After dinner was over, Marjorie sought Ruth. She was not jealous of her friend’s triumph; Ruth deserved it, and she did not.
So, with genuine pleasure, she said, “I’m awfully glad you made it, Ruth. Nobody deserves it more than you!”
Ruth thanked her, and Marjorie continued enthusiastically, “I think you have done a big thing for the school. And I mean to belong just as soon as possible. I’m going to give up everything else till I pull up my Latin mark!”
Ruth bit her lip. To her, half the fun of belonging to the Girl Scouts consisted in being able to write home and tell her parents and friends that she had succeeded where Marjorie had failed. But she said nothing to indicate her feelings to the other girl.
Promptly at two o’clock the next afternoon—which was Saturday—the scout candidates assembled in Miss Allen’s office.
“The first thing we will do,” said Miss Allen, “is to vote for a Captain. Then, if possible, we will invite the person you elect into the meeting, and she can take charge, for I won’t have time myself.”
She asked Ruth to come forward and give out the paper for voting. “Every Scout should be prepared with a pencil, but if any girl needs one this time, I will lend her one.
“Write the name of the person you want on the paper; if there isn’t a majority for any one candidate the first time, we will vote over again between the two or three highest.”
But there was no cause for a second vote; Miss Phillips was elected by an overwhelming majority. Lily was sent to the gymnasium to tell her of the result of the election, and returned with an invitation for the meeting to transfer its location to the gymnasium.
In a few words, Miss Phillips thanked the girls for the honor they had given her, and promised to live up to the Scout laws as faithfully as she could.