Page:At the Door (1905).pdf/22

 and lean-tos in the back yard, for the last? Was that quite fair? Folks think, to look at the front, that it must be white and beautiful all around."

The boy looked grave. "I see what you mean," he said, "and I truly didn't mean to be dishonest when I got the front yard cleaned up first. You see, the things out here were right before me all the time, and I set my companions to work upon them the very first thing, when I learned how. Every time that I saw the litter, it made me hurry the good thoughts to work faster and harder; and it wasn't until I had this part looking pretty fairly well, that some of the thoughts that had been skirmishing around, found the chicken-coops and things. They came and told me, and then I remembered, and set them right to work to take care of that sort of rubbish; but, meanwhile, I have to keep this part of the work up, too. I truly didn't do it to be dishonest; I don't try to hide those things or say they aren't there: you know I confessed to you about them as soon as you spoke of my house being nice; but, of course, I looked after the disorder in the front yard first, because it was