The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-01-16
COMRADES.


Broadway he trudged drearily
through the melting snow. He was
not permitted to walk along the
footpath, so he walked in the road,
at the extreme edge, sidestepping
skilfully and automatically from
time to time as some vehicle came
numbering along.
In the day time, when he prone
naded in the business section of
the lower city, 1t was not so bad,
for he felt his individuality sub
merged in this great, busy, cease
less stream of humanity. But in
the evening, walking at his me-
chancal pace between Thirty
fourth and Forty-second street,
when the curious sightseers and
theatergoers stopped to cast some
fleeting and contemptuous glances
at him, his heart rose in revolt
against his destiny. Then his
boards chafed him and his Shout
ders ached dismally-and he
thought of Galicia and the home he
had left in the tiny village among
the fields and trees, where he was
free.
Anton Skopoff had come to
America three months previously,
to make his fortune as so many
of his countrymen had done. But
the panic had struck the country.
millions were out of employment,
and, after an Intellectual struggle,
he had been compelled to accept a
job as a sandwich man at one dol
lar a day. For this sum he paraded
Broadway during 10 hours out of
each "a, a walking advertisement
for Green's vegetable pills.
He had ceased to write home to
Katrina, whom he had left four
months before with the assurance
that he would soon send her a
ticket to come to this land of
plenty. He had begun to drink.
too; worse, he had attended little
secret meetings of militant anarch-
lists in a small bedroom on the East
Side, where assassination and ex-
preparation were preached, and les
sons given in the powers and prop
critics of dynamite and bomb max
ing. Attracted by his intelligence
the leaders of the section had
slowly but skilfully begun to feed
his mind with stories of the wealth
and tyranny Of the rich. They were
sowing their seeds on fertile soil.
AS he paraded the streets, Spo-
koff found that he was beginning
to recognize those who were con-
slant frequenters Of the same
thoroughfare. He would scowl as
he passed by the top hated, fash
ionably attired theater habitues;
one man, in particular. awakened
his enmity. This man he began to
meet constantly-a man dressed in
the extreme of fashion, with a silk
opera hat, low, patent leather
pumps and magnificent fur coat,
which he kept always tightly but
toned. He invariabl yencountered
him as he reached the end Of his
beat at Broadway and Forty-second
street. He came to look for him.
This man, too, seemed to recog-
nize Skopoff. for he passed him by
with an embarrassed glance of rec
ognition, which seemed curious as
coming from a man of such pros
perity. But Spokoff knew the rea-
son. The stranger recognized in
stinctively in him one of those
naughty souls which, born to i'll
fortune, are still greater than many
in more prosperous circumstances.
One night, half crazed with drink
and by the teachings which had
been expounded to him, Spokoff
advanced toward the stranger with
a threatening gesture, and the man
sunk hastily away. His curiosity
aroused, Spokoff deserted his beat,
determined to follow and waylay
him in a dark street. One knife