d sat down.

"And now you must not talk at all, until the president is chosen," said
Mary. "You must all write upon these papers the name of the person you
think best for president, and then bring them to me. You see," she
continued, as she distributed the papers around, to the other children,
"that I am acting as president just now, until we get one chosen. That
is the way men do. I asked father about it. He said that the oldest
person, or one of the oldest, generally took charge of the proceedings,
until a chairman was chosen."

"A chairman?" said Rollo.

[Illustration]

"Yes, or president; sometimes they call him a chairman."

So the children took their papers, and began to prepare for writing
their ballots.

"What shall we put our papers on, cousin Mary, to write?" said Lucy.

"O, you must write on the seat by the side of you,--or on this book;
here is a book for one."

"I can write on my cap," said James; and he placed his cap upon his
knees, and began to use that for a desk. One of the children took the
book, and others leaned over to one side, and put their papers upon the
seat, and prepared to write there. Some began to write very soon. Others
looked around mysteriously, considering which one of the company would
make the best president. Henry stood up by the great work bench, and
made that his writing-desk; keeping a sharp look-out all the time lest
Rollo should see what he should write. And thus the children prepared
their votes for president.

When the votes were all ready, the children brought them all together to
Mary, who put them on the corner of the great bench near which she was
standing; and the children all came up around them, to see who was
chosen.

But Mary gently put her hand over the votes, and told them that that was
not the way to count votes. "You must all go and sit down again," she
said, "and appoint some one to count them; and then he or she must come
alone, and look them over and tell you who is chosen."

"Well," said the children; and so they went back to their seats.

"I propose that Henry count them," said Mary.

"Well," said the children.

"No, let James," said Rollo.

"That is not right, Rollo," said Mary, "because it is of very little
consequence who counts the votes, and in societies the best way is to
let things that are of little consequence go according to the first
proposal. That saves time."

So Henry came up, and began to look over the votes.

"They are