Now it is possible that in advance of the present urgent situation which demanded that they accept this or nothing, a minority at least might have viewed this scheme with suspicion. They were not used to doing things in a body and the novelty of it, like all novelties, might have frightened them. As it was, the plan was received with instant enthusiasm and when put to a vote carried without a single dissenting voice. Anyway if a man disapproved all he had to do was not to bring in his produce. The action of the club didn’t bind a man to anything except to abide by results if he chose to contribute his stuff. We appointed three men to appear at my barn at four o’clock the next morning. They turned up on time and by four-fifteen the produce began to arrive. Everyone brought what he had, whether it was a bushel of sweet corn, a peck of beans, a dozen heads of lettuce, a half dozen cucumbers or a barrel of apples or potatoes. In most cases the individual lots didn’t amount to much but collectively we made a good showing that first morning. We had enough to fill a two horse load. I went to the station and supervised the loading myself and then went on to the market with it. Barnes, the commission man, looked it over and admitted that he was well pleased on his part with the venture. At the end of the first week I received a check for four hundred and eighty-three dollars and sixty-five cents--not in itself a large amount or as much as it should have been, but when considered as money, a large per cent. of which would otherwise have gone to waste, a creditable showing. And really the working out of the scheme as it continued from week to week was wonderfully simple. There was nothing either difficult or complicated about it. The three men appointed every week gave about two hours of their time for six days which in no way interfered with their farm duties. They all looked upon their selection as an honor and rather enjoyed their position. Nor was my part of it burdensome. I received an itemized accounting from Barnes and had nothing to do but divide these items as the dated credit slips were produced. I didn’t even have to do that, for Ruth did the figuring herself. Before the end of the season we found we had handled thirty-eight hundred dollars, but this included the apple and potato crop which went through us. And there wasn’t a single kick or complaint heard during the whole business.