The Washington herald., 1919-03-31
CHAPTER III.
A Little Happiness.

arrived at Irkutsk without money.
All had was what 1 wore. 1 went to
look for my sister, who was in poor
circumstances and sick. Her husband
was out of work. One could not eX-
pect an enthusiastic welcome under
such conditions. I lost little time in
seeking employment. and quickly
found a place as a dishwasher at nine
rubIes a month. 1t was an unbear-
able task, in a filthy hole patronized
by drunkards. The treatment I re-
ceived at the hands of the clients was
so revolving that I left at the end Of
the first day.
On the third day found work in a
laundry. where I had to wash hum
dreds of pieces daily. From in
the morning till in the evening
l was bent over the washtub. 1t was
rough labor, but I was forced to stay
at it for several weeks. I lived with
my sister in one small room. paying
her rent Presently I began to feel
pains in my back. The hard work was
telling on me. I resolved to leave the
laundry. although my sister opposed
it. l had no money saved.
Having had experience in concrete
work, l applied for employment to an
asphalt contractor. He was kind
enough to give me trial as an assist
ant foreman on a job he was doing at
the Irkutsk prison. l was to take
charge of ten men and women labor
eTs.
When l began I was met by an out
burst of mirth on all sides. "Ha, ha, 3"
they laughed; "a baba Ia woman in
popular terminolOgy) assuming a fore
mans place."
I paid no heed to the ridicule and
proceeded about my business quietly
and gently. The men obeyed, and as
they perceived that 1 knew what 1
was about, began even to gain re-
speCt for me. I was given for that
first test the preparing of a floor.
Stretching myself OH the ground with
the rest of the party. planning and
working. l managed to finish my task
a couple of hours ahead of my sched-
uIe. and marched the men triumph
antly out of the building. to the ut
ter amazement of the other foremen.
My boss was all merriment.
Look at this baba." he said. she
will have us men learning from her
pretty soon. She should wear trou-
sers."
The following day 1 was put in
charge of twenty-five men. AS they
still regarded me as a queer novelty,
l addressed a little speech to them,
telling them that l was a plain peas
ant worker, only seeking to earn my
bread. 1 appealed to their sense of
fairness to cooperate with me. Send
ing for some vodka and sausages l en-
tertained them and won their good
will completely. My men called me
"Manka" affectionately, and we got
along splendidly. 1 was such a phe-
nomenon that the contractor himself
invited me to his home for tea. His
wife. who was a very kind soul. told
me that her husband had been prais-
ing me very much.
The great test, however, come sew
eraI days later. l had to prove my
ability in preparing asphalt and ap-
plying. We were all at work at 4
o'clock in the morning. AS the quail
ity of asphalt de-
Gave Her pends on the proper
Orders With tiOns of the elements
out Any used, the men were
Hesitation. walt ng T a ther
amusedly for my Or
ders. But 1 gave them without hesita-
ton, and when the boss arrived at 8
o'clock he found the kettles boiling
and the laborers hard at work, pour
ing the asphalt on the gravel. This
work must be done without relaxation,
II
For a whole year 1 stayed at 1t, la
boring necessarily, with no holidays
and no other rest Like a pendulum,
always in motion, would begin my
daily cycle before dawn, returning
home after sunset. only to eat and go
to bed to gain strength for another
bleak days round.
At the end broke down. I caught
cold while working in a basement, and
became so weak that 1 was taken to
the Kuznetzov Hospital, where 1 was
confined in bed for two months. When
1 recovered and rested for about a
week, returned to my job, but found
il occupied by a man who had been
especially brought from European
Russia. Besides, there wasn't much
work left for the firm in Irkutsk
My sister and her husband moved
back to Tomsk about this time and my
situation grew desperate. looked for
place as a domestic servant, but
having no reference, / found 1t impos-
sible to obtain one. The little money
had finally gave out. My only
friends in the town were the Semen
tovskys, neishbors to my sister. 1
lived with theut but they were poor
themselves, and so, for days at times,
/ would go hungry. my only susie
nance consisting of tea.
One day I applied at an employment