The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-04-07
Part II Continued From
Yesterday.

Yesterday.
One who has lived much, not il
years but in experience, realizes
some fundamental truth, some mex
plicable law of life. One who has
lived much must have big heart to
accommodate all his experiences.
She was not coquettish or trying
to be original. She merely had a
queer turn of speech. She told him,
you remind me of early spring.
There is something sunny, something
of the spring about you. You make
one throw off all fear and heaviness
of spirit. Are you always happy?
Most unusual mani"
Tropin had arrived from the front
two days before and was now wait
ing for the Revolutionary Commit
tee to send him to another front
where panic, treachery and desertion
held full sway. Every village in the
district was a nest of bandits. His
wounded leg ached and before his
eyes continually danced the words of
a letter received a short time before,
telling him of the death of his friend,
death from starvation in a forest
while fleeing from the enemy's prison
camp.
In answer to her he smiled and
said, Il have never experienced a
great joy" 81 can't believe you.
You smiled just now. Only a happy
man could have smiled like that"
He knew she loved him, and when
his train pulled out, felt he had left
something precious behind. 81 am
unhappy" he murmured to himself,
but the expression of his feelings did
not relieve them as it had done in
childhood.
A change began to come over Tro-
pin. 1t may have been caused by the
life he was leading-a life full of
danger, fighting and restlessness. 1t
began to take place during the end
less obstinate fighting in the village
Kedrovka. Kedrovka was an impor-
tant post and changed hands three
times a week. 1t seemed the war
had begun because of Kedrovka and
would continue there eternally.
For the second time the village
was in the hands of the Reds. Brig
adler Shiharoff and Brigadier-Gen-
eral Tropin were riding towards
Kedrovka through a small wood. 1t
seemed to Tropin he had always been
riding thus, riding eternally through
the bullet-scarred wood. He felt
choked and unfastened his collar. The
Brigadier turned towards him in his
saddle, Wen stay here about two
days, then get thrown out again-a
continuous trotting to and fro. The
third brigade kept it up for two
months before we came" He hummed
a tune and turned again, cts like
dance: two steps forward, two steps
back, this way, that way, back again.
The Madam's Waltz. Heigh-how
Tropin forced laugh and remarked,
1.-THE charmed circle" then MUIR
INJURED to encourage himself, "We1l
break the charm yet"
A nameless sorrow oppressed Tro-
pin, and with sadness came fear. He
felt it first while fighting, not in a
battle such as he was used to but
merely short exchange of shots. He
feared death and the "Why? Why?
Why?" of everything closed in upon
him like charmed circle.
One day Lucy unexpectedly arrived
in the village. II couldn't stand it
any longer" she told him. 81 suf-
fered too much and thought 1 should
go mad. 4 can't live without YOU"
He knew she was sincere. All her
little mannerisms and quirks of
speech had disappeared. She simply |
81 can't live without you"
Soon the sleigh-bells of the we'd
ling party rang merrily through the
,old air. They drew deep breaths of |