about, because he saw the others looking; but he didn't see
anything in particular.

The foreman turned to David and sighed.

"Well, Davie," he said, "I guess that'll be about all."

David nodded and looked over to the fire, which was not much more than
a heap of red coals and white ashes.

The foreman saw where he was looking.

"The fire'll be all right," he said. "It's about out. Now I'll take
just one more look around."

So the foreman walked all around the house, slowly, and he looked
carefully to make sure that he had not forgotten anything.

And he looked at the cellar door and at the places where the heaps of
rubbish had been, and all around the foundations of the house, and at
the great hole under the front steps where the steps didn't come down
to the ground, and at the fire last of all.

The fire had all burned out to white ashes, and every swirl of the
wind made the ashes fly about.

Then the foreman came where David was.

"Now we're going, Davie," he said. "We'll come back some day to build
another house next to this one. Will you help us then?"

"Yes," said David, "I'll help you as much as I can. When are you going
to build it?"

"Oh, I don't know," the foreman said, "but I should think it would be
before long. Somebody's going to move into this house in a few days.
We're much obliged to you for helping us build this."

"You're welcome," said David.

Then the foreman shook David's hand.

"Good-bye, Davie," he said. "Don't forget us."

"Good-bye," said David.

Then the foreman climbed up to the seat of the wagon. The other men
were up there already.

And all the men waved their hands, and the horse started.

David stood and watched them until they turned the corner.

Then he picked up his shovel and his hoe and threw them into his cart,
and began to walk home, dragging his cart, with his shovel and his hoe
rattling in the bottom of it.

And his cat came running, and she ran ahead, with her bushy tail
sticking straight up in the air.

And that's all of this story.

XI

THE SETTING-OUT STORY

Once upon a time there was a little boy, and he was almost five years
old, and his name was David. And there weren't any other children near
for him to play with, so he used to play happily all by himself.

He had his cat and his cart and his shovel and his hoe, and he always
wore his overalls when he was playing.

One morning he was playing in the thin woods behind his house.