The yard was only big enough for the perennial rubbish heap.

The narrow sidewalk was crowded.

What were the people to do with themselves?
There were the saloons, the missions, the libraries, the cheap amusement places, and the neighborhood houses.

People selected their resorts according to their tastes.

The children, let it be thankfully recorded, flocked mostly to the clubs; the little girls to sew, cook, dance, and play games; the little boys to hammer and paste, mend chairs, debate, and govern a toy republic.