The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1905-06-01
Copyright, 1904, by Charles W. Hooke
T ISIS ANNIE JOHNSON. whose
station in life was in front of
4 a washtub, had been off

Ivy STATION IN ne was III 'front.' OF
a washtub. had been off
post" all day. She had de
serted the tub and had gone out to get
some money. Annie had wasted eight
hours and had raised 60 cent:
1t was an afternoon at the end of
summer. The city had been left in
the oven little too long that year; it
was Overdonc; it had begun t. smell
burned. The coolest looking place that
Annie had seen during the day was a
high stOop house on the shady side of
the street. She herself was upon the
sunny side because she had been too
much occupied with pecuniary prob
lens to consider the ACCESSIBILITY of
crossing. She stared at the high stop
house, and she said, Il wonder could
Miss Colbert be back from the coun-
try yet!' speaking aloud, for she had
reached that degree of nervous tension
where the safety valve of unintended
utterance gives its warning of danger.
Miss Colbert was an actress who had
played in the city nearly all Of the
previous winter, and Annie had been
her laundresS.
'She would give me a little somcthin'
in advance" said Annie. but of course
she isn't here"
However, being at her wits end for
a very small sum of money, Annie
crossed the street and rang the bell at
the basement door of the high stoop
house. Nobody answered, and. as the
door was ajar, Annie entered the lower
hall Failing to find Il servant. she
assembled the stairs to the first floor.
and as she thus came directly at the
door Of the large room at the rear of
the house, Miss Colbert's room, it seem
ed simplest to knock.
1t was always hard to hear a knock
or call to Come in" at this door, for
it Opered from a small vestibule and
there was portiere at the other end of
it. Upon this occasion it is probable
that Annie experienced a genuine hal
Inclination. She was so anxious to hear
Miss Colbert's voice that she heard il,
though the actress was not there, and
Annie entered an empty room
Upon a table standing near the win
dow there was Il glass plate, and it was
heaped high with jewels. The light of
the fervid day surged in and beat upon
them, and they dashed it back in
thousand sparkling sprays.
Gee said Annie softly "Wouldnt
that jar your
She glanced fearfully toward the win
dow.
Its wonder she wouldn't set 'em
out in the back yardr she continued.
Il never saw the like of her. Anybody
could climb in here"
On the edge of the plate there was a
loose stone about the size of an aver
age pea. In comparison with the
others. it looked very small, and Annie
was Of the opinion that it could be
Temoved without Miss Colberts miss
ing It, This, then, represented the ex-
IRENE of prudence and forbearance
Annie rolled the stone around in the
palm Of her hand. 1t may have been
perspiration which dulled the glitter Of
the stone or the phenomenon may have
had an explanation within the domain
of morals, but the simple fact is that
The gems light faded and its attrac-
ton died. Annie laid it back upon the
plate at last. with faint sensation of
nausea. Tie tombstone had revealed
her weakness; she lacked the power to
steal.
There was noise under the win
dow, and Annie looked out upon the
top of a mans head and upon a long