As cheerful as cheerful can be.

Miss Dinsmore lived all alone in a little gray house with a white front door.

"It's a nice little house," Miss Dinsmore said. "But I wish it looked more cheerful. Maybe I should paint it a bright, pretty color. Then it will be as cheerful as cheerful can be."

Miss Dinsmore went to the paint store. She saw lots of cheerful colors there--pink and blue and red and yellow and green. It was hard to choose.

It was a nice little house, but ...

"I know what to do," Miss Dinsmore said at last. "I'll paint picture after picture of my house with all of these cheerful colors. Then I'll choose the one I like best."

Miss Dinsmore set up her painting easel in the front yard and painted picture after picture of her little house. She painted a pink house. She painted a blue house. She painted a red one and a yellow one and a green one. She painted one with flower boxes under the windows. She painted doors and shutters in every color of the rainbow. She took each picture she painted into the house and hung it on the wall.

"All of my picture houses are pretty," said Miss Dinsmore. "But I still can't decide which color will make my house look as cheerful as cheerful can be."

And she went on painting pictures.

One day, a neighbor came by while Miss Dinsmore was painting. "What a pretty picture," the neighbor said. "I like pictures of houses."

"You do?" said Miss Dinsmore. "I've painted picture after picture of my little house. Come inside and have a look at them."

Miss Dinsmore's neighbor liked the pictures. "I'll tell the whole town," she said. "Everyone will want to see your pictures."

It was true. Lots of people came to the little gray house to see the pictures. Miss Dinsmore served them tea.

"What pretty pictures," everyone said. "And what a nice little house you have."

"It is a nice little house," said Miss Dinsmore. "But I wish it looked more cheer--"

She stopped and looked around. Her little gray house was full of people looking at pictures, drinking tea, talking, laughing, and having fun. Miss Dinsmore smiled. "It's a nice little house," she said again. "And it's a cheerful little house, too-especially when good friends come to visit me. It's as cheerful as cheerful can be."