2 
SEED-TIME AND HARVEST. 
Clarence Hyde was in the parlor anxious¬ 
ly awaiting her coming, but Clarence had 
rather a disturbed face. He was a well- 
made, handsome young fellow, with laugh¬ 
ing, wine-brown eyes, straight features and 
brown hair thrown back from a broad, 
frank brow. 
“Why, what makes you look so sober?” 
was Rosa’s first question when the ceremo¬ 
nials of greeting were gope through with 
and she had time to take a good look into 
his face. 
“Sober, do I?” 
He was playing rather restlessly with the 
crimson cord that looped back the white 
muslin draperies of the pretty bay window 
that made Mrs. Eldon’s cottage look like 
one of the lovely rustic habitations you see 
in old English engravings. 
“Exactly as if you had the toothache or 
a bad conscience.” 
Clarence laughed in spite of himself. 
“You are wrong then, my little riddle- 
guesser; I am afflicted wfith neither the one 
nor the other.” 
“Well, what is it, then?” 
“Rosa, what would you say if it were to 
become necessary to defer our marriage for 
some time.” 
A shadow came over the infantile bloom 
and freshness of Rosa’s face. 
“To defer our marriage, Clarence? I can’t 
imagine wTiat you mean.” 
“Listen, Rosa, and I will tell you. My 
uncle has just come from California, vtry 
poor and a confirmed invalid. I am his 
only surviving relative, and to me he nat¬ 
urally appealed for protection and compan¬ 
ionship. I must give him a home, Rosa. 
You know I had laid up just enough to 
begin housekeeping in a quiet, economical 
sort of way, but the new plan will neces¬ 
sarily alter all of my arrangements.” 
“I never heard of any uncle before.” 
“No, dearest; I knew very little of him— 
nothing personally, as he never visited my 
father during his life-time.” 
Rosa’s face was turned away from Clar¬ 
ence Hyde’s; she was silently twisting a 
piece of paper round and round her slender 
forefinger. 
“Rosa,” he said, after waiting a minute 
or two for her to make some remark, “tell 
me honestly, dear one, which you prefer— 
to begin housekeeping on this new scale— 
one more frugal and humble than I had 
originally hoped and intended—or to defer 
our marriage until I can earn enough to 
carry out those original arrangements.” 
She was silent for a moment, then she 
answered in a voice which seemed to chill 
Clarence’s buoyant young heart: 
“Neither!” 
“Rosa!” he exclaimed, “I do not under¬ 
stand you.” 
“I spoke plainly enough. Neither !” 
“Do you mean that—” 
“I mean that you must either give up 
your uncle or me. After all that has been 
said and known of our engagement, after 
its publicity and length, I certainly cannot 
consent to#a further postponement. And 
we shall be poor enough if we marry im¬ 
mediately, without filling our house with 
needy relatives.” 
Clarence Hyde looked at his fair fiance 
in perfect amazement. Never in the whole 
course of their acquaintance had he seen 
this phase of character. He had fancied 
her all that was sweet, pure and womanly. 
Could it be possible that she was cold- 
hearted, selfish and dead to all the sweet 
ties of nature? 
“Rosa,” he said, mournfully, “is this to 
part us ?” 
“It is for you to say.” 
“Do you wfish me to give up my poor, de¬ 
pendent uncle ?” 
“Either him or me,” Rosa answered, 
indifferently. 
“It will be hard, very hard, for me to lay 
aside the brightest wishes of my life,” he 
said, earnestly; “but, Rosa, duty is my 
first object. I cannot leave my uncle to 
wear out his few remaining days in poverty 
and solitude.” 
“Very well,” answered Rosa, carelessly, 
stooping to pick up the odorous purple 
blossoms which had fallen from her hair; 
“then we shall consider our engagement 
dissolved.” 
“And you can give me up so readily, 
Rosa ?” 
“Oh,” said Rosa, a little impatiently, 
“where’s the use of being romantic about 
it? You have chosen your part. I have 
