the small sum which had been appropriated out of the capital stock for
the temporary support of Aunt Matilda was all gone. This report she made
in her capacity as a special committee of one, appointed (by herself) to
attend to the wants of Aunt Matilda. As the Treasurer of the company,
she also reported that there was not a cent in its coffers.

In this emergency, Harry called a meeting of the Board.

It met, as this was an important occasion, in Davis's corn-house,
fortunately now empty. This was a cool, shady edifice, and, though
rather small, was very well ventilated. The meetings had generally been
held under some big tree, or in various convenient spots in the woods
near the creek, but nothing of that kind would be proper for such a
meeting as this, especially as Kate, as Treasurer, was to be present.
This was her first appearance at a meeting of the Board. The boys sat on
the corn-house floor, which had been nicely swept out by John William
Webster, and Kate had a chair on the grass, just outside of the door.
There she could hear and see with great comfort without "settin' on the
floor with a passel of boys," as Miss Eliza Davis, who furnished the
chair, elegantly expressed it.

When the meeting had been called to order (and John William, who evinced
a desire to hang around and find out what was going on, had been
discharged from further attendance on the Board, or, in other words, had
been ordered to "clear out"), and the minutes of the last meeting had
been read, and the Treasurer had read her written report, and the
Secretary had read his, an air of despondency seemed to settle upon the
assembly.

An empty corn-house seemed, as Tom Selden remarked, a very excellent