Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1918-10-24
THE BLUE TRIANGLE
AT RUSSiA'S FRONT


Petrograd were In hale shadow.
few scattered candles dung CLEANS as
persistent and as vague ms Russia's
hope of liberty. A hundred Russian
girls and six young men were guests
OF the first Young Women's Christian
association In all Russia. 1t was q
gala afternoon tea but II was dark
because the winter days end at three
o'clock and there is restriction on
the use of candles 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
whte-faced girl with purple-shadowe
eyes was merTier than all the rest.
Her wit and ringing laugh were con-
taglous
'Sonya Is wonderful tonight" one
girl whispered to another as she
stirred gently into her tea the one
lump Of sugar doled out carefully for
the party. The Y. w. G. A. secre-
taries had been saving the sugar for
one of the two Jumps served with the
coffee in the restaurant, that there
might be a bit of sweet for this first
party. There was no bread.
"Sonya is not drinking her tea"
her pale little admirer went on. "yet
she tainted this morning at the fac
tory and the forewoman said she was
hungry"
"Were all hungry" was the mo-
notonous reply. ut wasn't that"
Something stopped the laughter and
talk suddenly but the hush that fell
In the dimly liz room was as joyous as
the gaiety. One of Russia's greatest
singers stood by the piano and lifted
up her glorious voice filled with the
tears and heartbreak 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-
engle-for danger turks in the dark
of PetrOgrad streets, robberies and
murders-sharp little by-products OF
Sonya fingered after the others
were gone. She was standing close
by the secretary-hostess' chair when
she turned from saying goodnight to
the last one Of the other girls. The
laughter had died out of the girls
eyes and the gaiety from her voice.
win you give me a note to the
factory superintendent" she asked,
telling him I'm attending classes
here at night?" She spoke in French,
for she knew no English. and the sec
rotary, no Russian.
ayes, If 1t viii help you" The sec
rotary was glad to give her such a
note but she was curious. Tell me
why"
IF he knows the girls are going TO
night classes he won't put rs on the
SO we can come. Yesterday Med
f for the mig might ,,,s shift + Today wye
The secretary wondered. : Sohya
had not been In any of the classes.
Had the bright little party given her
an interest IN the work of the assocla-
ton? Had the friendliness of the
American secretaries reached her?
Was it the music that had given her
an impetus to study toward something
beyond n factoryl
"What is IL that interests your" the
secretary asked her. you are not in
any Of the classes now, are you? What
is Il you want 20 take up?'
This morning | looked out the tao
tory window" and Sonyas voice re-
minded the secretary OF the call Of
night bird before Storm Down in
the courtyard was crowd ana three
men were killed, Killed by the po-
Hectic bolshevik police, while
stood there and watched. They said
they were anarchists. one was my
| brother Another was my sweetheart.
| came here tonight to forget. But /
cannot forget Always | viii rernem.
Der. | want nothing now but to car
! ~ on their work, and TO do that must
study and learn must learn English
and many other things. | want to 20
! in all the classes. If the foreman at
the factory knows | do that, he win
help. lie viii let me work days"
In the dark the hunger the cold,
and the terror of Petrogrud. the Blue
Triangle Is sending out its shining in
yitation 20 the hcwidered women and
young girls of RuSSia. Il is offering
a lItflp p0ais iD tho ,,,f4.t 20 a.,