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 shipping 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,