Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-03-08
he able of no
Back Yards

between. Back yards to city houses
are pretty much alike, and these two
back yards were just the same size,
and had in them, to start with, just
the same things-one little maple tree
about in the middle, and another little
maple tree in one corner. To start
with, remember, because that's where
the difference begins.
Content and Cheer were happy, in.
side and out, and they had made their
back yard into happy back yard.
With little shovels and trowels, they
had dug flower beds and planted the
gayest flowers all along the picket
fence-tall hollyhocks that grew much
higher than the little gardeners them
selves, and peoples and forget.me-nots
and marigolds, and lots of others. You
should have seen their garden in sum-
mer! The little maple trees looked
you would have been happy in it, just
as Content and Cheer were.
Every evening, after the sun went
down, Content and Cheer took their
little green watering pots and gave
every single thirsty flower a drink,
before they went to bed themselves.
They were so busy taking care Of all
their flower children and playing with
their dolls under the two little trees
that they didn't spend any time at all
wishing they were in other places. You
see, they had right there the blue sky
and the sunshine and the clouds and
the fresh air and the flowers and their
own two little trees and the many little
birds that flew in and out of their
garden all day. A good many things
they found in their back yard, didn't
they?
Now I'll tell you about Grumpy and
Grouchy, the little twin boys who lived
in the next yard, just over the tall
white picket fence. You remember
I told you the two yards were just
alike to start with, but as Grumpy and
Grounchy never did single thing to
theirs, it just kept on looking as it did
in the first place. Oh, yes, Grumpy
and Grounchy had shovels and trowels,
too, and watering pots, but they never
used them, so of course their garden
couldn't grow lovely. They were al
ways unhappy, and quarrelled great
deal, and most of their time they spent
with their noses between the pickets
of the tall white fence peering through
at Content and Cheer, who were al
ways working away, too busy to pay
much attention to them. In the be-
ginning, Of course, Content and Cheer
had tried to be friends, but Grumpy
and Grouchy were always so snarly
and fretty that Content and Cheer
didn't have time to bother with them
long, being busy about their own i'm
portant affairs. So Grumpy and
Grouchy peered gloomily through the
Tense and watched with envious eyes
all the miracles happening in Con-
tents and Cheers yard, and Grumpy
would sigh:
81 wish we had back yard like
theirs"
And Grouchy would sigh:
at would be some fun, then"
And one day, what do you think hap
pened? Content was watering the
flowers along the picket fence, max
ing the little green watering pot
sprinkle high and low, and the first
thing she knew she had sprinkled the
pug nose of Grumpy, who had, as
usual, been peering through the pick
cts.
"Oh!" chuckled Content, 81 didn't
see you, was so busy getting all the
flowers nicely sprinkled. You don't
care, do you? Maybe you need it, too"
And they got to talking, and sudden
ly Content said, looking past him,
"Cheer and l do wish we could play
in your garden awhile!"
"In our garden!" gasped the aston
ished Grumpy. why, there isn't a
single thing in our garden, and
Grouchy and l wish and wish we could
play in yours. 1t would be some fun,
then
Lets change for all today" said
Content, her eyes shining. will you,
Grumpy? Come on, you and Grouchy
climb over into ours, and We'll climb
into yours-and be careful you don't
break the hollyhocks when you climb
over the top pickets.'
And almost before you could say
Jack Robinson" over they were, all
four-Grumpy and Grouchy now in the
pretty, happy, flower-filled garden, and
Content and Cheer in the garden with
nothing in but the two patient little
trees.
20 Content, isn't this fun" said
Cheer. Nov we have lots of room to
dig and dig. Let's have little path
round each little tree, and flower beds
all down the sides" In no time they
had that garden all planned out and
were digging and raking with
Grumpy's and Grouchys garden tools
which hadn't ever been used.
Aren't these nice new tools?" said
Cheer, happily, land the rakes haven't
!pct Sipp1a tooth ~
And Grumpy and Grounchy? Well,
maybe they were happy about min
ute-just while they walked around
Contents and Cheers garden and saw
nearto all the things they had seen
so long through the fence. Did they
play happily in the flower-filled gar
den all day? No, they were right
straight back at the picket fence, peer
ing through at Content and Cheer.
You see, they thought Content and
Cheer would certainly be quite forlorn
in their garden, and they were happy
as ever, and busy. Grumpy and
Grouchy couldn't believe their eyes.
When the sun set and the children
climbed into their own gardens again,
Content and Cheer said: 1--WE had