Before nine o’clock that night the magazines had all been wrapped, ready for Ike to take to the post-office. The children were just as eager to continue the work, but Mrs. Talmage said that nine o’clock was time to go home.
“We’ll all be here Monday afternoon to help some more, Mrs. Talmage,” promised the Blue Birds as they skipped away beside their mothers.
It took the Bobolinks all of that week, working every moment after school, and many of the evening hours, to finish the rest of the magazines. Everyone had decided that ten thousand would be enough for the first issue, for it took so long to wrap each copy that no extra time could be given to printing.
The first week of November results began to appear. One day the Blue Birds came to the Winter Nest and found several letters lying on the table, addressed to the “Blue Birds of Oakdale.”
“Oh, oh! who do you s’pose they are from?” eagerly asked Norma.
Dot was trying to look right through the envelope and the others laughed at her expression.
“Let’s open them and see!” said sensible Ruth.
Mrs. Talmage entered the room just then and the letters were given her to open and read aloud.
“Maybe they are subscriptions,” suggested Mrs. Talmage, as she slipped a paper-knife under the flap of an envelope.
“Goodness! suppose they are?” whispered Betty.