l
laughing at Fanny, rather than with her, which was unkind and
inexcusable, as they had encouraged the recital, but her sentimental
attitude was beyond their understanding.

Boys figured largely in all their thoughts, it's true, but in a totally
different way. Polly, for instance, quite frankly admired Bob Farwell.
She endowed him with every virtue. He was tremendously clever. He was
the most wonderful athlete, and he loved dogs--especially Polly's
dogs--in fact he was altogether perfect in her eyes--but she couldn't
imagine tying up his letters in baby blue ribbons and keeping them in
her top drawer.

And Lois, who was quite extravagantly fond of Frank Preston, would have
repudiated and emphatically denied any suggestion of his being a suitor.

As for Betty--the idea of liking a boy just because he was handsome, was
too foolish to even consider. The fact that Dick Saxon--supposedly her
arch enemy, but really her best friend--had flaming red hair and was
undeniably homely--may, of course, had something to do with her disgust
for good looks. Like lots of other girls, The Three judged boys by their
ability to do; while the road to Fanny's heart was by way of graceful
and charming compliments.

"You were saying--" Polly interrupted Fanny's dream.

"Why, let me see--about Jack? He's really stunning in his uniform--he
goes to military school--I have a lot of buttons off his coat."

At this point, Lois, much to the disgust of Polly and Betty, instead of
waiting for more of Jack, inquired:

"Why have you all these colored ribbons to tie up your letters? I
thought all love letters had to be tied in blue?"

Fanny picked up the various bands, looked at them while she went over
in her mind whether or not she would tell them her special system. It
was a clever idea, so she decided she would.

"Blue is for love letters," she told Lois, "because blue is true. I tie
all Jack's letters in blue. Yellow means fickle--" She paused. "Well,
there is a boy," she proceeded reluctantly, "down home, who used to like
me until he met a cousin of mine, and she just naturally cut me out; so
I tie his letters with yellow ribbon. This here green," she took up two
letters tied with a narrow piece of baby ribbon, "is for hope."

"Hope?" Lois stifled a laugh. "Do you mean you hope for more?"

Fanny had heard the giggle and looked up in surprise. A little hurt look
stole across her face.

"I reckon you all think I'm silly," she said, slowl