Besides the sleeping Nests and the Refectory, there were a tool-house, a carpenter shop for teaching carpentry, a machine-shop to teach mechanics, a library with books and papers to read, and in fact many other departments for the education of boys and girls.
As you read in the last chapter of “The Blue Birds’ Uncle Ben,” the children published their June number of the magazine and planned to suspend for July and August. In this June issue they showed photographs of Happy Hills and the Nests ready to receive tenants for the summer. And as every benevolent institution and child’s hospital, as well as the Welfare Workers and physicians known to be interested in the poor children received a copy of the June magazine, the boys and girls publishing it felt sure there would be plenty of applicants to fill the camp.
So work went on until the last of May, when all was ready at Happy Hills, and Maggie Owens—you remember Maggie, don’t you?—already had her little flock of brothers and sisters in one of the Nests. She was the first Little Citizen to take up residence at the camp. Maggie had been admitted without a ticket as her case was well known to the Blue Birds and needed no investigation, but the tickets were ready for distribution the day before Decoration Day and Uncle Ben was truly surprised at the demand awaiting them.
Ikey Einstein had been suggested by the Big Brother’s Organization as an honest, shrewd little fellow who could be of great assistance in the matter of tickets, so the boy was interviewed and engaged at a salary to furnish information about any of the numerous applicants from the East Side, where Ikey lived.
And that is why Micky Finn sought out Ikey when he wanted to secure a camp-ticket for Nelly.
CHAPTER III
UNCLE BEN’S DRILL CORPS
Little Nelly Finn had been admitted to the camp at Happy Hills, and was the happiest little girl there. Never had she seen such grass and flowers, to say nothing of the big trees and noisy brook in the Valley of Delight. The day she had stood with a lady, and several other children waiting for the train that left at noon for Happy Hills, Micky promised her to save his pennies and come for a visit to the Camp that Summer. Not only Micky, but Ikey, Skelly, and another boy, who had a shoe-shine box, agreed to visit Happy Hills.
Nelly was established in the Nest next to Maggie, the Little Mother of six younger children—Maggie was eleven. Because of her motherly instincts, Maggie felt a grown-up interest in the newcomers, who were about Nelly’s age.
“I see you don’t know what to do wid dese girls, Miss Martin,” said Maggie, the afternoon of the new arrivals, as the Mother Wings of that particular Nest seemed bewildered and worried.
“This is all new to me, little girl, and I am only here until a school-teacher can take my place,” replied Miss Martin.