The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-01-12
toowrisht by the BoSbs-Ncrrin Company

Spring had come back to Leadam
Street The moist cobblestones had
steamed in the new sun all the after
noon; sparrows were sweeping up to the
caves, trailing strings and long straws
after them; from the back porches OF
the fats were loud. awaking. tinny
sounds. breaking the long silence. The
clank OF the cable cars was borne over
the roofs, clearly now in the damp,
heavy atmosphere; from somewhere
came the Jingle of street piano. Float
ing down the mild afternoon came the
deep, mellow note of some big propeller,
loosing her winter moorings at last and
rousing to greet the tug that would tow
her out of the narrow river. Kelley, the
policeman, strolled along the sidewalk.
with his hands locked behind him, his
nose in the air, smiling eagerly and
pleasurably. He had left of his skirted
overcoat, 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 or
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 wan
dering in of the prairies, though when
II met the cold persistent wind from the
lake 1t hesitated. 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 It 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 Sun
day afternoons Jimmy would take her
out to Lincoln Park and they would
have their supper at Fishers Garden.
Ieadam Street was dull enough on
week days: on Sundays it was wholly
mournfu!.
Once Annie saw a woman. with a
shawl over her head and a 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 the day. Then Annie was
left alone. She did not turn inward to
the nat; that was too still and lonesome.
and II was growing dark now. as the
shadows gathered. She heard the siren
uous gongs of the cable cars over in
State Street. and she could imagine the
crowds. gay from their Sunday holiday,
that filled them, Clinging even to the
running-b boards. She might have gone
out and been with them, as every 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 it would come down that
way She would gladly have emptied
her purse for the dagO.
1t was not unusual for Annie to be
left alone, and she had grown used to
it-almost: as used a woman can
even the wife of a politician. Jimmy had
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 notion of the things that might
detain 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 reflected it.
self upon her. but. nevertheless, her heart
was never quite easy until she heard
Jimmys 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 he went awav again.
She had grown TO be so dependent on
Jimmy. Ever since she had been grad
uated 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 for him: he was
her whole life She had doubted MS en-
trance into politics at first, just as she
had doubted his going into the saloon
business. though she scarcely understood
either in their various significances.
Father DauEherty mad told her she was
a fortunate girl to have Jimmy for
husband. and that had been enough. Her
only objection was that politics seemed
TO keep Jimmy away from home oftener
than the old work in the packing house
used to; she had trembled at it at times.
and at times had grown a little fright
ened. His success in politics had pleased
her of course, and made her proud, but
il could not have made her prouder Of
him than she had been. He was all
sufficient for her; no change could make
any difference. Without Jimmy,
what could she have done? He had never
been gone so long before: here it was
Sunday evening; he had left at II o'clock
Saturday morning; there was to be an
extra session of the council Saturday
night an unusual thing, and she had
not been surprised when she awoke to
find that it was Sunday morning-and
that Jimmy had not come.
The morning wore away. and she had
made all the arrangements for the din
had gone about lightly. happily, all the
day. singing to herself. the gladness of
the new spring in her. But, one by one,
all the tasks she could think of were per-
formed, even TO drawing the water for
his bath and laying out his clean linen.