IN A GROCERY STORE
IT 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 on.
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.”
AT 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
Eolshevization
(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.
SINCE 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.
IN 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 becomes a
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.
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Jimmie Higgins Book Shop
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NEW YORK CITY
A Workers Warty Book Shop
than twenty-four pounds? And how
much? Oh, sir, 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. LundquisL
“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.”
THE 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 111?”
"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. Os course
he was able to get up and walk around
a 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 die
tatorship of the working class —A
workers’ and farmers’ government.”
THIS constitutes my defense against
the charges preferred against me
tor being a member of the Worker;
(Communist) Party of America. Now
either do your dirty work and join thr
yelping, howling mob headed by ous
international and local labor faker;
and expel me from this Trades and
Labor Assembly or do your duty to
your class, the exploited workers and
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, theii
faithful servants, the officialdom of the
American Federation of Labor.
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February 28.
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2475, Sunday.
The Walden
Book Shop
307 Plymouth Court
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Just South of Jackson)
CHICAGO
a a a a .
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.”
SHE 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
to."
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 . .
. no, wait. I’ll owe you nine cents.
Pay you tomorrow.”
HASTILY 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—.
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wm 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. Good-bye Mr,
Lundquist."
“Good day, Mrs. Duquesne.”
SHE 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. Lttnd
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 hun
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—do
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 store!
Nothing I can do for him, nor anyone.
I told him over a year ago to go to a
sanatorium, but he was stubborn as a
bull. He wouldn’t listen to me. Don’t
know as he could afford to go 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.”
THE 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
qulst as the doctor vanished thru the
door. nemuu* .njmrtj iottu!
And Mr. LundquisL for no rea
son at all, went to another store to
make his purchases.
PITTSBURGH, PA.
To those who work hard fa r awtr
money, I will save 50 per cent on all
their dental work.
DR. RASNICK
DENTIST
645 Smithfield Street.