Uncle Ben had made it a custom to visit his brother's family every week-end since the inception of the magazine, and one Saturday he arrived unusually early--in time for lunch.
"Ned, can you call a meeting of the B. B. & B. B.'s at the Publishing House for two o'clock?" asked Uncle Ben.
"The Bobolinks will be there anyway, but I am not so sure about the Blue Birds," said Ned, looking at Ruth.
"We had something to talk over in the Winter Nest, but we can postpone it until afterward," said Ruth.
So at two o'clock all of the children were gathered about Uncle Ben to hear the news he had to tell them.
Uncle Ben made a great fuss clearing his throat as if in preparation for an oration, then took a packet of letters from his pocket.
"The sample issue of your magazine made such a stir in various publishing circles, that one of the officers of the Publishers' Association asked me Thursday night who was back of all this business that a lot of youngsters had started down at Oakdale.
"I didn't reply right away, and a man sitting near me said, 'Oh, some folks, probably, who have a smattering of how to do printing!'
"Some of my friends laughed hilariously, for they thought it a good joke on me, but the President of the association was not satisfied.
"'This is no amateurish work, Mackensie,' he said; 'here is a copy of the magazine and I tell you it can compete with any juvenile publication in the country. Why, man, the names of some of the contributors are familiar to me, for I know of offers made to induce these same writers to throw us morsels of their wisdom.'
"'This whole affair sounds very much like the pet hobby of a friend--he told me about it years ago.'
"The other men laughed at the explanation, but my friend looked at me and said, 'Talmage, what do _you_ know about it?'
"Then I said, 'My niece and nephew belong to the Blue Birds and Bobolinks that started the poor children's outing at Oakdale, last summer. They have become so interested in the work that they propose raising enough money this winter to take over a farm of a few thousand acres and send out hundreds of children for all of next summer.'
"'They what?' exclaimed every man present.
"'Say that again!' commanded the President, so I gladly told them the story in detail.