One's Own Back Door-yard 175 



" Guess your woodsman's specks are rather 

 dim this morning," replied Ben with a merry 

 twinkle in his eye. " Perhaps it has rained 

 on them. Guess you will have to rub them 

 up, boy. Try again; I can see lots of inter- 

 esting things besides those you have men- 

 tioned. All you have seen is just the frame 

 to the picture. What a sorry world this 

 would be if people looked only at the frames, 

 and let all its beautiful pictures go unno- 

 ticed!" 



I looked carefully up and down the floor 

 boards, peering into all the cracks, while old 

 Ben tried to look away and keep from laugh- 

 ing. 



Finally I gave it up, and returned to my 

 first assertion that it was a dull, stupid place 

 with nothing interesting in it. 



Ben laughed. " Well, Harry, suppose I 

 just set the ball to rolling. I can see a little 

 creature that can make a morsel for you that 

 will fairly make your mouth water. One of 

 the most wonderful little things that God ever 

 made. It and its kind know all the secrets of 



