The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-02-16

the yellow sandy hillock, and when
the clouds hanging over the sunset
rejoiced with nervous tenderness at
something momentary and fugitive
and accompanied the sun with a
trembling of elusive singing tones,
then by the dark staircase past the
dirty water-closet and wash-tub,
hurriedly, Raphael Antonovitch fled
to his own room and groaned with
his asthma.
For, at this scarlet hour Of sun
set, the "Internationale" proudly
fioated from the Circus, and, with
the power of hundreds of voices
was carried over the town to the
evening sun, like a red avenging
angel, and Robeiko would be COM
ing home at once, for he had taken
lodging in the house of Raphael
Antonovitch, who did not like meet
ing Robeiko and was afraid of him.
CHAPTER TWO.
T TNDER the quiet light Of an
~ electric lamp, in a study fur
nished in oak, the meeting of the
Party Committee began. Robeiko
made short report. He told the
comrades of his plan for getting
wood. But they were inattentive,
talked among themselves in loud
whispers, during the report, and
smiled friendlily at each other. It
was pleasant after a whole day of
exhausting, nervous work, to see
the familiar faces of their COM
rades. And consequently the fam
ing appeals of Robeiko were
quenched like sparks falling in
water. No one seconded his sug-
gestions, but, when he had finished
the report, Ziman proved at length
that the whole nroject was imprac-
ticable, that the melting of the
streams would prevent the bring
ing of the wood to the railway,
and that there where not enough
saws, axes or carts. =.
Small, like an unpretentious dull
figure out of a ledger, he caught
by the wing Robeiko's flying ideas.
Then Karaulov objected, the mill
tary Brigade Commander, an old
Cossack with a dark yellow face,
framed in a thin little beard. He
pulled out clouds of smoke from
his pipe and muttered in a dull
voice, "There are a lot of bandits
hanging about round the town i.
and here are you proposing to take
the Red Army soldiers twelve
versts away. For without them
you will not cut down the monas-
terry woods. With mobilized bour-
geois and half-dead Soviet en-
employees, you will not get far. :"
And Robeiko, lacerated by his
cough, and scattering the rich,
Powered purple carpet with spittle
and green mucus, replied to Ziman
with figures from notebook and
with hoarse voice told Karaulov
that there was no other way out,
that the revolution demanded
that they would have to take the
risk.
"You risk that they will take
the town, cut the Communists to
pieces, cut off the district from the
center for several months. l.. :" dis
tinctly, maliciously, in a voice not
loud but audible by all, said Karau-
Low and then suddenly raised his
voice and cried angrily, "What are
you fooling about, Robeiko? Caus-
ing a revolt is no sort of joke. Ask
Klimin, and he, as head of the
Cheka (Cheka is short for the
Russian word meaning Extraordi-
nary Commission, the Revolution
airy Police dealing with Counter
Revolution, Banditism, Espionage
etc., etc. will tell you what un-
rest there is just now in the viii
lagos"
But Klimin was inattentive and
silent. He was thinking of some
thing happy and serene, and his
eyes were merry and tender. He
started at hearing his name, left
his dreams and with unconscious
dislike followed Robeiko's words,
fully agreed with the quiet obiec-
tons of Ziman, with the disguised
EXPLANATIONS of Karaulov, and
everything that Robeiko said SEEM
ed the result of his invalid fantasy.
"You must exert your wills, to
get out of the blind alley.
Otherwise We shall have the fields