"So'll I! That won't do any harm, I guess," said Jack.
Anne and Martha watched their brothers climb up, and then following, they all sat on the smooth round top of the fence.
Some boys from the tenements were about to have a game of baseball. At first, they failed to see the four spectators sitting on the fence. When they did, however, their remarks were not flattering.
"Ha! See the sports up on the bleachers!" cried one.
"Come down and we'll show you how we bat!" called another, and at this his friends all jeered.
Jack wrinkled his nose and stuck his tongue in his cheek, making a wry face at the last speaker.
That led to more remarks from the diamond, and more faces from all four perched on the fence; finally, at a taunting sneer from one of the team on the diamond, Jack replied angrily.
Over at one side of this large vacant area was a depression that generally held muddy water from past rain storms. It seldom filtered into the earth, and the sun not reaching that side of the property, failed to dry it up. Hence, the younger children from the tenements played in this large puddle, sailing boats, or throwing stones to watch the splash.
As Jack retorted, one of the boys standing near the puddle, stooped and flung a handful of dripping mud at the fence. It struck low, but George instantly shouted:
"Don't you do that again! It's against the law to throw things in city limits!"