The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-08-16

trailing strings and long
.,,vs after them; from the back
.h.s of the fats were loud, awak-
,,nny sounds, breaking the long
- The clank OF the cable-Cars
horne over the roofs, clearly now
me damp, heavy atmosphere; from
.xbere came the jingle of street
- Floating down the mild after
-, came the deep, mellow note Of
- biz propeller, loosing her winter
~.,r,uss at last and rousing to greet
4. ting that would tow her out of the
,,ov river. Kelley. the policeman,
..sl,,d along the sidewalk, with his
! - locked behind him, his nose in
4. sir shifting eagerly and pleasur-
Az He had left of his skirted over
~ and changed his clumsy cap for
u helmet.
annie had sat at her window all the
.Neruoon, but, as the spring day wore
mv.rd its close. she began to realize
,Ast ouly the melancholy. and none OF
I "A. promise Of this first spring day
IA touched her. She had thrown
speu the window, to test the quality
the air. Now and then warm
,rsth came wandering in of the
1 vairies. though when II met the cold,
nulstent wind from the lake, II hest
sied, and timidly turned back. But
luuIe would not let herself doubt that
j he spring had come. She knew that
lime the prairie wind would WOO
n vay until 1t would be playing with
/ ne waves of the lake itself, the little
. uyes that danced all day, blue and
White, in the sunshine. And then the
mmmer would come, and on Sunday
| sfternoons Jimmy would take her out
| 10 Lincoln Park and they would have
heir supper at Fishers Garden.
Lesdam street was dull enough on
week days; on Sundays it was wholly
ncurnful
Once Annie saw woman, with a
shawl over her head and tin bucket
n her hand, go into Fnglehardt's
place, down the street The woman
vent in furtively, and brushed hastily
through the Family Entrance"
lhough why could not be told. She
vent there nearly every hour of every
day Then Annie was left alone. She
did not turn inward to the fiat; that
vas too still and lonesome. and il was
growing dark now, as the shadows
sathered. She heard the strenuous
gpngs of the cable-cars over in State
street. and she could imagine the
crowds. gay from their Sunday holi-
day. that filed them. clinging even to
the running boards. She might have
gone out and been with them, as ev-
efv one else In the street seemed 10
have done, but she would not for
worlds have been away from home
when Jimmy came. She heard the
jing'e Of the street piano. too: she
Wished 1t would come down that way
She would gladly have emptied her
purse for the Dago.
II was not unusual for Annie to be
left alone. and she had grown used 10
k-almost: as used as woman can
even the wife of politician
Jimmy has told her that she must not
worry ct any of his absences; an
alderman could never tell what might
detain him She had but vague no
ton OF the things that might detair
IN 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
hected itself uron her. but. neverthe
ess. 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 fat 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 for
nip: he was her whole life. She had
doubted his entrance into politics al
nrst, just as she had doubted his go
ing into the saloon business. Though
she scarcely understood either in their
various significances. Father Daugh
erty had told her she was a fortunate
glrl to have Jimmy for a husband. and
mat had been enough. Her only oh
lection was that politics seemed tC
Keep Jimmy away from home oftenel
than the old work in the packir .
house used 10; she had trembled at II
~ times, and at times had grown q
nile frightened. His success in poll
ucs had pleased her. Of course. and
MADE her proud. but Il could not have
made her prouder of him than she
mao been. He was all-sufficient fol
ner; no change could make any differ
ence Withont Jimmy, what
could she have done? He had never
oeen gone so long before: here II was
sunday evening; he had left AT clever
oeiock Saturday morning: there was
70 De an extra session of the council
saturday night, an unusual thing. ant
sue mad not been surprised when she
aWoke to find that II was Sunday
morning-and that Jimmy had mo-
come.
Inc morning wore away, and she
mao made all the arrangements fol
.ne dinner she would have awaitlnt
a,m. She had gone about lightly. hap
puy' all the day. singing to herself
ne s'adness Of the new spring in her
puc one by one. all the tasks she
.ouid think of were performed. ever
s 70 drawing the water for ~. k,,t -,