Roger told him to the last detail, even quoting Tom’s remark about the “three little girls,” and adding some suggestions about town prizes for front door yards which the Ethels had poured into his ears as they came up the stairs.  While he was talking the editor made some notes on a pad lying on his desk.  The Ethels were afraid that that meant that he was not paying much attention, and they glanced at each other with growing disappointment.  When Roger stopped, however, Mr. Montgomery nodded gravely.

“I shall be very glad indeed to lend the weight of the Star toward the carrying out of your proposition,” he remarked, seeming not to notice the bounce of delight that the younger girls could not resist.  “What would you think of a series of editorials, each striking a different note?” and he read from his pad;—­Survey of Rosemont; Effect of Appearance of Railroad Station, Town Hall, etc., on Strangers; Value of Beauty as a Reinforcement to Good Roads and Good Schools.  “That is, as an extra attraction for drawing new residents,” he explained.  “We have good roads and good schools, but I can conceive of people who might say that they would have to be a lot better than they are before they’d live in a town where the citizens had no more idea of the fitness of things than to have a dump heap almost in the heart of the town and to let the Town Hall look like a jail.”

The listening party nodded their agreement with the force of this argument.

“‘What Three Little Girls Have Done,’” read Mr. Montgomery.  “I’ll invite any one who is interested to take a look at the graded schoolhouse and see how much better it looks as a result of what has been accomplished there.  I know, because I live right opposite it, and I’m much obliged to you young ladies.”

He bowed so affably in the direction of the Ethels and Dorothy, and “young ladies” sounded so pleasantly in their ears that they were disposed to forgive him for the “little girls” of his title.

“I have several other topics here,” he went on, “some appealing to our citizens’ love of beauty and some to their notions of commercial values.  If we keep this thing up every day for a week and meanwhile work up sentiment, I shouldn’t wonder if we had some one calling a public meeting at the end of the week.  If no one else does I’ll do it myself,” he added amusedly.

“What can we do?” asked Ethel Brown, who always went straight to the practical side.

“Stir up sentiment.  You stirred your grandfather; stir all your neighbors; talk to all your schoolmates and get them to talk at home about the things you tell them.  I’ll send a reporter to write up a little ‘story’ about the U.S.C. with a twist on the end that the grown-ups ought not to leave a matter like this for youngsters to handle, no matter how well they would do it.”

“But we’d like to handle it,” stammered Ethel Blue.

“You’ll have a chance; you needn’t be afraid of that.  The willing horse may always pull to the full extent of his strength.  But the citizens of Rosemont ought not to let a public matter like this be financed by a few kids,” and Mr. Montgomery tossed his notebook on his desk with a force that hinted that he had had previous encounters with an obstinate element in his chosen abiding place.