave Ned a page for 'Domestic Animals,' Meredith Starr can have a page on 'Wild Animals,' and Jinks a page on 'Insects and Reptiles.'

"Then, there will be need for other articles which the other boys can supply, and they can all help with the publis.h.i.+ng. I shall write to an old friend who was judge of the Juvenile Court for years, and most likely has very interesting stories to tell. Another well-known writer of children's books lives in Was.h.i.+ngton, D. C., and I feel quite sure of her interest when I tell her what our plans are. Besides, Uncle Ben knows people who will contribute, as he told us so."