arden, while Mr. Day mended the front porch
flooring, where the minister had met with his accident, and reshingled
the roof.

The boles of the fruit and shade trees about the house were whitewashed,
and the palings of the fence renewed. Somehow a pair of new hinges were
found for the gate. The sidewalk was raked, all the weeds cut away from
the fence-line, and the sod between the path and the gutter trimmed and
its edges cut evenly.

When Marty actually whitewashed the fence, Mr. Day admitted that it was
such an improvement he wished he could go on and paint the house. "But,
by mighty!" he drawled, "it's been so long since 'twas painted, it 'ud
soak up an awful sight of oil."

Other people along Hillside Avenue began to take notice of the
improvement about the old Day house. Mr. Dickerson built a new front
fence, getting it on a line with the Days' barrier. Others trimmed
hedges and trees, put the lawn mower to their grass, bolstered up
sagging fences, and rehung gates. Hillside Avenue, up its whole length,
began to look less neglected.

Janice had a fondness for the little inlet, with its background of tall
firs, where she had first met little Lottie Drugg, and she often walked
down there. So she became pretty well acquainted with "Mr. Selectman"
Cross Moore. But as yet she did not get as far out on the Middletown
Lower Road as the house where the Hammett Twins lived.

One day she found a long lumber-reach dropping new posts and rails along
the length of the deep ditch into which the twins' pony had come so near
to backing the little old ladies on that memorable day when Janice had
first met them.

"Hi tunket!" ejaculated Mr. Moore, grinning in a most friendly way at
Janice, "I hope you'll be satisfied now. You've jest about hounded me
into havin' this fence put up again."

"Why, Mr. Moore! I never said a thing to you about it," cried the girl.

"No. But I see ye ev'ry time you go by, and I'm so reminded of the
'tarnal fence that I remember it o' nights. If somebody _should_ fall
inter the ditch, ye know. And then--Well, I've found out you've made
little Lottie Drugg promise not to come down this way 'nless somebody's
with her. 'Fraid _she'll_ fall in here, too, I s'pose----"

"Well, she might," said Janice, firmly.

"She won't have no chance," growled Mr. Moore, but with twinkling eyes
in spite of his gruffness. "Hi tunket! I'll build a railing along here
that'll hold up an elephunt."

This day Janice ha