This was adopted, as it didn't occur to any of the children that the abbreviated word might convey an unintended meaning.
Mr. Crane was attended to next, and, as they warmed to their subject, his letter was a little more peremptory. It ran:
"Mr. Crane,
"Dear Sir: We're improving our village, and, unless you fix up your place pretty quick, we will call and argue with you. On no acc't let it go another week looking as disreputibil as it now does. We mean well, if you do; but if you don't,—beware!
"The Village Imp. Society."
"That's fine!" exclaimed Gladys, as this effusion was read out. "Now, let's do two more, and then we can each take one for a copy, and make a lot of them, just put different names at the top, you know."
"Let's make a more gentle one," said Marjorie. "Those are all right for men, but there's old Mrs. Hill, she ought to be told pleasantly to fix up her garden and keep her pigs and chickens shut up. We almost ran over a lot of them the other day."
So a gentle petition was framed:
"Dear Mrs. Hill:
"Won't you please be so kind as to straighten out your garden a little? We'd like to see it look neat like Mr. Fulton's, or Mr. Maynard's, or Mr. Adams'. Don't go to too much trouble in this matter, but just kill or shut up your pigs and chickens, and we will all help you if need be.