The Mineral argus., 1884-07-10
UNCLE CUTHBEBT.

AACAC0
glossy brown braids, and her pretty
blue dress floating around her like an
azure cloud.
Only Is, and very fair and lovely was
our little Rosa trife spoiled and
wilful, perhaps, but what else could one
expect? Every one petted and made
much of her-every one smiled at her
pretty, kittenish way-and Clarence
Hyde thought her the fairest specimen
of feminine humanity that ever the sun
shone on.
Lizzy Eldon made room for her sis
ter-Lizzie, just one year younger and
scarcely less fair yet very different in
character. Lizzie was quite, and sage
and demure, while Rosa ratified away
like a merry mountain stream flowing
over its messy stones. Lizzy thought
her sister perfection, while Rosa was
Iecturing Lizzy in a capricious fashion,
and laying down the law to her after
the most approved manner of elderly
sisters.
"How nice it must be to be engaged?'
said Lizzy, with a half-encouraging
smile, as Rosa paused at the glass to
adjust her hair. ST wish / was en-
gagedl"
"You? Oh, you are nothing but a
child" Rosa said, patronizingly.
"There-give me my pocket handker-
chief"
And away she went, light and 1.-the as
a butterfly.
Clarence Hyde was in the parlor anx-
iously awaiting her coming, but Clar-
ence had rather a disturbed face. He
was a well-made, handsome young fell
low, with laughing, 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 c%eremonials of greeting were gone
through with, and she had had time to
take a good look into his face.
''Sober? do II"
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 habi-
tations you see in old English engrav-
ings.
EXACTLY as if you had the toothache
or a bad conscience"
Clarence laughed in spite of himself.
"You are wrong, then, my little rid
dle-guesser; 1 am afflicted with neither
the one or the other"
"Well, what is it, then?"
e'Rosa, what should you say if it
were to become necessary to defer our
marriage for some timer"
A shadow came over the infant1le
bloom and freshness of Rosa's face.
"To defer our marriage, Clarence?
I can't imagine what you mean"
Listen, Rosa, and l will tell You.
NJ uncle has Just come from California,
very poor and a confirmed invalid. l
am his only surviving relative, and to
me he naturally appealed for protec-
tion and companionship. l must give
him a home, Rosa. You know / had
laid up Just enough to begin housekeep-
ing in a quiet, economical sort of way.
but the new plan will necessarily alter
all my arrangements"
81 never heard of any uncle before
'No, dearest; / knew little of him
nothing personally, as he visited
my fathers during his lifetime"
Rosa's face was turned away from
Clarence Hyde's; she was silently twist
ing q piece of paper round and rounC
her slender forefinger.
"Rosa," he said, after waiting a min
ute or two for her to make some remark
sstell me honestly, dear one, which yol
prefer-to begin housekeeping on thi
new scale-one more frugal and hum
BILE than l had originally hoped and in
tended-or to defer our marriage unit
[ can earn enough to carry out thos
original arrangements ?"
She was silent for a moment, then sh
answered in a voice which seemed t
chill Clarence's buoyant young heart:
Neither"
''Rosa," he exclaimed, II do not un
derstand you"
81 spoke plainly enough. Neither
"Do you mean that"
mean that you must either give u
your uncle or me. After all that ha
been said and known of our engagement
after its publicity and length, l certainl
can not consent to a further postpone
ment. And we shall be poor enough
we marry Immediately, without film
our house with needy relatives"
Clarence Hyde looked at his fair T
ancee in perfect amazement. Never /
the whole course of their acquaintanc