By late August the ground around Royston has taken all the sun it can hold, and the grass turns stubborn about it. Mornings still bring dew, though, and that is the hour to be out — cutting a little higher, taking a little less, letting the lawn keep whatever shade it can make for itself. The service stays plain and steady: mow, trim close around posts and beds, edge the walk and the drive, sweep the trimmings out of the flowerbeds. Around here a yard is the front room of the house, and folks in Franklin County notice a straight line. When September rain finally comes, a lawn kept through the dry weeks is the first one to turn green again.