Seed-time and Harvest

e in her quiet grave, lay in Mecklenburg a farm of less than medi

here?" and the rake laid hold of the harrow and said, "Come, dear, we will have a dance." But the music was lacking, for it was all still in the farm-yard, quite still. This lovely weather, all were in the meadow, haying, and even from the little open windows of the long, low, straw-roofed farm-house came no sound, for it was afterno

overed with black glazed linen, which was freshly polished up with boot-blacking every Saturday and the oaken chest of drawers with gilt ornaments, sat two little maidens of three years, with round flaxen heads, and r

with a colored band on the arm, there would have been grave doubts in the matter, and their father, Jochen Nüssler, was even yet in some uncertainty; Lining was properly Mining, and Mining Lining, they had been as it were shaken up together at the outset of their little lives. At present, there was no occasion for such perplexity, for the mother had tied a blue ribbon in Lining's li

d down from the chest of drawers on the children, and shook their heads hither and thither, in the light breeze which came in at the open window; these

re is grandfather's puk." She cou

for she also was not quite up to the "r;" but being the eld

it over on her head as seemed well to her, and, placing herself before the glass, performed just as grandfather did on Sundays. Now was the time for Lining to exercise her authority, but Lining began to laugh, and catching the joke took down grandmother

ash! she let it fall on the floor, and there was an end of the pot, and an end of the sport also. Now began Mining to cry and

g, the wheelwrig

on that the two little mourners started out of the door, quite forgetting that

eep is sick, they say, "Call the wheelwright!" If a window-pane is broken, the wheelwright must nail on a board to keep out wind and weather; has an old chair dislocated its leg, he is the doctor; if

ith a tassel in front of no particular color; he wore a grey linen coat with long skirts, and his short legs, which turned outward as if they had been screwed into his long body the wrong way, w

all, under such dangerous circumstances, be placed in security. "God bless us!" cried he, "Where are you going? What sort of doings are these? What! you have the entire Sunday finery of the two old people upon your heads!" The two little girls quite patiently allowed themselves to be despoiled of their finery, and showed the broken pieces of the pot, saying

he kept by him because he was growing bald, and must needs comb forward his back hair,--and began to labour at the peruke. That did very well; but now came the cap. "How the mischief, Lining, have you contrived to do it? To make it look decently again is not a possible thing! No, I must try to recollect how the old lady looks of a Sunday afternoon. In front she has a comely bunch of silken curls, a

tie knots in it. God bless my soul! What do I know about millinery? But hold on! We will fix you yet." And with that he pulled from his pocket a handful of strings--every good inspector must have such on hand--and began to disentangle them. "Pack thread is too coarse; but t

d up. "May you--keep the nose on your face," he was going to say, but when anything serious happened to

said Habermann, an

ed Br?sig again, "whe

ow nothing more to look for," said hi

e hay; but how shal

oods were sold at auction; and yesterday morning"--here he

. "Your wife? your dear, good wife?"--and the tears ran over

ermann, and seated himself, and re

ill Lining mustered courage, and took hold of the sleeve of her dress, and Mining showed the fragments of her pot: "Look my pot

ercely into his pocket, and elevated his nose again, "You are just the sheep's-head you always were!" And as if it occurred to him that his old friend should be diverted to other thoughts, he picked up Lining and Mining like a couple of dolls, and set them on Habermann's knee,--"There, you little rogues, that is your uncle!"--exactly as if Lining and Mining were playthings,

your trenchers? Quick, run in and fetch them. Go right along; I must look after my little ones first." And into the room came a tall young woman, of seven and twenty years, full of life and energy in face and figure, her cheeks red with health and labor and the heat of the summer day, hair and eyes light, and forehead

ried she, and hung about his neck; but, as she looked more closely into his eyes, she held him bac

oing up to Habermann gave him his hand, and said slowly, as

happened to him," cried

as dull as his speech, and his soft sandy hair hung in front and behind of equal length, over his forehead and the collar of his coat, and never had known any fashions of parting or curling; his mother had from his childhood up combed the hair over his face, and so it had stayed, and when it looked rather tangled his mother would say: "Never mind, Joching, the rough foal makes the smartest horse." Whether it was because his eyes must always peer through this long hair, or from his nature, his g

ad all happened to herself that very day, and now it was her brother, and now his little daughter that she kissed and comforted, he sat and looked over at the chief actors, from the side next Br?

with jumping up and down, like a linen-weaver, and when Frau Nüssler kissed and stroked her brother, he kissed and stroked him also, and when Frau Nüssler took the li

rought in sausages and ham and cheese, and a couple of bottles of the strong beer brewed especially for grandfather, and a pitcher of milk for the little ones; and when all was neatly arranged on the white table-cloth, she drew her brother to the table, and taking up the little girl, chair a

apples, and stroked the little flaxen heads. "Little cousin c

a long, last pull at his pipe, and bro

sekeeper she should get the recipe, for the old woman messes all sorts of unnatural things together, which don't harmonize at all;

lp Br?sig,"

ip under old Knirkst?dt, I have accustomed myself to take a little Kümmel with my breakfast, or with my bit of supper, and it suits me well, thank God! But, Karl, how came

treated me differently, but still I was to blame; why did I fall in with his p

ght-fitting coat, and you must talk High-German to him, for he regards Platt-Deutsch as uncultivated, and then you have all the women about your neck, for they rule everything there. And if you could get along with the boots and the dress-coat, and the High-German,--for

urs to me that the Pumpelhagen inspector is going to leave

ved in the army together, or at least had eaten out of the same spoon and platter,--"what the Herr Kammerrath von Pumpelhagen is, nobody knows better than I. A man who thinks much of his people, and gives a g

ssler, "it is all a

o-day! If grandfather and grandmother knew that we were sitting down to supper with company, and they not call

it now?" said Jochen, as she

and worked for the same objects, come at last to look like each other; and even if that is not true of the cut of the features, it holds good for the expression. Both looked like people who never had allowed themselves any pleasure or satisfaction which would be in the least expensive; both looked shabby and dingy in their clothing, as if they must still be sparing and tug at the wheel, and as if

t her faculties, and her eyes glanced furtively into all the

ey thought of the visit. She had already told them the occasion of her brother's coming, and that might have been the reason why

e old woman looked sharply at Habermann

ng woma

y here?" she

woman no

expected her Jochen to suffer on that account. "Yes, times are hard," she began, as if she

g at the beer bottles and Br?sig's

is fine beer, which Frau Nüssler has brewe

d man to himself. The old woman ate, but kept looki

irection, and perceived with horror that the cap was missing from the stand. "Good heavens! what

to-morrow?" asked t

young woman, bending toward her,

all p

oung men. The Herr Inspector Br?sig called his sins to mind, as they began to talk about the cap, and tried, in a couple of hasty glances, to ascertain what had become of the affair; but he

t?" said she, and pointed t

ld, and would have taken the head-gear, but the old woman was quicker. Hastily she seized her disordered finery, and, as she perceived the burst-out puff and Br?sig's h

ed, "The old dragon!" And behind grandmother's chair began a great crying, and Mining sobbed, "Won

woman had all her life understood too well what was for her own advantage, not to know in her old age how to profit by her gri

oung woman, "give me the cap,

ked the old woman, and went wi

oung woman, "she is right, I must go to the pasture. Gran

said Br?sig, "but Gruff

t mean any harm, but you are too heedless. And now behave well, and play with little cousin. I must go.

ng to the man, who sat there as if his mother and his wife were no concern of his,

about it, being her so

you, Karl Habermann, don't take this little quarrel too much to heart; for your dear sister has a good temper and a joyous heart. She soon gets over it, and the old termagant must give in at last, for they can do nothing without her. The

will go part way with you. G

-law," said Jochen, and rem

d, "But, Br?sig, how can you speak so of

-the-manger. They have embroiled themselves with the whole neighborh

ter! She was such a joyous child, and now in

t treat your sister badly, and, although he is an old blockhead and has no sort of smartness

en on me, as she said, and that our old mother might see on

aughed again, so mischievously, and said, she was still too young. 'What has her youth to do with it?' said I. Then you said again my other two partners had the first chance, and laughed, not believing I was in earnest; and so the matter dawdled along for awhile, for my gracious Herr Count would not give his consent, and allowed no married inspectors. And next thing it was too late, for young Jochen had spoken for her, and your mother was on his side. No, it was not to be," said the honest old fello

turned by the farm-garden Habermann exclaimed, "Good heavens,

augh, "there is the old pack of Jesui

laimed Habermann.

will not suffice for, then they always come here to this steep hill, where they can see all around if any one is within hearing, and then they shou

d Habermann. "Just see how the old wo

f, for I know her of old. And Karl," he added, after a little thought, raising his eyebrows, "it is be

e girl?" asked Haber

e one thing which they hold in respect; but in your temporary embarrassment they look upon you and your little girl as noth

sows? What shall I do with the poor little thing? Do you know any expedient

umpelhagen. If that goes well, then we can find a place for the child here in the neighbourhood; if not, we will ride to the city, and there we must find some open

get over it I must, and will," and the cheerful courage, which had been nurtured by labor and his feeling of duty, broke through the

Habermann walked with his sister along the garden-

, I must own that he lays nothing in my way, and has never given me a hard word. If he were only a little more active and ready,--but that is not to be looked for in him. I have enough to do in my house-keeping, but

hole, and do you come out right at

d the Rector Baldrian--they made quite a stir about it, and set the old people and us by the ears because they wanted their share of the property. The Rector doesn't really need it, but he is such an old miser; but Kurz could use his money, for he is a merchant, an

children giv

ll suffer n

club be str

t least he has from time to time given upwards of fifteen hundred thalers. The old woman has noticed it, to be sure, and has reckoned it all up, but she does not know yet the truth of the matter; because, since Jochen is rather slow, and is not used to reckoning, I keep the purse myself, and there I positively will not allow grandmother to interfere. No, grandmother,

t, Dürten," s

aid good-night,