y, "but you see, down
home, there's not much to do between holidays, when the boys come,
except write letters and wait for mail, and all the girls I--"

She stopped; a big lump rose in her throat, and her eyes filled with
tears.

The Three felt properly ashamed of themselves. Polly finally broke the
embarrassed silence.

"We don't think you're silly at all," she fibbed consolingly. "If you
want to keep your letters, why shouldn't you tie them up in appropriate
colored ribbons?"

"But you wouldn't keep yours," Fanny replied with more insight than they
had given her credit for.

"Well, no; I wouldn't, that is, I don't," Polly answered, lamely. And
Betty seized the first opportunity to change the subject.

"What did you say about the Freshmen bothering?" she asked, when Fanny
was in smiles again.

"They most certainly did, two of them, Jane and Phylis. They came in and
wanted to know if I was homesick." Fanny looked indignant. "I told them
no. Then they looked at all the pictures on my bureau, and Jane, the
sassy little thing, told me if I wanted to get along at Seddon Hall, I'd
have to stop being boy crazy. I just told them to go on about their
business, right quick, and they went," she finished triumphantly.

"Jemima! the little--" Betty stopped from sheer astonishment. Polly and
Lois exchanged understanding glances.

The next day all the girls assembled in the gym, a round building about
a hundred feet from the school. A basket ball court took up most of the
floor space. A balcony for spectators ran around three sides of the
room. Every possible device hung from the ceiling, rings, ladders,
trapezes and horizontal bars, but for the most part, these were dusty
and disused.

Seddon Hall centered all its faculty on basket ball. Twice a year, in
February and June, the team played outside schools and almost always
came out victorious.

To-day, because it was raining still, most of the girls entered for the
first try out. The Seniors sat in the balcony and watched, while every
girl had a chance to pass the basket ball and try for a basket.

"Not a very likely crowd," Polly mused, "hardly a decent play."

"It's too early to tell, in all this mob," Lois answered.

"I'm dizzy watching them. I see that little imp of a Jane with Phylis
Guile over in the corner. Let's go and thank them for the flowers?" she
suggested.

Polly groaned--"All right, come on; you know we've got to put our
foot--I mean feet down now h