A stuffed animal play and a fair sounded delightfully exciting, and when Bobby mentioned his plans to a group of close friends at recess he found them most responsive.

“There’s nothing much to do ’round now,” said Palmer Davis.  “I’m dead tired coasting every day.  I’d like to help Mrs. Jordan.”

Mrs. Jordan was an old woman who lived in a tumbled-down house.  She had a crippled son, and had supported herself, since the death of her husband, by going out to work by the day.  As she had always worked faithfully and never complained, Oak Hill people really did not know that this winter she had had a hard time to get enough to eat and coal enough to burn.  Her son was unable to earn anything, and Miss Mason, for whom Mrs. Jordan washed, had thought that it would be a kindness to put him in a home where he would be well taken care of at no expense to his mother.

“I’ll not hear of it!” declared Mrs. Jordan angrily, when the teacher mentioned this plan to her.  “He’s going to live at home with me as long as I have a roof to cover us.”

Miss Mason, who, like many kind-hearted people, did not like her well meant offers to be refused, had told Mrs. Jordan plainly that she was ungrateful, and that she need not bother to come for the wash any more.  So the poor old woman, who counted on this dollar and a half weekly, was deprived of that money.  In Oak Hill so many housewives did their own work that there was not a great deal of extra work to be had.

Two or three of the boys backed out when Bobby explained that they must ask people for the things to be sold at their fair.  But enough promised to go with him after school that afternoon to make it worth while to go on with the planning.

“Aunt Polly and Mother and Norah have promised to fix the ’freshment table,” explained Bobby.  “We’re going to sell ice-cream and lemonade and cake.  And Meg and Dot and the girls are going to get the things for the fancy work table.  So we only have to get enough for one table.”

“What kind of table?” asked Bertrand Ashe practically.

“All kinds I guess,” returned Bobby.  “Let’s go to all the stores.  And, oh, yes, we’re going to rehearse the stuffed animal play to-night.  Aunt Polly says as many as can, come over to our house.”

After school that afternoon Bobby and his committee started out to get the things to sell at their fair.  Now, no one likes to ask for things, perhaps, but Father Blossom had explained that it was very different when one is asking for something for some one else and not for one’s own gain or pleasure.

“When you go into a store, remember that you are doing something for poor Paul Jordan and think bow you would feel if you were poor and lame,” he had said to Bobby.  “When you ask Mr. Barber for something from his shelves you’re not asking for Bobby Blossom, but for Paul.  That will make asking easy for you.”

The first store the boys went into was the hardware store.  Mr. Gobert, the proprietor, came forward when he saw the six boys.