The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-03-07
THE BRICKLAYER
A SHORT STORY
BY ANNA NEMsER

A GROUP of young women were
"A standing near an unfinished build
ing in the upper section of the Bronx.
1t was very cold day. The wind blew
over the empty lots, but this did not
discomfort the ladies who were wrap
ped in the most expensive furs.
With agitation, they were arguing
with the renting agent because the
apartments would not be ready on the
day that he had promised The argu-
ment was very serious, indeed. The
ladies' were bored with the apartments
in which they were living. They
wanted to move to the latest modern
apartments. They even did not forget
to mention to the agent that new fur
niture and new carpets had been or
dered, and that they were waiting i'm
patiently for the rooms to be compile
ted.
The agent blamed the workers. He
argued that some Of them had fallen
sick while working in bad weather. 1t
was difficult to get others to take their
place, for most bricklayers were en-
gagged in constructing other buildings.
But the young women could not be
quieted by his arguments. They kept
repeating that apartments could be
had anywhere for the price they
would pay here. But in their hearts
they thought that this house would be
very beautiful and would have the
latest Improvements. Then it was no
small matter to live on the upper
Grand Concourse.
MOT far from this group of women,
~ John, the bricklayer, was working
theoretically. Every word of their
conversation was carried to his ears.
They cut him like knives.
John glanced at the ladies and be-
came thoughtful. His thought carried
him far back, thirty years ago, when
he was sailing, with his young wife
from Russia to America, looking for
freedom and a better life. Then he
was tired of living in village in old
Russia under the cars \ regime, and
thought that America was the land of
freedom and liberty.
AS the boat drew nearer to the
statue of liberty, he hopefully thought
that she symbolised a high spiritual
and physical life. But he did not get
what he had expected. The hunt for
bread, ignorance of the language, and
loneliness soon crushed his spirit.
LIE again saw himself and his wife
IL wandering over the streets in
search for shelter for the night. She
held a position of servant to more for
tunate people for very little pay. He
sometimes found work for a day or
two. So they led miserable life un-
til the first child was born.
They rented one room and kitchen
in the lower downtown section of
New York. His wife took homework
for which she was paid very miser-
ably. Part of the time John worked.
but most Of the time he searched for
work.
Days followed days. The children
were born in fierce poverty. Johns
wife, once upon time beautiful and
healthy, lost her strength in worry and
in hard labor. The little airless rooms
became crowded with the increasing
family. The children suffered with
various diseases because of the lack
Of nourishing food, good air and care.
John, drawn on by his increasing
family, was compelled to do all kinds
Of hard labor There were times
when he himself took sick and could
not work at all.
What had become Of his beautiful
wife? A bundle of dryed bones pro-
tected by her thin skin. And he
sighed -.
CtEMENTING one brick to another,
~ John for the first time thought of
his past life in America. Thirty years
he had been building houses for
others, theaters, museums, churches.
schools, hotels for the rich-hospitals
for the poor. Mansions for the fortunate
class-jails for the unfortunate. Pri-
vate schools for the children of the
eapitalists-day nurseries for the chill
dren OF the poor, when mothers leave
their children driven to work. John
suddenly felt that he would like to
count all the buildings which he had
constructed for thirty years. A long
time he counted while placing one
brick on top of another until he had
lost count.
And a question arose before him
What has he for all the consumed
energy, youth and health he had given