noon
The very faces of the people seemed to glow with a new warmth as though a more generous life was stirring in their veins . As the sun gathered strength , and the coldness and bleakness of winter retreated farther and farther before the advance of summer , the manner and dress of the crowds upon the streets marked the change as truly as the habits of the birds and flowers , until , at last , here and there , straw hats appeared and suddenly , as bluebirds come , barefooted boys were playing marbles in the alleys and fishing tackle appeared in the windows of the stores . All his life the man had been an ardent fisherman . And so , when his eyes were attracted that noon , as he was passing one of those windows filled with rods and reels and lines and hooks and nets and all things dear to the angler 's heart , he paused . His somber face brightened . His form , that was already stooped a little , straightened . His listless eyes , for a moment , shone with their old time fire .