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{ LERIED ° 0 BE @<COMMUNIST ° “We re not ae "* “He epoke directly J intervals. Now and then he would “pow. veteate hie Bow of words by taking a nip from a . tle of whiskey. Bile had traveled balf around the Id and his talk was pitted with vague allusions to cities. “S met him in his apartment, lis- to him intently, observed bim minutely, for 1 w that T war facing one of the leaders of World ete Mb ia! _SoHeld, Wright,” be mrorted. “T've heerd about "We're talking about two different things,” I | jamid. “You seem worried about my making Ross J -fpopular because he ix your political opponent. But 7% “fm not eoncerned about Hoss’s politics at all. The “gan struck me as one who typified certain traits of af the Negro migrant. I’ve already sold a mory based “gpon an incident in his life.” Nealson became excited. “What was the incident?” he asked. vwe dhook bande be beret lato « lood, seemingly __ cde tagh: and as he guffawed 1 could not teil his mirth was directed et me or was meant Bo hide his wintee hope what you've heard shout me le good.” a Fe er hid sin waving me 0 « “ “Have you finished writing about Ross?” “Some trouble he got into when he was thirteen van old,” I said. . “Oh, I thought it wes political,” he said, shrug- 4 ging. : "But Pm telling you that you are wrong about + “that,” I explained. “I'm not trying to fight you 4 with my writing. I've no political ambitions. You ¢ ' qwust believe that. I’m trying to depict Negro life.” | sd she Goovted "4 vead that arti: fe you wrote for the New Masses about Joo Louis. A otuff, First polities! sreatment of sports we've | a hed. #is-be” ; : @ waited. S.ied thought that I dhould encounter 0 wad 6 inn of ection? But thet wae not indicated En Be ete i, y tall mae al yon tro a fiend of Row,” he =r No," TD aaid. “I dropped the idea. Our party 4 ‘Sanembers were suspicious of me and were afraid to ; “talk.” He laughed. ' “Dick,” he began, “we're short of forces. We' facing a grave crigis.” "©The party’s always fecing a crisis,” r said. “ Flis amile feft and he stared at me. - “You're not cynical, ere you, Dick?” he asked. “No,” I said. “But it’s the truth. Each week, a . "Sean pasned before anawesing. ‘He hed not asked me Pirectly, but had hinted in s moutrel, teasing way. I bad been told, was slated for expulsion from _ party on the ground that he was “anti-leader-__ tehipe send if a member of the Communist Inter- was asking me if I wes 0 friend of a man See ees bevy eine weit “seach month there's-a crisis.” ““You'rea funny guy,” he said, laughing, snorting q ‘sagain. “But we've got a job to do. We're altering | sour work. Fascism’s the danger, the danger | nowto J » ‘all people.” “TI understand,” I said. “We've got to defeat the Fascists,” he said, _*gmorting from asthma. “We've discussed you and , " 4now your abilities. We want you to work with us. “We've got to crash out of our_narrow_way_of work- x waiy. Bet Tbe him wel in facts qeive well” Snow him 90 well?” be asked, laughing to soften the “Shard threat of his question. “"t'] was writing an account of hie fife and I know “Phin as well, porbaps, as anybody,” I told him. yt I beard about that,” he said. “Wright. He-be, Bey, Jet me call you Dick, bunh?” “4"Go sheed,” J said “jing and get our message to the church people, stu- 4 “dents, club people, professionals, middle class. ““T’ve been called names,” I said softly. “Is that : “erashing out of the narrow way?” “Forget that,” he said. “He had not denicd the name-calling. “That meant i hat, if F did not obey him, the name-calling would | | begin again. **] don’t know if I Git into things,” I said openly. SA" Dick,” he eaid, “Ross is « ‘eationalist.” He to let the weight of bis eccusation ink in. e meant that Ross's militancy was extreme. “We unists don't dramatise Nogro nationalicm,” seid im -wolce thet beughod, accused, and La de you meus?” Hahed. are oe, “ Mew “We want to trust you with an important ansign- segnent,” be ssid. 4 _ What do you want me'to do?” We want you to organise 1 a committee epeinst | 2 ‘athe high cost of ving.” ~“The high cost of livmg?™ I exclimed. oavhat | ‘go I Lnow about such things?” .