Marjorie at Seacote | Page 8

but at the same time, she enjoyed her unique
position of being the only girl in the crowd. The boys deferred to her as
to a princess, and she ruled them absolutely.
Of course the senior Craigs and Maynards became good friends also,
and the two ladies especially spent many pleasant hours together.
Baby Rosamond rarely played with the older children, as she was too
little to join in their vigorous games, often original with themselves,
and decidedly energetic. The beach was their favorite playground. They
never tired of digging in the sand, and they had a multitude of spades
and shovels and hoes for their various sand performances. Some days
they built a fort, other days a castle or a pleasure ground. Their
sand-works were extensive and elaborate, and it often seemed a pity
that the tide or the wind should destroy them over night.

"I say, let's us be a Sand Club," said Tom one day. "We're always
playing in the sand, you know."
"All right," said Marjorie, instantly seeing delightful possibilities.
"We'll call ourselves Sand Crabs, for we're always scrambling through
the sand."
"And we're jolly as sandboys!" said King. "I don't know what sandboys
really are, but they're always jolly, and so are we."
"I'd like something more gay and festive," Marjorie put in; "I mean like
Court Life, or something where we could dress up, and pretend things."
"I know what you mean," said Dick, grasping her idea. "Let's have
Sand Court, and build a court and a throne, and we'll all be royal people
and Marjorie can be queen."
"Well, let's all have sandy names," suggested Tom. "Marjorie can be
Queen Sandy. And we'll call our court Sandringham Palace. You know
there is one, really."
"You can be the Grand Sandjandrum!" said King, laughing.
"No, you be that," said Tom, unselfishly.
"No, sir; you've got to. I'll be a sand piper, and play the court anthems."
"All right," said Marjorie, "and Harry can be a sand crab, for he just
scuttles through the sand all the time. What'll Dick be?"
King looked at Dick. "We'll call him Sandow," he suggested, and they
all laughed, for Dick was a frail little chap, without much muscular
strength. But the name stuck to him, and they always called him
Sandow thereafter.
"I wish we could make our palace where it would stay made," said
Marjorie. "We don't want to make a new one every day."
"That's so," said Tom. "If we only could find a secret haunt."

"I know a kind of a one," said Dick; "'way back in our yard, near where
it joins yours, is a deepy kind of a place, and it's quite sandy."
"Just the thing!" cried Marjorie. "I know that place. Come on!"
She was off like a deer, and the rest followed. A few moments' scamper
brought them to the place, and all declared it was just the very spot for
a palace.
"I'd like beach sand better, though," said Marjorie.
"We'll bring all you want," declared Tom. "We'll take a wheelbarrow,
and bring heaps up from the beach."
The Sand Club worked for days getting their palace in order. The two
big boys wheeled many loads of sand up from the beach, and Marjorie
and the two other boys arranged it in shape.
Dick was clever at building, and he planned a number of fine effects.
Of course, their palace had no roof or walls, but the apartments were
partitioned off with low walls of sand, and there were sand sofas and
chairs, and a gorgeous throne.
The throne was a heap of sand, surmounted by a legless armchair,
found in the Craigs' attic, and at court meetings draped with pink
cheesecloth and garlands of flowers. The whole palace was really a
"secret haunt," for a slight rise of ground screened it from view on two
sides and trees shaded the other side.
The parents of both families were pleased with the whole scheme, for it
kept the children occupied, and they could always be found at a
moment's notice.
Sand tables were built, and on them were bits of old dishes and broken
vases, all of which were desirable because they could stay out in the
rain and not be harmed. Moreover, they were handy in case of a feast.
At last preparations were complete and they decided to open the court
next day.

"We must have a flag," said Marjorie. "I'll make it. The court colors are
red and yellow, and our emblem will be,--what shall our emblem be?"
"A pail of sand," suggested Tom.
"Yes; I can cut out a pail of red flannel, and sew it on to a yellow flag.
I'll make that this afternoon, and we'll hold court to-morrow morning at
ten o'clock. We must all wear