In front of it was a green lawn, adorned with several large buttonwood trees.

There was no fence to enclose what was called the front yard.

The crowd was assembled on this lawn, and agreeably to the directions of the leader, or chairman of the committee, none of them passed into the yard in the rear and at the end of the house, which was separated from the lawn by a picket fence.
Boys are instinctively curious to know what is going on, and the "living room" of the squire, in which the exciting conversation was taking place, was in the rear of the house.

The windows on the front were dark and uncommunicative.

The boys were restless and impatient; if there was to be any fun, they wanted to see it.