The Elbert County tribune., 1918-10-18
TIE GLUE TRIANGLE
AT RUSSIA'S FRONT

tetroSrau were IN .nnif shadow. n
few scattered candies fung CLEANS rs
persistent and MS vague rs Russia's
hope Of liberty. hundred t,ussian
girls and six young THen we're guests
OF the first Young women's Christian
association In NIL Russia. II was
gala afternoon tea hut II was dark
because the winter days end ~ three
o'clock ana there IL restriction on
the use of cnndles and kerosene as
well as OF electricity.
The girls were making merry even
In the gloom Of winter. the twilight
and the tragedy OF war. One slender
whitehead girl with purple shadowcd
eyes was mer1ter than MI the rest.
Her viii and ringing iaugh we're con
tngious.
"Sonyn is wonderful tonight" one
girl whispered to another Ms she
stirred gently into her tea the one
lump Of sugar dolcd out carefully for
the party. The Y w O. A. secre-
tnries had been saving the sugnr for
months-puttlng aside at each meal
one Of the two Jumps served with the
coffee In the restaurant. that there
might be n hit OF sweet for this fii7st
party. There was no bread
"Sonyn liz not drinking her ten
her pale little ndmirer went on. yet
She falnted this morning nj the fnc-
tory md the forowoman said she WAS
hungry"
Were all hungry" was the mo-
notonous reply. "It wasn't that
Something stopped the laughter und
talk suddenly but she hush TINT fen
In the dimly III room was ms Joyous as
the gnlety. one OF Russia's greatest
singers stood by the piano and Hfbsd
up her glorout voice flIed with the
tears and henrtbrcnk that people at
peace call thrills.
They went away early when the
music was done-these sad-eyed, half
starved little guests Of the Blue Tri-
nngle-for danger turks In the daflS
of Petrogrnd streets. robberies aud
murdcrs-sharr little by.products ot
nations chaos aud world at wnr
Sonya fingered after the others
were gone She was standing close
by the secretary-hostess' chair whfn
she turned from saying goodnight 10
the last one Of the other girls. The
laughter had died out OF the girls
eyes and the gaiety from her voice.
VIII you give me n note to the
factory superintendent" she nskcd
telling him I'm attending classes
here at night7' She spoke In French,
for she knew no English. and the sec
retary. no Russian.
yes. II II Will help you" The sec
rctary was glad to give her such a
note but she was curious. "Tell me
why"
"lf he knows the girls are going TO
night classes he won't put MS on the
night shift. He will let us work DAYS
SO we can come. Yesterday asked
for the night shift. Today | have
changed my mind"
The secretary wondered Sonya
3 had not been In any of the classes
Had the bright little party given her
an interest In the work OF the assocla-
tioni IInd the friendliness of the
American secretaries reached herr
Was It the music that hnd given her
an impetus 70 study toward something
beyond a fnctory?
what Is II that interests youl' the
secretary asked her. You are not in
any OF the classes now. are you? What
is II you want to take up?"
'"rhis morning | looked out the fac-
tory window" and Sonya's voice re-
minded the secretary of the call of a
night bird before storm. Down in
the courtyard was crowd and. three
men were killed. Killed by the po-
iice-the bolshevik police, while I
stood there and watched. They said
they were anarchists. One was my
brother. Another was my sweetheart.
came here tonight to forget But I
cannot forget. Always I viii remem-
Der. | want nothing now but to car
ry on their work, and to do that mnst
study and Learnt must learn English
and many other things. / want to go
In all the classes. II the foreman AT
the factory knows | do that. he VIII
help. He will let mo work days"
In the dark. the hunger. the cold.
and the terror of Petrograd, the Blue
Triangle Is sending out its shining in
vitntion to the bemldered women and
Young girls Of Rwssia. II Is offering
little oasis in the midst OF the
chaos where they may come and rest
and relax, play gnules, listen to
music. study English. French. stenog-
raphy. bookkeeping. or music and us
one tired girl expressed it, forget for
the moment that they are In PelFo-
grad. Most Of the girls who gitther
al the sign of the Blue Triangle are
bookkeepers and stenographers. hut
scattered among them are factory
girls dOfnpsftcs and ,rfrIe ,rho n.yor
have worked.
I'm Petrograd and elsewhere in
Russia" says Miss Clarissa Spencer.