“Indeed it is!” said the old lady, with a smile.  “I never was so busy.  That oatmeal is selling fine.  I wish I’d had a special sale of it before.”

Besides the boxes in the window there were packages of oatmeal piled on shelves ready to be sold.  And as the price was lower than oatmeal could be bought for at other stores, Mrs. Golden did a good trade.

After a while things became a little quieter in the store, after the first surprise had worn off.  But now people were constantly passing in the street, and many of them stopped to look at the dog and cat, which were now playing together, Splash gently pawing at the white kitten which climbed all over him.

Bunny had just finished selling a man a package of oatmeal, and Sue was getting out a paper of pins for a lady when Uncle Tad came into the store.

“Hello, children!” he cried in his jolly way.  “I see you took some of my advice and advertised by your show windows,” he added to Mrs. Golden.

“Bunny and Sue did it for me,” she said, “with the help of Charlie Star.  It is wonderful.”

“If you’ll get me a white piece of cardboard and a pen and some ink I’ll make you a sign to put in that oatmeal window,” offered the old soldier.  “Those signs are all right, Bunny,” said Uncle Tad.  “But for a special sale you want a special sign.  Let me see now,” he went on, as Mrs. Golden got him what he had asked for.  “You have made those oatmeal boxes into the shape of a fort with guns.  Now I must make a sign to go with it.  Let me see.  Ah, I have it!”

He was busy with the ink for several minutes, and then he held up a sign which read: 

          FORT-IFY YOUR CONSTITUTION
               WITH THIS OATMEAL

“There!” exclaimed Uncle Tad, “this ought to bring more customers!”

“Ha!  Ha!” laughed Mrs. Golden.  “That’s a pretty good joke!”

Bunny, Sue, and Charlie could not see anything funny, or like a joke, in the sign.  But then it was not intended for children, so it did not matter.

But men and women passing in the street and pausing to read what Uncle Tad had printed, seemed to think it was odd, for they stopped, read it, laughed or chuckled, and then either passed on or came in and bought some oatmeal.  And quite a few came in, so that by night Mrs. Golden had sold nearly all of the cereal.

“My goodness!” she said, when it was time for Bunny, Sue, and Charlie to go home.  “This has been a wonderful day.  Could you come over to-morrow?” she asked.  “I don’t mean to work,” she added quickly.  “For I’m afraid your mothers will think you’re doing too much for me.  But I mean could you come over and bring your dog and cat to put in the window.  They certainly brought the crowd.”

“Yes, we’ll bring Splash,” said Bunny.

“And I’ll bring my kitten,” offered Charlie.

“And we’ll come and help you sell things!” laughed Sue.  “We like it, don’t we?” she asked the boys, and of course they said they did.