In fact, they received somewhat less than one thousand, and the original twenty thousand papers were found sufficient. These, though paid for with some degrees of promptness, were not immediately forthcoming. It is the printer's way. The "man with his sleeves rolled up" does not hasten in the process of "wiping his hands on the cheerless towel" even after the requested check has been received and cashed. Though pleaded for, argued for, demanded at last violently, the "first round of the first issue" did not arrive until the morning of the 24th, at which time Colonel Hazard put on sufficient force to dispose of them in one day. And so the "first round of the first issue" was out at last. Also, on to-morrow their premium advertisements would appear. The dice which they had been jingling so merrily for the better part of a year they had cast, finally, on the round green table of the world. XVI AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW They were elated to find a subscription in the big mail-box on the following morning; at least, Perner and Van Dorn were, and Livingstone, though less demonstrative, seemed also gratified. Few, if any, of the sample copies could have reached their destination, and it must have been an early riser indeed who had already seen their advertising and forwarded a subscription. When the letter was found to be from one Dorothy Castle of Cleveland, the wonder grew. "She must have got hold of an advance copy," commented Perner. "You came from Cleveland, Stony; do you know any Castles out there?" Livingstone thought hard, and admitted that the name sounded familiar; his people might know her. Then there was a careful examination of the precious document by each in turn. "I'll bet that's a bully girl!" decided Van Dorn, with emphasis. "I can tell by the handwriting." "She is that," agreed Livingstone. "Let's have it framed and hung up as a souvenir," suggested Perner. "Give it to me," said Livingstone. "I have an idea." Perner made a copy of it first for the Colonel. His enthusiasm had returned. "She wants a Bible," he commented. "I say, fellows, don't you think we'd better have a thousand Bibles sent right up? That seems to be the premium they want." "Better wait till to-morrow," advised Van Dorn; "then we'll have the money to pay for them with." This seemed good advice. The rest of the day they spent between the studios and the circulation department below. No further subscriptions were received, however, and though they remarked to each other that of course they did not expect them, it was evident that evening found them somewhat more silent than usual. They were up next morning early. Breakfast was a mere form, and conversation difficult. They made a pretense of the usual banter, it is true, but the laughter sounded spasmodic and strange. The long strain upon them had told. Perner reached the big mail-box first, and struck it with his foot. It rang hollow. He peered down through the long opening in the top.