“Gee, that’s a dandy!” Ernest approved.
“Say, I’d like to have that one,” said Sherm.
“I like blue better anyway—make mine blue, will you, Marian?” Ernest added.
Marian thought of Katy’s scarlet and white offering to be laid at Ernest’s shrine and smiled.
“Yellow for me, please,” put in Carol. “Yellow’s so kind of cheerful—like sunshine or gold—I always liked dandelions only they’re such a pest.”
The little girls had been too happily full of their own plans to wonder whether they would get any baskets in return. But they came back that evening from the delightfully exciting task of hanging their fragrant gifts to find that friends and playmates had been equally mindful of them.
Katy had the most—seven. Jane and Gertie had each five. One of Jane’s was a marvellous creation so heavy that she promptly investigated what lay beneath the flowers, finding a fat little box of candy hidden away. Another was a crude little pasteboard affair fairly overflowing with dainty spring beauties, and this, too, contained an offering in the shape of a jolly little homemade whistle. Still another had scarlet bows.
Katy wondered and wondered who sent her a similar basket with golden yellow bows on each side of the handle.
“I’m sure I heard Ernest and Sherm outside our gate. I just know Ernest gave me that,” she confided to Gertie.
Gertie’s biggest basket had blue bows and Gertie loved blue.