all for Mary but one, and that is for Lucy," said Henry.

"Then cousin Mary is president," said James, clapping his hands.

"Yes," said Mary, "it seems you have chosen me president; and I will be
president for a time, until I think that some of the rest of you have
learned how to preside, and then I shall resign, and leave you to manage
your society yourselves. Now you must write the votes for secretary." So
Mary took her seat in the chair which she had provided for the
president, and which, until this time, had been empty.

So the children began to write votes again, and as fast as they had
written them they brought them to Mary, and dropped them in her lap. As
soon as each one had put in his vote, he went back and took his seat.
When the votes were all in, Mary looked them over, and said,

"There are two votes for Lucy, and one for Rollo, and one for Henry."

"Then Lucy is chosen secretary," said James.

"No," said Mary, "because she has only half. The person that is chosen
must have more than half of all the votes. Lucy has two, and there are
two scattering."

"Scattering!" said Rollo, looking somewhat puzzled.

"Yes; that is, for other persons."

"What shall we do, then?" said Rollo.

"Why, you must vote again."

So the children wrote votes again, and brought them in to the president.
She smiled as she looked them over. Then she said,

"Now there is a tie."

"A tie, Mary!" said Rollo; "what is a tie?"

"Why, there are two votes for Rollo, and two for Lucy; that makes it
exactly balanced, and they call that a _tie_."

"And now what shall we do with the tie?" said Rollo.

"Why, you must vote again."

Just as the children were preparing to vote again, they heard a noise of
footsteps at the door, and, looking up, they saw Nathan coming in. He
had his little straw hat upon his head, and his whip in his hand. He was
playing market-man, and wanted to know if they wished to buy any
potatoes.

The children all laughed. Mary said, "No, Thanny, this is a society;
come, don't you want to belong to the society?"

"Yes," said Nathan; and down went his whip upon the floor, and he came
trotting along towards Mary. Mary told him to sit down upon the seat
next to Rollo.

Nathan took his seat, and began to look around with an air of great
curiosity, wondering what they were going to do; and by this time the
votes were ready. Mary looked them over and counted them, and then said
that they were just as they were