“Like you! like you!  A girl that flies into rages, and says unkind things?  Oh, no, nobody could like a girl like that!  Now, I’ll fix it.  You, Hester, won’t have Ruth in the club, you say.  Well, then if you’re not in the club yourself, of course Ruth could come in.  So, the rest of the club can choose which of you two girls they’d rather have, as it seems impossible to have you both.  King, as the oldest, I’ll ask you first.  Will you choose to have Hester or Ruth in this club?”

“Ruth,” said King, promptly.  “She doesn’t quarrel all the time.”

“Next, Tom.  Which do you choose?”

“Ruth,” replied Tom.

“Why, Tom Craig!” cried Hester, in surprise; “you never saw that girl till to-day!”

“No, but I’ve seen you,” he replied; “and I can tell you, Hester, I’m tired of these scraps you’re always putting up!  I believe we’ll have better times with Ruth Rowland.”

“Marjorie,” Cousin Jack went on, “which girl do you choose?”

“I’d like them both,” said Midget, who couldn’t quite bring herself to denounce Hester entirely.

“But Hester won’t have Ruth.  You must choose one or the other.”

“Then I choose Ruth, Cousin Jack.  For Hester does make me a lot of trouble.”

Midget sighed deeply, for, truly, Hester had caused strife in the club from its very beginning.

The two smaller boys voted decidedly for Ruth, and then Cousin Jack turned to Hester.

“You see,” he said, but not unkindly, “the club has unanimously expressed its preference for Ruth.  I don’t see that you can do anything but take your hat and go home.”

Hester looked at him in amazement.

“What do you mean?” she cried.  “I won’t go home!  I’m Queen, and I’ll stay here and be Queen!  Ruth can go home!”

“No,” said Mr. Bryant, more decidedly this time; “Ruth is not going home.  You’re to go home, Hester.  I happen to know that the Maynard children and the Craig boys have already shown patience and unselfishness toward your tyranny and unreasonableness—­now, they’re not going to be imposed on any longer.  I’ll have a voice in this matter myself.  Either you’ll stay in the club and agree to have Ruth for a member also, and be pleasant and kind to her, or else you can take your hat and go home.”

Mr. Bryant spoke quietly, but very firmly.  He knew all the club had been through, in putting up with Hester’s tantrums, and he thought it only fair that they should be relieved of this troublesome member.

“I won’t have Ruth in,” she repeated, but she dropped her eyes before Mr. Bryant’s stern glance.

“I’m sorry, Hester, but if you won’t have Ruth in, then you must go home, yourself, and I will ask you to go at once.”

“All right, I’m glad to go!” and Hester pulled off her crown and threw it on the ground, and stamped on it.  Then she broke in two her pretty gilt sceptre, and threw that down.  She flung her hat on her head and marched out of Sand Court with angry glances at each one.  She flirted her skirts and twitched her shoulders, and though she said nothing, she was as furious a little girl as can well be imagined.