ce.

"I should be very stupid if I didn't," declared Arline.

"Of course she's dark, with eyebrows an inch wide. You can't expect me
to give an imitation of anything like that," apologized Elfreda.

"I think I should recognize her on sight," smiled Ruth Denton.

"We are miles off our original subject," remarked Grace. "Elfreda hasn't
told us how she looked as a child."

"All right. I'll tell you now," volunteered J. Elfreda graciously. "I
had round, staring blue eyes and a fat face. I wore my hair down my back
in curls--that is, when it was done up on curlers the night before--and
it was almost tow color. I had red cheeks and was ashamed of them, and
my stocky, square-shouldered figure was anything but sylphlike. I was
not beautiful, but I was very well satisfied with myself, and to call me
'Fatty' was to offer me deadly insult. That is about as much as I can
remember," finished the stout girl.

"Really, Elfreda, while you were describing yourself I could fairly see
you," smiled Arline.

"Now it's your turn," reminded Elfreda. "I imagine you were a cunning
little girl."

Arline flushed at the implied compliment. "Father used to call me
'Daffydowndilly,'" she began. "My hair was much lighter than it is now,
but it has always been curly. I am afraid I used to be very vain, for I
loved to stand and smile at myself in the mirror simply because I liked
my yellow curls and was fascinated with my own smile. No one told me I
was vain, for Mother died when I was a baby, and even my governess
laughed to see me worship my own reflection. When I was twelve years
old, Father engaged a governess who was different from the others. She
was a widow and had to support herself. She was highly educated and one
of the sweetest women I have ever known. When she took charge of me I
was a vain, stupid little tyrant, but she soon made me over. She
remained with me until I entered a prep school, then an uncle whom she
had never seen died and left her some money. She's coming to Overton to
see me some day. Overton is her Alma Mater, too."

"You are next, Grace," nodded Ruth.

"There isn't much to tell about me," began Grace. "I was the tomboy of
Oakdale. I loved to climb trees and play baseball and marbles. I was
thin as a lath and like live wire. My face was rather thin, too, and I
remember I cried a whole afternoon because a little girl at school
called me 'saucer-eyes.' There wasn't a suspicion of curl in my hair,
and I wore it in