The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1933-05-23

Women with lamps in their hands
came down to the doors when they
heard the men from the Red Night
ingale' working among the wood and
iron tubes When the first of them
appeared carrying beams and long
poles on their shoulders they under
stood what was happening. Within a
few minutes everything was in full
swing.
Bring light here!" shouted a
high pitched voice. They could not
see their own hands before their eyes.
Through the darkness the unsteady,
trembling lights shed their reflection
on the men moving among the ruins
of yesterdays barbados. Bright
spots of light appeared in all the
doordsys and ran along the houses to
the place Of work.
Wood splintered. The door Of the
builders hut flew open with a loud
bank. The tools lying in readiness for
the navvies were distributed. Hi,
what are you dreaming about-giYe
US q hsndI Pickaxes, spades and
axes clsshed on to the pavement.
They took all the boards, sticks, etc,
they could find lying about.
Hoi11snu thought at FIRST that they
had all gone crazy! When the pro-
cess!on Of people carrying these
things passed through the allsy--be-
tween the grotesque shadows Of the
boards and poles, women we're run
ming with lamps-ths boys suddenly
rtsrted to sing, to sing loudly, as if
hey were demonstrating in the Lust
Tartsn
For goodness sake, shut up! You'll
ny set the police on our hselsl' Her.
laun shouted furiously. What did
hay mean by roaring the "Interna-
tional nov, in the middle Of the
night, in the silent, blockaded quarter
while in all probability the machine
guns Of the police were poeted few
hundred yards further on?
But there was nothing doingl As
quickly as dried-up thirsty soil abb
serbs water, the melody was taken
up by the people, by the whole alley.
Women we're hanging out Of the black
open windows, shouting and waving
their hands Thsy came running out
OF the doors, the payenIents were
suddenly filled with singing and
laughing people. The dancing lights
painted long moving shadows on the
walls.
Hermann saw an old woman stand
ing next to him, who was carefully
protecting the glass of her lamp from
the wind with her hand, as if this
were the most important thing in the
world Above 1t the face shone, a
round white patch, in which the eyes
looked out like two dark holes The
thin bloodleSs lips were moving with
the song.
Mad quite madl" Hermann
was thinking, but he meant some
thing quite different.
Just before it reached the Wiesen
Strasse the procession stopped. Picks
and spades flew into action. Crash,
Crash. The stones threw sparks. First
they tore up the pavement to the
right and left and lifted the heavy
cobbiestones with eYowbars.
ISOUA Oubt COtfR 6d1Co, i1lAf5N yOth ISgS'
Crrrash
Three young workers appeared out
of the darkness of the alley carrying
a heavy gas street lamp on their
shoulders.
Look out, make roornl" Bang. The
iron pipe fell across the road.
Just bring a light here. Crete,
come here" The women ran back
wards and forwards with their lamps.
Suddenly shert, riuffied thud was
heard from the Wiesen StFasse. A
rocket rose.
Lie down." someone shouted. For
seconds the corner was lit up by .
glaring green light. Trembling, long
shadows ran over the houses as the
ball OF light sank TO the ground. Hiss
ing and smoking, 1t fizKled out on the
pavement Just in front OF the barri-
cade The police had sent out q
patrol. Only the fear that the fire
Of their shots might show where they
we're prevented them from shooting
Carefully three shadows moved in
front Of the parricade, closely pressed
to the houses Motionless they stood
for a short period at the corner of
the wiesen Strssse, one with the gray
Of the wall A hasty movement, Just
opposite a doorway, betrayed the
police patrol through the silver but
tons on their uniforms. The lights
behind the barricade disappeared.
Peng =. peng.
The window -psnes in the entrance
opposite fell to the ground in spin
tefs. After . short but sharp ex-
change OF shots. the police retreated.
The work behind the barriexde went
on.
TO ne CONTINUED