“Thank you very much, sir!” exclaimed Uncle John.  “I’ll set Lon Taft at work at once.  Where can he be found?”

“Playing billiards at the hotel, usually.  I suppose he is there now.”

“Very good; I’ll hunt him up.  What do you think of our newspaper scheme, West?”

The old merchant hesitated.  Then he said slowly: 

“Whatever your charming and energetic nieces undertake, sir, will doubtless be well accomplished.  The typical country newspaper groans under a load of debt and seldom gets a fair show to succeed; but in this case there will be no lack of money, and—­why, that settles the question, I think.  Money is the keystone to success.”

“Mr. West,” said Louise, with dignity, “we are depending chiefly on the literary merit of our newspaper to win recognition.”

“Of course; of course!” said he hastily.  “Put me down as a subscriber, please, and rely upon my support at all times.  It is possible, young ladies—­nay, quite probable, I should say—­that your originality and genius will yet make Millville famous.”

That speech pleased Uncle John, and as the hardware merchant bowed and turned away, Mr. Merrick said in his cheeriest tones:  “He’s quite right, my dears, and we’re lucky to have found such a fine, roomy place for our establishment.  Before we go after the carpenter to fix it up I must telephone to Marvin about the things we still need.”

Over the long-distance telephone Mr. Marvin reported that he had bought the required outfit and it was even then being loaded on the freight cars.

“I’ve arranged for a special engine,” he added, “and if all goes well the freight will be on the sidetrack at Chazy Junction on Monday morning.  The dealer will send down three men to set up the presses and get everything in running order.  But he asks if you have arranged for your workmen.  How about it, Mr. Merrick? have you plenty of competent printers and pressmen at Millville?”

“There are none at all,” was the reply.  “Better inquire how many we will need, Marvin, and send them down here.  And, by the way, hire women or girls for every position they are competent to fill.  This is going to be a girls’ newspaper, so we’ll have as few men around as possible.”

“I understand, sir.”

Uncle John ordered everything he could think of and told his agent to add whatever the supply man thought might be needed.  This business being accomplished, he found Lon Taft at the hotel and instructed the carpenter to put rows of windows on both sides of the shed and to build partitions for an editorial office and a business office at the front.

This was the beginning of a busy period, especially for poor Uncle John, who had many details to attend to personally.  The next morning the electricians arrived and began stringing the power cables from the paper mill to the newspaper office.  This rendered it necessary for Mr. Merrick to make a trip to Royal, to complete his arrangement with Mr. Skeelty, the manager.  He drove over with Arthur Weldon, in the buggy—­four miles of hill climbing, over rough cobble-stones, into the pine forest.