"I am glad to see them," Webb remarked. "Before they can mature any seed
the frost will put an end to their career of mischief, and there will be
so many seeds less to grow next spring."
"There'll be plenty left," Leonard replied.
The Cliffords, by their provident system of culture, had prepared for
droughts as mariners do for storms, and hence they bad not suffered so
greatly as others; but busy as they were kept by the autumnal bounty of
Nature, and the rewards of their own industry, they found time for
recreation, and thoughts far removed from the material questions of
profit and loss. The drama of life went on, and feeling, conviction, and
love matured like the ripening fruits, although not so openly. As soon as
his duties permitted, Burt took a rather abrupt departure for a hunting
expedition in the northern woods, and a day or two later Amy received a
note from Miss Hargrove, saying that she had accepted an invitation to
join a yachting party.
"Oh, Webb!" she exclaimed, "I wish you were not so awfully busy all the
time. Here I am, thrown wholly on your tender mercies, and I am neither a
crop nor a scientific subject."
He gave her little reason for complaint. The increasing coolness and
exhilarating vitality of the air made not only labor agreeable, but
out-door sports delightful, and he found time for an occasional gallop,
drive, or ramble along roads and lanes lined with golden-rod and purple
asters; and these recreations had no other drawback than the uncertainty
and anxiety within his heart.
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