"Yes, and we must select some bank in which to place our account; shall we say the Oakdale Trust Company?" said Mrs. Talmage.
So that was agreed upon and the secretary told to stop at the bank in the morning and get the necessary blanks for the company to fill in.
"What a heap of money the magazines must make," said Dot. "Just look at all the money we have already with no list."
"But you forget we have really no costs to pay at present so all that is paid in is profit. But the city publishers have heavy expenses to pay out of all their income," explained Mrs. Talmage.
"Uncle Ben says that hardly any magazine published could pay its expenses on the subscriptions only; it is the advertising that pays for the work," said Ned.
"We ought to get busy on our advertising, then," urged Jinks.
"If we don't we won't pay costs after all of these free donations of paper and postage are over," added Meredith.
"You boys practised that part of the work, so why don't you try and call upon some big firms and ask for contracts?" asked Dot.
"How do you know we practised?" questioned Ned, looking at the Blue Birds, who started giggling as they recalled the visit to the loft over the carriage house.
"No one but we boys knew it--we kept the doors closed while we tried to see which one could do it best," replied Don.
"A little bird whispered it in our ears," teased Ruth.
"Say, Jinks! do you remember the time I heard those noises in the loft?" asked Ned.
The Bobolinks saw that the girls were laughing at them.
"I wonder when Mr. Richards will get that story printed in the papers--that will help so much!" sighed Betty.
"Don't be impatient, little girl," said Mrs. Talmage. "Remember, we have only just begun, and I think there have been marvelous steps taken."
"And when it once gets started, the subscription list will grow very rapidly," added Aunt Selina.
And so it proved. In a few weeks' time the letters containing checks and money orders for subscriptions reached such proportions that Mrs. Talmage was distracted trying to attend properly to the clerical work. Mr. Talmage saw that it was such tiresome application to detail that he telephoned Uncle Ben to send out a competent filing clerk; in a few days a nice young girl of about eighteen arrived and took charge of all the mail, and Mrs. Talmage heaved a deep sigh of relief.