The houses on either side seemed buried in trees and vegetation because Mary's yard was bare, with hardly a blade of grass showing. When it rained half the water that fell on the hill coursed like a flood through her yard; because it had no back fence traffic between the hillside and the road, children, chickens, even an occasional cow, used it for a thoroughfare. The outhouse was a skinny booth set in the most conspicuous position on the slope back of the house. House and outhouse sat naked on naked ground, everything exposed, ugly and bare.
poor living conditions. Life had not improved for them
