10 
EARLY PREPARATIONS 
first borrowed Miss Wiseman’s heavy roller and 
used it on the lawn in front of the house, and the 
triangle. Then he trimmed the edges of the gravel 
path that circles the lawn, and raked up all dead 
leaves and tufts of grass lying about the Six 
Spruces. He worked very hard over the front 
lawn, and seemed sorry we had no new ones to 
make, as he said it was the right time of year for 
making lawns. 
Timothy had a pair of pruning shears that 
seemed to give him great delight. They were so 
large and heavy that I could barely open and close 
them, although Little Joseph soon learned to use 
them with ease. When Timothy had finished 
trimming the lawn borders, he pruned the grape- 
vine with such eagerness that he appeared to be 
chopping it up for fire-wood. 
“I am sure Aunt Amanda never would have 
allowed him to do that,” I said to Joseph, and the 
old man overheard. 
“No, miss,” he replied, “but it is just what the 
vine has needed these many years.” 
We were really thankful when he left the cur- 
rant-bushes alone, only remarking that in a day or 
two he would give them a good spraying with lime- 
sulphur. He went next to the blush-rose bush that 
stands near the south veranda and began clipping. 
Now I had heard that this rose-bush and the lemon 
verbena that was planted each year on the other 
side of the veranda steps were the only flowers in 
