Chapter III, pages 51-80 Summary

That autumn, the street is full of kids from both families, but they never speak to one another, and the neighbors anticipate fights. In Europe, World War II drags on. The boisterous Lambs plant a garden and raise chickens in their half of the yard, while the Pickles quietly do nothing. The Lambs spin a butter knife to see who will wash dishes after dinner or who will win the war, and everyone laughs. Lester gets an idea to open a small grocery store in an empty room on the ground floor. Oriel is uncertain, but by the time Lester spins the knife to decide, saying "the knife never lies," she has accepted. When Dolly goes downstairs to check out the noise, she laughs at the small goods sign, yet the little store is an immediate success...