"How would it do to have flowers of every color?" remarked Carter.
"If it didn't look like a crazy quilt or a rag carpet," put in Nan.
"Nuf said," replied Carter; "we'll strike that out."
"Shades of violet might be lovely," remarked Mrs. Corner thoughtfully.
"Not original enough," Miss Helen decided, "though if it comes to that, I suppose everything from the stars and stripes in red white and blue, to a portrait of the president done in flesh color will be on exhibition. What we want is something not too conspicuous, yet refined and artistic."
"Chaste and elegant fills the bill," returned Carter.
"How would it do to dress up the four Corners as North, South, East and West?" suggested Mr. Pinckney. "Dress North in fur and cover her with snowballs; South could have magnolias; East could have,—could have——"
"Could have——" repeated Carter. "Go on, Mr. St. Nick."
"I'm stuck," he confessed. "I don't believe my ingenuity could devise sufficiently distinctive costumes. We shall have to give that up. Why haven't we heard from you, Mary Lee? I see the shadow of thought resting upon your brow."
"I'm just thinking that we might use the Spanish colors," she said, "and we could wear Spanish dresses." It was plain to be seen what influenced her suggestion.