The Washington times., 1936-08-18
SECRET Y I'LL f
OBSERVANCE
IS FORCED
BY ARNE STROM


Again and again the fuel ques-
ton drove us to desperation.
The hands working on the agri'
cultural section of the poultry
farm must now be sent to the
forest for wood, but they had to
cut the trees down first and it
is not easy to obtain permission
to fetch fuel from the forests Of
Soviet Russia.
Horses Worn Out
Every morning the men drove
off to q wood some kilometers
away. The horses were so worn
out and wretched that they could
hardly draw the empty sleighs,
From my window I watched
the horses harnessed every morn
ing. Most of them could hardly
move their legs and had to be
started by a push. There was
especially a big, painfully thin
gelding which every morning had
cold water thrown on it. The
driver showed great ingenuity in
calling this animal back to the
thraldom of everyday life and
spent hours with it.
Longs for Canadian Wood
NV thoughts would go back to
my beautifully piled fire-wood in
Canada. There I had always cut
wood for my winter supply a year
ahead so that the summer sun
could dry it. I sadly remembered
my good axes and the neat circu-
lar saw which had made work in
the forest seem like play. What
axes, what saws I had here for
cutting the damp, tough poplar
wood?
IfLeda had not helped us make
this wet wood burn we should
have been forced to escape to Mos
COW. At it was had to fight for
dear life against the terrible cold,
as did all the others on the farm
except the manager and the Com
munists of the higher orders.
Secret Yule Observance
It is wise to hide from every
body in Soviet Russia that you are
going to keep Christmas. Rus
slams who mean to keep up the
old traditions are made to suffer
for it.
We had to make shift with
Scotch fir this year as nobody
knew where I could get proper
Christmas tree. But the Scotch
fir also makes lovely Christmas
tree, and if you burn some OF its
boughs they smell as much OF
Christmas as the real thing.
The day before Christmas Eve
was bitted cold. Armed with
small ak. a packet of food and a
sack, started off on my expedl-
ton in search of Christmas tree.
Nobody could tell me the name
of the place where I wanted to go.
It was Just small hating place
in the forest, where I had often
noticed some small Scotch frs
when passing it in the train. It
was only a few kilometers off. so
I decided to get on the train-the
Malashka-and pay the conductor
the few kopecks the journey would
cost.
The storm rustled in the tops
Of the big frs. The train disap-
peared. I walked into the wood as
if had fixed aim. After long
search I had to rest contented with
a scraggy little mountain fir. I
cut it down and slowed it in my
sack and stood wondering how to
pass the time till the train re-
turned in a couple of hours, when
a bold and most unfriendly howl
from some wolves quite near set
me shivering with fear and cold.
I looked about for some refuge
and to my great joy caught sight
of a light over in a little valley.
There must be a house, then, and
human beings. With my little axe
held tightly in my hand plodded
through the deep snow, carrying
the sack With the tree under my
arm. Two horrible bowls one
after the other from two directions
in the wood made me run till I
stood out of breath before the door
of the hut, on which I banged
with greater energy than was per-
haps really necessary.
Sits Before Fire
Immediately the door opened
little and a girl with a pale and
beautiful face looked out and
asked me quietly:
"WhO is there?"
told her hurriedly that I was
a stranger, that the wolves were
about and had got to wait for
the train.
She understood me and open
ing the door she let me come in.
I was prepared for one of the
usual unhealthy, dirty human
dens, so it was a refreshing sur
prise to find this little one-roomed
house a marvel of sweet-smelling
cleanliness. Her great blue eyes
were full of curiosity as they met
mine. With graceful strength
she lifted a heavy, clumsy home
made chair and put it down
noiselessly before the fire, where