"I think it was perfectly lovely of him," said Edna earnestly.
"So it was, Pinky Blooms—by the way, you aren't Pinky Blooms to-day. To tell you the truth if Uncle Justus hadn't made up his sedate mind to come, yours truly intended to say ta-ta to the sailing party himself."
"Oh, Ben, did you really?"
"Yes, my lady, though it is too late in the day to make boastful vaunts, and it would have spoiled Uncle Justus's little game if both of us had come. Moreover, it wouldn't have been polite for all of us to have fled from the sailing party. You see Mr. McAllister took Uncle Justus's place and there would have been no one to take mine."
"Did you hear about the fire?" Edna asked next.
[125] "Indeed I did, and I am glad enough that a plan is on foot to raise money for those poor fisher people. I wonder who is receiving subscriptions. All the fellows chipped in and I have quite a wad here which I am instructed to turn over to the proper authorities."
"Oh, Mr. Ramsey is just the one, for he started the paper."
"Good! I'll get rid of it at once if you will help me find the gentleman."
Edna was only too ready to do this and together they hunted up Mr. Ramsey whom they found in the little room where he had his desk, and which was called the smoking-room.
It was indeed quite a roll of bills which Ben handed over. The boys said never mind specifying names, just say it is from the Pippin. "Nobody knows how much anybody gave. We just passed around the hat and this is the result."