"No, really, Miss Wallace, I meant the woman's club that mother and the rest are getting up. Are you going to join?" "Yes; do you approve of such things?" "Really, I--I don't know, and yet I ought to know something about it because father and mother have been debating the question for a week past. Mother is very enthusiastic, but my impression is that father thinks that the club is unnecessary if not really harmful. I shall expect a great boom in Manville society when it gets in running order," Will replied, and then suddenly burst out laughing. "Tell me, please, I want to laugh, too." "Manville society! Doesn't it strike you as being funny?" "Yes, and no." "A woman's answer." "Sometimes her only defence." "Pardon me." The October sun was disappearing behind the trees toward the west; the night air was stealing up from the lowlands; and a frost-laden wind was coming over the hills. "Isn't the air great?" said Will after they had walked without speaking for several minutes. "Splendid!" replied Barbara, taking a deep breath. "The fall is glorious." They had reached Mrs. Tweedie's gate and stopped. "I want to thank you, Miss Wallace, for--" Will hesitated a moment, "for tolerating me to-day." Then he added, "Good night!" and walked quickly away. Mrs. Tweedie happened to look out of her parlour window just in time to see Barbara and Will. The sight caused her to shrug her shoulders and wonder. Chapter III A Male Gossip SAM BILLINGS was Manville's man of all work, and its most garrulous male gossip. At fifty he was a gray, wrinkled bachelor--through no fault of his own, however--living alone on the scanty income that he picked up through the kindness of his tolerant townsmen. Once Sam had been accused of having proposed to every single woman and widow in town, and had refused to deny or affirm the statement. He was still single, however, and as far from matrimony as he ever had been, except once, when through a misunderstanding on Sam's part, he became engaged to a loquacious old maid with whom he had indiscreetly walked home from meeting. But, fortunately for Sam, the lady died just before the date set for the wedding, leaving him free and more talkative than ever before. On the morning of the day following the organization of the "Morning Glories" Sam went to the home of Mrs. Darling to put on storm-windows. Mrs. Darling was an attractive woman--to look at--but one of the light sort mentally, and much more interested in the affairs of others than her own. She had been invited to be present at the first meeting of the club, but the arrival of relatives from out of town had prevented her from going. She welcomed Sam cordially, when he came that morning, and invited him to have a cup of coffee before he began work. The morning was cold, the coffee good, and Sam was grateful, and before he had gulped down the last of it Mrs. Darling knew all that was going on in town.