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