Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1913-10-16

$50, haP, heavy atmosphere; from
s~here came the jingle, of street
FISsFing down the mild after
dsep, mellow note of
yopeller, loosing her winter
.ngs at last and rousing to greet
tug that would tow her out of the
Harrow river Kelley, the policeman.
strolled along the sidewalk, with his
hands locked behind him, his nose in
the air, shifting eagerly and pleasur-
ably. He had left off his skirted over
coat, and changed his clumsy cap for
his helmet.
Annie had sat at her window all the
afternoon, but as the spring day wore
toward its close, she began to realize
that only the melancholy, and none of
the promise of this first spring day
had touched her. She had thrown
open the window, to test the quality
of the air. Now and then a warm
breath came wandering In off the
prairies, though when 1t met the cold,
persistent wind from the lake, it hest
tated, and timidly turned back. But
Annie would not let herself doubt that
the spring had come. She knew that
in time the prairie wind would WOO
its way until 1t would be playing with
the waves Of the lake itself, the little
waves that danced all day, blue and
white, in the sunshine. And then the
summer would come, and on Sunday
afternoons Jimmy would take her out
to Lincoln Park and they would have
their supper at Fishers Garden.
Leadam street was dull enough on
week days; on Sundays it was wholly
mournful.
Once Annie saw a woman, with a
shawl over her head and tin bucket
in her hand, go into Englehardt's
place, down the street. The woman
went in furtively, and brushed hastily
through the Family Entrance"
though why could not be told. She
went there nearly every hour of every
day. Then Annie was left alone. She
did not turn inward to the fiat; that
was too still and lonesome, and 1t was
growing dark now, as the shadows
gathered. She heard the strenuous
gongs OF the cable.cars over in State
street, and she could imagine the
crowds, gay from their Sunday holt
day, that filled them, clinging even to
the running-boards. She might have
gone ont and been with them. as ey-
cry one else in the street seemed to
have done, but she would not for
worlds have been away from home
when Jimmy came. She heard the
Jingle OF the street piano, too; she
wished 1t would come down that way.
: She would gladly have emptied her
purse for the Dago.
It was not unusual for Annie to. be
left alone, and she had grown used to
it-almost; as used as a woman can
\ even the wife of politician
Jimmy has told her that she must not
worry at any Of his absences; an
alderman could never tell what might
detain him. She had but a vague no
ton Of the things that might detair
an alderman, though she had no doubt
of their importance. At times she
thought she felt an intimate little
charm in the Importance that thus re
fiected itself upon her, but, neverthe
less. her heart was never quite easy
until she heard Jimmy's step on the
stair and his key in the latch, and
then-joy came to the little fiat, and
stayed there, trembling and fearful
until he went away again. She had
grown to be so dependent on Jimmy
Ever since she had been graduated
from the convent his great, strong
personality had stood between her and
the world. so that, as her girlhood had
merged into womanhood, she had
hardly recognized the change, and she
remained a girl STILL alone but FOL
him; he was her whole life. She hat
doubted his entrance into politics Al
first, just as she had doubted his 60
ing into the saloon business, though
she scarcely understood either in theil
various significances. Father Daugh
erty had told her she was a fortunate
girl to have Jimmy for a husband, and
that had been enough. Her only OBJ
lection was that politics seemed tc
keep Jimmy away from home oftener
than the old work in the packing
house used to; she had trembled at II
mt times, and at times had grown g
little frightened. His success In poll
tics had pleased her, Of course, ant
made her proud, but II could not have
made her prouder of him than sh'
had been. He was all-sufTlcient fol
her; no change could make any differ
ence. without Jimmy, wha
could she have done? He had neve
been gone SO long before; here 1t wal
Sunday evening; he had left at clever
o'clock Saturday morning; there wal
TO be an extra session Of the council
Saturday night, an unusual thing, ant
she had not been surprised when sh,
awoke to find that II was Sunday
morning-and that Jimmy had no
come.
The morning wore away, and sht
had made all tho arrangements fol
the dinner she would have awaiting
him. She had gone about lightly, hap
ply, all the day, singing to herself
tho gladness Of the new spring in her
But, one by one, all the tasks she
could think of were performed, ever
10 drawing the water for his bath ant
laying out his clean linen. And then
J when there was nothing else to Dc
but wait and nothing with which t
begulle her waiting, she had taken hel
post at the window to watch for hi
cab.
The day waned, the Sunday drew
YEARLY toward its close. AZ IL Il siGh