THE BIRDS CHRISTMAS TREE 243 
Club itself; for this name had been printed on the posters 
advertising the sale. 
The result that concerned the public good was that other 
men and women resolved, even if they could not do it as 
thoroughly as Gray Lady, to supply the teachers in their 
various districts with charts and books, and before night 
settled down, Sarah Barnes, the treasurer of the Club, was 
hugging tight in her arms a small iron box, with a lock 
and key, wherein were fifty precious dollars, while 
orders that meant an equal sum before the close of the 
school year were being copied from a rather mussy paper 
into a blank-book, by Tommy Todd, the secretary, whose 
usually clear upright letters were made crooked by his 
excitement. 
The next question was, How should the money be spent ? 
Each child was asked to write his or her idea on a slip of 
paper and bring it to the birds’ Christmas festival that 
was to be held, as seemed fitting, in Birdland, the after- 
noon before Christmas, from two o’clock until four. 
“Supposin’ it’s cold and snowy ? — that’s a long time to 
be outdoors,’”’ said Eliza Clausen, as she walked home 
between Sarah and Ruth Barnes. 
“Tt may not be out-of-doors,” said Sarah, looking very 
wise. 
“Then it can’t be in Birdland, as Gray Lady said,” 
persisted Eliza, who, though she was less critical since 
she had come under the older woman’s influence, could 
not resist once in a while, ‘‘ hoping for the worst,’”’ as Gray 
Lady called borrowing trouble. 
“Yes; the party can be indoors, and yet in Birdland,” 
answered Sarah. 
