the Bobolinks napping that
they danced up and down, finding it very difficult to keep their secret.

Don was the first to come over to the ladies.

"Say, what do you want that letter for? Where will you ever get paper
enough to print ten thousand--we can't buy it for you," he growled.

"Don, come back here and mind your business!" shouted Meredith.

"When you return to the boys, please ask them to hurry, as we have
another letter to ask them about--we may need 100,000 of these," said
Mrs. Starr sweetly.

The Blue Birds noticed that their fathers looked sceptical at the last
sentence.

"You never made up a list like that!" grunted Don, looking at the Blue
Birds with fire shining in his eyes.

"What do you think we were doing while you spent your evenings having a
good time?" retorted Dot.

"Humph!" was the only reply Don granted his sister.

"Folks said this summer that we Blue Birds were little hustlers, but I
never paid much attention to them then; but _now_ I think we are
hustlers when I see the way you Bobolinks poke away for two weeks and
nothing to show for it," teased May.

Mr. Wells was called over to join the conference of the Bobolinks before
an answer was given the Blue Birds.

"We will set this type and run off a proof by to-morrow evening; will
that do?" said Ned, coming forward with the letter.

The Blue Birds thought it would take the boys about three days to set
type and give a proof, so it was their turn to be surprised. Mrs.
Talmage seemed to understand, however, and replied in a very
condescending voice:

"Oh, yes, to-morrow will be Saturday, and Uncle Ben will be here at
noon. That will be fine, for, of course, he will show you what to do;
and I am sure he knows just what he would like for the purpose."

The looks exchanged between the Bobolinks and Mr. Wells were sufficient
proof that Mrs. Talmage was right in her surmise, but the Blue Birds
were too polite to say anything more.

The men said it was long past closing hours, so the lights were
extinguished, and the whole party went out into the cool night air.

Early Saturday morning the Blue Birds met again in their pretty Winter
Nest, and Mrs. Talmage told them what she had thought over since the
night before.

"Since Uncle Ben will be here all afternoon to supervise the work, I
think it would be as well for us to form the letter for the
philanthropists, too; then he can help the Bobolinks set the type."

The Blue Birds agree