"Hello! What are _you_ doing around here?"

And the tall stranger laughed and said he was helping with the tools
too.

And then Frank asked Sammy if his mother allowed him to eat between
meals and Sammy said, "Oh, sure--I kin eat any time at all--it never
hurts me." So Frank got him nicely started.

In no time at all however two other figures appeared and swung
themselves up on the back fence. They sat quietly, at first waiting
for some one to discover them. Both men had their backs to the fence
now and Sammy, though perfectly aware of the new arrivals, was
selfishly busy.

So presently two pair of bare feet began to swing harder and harder and
a careless but piercing whistle began to challenge a selfish world's
attention.

Frank winked at his helper and said nothing nor moved.

The whistle became shriller. And then came a sudden suspicious silence
that evidently made Sammy a little uncomfortable. He knew just about
what was coming.

"Hello--Pieface," came one gentle greeting.

"Hello--Dearie," chirped the owner of the second pair of bare feet.

"Look at Mother's Darling feeding his face!"

"Isn't he cunning! Isn't he cute!"

A third figure swung itself to the top of the fence.

"Don't fill your little tummy too full, Sammy dear," it contributed
dutifully.

At the malice and scorn that fairly dripped from the words Sammy raised
resentful eyes from his slice of bread and jam. Frank smiled hopefully.

"Oh, Frank, Sammy goes to Sunday-school he does."

"Every Sunday--don't ya, Sammy?"

"Bet he goes to Sunday-school just to sponge. Bet he's a grafter--bet
he--"

But at this point Frank's helper turned about and faced the fence. And
a strange thing happened. The three little figures sitting in a row
gave one look, one shout of, "Holy gee--it's _him_!" and vanished as
suddenly as they had come.

Frank laughed and then grew puzzled.

"Some friends of mine and Sammy's. I wonder what made the little imps
bolt like that. They usually sit on that back fence till every bit of
language is used up. Why, they hadn't got more than started and Sammy
here hadn't even begun. What ailed you, Sammy?"

"Oh, I rather think I frightened them," said Frank's assistant. "But I
think that before long they will feel enough at home with me to come
and sit on my back fence."

Sammy was left to clear up while the men went back to work. Both
hammers were merrily ringing when old man Vingie strolled by and
s