"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, slowly, "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.