at Mr. Brown was engaged to be married. It
was this, Mrs. Harmon explained, that they had all been talking over,
and they were all very much delighted. Mrs. Berry, on her part, was
not a whit less interested in such things than the rest of them; she
expressed her opinion that it was really the best thing for a man to
do. With which sentiment they all agreed. Then Jonas spoke.

"You see, Mrs. Berry," he said, "Steve and the young lady passed me on
the road coming in from the ranch; and they stopped and told me all
about it. They just got engaged to-day."

"Oh, indeed," said Mrs. Berry. And then she created consternation by a
most embarrassing question. "And were you all expecting it?"

"Well--yes. We rather _suspected_ it, you know," put in Mrs. Harmon,
viewing her benignly. "We heard in a roundabout way that Mr. Brown was
paying attention to a young lady."

This crisis safely passed, gossip revived and took on new life, in the
course of which Mrs. Berry gathered a few details regarding the
bride-elect. Talk had not proceeded far, however, when Mrs. Harmon
rose and stationed herself behind Jonas's kitchen table.

"Ladies," she said, "I think that, just at this time, and while we are
all together, we had better call a meeting of the Circle." She took up
Jonas's long-handled batter-spoon and rapped three times on the table.
The result was that they all sat up a little straighter and came to
order. "As you are all aware," she continued, "the business of our
last meeting was left in a rather unfinished and unsatisfactory state.
It has just occurred to me that there is a little point that ought to
be taken up promptly and brought to a general understanding. I would
suggest that anything in our last meeting which might be of a--Star
Chamber nature--be expunged from the records, verbal and otherwise. In
every sense I mean--entirely. Will some one make a motion to that
effect?"

Kitty Wright arose to the occasion.

"I move," she said, "that the proceedings of the last meeting be
expunged. And that it be understood that it be considered a permanent
meeting of the committee of the whole behind closed doors. Also that
it be understood that any member--such as Mrs. Plympton, for
instance--is entitled to vote now, and make inquiries from any of her
sisters, at any time, regarding the nature of the present parliamentary
vocabulary."

"Second the motion," said Mrs. Plympton.

"Moved and seconded that the las