The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-02-15
II

lAdu u lGlNB G--llo ltlliG paper ne
had arrived on a Sunday, and
Rachel had met him at the train,
with a dozen of the Ypsels, their
faces shining. There was cheer
at sight of him-just as if he had
been a moving picture star! There
were handshakes all round-he and
Rachel had several extra shakes,
they were so glad to be together.
The young people knew that Bunny
would be sad over his fathers
death, and possibly also the burn
ing Of his oil field; so they crowded
round, and told him all the news
at once, and Rachel produced the
proofs of a new issue of "The
Young Student" also last weeks
issue, and several others that he
might not have received.
The little office was home-the
only home Bunny had, because the
mansion his father had rented had
been subleased, and their personal
belongings put in storage before
Aunt Emma came to Europe. The
office was only one room, but quite
impressive with files and records
accumulating; they had a subscrip-
ton list Of over six thousand now,
and were printing eight thousand
this week. But Rachel still had
only one assistant-the Ypsels did
the wrapping and addressing, eve
nings and Saturdays and Sundays.
They hadn't got mobbed or arrested
any more; the Socialists were sup
porting LaFollette for president,
and that gave them the right to be
let alone for while.
And then Ruth. Bunny went to
call on her, in the same little cot
tage. Paul had not got home yet;
he had stopped in Chicago for a
party conference, and now was
coming by way of the northwest,
speaking every night He was hav-
ing good meetings, because of the
prominence his arrests had given
him. The story of his expulsion
from France had been in the
papers all over. the country, and
Ruth showed Bunny letters telling
about. this and other adventures
with police and spies. Ruth had
made Paul promise to write her a
postcard every single day; and
when she didn't get one, then right
away she began to imagine him in
some police dungeon, getting the
third degree.
Bunny watched her face as she
talked. Her words were cheerful
she was a graduate nurse now, and
able to earn good money, and save
some if Paul should be in need.
But she was pale, and her face
was strained, There were Com
munist papers and magazines on
the table, and Bunny could see at
glance what was happenings These
papers came for Paul; and Ruth,
sitting here alone many and many
an evening, had read them, looking
for news about hef brother; so she
had absorbed all the horrors about
the torturing and manning and
shooting of political prisoners, and
it had Deen exactly as Ii raui had
been in battle.
Ruth hadn't what you would call
a theoretical mind; you never heard
her talk about party tactics and
political developments and things
like that. She was instructive, yet
with class consciousness ali the
more intense and passionate for
that. She had been through two
strikes, and the things she had
seen with her own eyes had been
all the lessons in economies she
would ever need. She knew that
the workers in big industry are
wage slaves, fighting for their
very lives. And this war was made
like capitalist wars-this one had
to be, because the masters made it.
But even thus believing in PauPs
work, Ruth could not help being in
a tension of anxiety.
Also-a strange and perplexing
thing-Ruth was angry with Rachel
and 1.-THE Young Student! 1t APP
peared that the Socialists had been
getting up meetings all over the
country for a so-called Social-revo-
lutionary from Russia, a lecturer
who made the Imprisonment of his
partisans in Russia the pretext for
attack on the Soviet Government.
The Social-revolutionaries were the
people who had tried to assassinate
Lenin, and who had taken the
money Of capitalist governments to
stir up civil war inside Russia.
How could Bunny's paper give sup
port to them?
Bunny went back to Rachel and
the Ypsels, who declared that this
man was Socialist, opposing the
partisans Of violence; the Commu-
nists had come to the meeting and
tried TO howl him down, and there
had been almost a fight. So here
was poor Bunny, facing with dis
may the same internal warfare in