y; there's plenty of time," said Van Dorn, pacifically.
"Stony and I are Committee on Circulation."

"That's so," said Livingstone. "We had one man to-day who wanted to put
copies of our first issue into seventeen million packages of starch for
distribution throughout the entire civilized world. Van told him it was
a stiff proposition."

"He didn't see the joke, though," complained Van Dorn, in a grieved
voice, "and he looked at us pityingly when I told him we had a better
scheme."

"You didn't hint at what it was, of course," said Perner, anxiously.

"Not much! He'd have gobbled it up in a minute if I had."

Perner dropped into a chair and stretched out his feet.

"When Bates comes we'll turn a lot of these fellows over to him," he
mused aloud. "The rooms below us are empty. We'll get them and put him
in there. Then we can all get down to work."

"Those rooms will more than double the rent, won't they?" asked Van
Dorn.

"Yes; but we can't have that gang up here, even if it trebles it. We're
not going to have any too much money, either, to run us through. The
engraving bill came in to-day, and the letter postage is no small item.
There'll be a bill for composition on the 1st, and it'll be a good deal,
because we've changed the style of type so often. Then, Bates's salary
will commence right away, and he'll probably have to have a
stenographer, and an allowance for incidentals, and a desk and some
other furniture. You see, Frisby had a lot of things when he took the
'Voice' that we'll have to buy, and it's like building a house--it
always takes more than you expect it to. Of course, when we once get
started we'll have money to throw at the birds, but, whatever Frisby may
have done, it's beginning to be pretty clear to me that we'll have to
throw a good deal into other places before that time comes. You and
Stony had better be hustling on a little outside work, too, so, in case
of another assessment--"

They drifted over to the Continental for lunch, where presently
Barrifield joined them. The Continental was handy and it was also
cheaper than some of the places they had heretofore frequented.
Barrifield was aglow with a sort of triumphant excitement.

"I've just seen Bates," he began, as he seated himself. "Great! Told me
more about advertising in five minutes than I ever dreamed of. I could
hardly get away from him."

"Why didn't you bring him along?" said Livingstone.

"Well, you see," said Barrifield, l