eloquent. 'I declare there's no use my wasting my time on arithmetic,'
she said, and when I told her there was a slight difference between the
two, she wouldn't have it. 'It's all the same thing; maybe one's a tiny
bit more elaborate than the other, but what's the use of proving all
those angles equal. I don't reckon I'll ever be a carpenter; so there's
just no sense in it.' I had to laugh at her," Lois finished.

"Oh, Fanny's rare," Betty agreed. "Let's go see if she's in her room
instead of asking her down here. I'm tired of Senior Alley."

Polly and Lois agreed with alacrity, but Angela insisted she had letters
to write and they left her knowing quite well there would be no jam left
when they returned.

Fanny was in her room, but instead of opening the door to Polly's knock,
she called out:

"Who all's there?"

"We are," Lois answered for them. "May we come in?"

The annoyed tone vanished from Fanny's voice.

"Oh, you all," she called; "come in, of course;"--and as they
entered--"I thought maybe it was some of those impertinent young
Freshmen coming to give me advice, and I just couldn't be bothered with
them. That's why I didn't sound too cordial."

She was sitting on the floor in the middle of her room, surrounded by
letters and bands of every color ribbon.

"I hope we're not disturbing you?" Polly said, rather taken aback at the
sight of her. She couldn't quite understand all the letters, but she had
her suspicions.

Betty found a place to sit, or rather perch, on the bed.

"Playing postoffice?" she asked with a grin.

But Fanny refused to be teased. She continued to sort out her letters,
while she explained their presence.

"You see," she began dreamily, "these here notes are all from my boy
friends; some of them are three years old."

"The friends?" queried Lois.

"No, stupid, the letters," Betty said hastily in an aside. "Yes, go on,"
she encouraged Fanny.

"And every now and then I like to read them over; some of them are
awfully sweet, especially Jack's."

"Who's Jack?" her listeners demanded in chorus.

"Oh, Jack's my favorite admirer," she admitted, rather than stated.
"He's crazy about me, or so he says. I reckon I'll just have to marry
him one of these days. He's so handsome--" She paused, a sentimental
smile of remembrance wreathing her face.

"How thrilling! do tell us," Betty begged. She was gurgling with joy
inside, and like Polly and Lois, she was highly amused. They were al