"Forgive me，"said Patsy，abruptly."I—I think Imisjudged you.I was wrong in saying what I did.""No；you were quite right."She sat with downcastc eyes a moment，musing deeply.Then she looked up with asmile that quite glori？ed her wana face."I'd like to stay，you know，"she said humbly."I'm facing a crisis，just now，and on the whole I'd rather straighten up.If you feel like giving me a chance I—I'd like to see if I've any reserve force or whether the decency in me has all evaporatedb.""We'll try you；and I'm sure you have lots of reserveforce，Hetty，"cried Patsy，jumping up impulsively to take the artist's soiled，thin hand in her own."Come with me to the hotel and I'll get you a room.Where is your baggage ？""Didn't bring it.I wasn't sure I'd like the country，or that you'd care to trust me.In New York they know me for what I'm worth，and I get lots of work and good advice—mixed with curses.""We'll send for your trunk，"said Patsy，leading the girlup the street.
"No；it's in hock.But I won't need it.With no booze to buy I can invest my earnings in wearing apparel.What a picturesque place this is ！Way back in the primitive；no hint of those namby—pambyc green meadows and set rows of shade trees that make most country towns detestable；rocks and boulders—boulders and rocks—and the scragglyd pines for background.The wee brook has gone crazy.What do you call it ？""Little Bill Creek.""I'm going to stab it with my pencil.Where it bumps the rocks it's obstinate and pig—headeda；where it leaps the little shelves of slate it's merry and playful；where it sweeps silently between the curving banks it is sulkyb and resentful.The Little Bill has moods，bless its heart！Moods betokenccharacter."Patsy secured for Hetty a pleasant room facing the creek."Where will you work，at the of？ce or here？"she asked."In the open，I guess.I'll run over the telegraph news toget a subject for the day's cartoon，and then take to the woods.Let me know what other pictures you want and I'll do 'em on the run.I'm a beast to work."Arthur Weldon，in his capacity as advertising manager，wrote to all the national advertisers asking their patronaged for the Millville Daily Tribune.The letters were typewritten by the office stenographer on newly printed letterheads that Fitzgerald，the job printer，had prepared.Some of the advertisers were interested enough in Arthur's novel proposition to reply with questions as to the circulation of the new paper，where it was distributed，and the advertising rates.The voting man answered frankly that they had 27subscribers already and were going to distribute 400free copies every day，for a time，as samples，with the hope of increasing the subionlist."I am not sure you will derive any benefit at all from advertising in our paper，"he added；"but we would like to have you try it，and you can pay us whatever you consider the results warrant."To his astonishment the advertisements arrived，a greatmany from very prominent ？rms，who accepted his proposal with amusement at his originality and a desire to help the new venture along.
"Our square statement of facts has given us a good start，"hetold the girls."I'm really amazed at our success，and it's up to you to make a paper that will circulate and make trade for these trustful advertisers."With the local merchants the results were less satisfying.Bob West put in a card advertising his hardware business and Nib Corkins cautiously invested a half dollar to promote his drug store and stock of tarnisheda cheap jewelry；but Sam Cotting said everybody knew what he had for sale and advertising wouldn't help him any.Arthur drove to Huntingdon with Louise and while the society editor picked up items herhusband interviewed the merchants.The Huntingdon people were more interested in the new paper than the Millville folk，and Arthur quoted such low prices that several advertisements were secured.Two bright boys of this thriving village were also employed to ride over to Millville each morning，get a supply of Tribunes and distribute a sample copy to every house in theneighborhood.
"Fitz"set up the "ads"in impressive type and the columns of the first edition began to fill up days before the Fourth of July arrived.Louise had a story and two poems set in type and read over the proofs dozens of times with much pride and satisfaction，while Beth prepared an article on the history of baseball and the probable future of our national game.
They did not see much of their artist during the ？rst days following her arrival，but one afternoon she brought Patsy a sketch and asked：
"Who is this？"
Patsy glanced at it and laughed gleefully.It was Peggy McNutt，the fish—eyeda pooh—bahb of Millville，who was represented sitting on his front porch engaged in painting his wooden foot.This was one of McNutt's recognized amusements.He kept a supply of paints of many colors，and every few days appeared with his rudely carved wooden foot glistening with a new coat of paint and elaborately striped.Sometimes it would be blue with yellow stripes，then green with red stripes，and anon a lovely pink decorated with purple.One drawback to Peggy's delight in these transformations was the fact that it took the paint a night and a day to dry thoroughly，and during this period of waiting he would sit upon his porch with the wooden foot tenderly resting upon the rail—a helpless prisoner.
"Some folks，"he would say，"likes pretty neckties；an'some wears fancy socks；but fer my part I'd ruther show a han'some foot ner anything.It don't cost as much as wearin'socks an'neckties，an'it's more artistic like."Hetty had caught the village character in the act of striping the wooden foot，and his expression of intense interest in the operation was so original，and the likeness so perfect，from the string suspenders and flannel shirt to the antiquated straw hat and faded and patched overalls，that no one would be likely to mistake the subject.The sketch was entitled"The Village Artist，"and Patsy declared they would run it on an inside page，just to make the Millville people aware of the "power of the press."Larry made an etching of it and mountedthe plate for a double column picture.The original sketch Patsy decided to have framed and to hang it in her of？ce.
