“I could do elegant head-lines,” said Max:
“KEROSENE THE KONQUEROR!
MOSQUITOES MASSACRED!
THE FLIGHT OF THE FLY!”
253As Algernon brought the magazine and a book, Alice and Frieda arrived in their party raiment, and, bidding the boys good-by, the four girls drifted out and down the street looking like pretty butterflies.
Max lingered for a few minutes’ chat with Algernon about the paper, telling him some of his difficulties and desires. Algernon’s store of information proved of value here, too, and Max accepted gratefully a hint or two about the mechanical part of the work.
“I say, Swinburne,” he said suddenly, as he got up to go, taking fly and mosquito literature with him, “couldn’t you get off and run up to Madison for a few days this fall? I’d like to show you around and have you meet some of the fellows. If I were you, I’d try to pass off a few subjects. You could, without half trying, and perhaps you’d be able to get up and take your degree some time.”
“Thanks,” said Algernon, “I’ll think about it,” and Max went whistling away; but Algernon, as he selected a fairy tale for the little Hamilton girl, felt his heart light and his courage high. “I’ll get to college yet, as true as I’m alive,” he said aloud, and the little Hamilton girl looked up at him. “What did you say?” she asked. “I don’t want true stories, but fairy ones.”
254CHAPTER TWENTY
THE THREE R’S
The meeting of the Three R’s the next evening was one of particular importance. Not only to the eager reporters, who found that even Dot’s party would not spread out sufficiently to use up the space they had allotted to social events, but to the club members themselves. It was Judge Arthur’s fiftieth birthday, and as he was a childless man, quite alone in the world, his friendly neighbors were determined to make the day memorable for him. The meeting was to be at Three Gables, so the journalists were behind the scenes from the start. The only difficulty in the way of their writing it up was that they were so busy all day that there was not time to take a pen in hand.
“I always see to the refreshments when they meet here,” said Catherine to her three helpers, as she appeared, wearing by Hannah’s request, her brown smock. “You can crack the nuts for the salad if you will, Frieda; and Hannah, if you and Alice will get the dishes out of the way, that would be the most help. Mother wants Inga to sweep 255 the living-room, and we can have a jolly time out here.”