So the girls learned the hard way that other kids can be manipulative — one of the older neighborhood kids rather successfully played "divide and conquer" on the girls in order to get things to happen her way.
They came home upset and had a chat about it. Once they pooled their info and figured out they'd been had, they all got angry — but De took it to a whole new level. She climbed up on a chair in the kitchen, thumping her fists and declaring, in a speech worthy of a politician or a preacher, *we will STICK TOGETHER* and *we will WIN*. She had her sisters chanting and cheering. I wish I'd been able to get a video of the speech. If she can keep that knack she'll be a helluva rabble rouser one day.