"Gentlemen: Here are ure twentie naims. Now send mi five dollers, and dont be so slo about it or i will have the polese on ure track. I have ben foold one or twise by advertisment fellers but this time i mean to have wat is coming."
The exclamations that followed this possessed an added degree of emphasis. Perner picked up a third letter.
"From a woman," he said.
"Gentlemen: I am sending the twenty names, and you don't know how grateful I am or how happy it makes me to be able to earn money for my little family, who are in need of the necessaries of life. I hope you can send me the five dollars to-night, and I am sure Heaven will reward you for your great undertaking."
Nobody uttered a word for some moments. Then Livingstone said:
"Do you suppose there'll be many letters like that?"
And Van Dorn growled:
"Some people haven't got the sense they were born with. That advertisement was as clear as sunlight."
"It was," said Perner; "I wrote it myself."
Nevertheless, they made up the five dollars between them and mailed a check for it on their way to dinner. The next morning there were more answers in the big mail-box. The bottom was quite covered with postal cards containing lists of twenty names each.