The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-12-05
(CopWight, 1925, By international
Publishers Coz


ONE evening in May, having arranged for our
wounded at the depot We established our
selves on a meadow, waiting for kasha when
suddenly from the direction of the forest, he APP
peared-Flying Osip
''Brothers it's Osipr' rolled over the meadow
"Flying Osip"
''Where? Where?" The newcomers among the
guerilla-fghters turned their heads eagerly
"What Osip?"
"Open your eyes, not your mouths! There"
''And really, it's himw cried one of the old-tim-
ers; he jumped up, stuck his spoon in back OF his
bootleg and yelled
''It's him! Osip! The flying devil :. Z"
II tell you it's him."
"StiI alive! True chip of the Urals"
f'Well, brothers, if Osip's turned up there'l be
something doingw
You dap't catch Osip coming for nothingw
Fl telltyeu, if he's turned up! :"
"a tall man, clad in muzhik's coat, was ap-
preaching along the embankment, swerving aside
from the piles of torn-up ties and rails of the de
molished road The skirts of his coat were stuck
like wedges behind his belt and his dingy, rust
colored cap with the visor was thrust forward
on his head. One could see by his wOrnOut, bast
shoes that the man had walked many a mile.
Coming up close to us, he slowly took off his
cap, bowed to either side, and weary smile
fitted across his pock-marked face.
He asked hOarsely:
COURSE"
"Whose then? You rum guyw
"Osip don't you know us?"
1--WE spotted you way, way OFF,
The man again smiled YEARLY, with a simple
hearted smile. He passed his dark palm over his
face as if brushing off cobwebs, and Unexpectedly
asked in firm voice, in military fashion,
i''What detachment2 Whose?" S
Eagerly, interruRting one another We named
our detachment, explained position and the
disposition of the enemy forces. ~
And the fellow with the spoon in his bootleg,
pressing forward until his nose almost touched
the others, yelled as if across a field:
"Osip, lad Have you forgotten? Didn't yoQ
lead us in the fankng movement at SabanOv!
And we struck the enemy in the rear so that
Gee! :"
Smashed em to smithereensn
Leaning YEARLY against a wagon, and twisting
his matted beard around his finger, Osp shook
his head, as if wishing to say: II don't remem-
ber somehow"
"At Sabanov Wait :" He began to
rub his nose the outside, where the nostril was
torn away. 'Isn't Sokolov in your detachment?
Kirsans his given name?"
"There, you know us all right" eagerly cried
the one with the spoon in his bootleg. "Where
else should Kirsan be- Sure he's with sy
"Sokoov's with tsp the men shouted from all
sides, surrounding Osip. "Sokolov's here Only,
as it happens, he's wounded. Last night. Badly
He's at the depot, is Sokolov!'
Jus then the wagons with the large caldrons
Of kasha came up. Pans began to rattle. The
boys rushed to the caldrOns, and the cooks,
swinging their ladies, shouted:
"Get in line, get in line! Look sharp, or you'll
get scaldedw
Osip twisted his beard around his finger and
started toward the depot He refused even the
hot kasha
'He's off to wake up old wounds" said one
of the old-timers, carefully holding his palm un-
der the spoon that was on its way to his mouth.
''Sokolov,s boys, eyewitness when
Osips family was completely wiped out The
oh