bank there was nothing to do but sew them up in her
clothes, and so Marija went about for a week or more,
loaded down with bullion, and afraid to cross the street
in front of the house, because Jurgis told her she would
sink out of sight in the mud. Weighted this way she
made her way to the yards, again in fear, this time to see
if she had lost her place; but fortunately about ten per
cent of the working-people of Packingtown had been
depositors in that bank, and it was not convenient to dis~
charge that many at once. The cause of the panic had
been the attempt of a policeman to arrest a drunken man
in a saloon next door, which had drawn a crowd at the
hour the people were on their way to work, and so started
the "run."

About this time Jurgis and Ona also began a bank-
account. Besides having paid Jonas and Marija, they
had almost paid for their furniture, and could have that
little sum to count on. So long as each of them could
bring home nine or ten dollars a week, they were able to
get along finely. Also election day came round again,
and Jurgis made half a week's wages out of that, all net
profit. It was a very close election that year, and the
echoes of the battle reached even to Packingtown. The
two rival sets of grafters hired halls and set off fireworks
and made speeches, to try to get the people interested in
the matter. Although Jurgis did not understand it all,
he knew enough by this time to realize that it was not
supposed to be right to sell your vote. However, as every
one did it, and his refusal to join would not have made
the slightest difference in the results, the idea of refusing
would have seemed absurd, had it ever come into his
head.

Now chill winds and shortening days began to warn
them that the winter was coming again. It seemed as if
the respite had been too short -- they had not had time
enough to get ready for it; but still it came, inexorably,
and the hunted look began to come back into the eyes of
little Stanislovas. The prospect struck fear to the heart

[[134]]

p133 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p134w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p135

v?