The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1918-11-16
THE BLUE TRIANGLE
AT RUSSIA'S FRONT

few scattered candles flung CLEANS us
persistent and as vague as 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. II was n
gala afternoon tea but 1t WINS dark
because the winter days end at three
O'Clock and there is a restriction on
the use of candles and kerosene as
well as Of electricity.
The girls were making merry even
and the tragedy Of war. One slender
hite-faced girl with purple-shudOwed
eyes was merrier than all the rest.
Her wit and ringing laugh were con-
tngIous.
''Sonya Ia 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. c. A. secre-
taries had been saving the sugar for
mOnths-putting aside Mt each menl
one of the two Jumps served with the
coffee In the restaurant, that there
might he bit of sweet for this first
party. There was no bread.
"Sonya Is not drinking her tea."
her pnle little ndmirer went on, yet
she fainted this morning at the fac-
hungry"
Were NIL hungry" was the mo-
notonous reply. ut wasn't that
Something stopped the laughter and
talk suddenly but the hush that fell
In the dlmly lit room was MS joyous as
the gniety. One Of RussIn's greatest
singers stood by the piano and lifted
up her glorious voice filled with the
tears and heartbreak that people at
pence call thrills.
They went away early when the
Music was done-these sad-eyed. half
starved little guests of the Blue Tri-
cngle-for danger turks In the dark
Of PetrOgrnd streets, robberies and
murtlcrs-shnrp little by-products Of
"a nations chaos and world at war.
Sonyn fingered after the others
were gone. She was standing close
by the secretnry-hostess' chair when
she turned from saying goodnight to
the Inst one Of the other girls. The
laughter had died out OF the girls
eyes md the Eaiety from her voice.
"Will you give me q note to the
factory superintendent" she asked.
"tcllIng him I'm attending classes
here ut nIght?" She spoke In French,
for she knew no English. and the Sec
rctnry. no Russian.
AYES. II 1t will 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 ppt us on the
night shift. He will let us work days
NO we cnn come. Yesterday asked
for the night shift. Today I have
changed my mind"
The secretary wondered. Sonyn
had not been in any Of the clusses.
Had the bright little party given her
an interest In the work Of the associa-
tion? Hnd the friendlIness OF the
American secretaries reached her
Was II the music that had given her
nm Impetus to study toward something
beyond factory?
"WlInt Is 1t that interests your the
secretary nsked her. "You are not In
my Of the classes now. are you? What
Is II you want to take up?"
'"Th!s morning I looked out the fnc-
tory window" and Sonyn's voice re-
minded the secretary Of the cnli OF n
night bird before q storm. "DOwn In
the courtyard was a crowd md three
men were killed. Killed by the pO-
lice-the bolshevik police. while ]
stood there and watched. They said
they were anarchists. One was my
brother. Another was my sweetheart.
I came here tonight to forget. But !
cnnnot forget. Always I will rcmein-
her. ] want nothing now hut tn car
ry on their work, and to do that must
study and Learnt must learn English
md many other things. want to go
In all the clnsses. II the foreman at
the fnctory knows l do that. he vii,
help. lie Will let me work days.
In the dark. the hunger. the cold.
and the terror Of PetrOgrnd, the Blue
Triangle liz sending out its shining In.
vitatIon to the bewildered women and
young girls OF Russin. II Is offering
a little onsIs in the midst Of the
chnos where they may come md rest
md relnx. plny gnmes. listen to
music, study English. French. stenos-
rnphy. bookkeeping. or music, and ns
oae tired girl expressed It. forget for
the moment TINT they are In Peiro-
grad. Most Of the girls who gnther
nj the sign Of the Blue Triangle nre
| bOokkeepers and stenOgrnphcrs, hut
scattered among them are factory
GIRLS. dOnestics. and girls who never
hive worked.
''1n Petrogrnd md elsewhere In
Russia" snys Miss Clarissa Spencer.
world secretary of the Y. W. c. A.