Tony thought he could bring some pictures that had been forwarded from
Italy, and Charlie said, "I guess I can get up a maginary."

"A maginary?" asked Will.

Charlie only chuckled over his proposition, and made no explanations.

"I propose," said Will, "I propose, Mr. President"--here he bowed to Sid,
which caused that dignitary to stick his thumb into the lowest button hole
of his jacket and swell out with pride--"I propose that we call our affair
a 'Helping-Hand Sale.' You know there is a good deal in a name, and it
sets people to thinking, and sets them to helping, too, and I think Miss
Barry will like the name."

This was agreeable to the club, whose members now separated to their
homes.

"Aunt Stanshy," said Charlie, that night, "do you know where my rabbit
is?"

"I don't know. Now I told you, when Miss Persnips came down here, that
thing in her arms, and she smilin' and blinkin', as if she had an armful
of gold, that she was givin' you an elephant rather than a rabbit. Nobody
knows where the critter is or what it is up to."

Charlie found the white pet, and asked Will what he thought the rabbit
looked like.

"Looks more like a rabbit than any thing else, Charlie."

"Aunt Stanshy called it an elephant."

"Well, you might say elephant, the white elephant of Siam--sort of a
distant cousin. Why, what do you ask the question for?"

Charlie grinned, but made no reply.

Every thing was made ready for the sale. Aunt Stanshy's two rooms were the
scene of much bustle, and while the boys were at their tables, Miss Barry
in a tastily-draped corner was ready for a reasonable sum to serve out
refreshments to every applicant.

The Helping-Hand Sale had various attractions. Among them was Charlie's
"maginary." It was a box covered with white cloth, a piece of workmanship
at which Charlie had been secretly tinkering for two days. It was labeled
"A Distant Cousin of the White Elephant of Siam. Price to see, three
cents, and don't tell when you've seen it."

This attracted great attention.

"Miss Persnips," said Charlie to the shopkeeper, who came to patronize the
sale, "do you want to see my maginary? Only three cents, and don't tell."

"Your menagerie? Yes. What have you got there? Some dreadful animal! I'm
afraid to."

Charlie lifted the cover of the box, and there, fat and sleepy, was--Miss
Persnips told the rest.

"Did you ever! That darling, sweet pet I gave you. Quite an idea, really,
and here's anoth