abandoned his knife, but he too would die,
along with Mary Surratt. He had gone too
far to back out. He walked with his hands
over the shoulders of two dark-haired men.
One of them looked up. He was of a race
Anna had never seen before. The new
boarders joined the crowd. Anna could see
them when they passed out from under the
porch overhang.
Something big was happening. Something big
enough to overwhelm her own hurt feelings.
Anna dressed slowly and then quickly and
more quickly. I live, she thought, in the
most wondrous of times. Here was the
proof. She was still unhappy, but she was
also excited. She moved quietly past her
motherтs door.
The flow of people took her down several
blocks. She was taking her last walk
again, only backward, like a ribbon
uncoiling. She went past St. Patrickтs
Church, down Eleventh Street. The crowd
ended at Fordтs Theatre and thickened
there. Anna was jostled. To her left, she
recognized the woman from the carriage,
the laughing woman, though she wasnтt
laughing now. Someone stepped on Annaтs
hoop skirt and she heard it snap. Someone
struck her in the back of the head with an
elbow. "Be quiet!" someone admonished
someone else. "Weтll miss it." Someone
took hold of her arm. It was so crowded,
she couldnтt even turn to see, but she
heard the voice of Cassie Streichman.
"I had tickets and everything," Mrs.
Streichman said angrily. "Do you believe
that? I canтt even get to the door. Itтs
almost ten oтclock and I had tickets."
"Can my group please stay together?" a
woman toward the front asked. "Letтs not
lose anyone," and then she spoke again in
a language Anna did not know.
"It didnтt seem a good show," Anna said to
Mrs. Streichman. "A comedy and not very
funny."
