The Daily Worker Newspaper, October 24, 1925, Page 11

With Arms in Hand (In Memory of Eva Voikhanskaya and Katya Antipova.) By V. K. : It was autumn—autumn’s golden glow pervaded—the Autumn leaves ‘drifted down onto the corridor of pines, along these beautiful lines fan- tastically picturesque. A group was standing motionless and all the more restless and the life of our train seemed even the more noisy, deserted as we were here, remote from the village. It was only yesterday ,that we emerged from the fight. Everyone is overjoyed at the temporary repose and ‘tries to utilize it as fully as pos- sible. But there is no.rest for the sisters. There are only two of them in our de- tachment. There is Evinka, as they call her here, so serious and with such wise eyes, and the lively, man- nish Comrade Antipova. There are ten men waiting to be bandaged in their wagon. But they also have a wagon with seriously wounded cases, with whom they must remain all the-time. “Evinka, come and drink some tea,” came the cry from the campfire. But even while these words were being pronounced the others undrstood —che would not leave her work. And so they went on working until the evening. And tomorrow, perhaps, there will be more fighting, and Evin- ka, without having had time to rest, will go out with the detachment right into the front line. She conquered this place from Antipova, and was always there, She is making herself manly. Sister Antipova is there and we rarely allow her to _enter the front line. Around the campfire there is great noise and joviality. They are drink- ing tea and making jokes. They also fry potatoes. Many of them, idle by habit and simply through this motio- tonous hard life are swearing coarse- ly. That is, if Evinka is not too near. When she comes, woe betide he who forgets. She shames and scolds him like-a child. And the guilty one remains silent. She alone is able to reprimand in such a reasoning way, to explain the barbarity of coarse lack of self-re- straint. Many of us in/ this seétion are Tar- tars, among whom there seems to be Helen was a little excited when she went the first day to work at the trimming-shop.. A new life to start, new habits to ‘form, new ideals to | come .. .~ Her heart throbbed while she was going up in the elevator. ‘A Moment later’ she entered the workroom, Side by side in a long double row there were machines, and girls bending over them sewing end- less yards of colorful laces. Her fu- ture companions! She greeted them all mentally and smiled indefinitely. Her smile vanished with the appear- ance of the forelady, a thin little. woman with a tired and angered ex- pression on her face. She took Helen to an unoccupied machine’ and hur- riedly showed her how to manage it. Her dry voice harmonized with the rythmical rattle of the machine, which she operated masterfully. To her He- len was one of many, whom during long years of experience, she taught the trade, Just an object, a human object. ay ‘Helen felt humiliated. Left alone with a piece of cloth to practice on she became wholly occupied with the problem how to master the machine. - It was difficult, for the machine ran stubbornly and heedlessly its own way. It became a fight between human in- Aelligence and thoughtless power. She had to move her fingers rapidly to fol- low the machine’s lead. Only little by little the intelligence began to win. | In a moment of depression, unable some kind of special attitude towards Eva. The-simple tyeptyars from the Ufa Gubernia call her “Ivunka.” And in this distorted name there was a kind of honorary admiration, Anyone of them who fell under Eva’s eye while doing something silly, or swearing, would blush and feel ashamed, just like a child, and afterwards would apologize to her somewhere on the quiet, In this respect, Comrade Antipova in'no way resembled Eva.. She was a heroine: like’ her; and many a time she bore the brunt of the front line fighting together with us fellows, but she was exactly like all of us; she was a com- rade among us. We loved her also, in heroism and jself-restraint we did not distinguish between them. Eva made all of us keep order, even including Antipova. “How shameless you are,” she would often say. “Instead of raising the peasantry up to your own level, you are descending to’ their level, you are extinguishing any aspirations they have towards perfection.” The commander of the detachment, the worker Melnikov, energetic and fearles, was an example to us in everything. But Eva sometimes found it worth while arguing with him and we began to wonder whether we ought to imitate him in swearing. Evinka was sleeping, lying against the .wall of the wagon among the wounded when we woke her up. We had to go to an attack on the line. Under shelter there was an armored wagon boarded up and rein- forced with sand. Eva had to go with us. The raw, dark night came on. Care’ fully spreading out along both sides of the line, we went down towards the village occupied by the Whites. Eva went with her inseparable’ ‘¢a’ bine, keeping to the left flank of the line. She always chose to place her- self among the most indecisive men and those that were most susceptible to panic. I listened how her neigh- bors in the line, who were Tartars, whispered to each other about her in their own language, astonished at her manliness and at the same time in- fected by it. We had already gone a few versts. Suddenly a sharp noise, mingled with the cries of people, could be heard in front of the line. Rifle fire burst forth, .Nobody fired. After a few seconds we heard the hoarse A NEW LIFE to disentangle the thread and not see- ing the forelady around, she was greatly comforted when a girl offered her assistance. It was May, who worked not far from her. “It is only the beginning, that is hard,” she said sympatetically, “In a few days you will be- turning out piles of work and’ wondering when you did it’ " — It .was encouraging and geomising. Helen wanted to work like the otters. She became: conscious of the pleasure of producing. The forelady approached them and May went away. The forelady looked scornfully at them and turning to a pair of laughing girls remarked. an-| -. grily: “Don’t-fool around, girls, there is a lot of work to be done to-day,” . Many times afterwards May came} to see how Hélen worked. Helen was eager to know about the factory and May was ready to relate details of factory life. Asked if she liked her}: work May answered negatively. “I'd like it much better if they paid properly. I am disgusted.” Seeing He- len’s anxious look she continued. “I am one of the best workers here and they know it, Still I get only 18 dol- lars being here a year already. So I am taking it a little easier. They are mad, but I don’t care.” “Why don’t.you ask for a raise?” May’s sarcastic laughter was the only answer. “I keep kicking and kicking all'the There were few fighters voice of ‘Melnikov shouting away in front: “Quickly, sister, sister.” But Evinka was already there. We saw how her silhouette appeared sud- denly against the embankment, and in a minute or two, with somebody's help, she drew Melnikov onto the bank, Melnikov and a few others who had been in the forward line, had come up against the entrenchment of. the Whites who had fired on them. Melnikov was wounded. This thought deeply touched me. I began searching in the dark for one of the platoon commanders: quiet- ly calling out, so that Melnikov could be quickly replaced, Comrade Dmitriev took over com- mand. The cross-firing became yet more intense. We only fear that the youth will not first-time they have come under fire— these Bashkir volunteers. The Whites have an armored car. Eva returned to the firing lines. She conspires and consults with Dmitriev. She is as decisive as ever. “I will go down to the station. I will bring along the armored train. Hold out.” The armored train, narrow and built of boards, with a double wall between which is a bank of sand, is at the station, I think to myself: Suppose it will be difficult for the engine to bring it along here. I don’t know whether the crew is ready. “You had better take Taroshin with you.” “No, it does not matter; I will be able to manage.” And she departed. Groans can be heard in the firing line. Most of those operating in front are wounded. The groans have a bad effect on many. I send down to tle line asking that ‘| the’ wounded>‘bessent behind:to Anti- pova, who has already Come déwn and is working behind the sandbank. The minutes go by slowly. No one can tell what will be ahead. Will there be strength to hold out? In the morning we still will be too weak. The Whites will be able to notice our lack of numbers. _ Dmitriev sent the news down to the firing line that the armored train will soon be along. On those rare occasions when be- tween the volleys of rifle fire, when there came sharp minutes of- pause, coo = time. All I get is a dollar raise at the best.” “But they cheat you!”. exclaimed Helen, “Of course. doing all the time.. Just imagine: we get $12 in the beginning, they pay for the few days of learning too, then you be sure not to eet any raise for ‘a long time.” ' In their exitement they talked laud- ly. It attracted the attention of a om ig girl, who. drontealty: addressesd ay. “Again the same theme, You ought to realize at least that you can not fight the bosses.” “Why not?” said Helen, “We all”— her glance encircled all the girls—“we But the night is not terrible. we tried to listen anxiously. From the i Whites’ side can be heard from ‘afar That is what they are | A STORY OF THE RED ARMY ® the puffing of engines. Their train has arrived, but they are frightened to move away as they do not know the line. Will we be able to give the warning in time? Our armored train is per- haps on the Sarapool branch line. These thoughts seemed to set the head afire. Everyone is thinking the same thing. I can hear them whisper- ing about it on the right. Slowly, from behind, indistfitct sounds arise. The whisper runs along the sand bank: “The train is com- ing.” We feel in the dark that the ar- mored train is drawn up behind the firing line. There is general liveli- ness. The line increases its fire. Eva is in command. . “Bravo!” they whisper in the front line. Eva is on the engine. The com- mander of the armored train ig shout- ing across to. her. When we crept ott in front of the line, the machine guns from the train did their work. In between the flashes in front, we see the thin line of the Whites. Their train is silent. I send Eva along to Dmitriev. Dawn is approaching. The morning started with a fight... between our armored train.and.-that of the Whites. We move forward. I did not witness their death. But they fell beneath the hands of the White Guard beasts. This is what was communicated about them during the last days. Antipova in the last fight for the occupation of Ijevsk was all the time in the firing line. She did not wish to leave it. There were not many men in the company, and the Whites were fighting stubbornly. When she was hit in the chest by a bullet she succeeded in crying out: “Tam only wounded, comrades, you go forward, don’t waste time. over. me.” > F Eva arrived safely in Ufa. In March, 1919, Kolchak, renewing his attack, threatened Ufa. Eva, who left town at the last minute, was caught by the Cossacks. An exasperated Cossack dared to ask her: “You are a Communist?” “Yes, a Communist,” firmly replied Eva, These wild beasts fell upon her with coarse invective, and with blows of their swords they terminated Eva’s life. And thus they are no more. Avedie oh eds officer By MARY FELDMAN | (Werker Correspondent) all can.” j “Not all—I shall not be with you.” “These are the eternal dumbells,” scoffed May after her. The time passed quickly. Turning toward the window Helen could. see the big hands of a huge clock, slowly nearing 12, Then it struck; ‘the factory-bell rang and the machines’ with a swishing » noise stopped. The workers put away their work and hurried for lunch. He- len put her rag away too. Around her was noise, loud talk and laughter. It was the “new life” and she was part of it. She rose and her face bore a definite decision. She must be strong to fight for better... to fight, to fight... . egro Labor Congress Asks for Artistic Taler The American Negro Labor Congress, which will opélt at Metropoli- tan Community Center, 3118 Giles avenue, Chicago, on Sunday, Oct. 25, has issued an appeal to all colored and white workers to participate in the evening programs which will. occupy every evening during the week of October 25 to 31. Every white and colored worker.le called upon to ald’ in the arrang- = ing of the programs to be given at the large mass mectings to be held during the evening sessions of the congress. Recitations, monologues, classical dancing, singing, instrument playing—all these forms of talent - will be welcomed by the arrangements committee. Any worker desiring to assist in this work will please get in touch with A. Andrew Torrence, chairman of the arrangements committee, at the American Negro Labor Congress headquarters, 3456 S. Indiana Ave,