The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-11-28
The False Teeth
(In Two Installments)


backward toward George Bjornson
saying to Miss Atwood: Hell be
chairman"
"Yes," Larson said loudly letting
Bjornson hear; ''we thought he'd
make the handsomest chairman we
could get. He's all decked out in a
new set of teeth
Miss Atwood laughed pleasantly:
ooh, ho-ho-ho; let's see your new
teeth, fellow worker. My! They look
fine"
Bjornson at his battered cluttered
desk was drawing back his lips dis
playing teeth too even, too smooth,
too white. Miss Atwood walked across
to where he sat writing reports as
Detroit secretary of the Metal and
Machinery Workers Industrial Union
Of the Industrial Workers of the
World. Letting no one else hear she
asked how they felt, adding: "Can
you eat with them all right?''
"Yes.-fine. 1t seems good to have
them after everything / went through
with my own. Only Pm pretty con-
scious of them when l talk. But l
don't think they'll bother me any to-
night"
Il hope not. Look at me while
you're talking. Let's see if / can no
tice anything"
Looking at her Bjornson said: "It's
going to be the first time / was ever
chairman for Bill Haywood"
YOU'RE not worried are you?"
When Bjornson smiled she continued:
I'm sure you'll make a good job of
it. And really your teeth, your
mouth looks perfectly natural. You'd
never know. The boys certainly
wouldn't have made you chairman if
they hadn't known you could do it.
I think it's fine"
SIX miles westward at the city's
edge James McFee, one of the older
men, was coming alone into the city
over the Wabash Railroad. Dusk was
gathering. Poking his head out of
the box car door he began looking
forward along the train toward train
yards, outlying factories, gray smoke
banks hanging darkly above the De-
troit chimney line. When his train
slowed to 10 miles an hour McFee
swung down to the gravel path be-
side the track, running a few steps
with the train, then slowing to a
walk. Leaving the tracks he started
across an unfenced field, following a
diagonal path toward a street car
lines terminus. Softened by recent
showers, light clay on the path was
freezing slowly, crusting with eve
ming cold. McFee's train was clatter-
ing over interesting tracks between
lighted semaphores behind him.
Downtown in the 1. w. w. hall
Bjornson still sat looking at Miss At
wood. There was something he haG
been wanting to tell her. Finally he
said: st certainly was good of you
to get my teeth all fixed up this way
/ -AA0Ao @1NNNOu- WOTkeT.
She told him to stop thinking about
! it.
How much did it set you back 2"
She told him to forget that, add.
ing: u had the money. Twas money
didn't learn myself you know. VIII,
worry about it? Why think about
it? Why shouldn't that money be
used toward making you strong anG
we'll for the work you're DOING"
/ There aren't many like you that
feel that way"
But just think! BY helping you
get your teeth fixed l had something
special to do with getting this meet.
ing arranged for tonight, making i,
a success. Twas something | could
do easily but that maybe nobody else
that you know could have done--just
at this time anyhow. With all YOU
boys giving all your time to defense
work you haven't any time to take a
regular job and earn money for dem
tlst bills. l wish l could do the same