all.

"Hurrah! Three cheers for Mr. Peleg Growdy!" exclaimed one of those who
felt relieved to think that his coming meant no trouble after all.

But the farmer raised his hand.

"Jest wait till I has my little say, boys. Now, at fust I was kinder
riled that a passel o' boys shud 'a' took me to task on account o' my
way o' lettin' things run loose like at my place. But I gotter thinkin'
her over, and by hokey if it didn't jest come home to me. Times was when
my dooryard was the puttiest around all Stanhope, with the flowers
abloomin', an' every scrap tidied up; but in them happy days Mandy an'
the kids was there, ye see; an' sense they was took it 'peared like I
never cared what things looked like; an' that's a fact, boys."

The old man seemed to swallow something that threatened to choke him; and
then, while the boys hung on his every word, and wondered how they had
ever come to misunderstand him as they had, he went on:

"But I kim to the conclusion, arter thet kind visit ye paid me, thet I
owed a duty to the community, and it warn't right for any citizen to let
his place look disgraceful. So arter this nobody ain't agoin' to be
ashamed to pass by the yard where Mandy 'tended the rose bushes, and her
tots played from morn to night. I jest drapped in here to thank ye right
hearty boys, for showin' me wot was wantin'. Arter this there ain't never
agoin' to be any trouble between me an' the boys o' Stanhope. They kin
count on old Peleg Growdy to contribute to every sport that goes to
cultivate the mind and body in the right direction!"