The Daily Worker Newspaper, February 21, 1925, Page 13

IN A GROCERY STORE T was an insignificant occurence. Mrs, Jim Duquesne went into the store to buy some groceries. She was forty-five; her face was pale and sal- low; her dress, an old suit of blue serge, was wrinkled and shapeless and even had a few tears that had not been patched. She had to wait; there were other customers before her. So she stood obscurely in a corner while the others were being waited oa. Mr. Lunquist came in. He was a portly man of fifty; well dressed, with an air of prosperity and well being. The cleark turned immediately to him, but Mr. Lundquist waved him aside, saying “I can wait. There are others ahead of me I believe.” And he too, stepped aside to wait his turn. “Why, good day, Mrs. Duquesne” he greeted, for the first time noticing the woman. “I did not know you were up and around yet.” ~™“Oh, yes, Mr. Lundquist, this is the second time I’ve been down town. I’m feeling better now. Yesterday I was down to the village; the day before that I took a walk around the house. Surely I’m feeling better. Next Mon- day, perhaps, I can come to your house.” “I doubt if you’ll be able to do that, Mrs. Duquesne. You had better take it easy for a couple of weeks more. You catch a cold now, after having had the pneumonia, and’ it would be a mighty serious affair.” “Yes sir, Mr. Lundquist, indeed it would, but I feel that I can make it all right. I’m feeling so strong now that I hardly know what to do with my- self.” “But I thought you only got out of bed four days ago?” “Oh yes sir, Monday it was. But that is quite a time. And I’ve been taking it very easy ever since. Surely to do a bit of a washing won’t be par- ticular hurt.” T thus juncture a clerk tapped her arm with the curt question: “Will there be anything for you?” “Surely sir. A sack of flour sir.. The small sack, if you have it. Sizes? What sizes have you sir? None less The Problem of Bolshevization (Continued from page 2) nomic unit. It will be one of the tasks of Bolshevization to drive home to the members and sub-divisions of the party the fact, that the problem of the party is not that of industrial- izing itself, but that of Politicalizing the working class as a whole. INCE capitalism presents itself to the worker immediately in the form of his boss, and since the prob- lems of capitalism are to him first of all the problems of his relations to the boss, his wages, hours, treatment, general conditions of the shop, it will be the great task of the Communists to build on these problems, to extend _ the view of the worker, to show him in propaganda and action the connec- tions of these immediate and seem- ingly personal problems with the big problem of society as a whole, and to make the whole shop a driving force, a nucleus within the working class as a whole, . N the hour when capitalism has reached the turning point of its ca- reer, when the class. struggle gets nearer and nearer the final climax of a revolutionary struggle for power, Bolshevization of the party becomesa test of the will to struggle and vic- tory. Our party will pass this test. It will build and rebuild the Workers (Communist) Party of America into an irresistible force behind which will rally in struggle the American work- ing class until victory is achieved. BOOKS FOR THINKERS SCIENCE, LITERATURE ECONOMICS, HISTORY, Any Book In Print at Once. Jimmie Higgins Book Shop 127_University Place NEW YO city : A Workere Party Book Shop than twenty-four pounds? And how much? Oh, gir, perhaps I had best not get any flour today—the large sack is really too big for Jim and me. We could never use it all. A loaf of bread then—a small one,” She turned back to Mr, Lundquist. “We eat just a bit now, Jim and me. He hasn’t eaten anything but tea for a@ week, Really, I don’t care for much either. 'Tis a pity, I suppose, to cheat the grocery men so.” She laughed, and turned her attention back to the clerk, “A little tea, please. About ten cents worth of this bulk. I hate to keep much in the house—its loses its strength.” “We have some in quarter and half pound tins” suggested the clerk. “It will retain its flavor better there.” “Don’t bother, sir. The bulk will be good enough.” “How is Mr. Duquesne?” inquired Mr. Lundquist. “Jim was feeling better a time back, but the last couple weeks he’s been worse. He don't eat much; he’s get- ting thin and pale like; coughs consid- erable, Doctor said he was looking bad, but I figure he’ll pull thru all right. Jim always used to be strong and healthy like—that’s what helps.” HE clerk’s voice again: “Anything else, ma’am?” “Yes sir. Have you a bit of or- ange, sir. One or two will be far too many, I’m sure. Jim thinks perhaps he can eat an orange. He won't touch anything else,” “You must pardon me, Mrs. Du- quesne,” said Mrs. Lundquist. “But I don’t follow you. I did not know that your husband was sick. How long has he been ill?” “It’s been all of a year and a half since he was feeling himself. Then he had to quit work. He’s been in bed only for a couple months. Of course he was able to get up and walk around 3 bit at first, but not for a month now has he been out of bed.” “Well, now, that’s too bad. I didn’t know that. You must Pardon me again, Mrs. Duquesne, but how is Mr. A Communist Defense (Continued from page 6) class organizations for the dail: struggle and the final victory—the dic. tatorship of the working class—A workers’ and farmers’ government.” ‘HIS constitutes my defense against the charges preferred against me for being a@ member of the Worker: (Communist) Party of America. Now. either do your dirty work and join th« yelping, howling mob headed by ou: international and local labor faker: and expel me from this Trades ané Labor Assembly or do your duty to your class, the exploited workers anc poor farmers and protect those who dare to fight in the interest of your class, who dare to speak their. mind against the enemies of the workin; class, the capitalist class, thugs, gun men, stoolpigeons, and last but not least, by their bankrupt policy, their faithful servants, the officialdom of the American Federation of Labor. Red Revel Masquerade Ball, 37 South Ashland Avenue ner of Monroe and Ashland Bivd., February 23. WANTED Lady to share small apartment; stu- dent, or one studiously inclined. $25.00 per month. Call Lawndale 2476, Sunday. The Walden Book Shop - 307 Plymouth Court (Between State and Dearborn dust South of Jackson) CHICAGO ' ' j | { e @ ee Duquesne ailing? I mean has he the pneumonia, as you had, or is it some- thing else?” “The doctor says it is the consump- tion, sir. A year ago he wanted Jim to go to. the mountains or to the sana- torium, but Jim didn’t want to go. ‘Twould have cost a good deal, too.” HE turned again to the clerk. “A pint of milk, sir, if you please.” She walked guardedly to the counter where the clerk waited. “Thirty-eight cents, ma’m, it comes ta” Mrs. Duquense fumbled thru a tat- tered black pocketbook and brot forth two nickles, a dime, four pennies, one by one; another nickel—that was the end. She thrust the money quickly onto the counter and started to leave. The clerk, immediately seeing the shortage, began to count the money loudly, that she might hear. Then, in an embarrassed voice: “The bill is thirty-eight cents, ma’m. This is twenty-nine. Let’s see now. . .” He pondered as tho on a difficult prob- lem in calculus. “That makes just nine cents more.” Mrs. Duquesne fumbled thru her packages, then set them hurriedly down and pretended to ransack her purse. It was empty. She ran her hands thru the two pockets of her dress. “Here, sir. Take back the milk . . no, the tea. . . no, the bread . - ho, wait. I’ll owe you nine cents. Pay you tomorrow.” pti she picked up the pack- ages and turned toward the door. The clerk went to wait on the next customer. Mrs. Duquesne passed Mr. Lundquist as she went out. He lifted his hat. “I hope that Mr. Duquesne will be improving soon.” “Yes sir, and so do I "Twill all come about all right tho. You can tell Mrs. Lundquist that I'll be there Mon- day to do the washing. If she’s got any scrubbing or cleaning before then I'd be glad to. . .” “All right. But you must not come until we tell you to. That is, before Monday. You must be careful of your- self or you'll be running into con—. THE WORLD'S GREATEST TONIC for lowered page makes your blood tingle with joy you taste it. Take a wine glass full BITTERS before meals and note the By PAUL JOHNSON Give my regards to Mr. Duquesne and tell him I hope for his speedy re- covery.” “Oh, yes sir. I'll not come, until then. And thank you. Goodbye Mr. Lundquist.” “Good day, Mrs. Duquesne,” HE was barely out of the door when Dr. Pratt entered. He sighted Mr. Lundquist. “Good day, Mr. Lundquist.” “How do you-~do, doctor, Fine weather we're having.” “Yes, very fine; tho a little rain would be of great benefit to the farm- ers.” “That's true,” affirmed Mr, Land- quist. “In fact I believe that if we do not get rain soon the small grains will suffer for it. I was talking to a man from south of town who has two bun- dred acres in oats. He said that his grain needed moisture badly.” “I guess he’s right,” agreed the doc. tor. : “Oh, say, by the way, doctor—dc you know of a Jim Duquesne here in town who used to work for the coal company as a driver who has got the consumption?” “Yes, I believe I do. I was down to see him yesterday, I think it was, The poor devil, he’s in’ the last stage; Nothing I can do for him, nor anyone. I told him over a year ago to go to a -}S8anatorium, but he was stubborn as a .| bull. He wouldn’t listen to me. Don’t know as he could afford to €0 anyway. It’s too bad, tough. He’s likely to die most any time now. Did you know him?” “Oh, I'd heard about him. Just a bit curious,” Eker doctor waved his hand thru the crowd. “Sorry, but I see my wife, so I'll have to leave you. And say, those people have certainly had bad luck. Mrs. Duquesne just got over the pneumonia. Just one thing after another with them—hard luck.” “Yes, I know” answered Mr. Lund- quist as the doctor vanished thry’the door. t SUM SEU peTid And - Mr. Lundquist, for no rea- son at all, went to anether store to make his purchases. cee ata improvement of your health In a few days. Order a bottle by coupon below. —_—e cw aww ewes me aw en LIPSEY PRODUCTS Co. 1183 Foster Ave., Chicago Enclosed is $1.85. LIPSEY’S BITTERS Name Please send at once. one bottle of bbbbbbbhhieneihiatiaeeeeteneer sae Address seneenenennnnnnen enn eneeneses ses seebeREDODERSSEESeouneHTeEsEbeesenessseseseeeenee City tate eet CrerOrreereeseeee eaten eememereney Money Back Guarantee LEARN ESPERANTO The International Language The following by ag are received ree: ; Esperanto for All, grammer and vocabulary, Esperanto and its Critics, by Prof. Collinson, WORKERS’ ESPERANTO ASSN., 625 7th St.. Rockford, tl, PITTSBURGH, PA; To those who work hard for tretr money, t will save 50 per cent on all their dental work, DR. RASNICK DENTIST 645 Smithfield Street.