◆ SpookStack

Dieting” hemi, nein. “J think I under. what's happening hore. Tm not going to let | a drive you of this job.” 7 thanked Rim and rom og othe de fome- 4 in bis words had not sounded right. J turned a faced him. “This job?” I repeated. “What do you mean?” Msitmy oer making : up mapped EET ot ayrricglateered ‘eo "You ween to say that you don't know?” he ‘ Koow what? What are you talking about?” “#9 hy did you leave the Federal Negro Theater?” 4 ‘el had trouble there. ‘They drove me off the job, r igithe Negroes did.” t?” he asked me ironically. eat again. “Whis was deadly. I gaped at him. Sand you don't think that they had any eo J ae ad ated Gat Uevrt lene So and Pe ties by Geir rejection eos that I wan’ tod towpend my days bleating about ay pad done what I bed already sare geved me from that b Aihes har gight and said to my- ube {fhough they are sot for . $4 es "You peedn’ t fear here,” he ssid. “You work, J ‘teerite.” : re hard to believe tha,” I murmured. : ite Borge it,"dhe said. z ‘But the worst was yet to come. ‘Ose day at noon. $1 hosed any desk and went down in the elevator. 5 I reached the first floor of the building, I saw ° ++ 0 ++. 5m picket line moving to and fro in the streeta. Many | ~ bint the men and women carrying placards were old 7 ?,j@Bsends of mine, and they were chanting for higher 7 i : “\_iiitrages for Works Progress Administration artists and | a! Whoeter’ 1s was ‘Prerviters. At was not the kind of picket tine that one 3 be ee Teas pede Weed Pate ont { _Bijpras aot eupposed to orom, and as I started away 3 tried go warn 6 say thread by trrriting quidebooks. © Many a the writers on the project were members of B dhe Pemmanist Party ond they kept their revolu- dionary fows that restrained them from speaking to E Sgraitors of the working clase.“ set beside them in the door I heard my name shouted: — - a “ There’ » Wright, that goddamn Trotakyitel” & “3 wr as We know you, you——!"" + Serwright #8 traitor!” “Seigoe t moment it soemod that T coasod to live 1 ; a. d ate pert $0 them in restaurants, and rode | gp and down in tho slovators with them, but they Wil fier working on the project for a fow months, I’ | gras made acting supervisor of essays and straight- way 1 van {ato political difficulties. One morning — the sdministrator of the project called me into his jihad now reached that point where I was cursed aloud 3 , ain the busy streets of America’s second targest city. | | dit ebook me as nothing else hed. “¢ Days peso. I continued on my job, where L “@fanctioned as the shop chairman of the union which § i had helped to organize, though my election as shop / : > /dobairman hed been bitterly opposed by the party. | din their efforts to nullify my influence in the union, 3 asked ocr dil te. oan ir re . don't know" ond. RVhy?” a "Wat, ou ought to Bad out soon," be wid. oe pole ar king for your removal os tho Gorn tat gon are oompeint "he oid SeWls are choy? ~ “hats _* e muned seviral of my erstwhile comrades. “See? “ dt had came to that. "hoy wore trying to take | the ¢ friends oa. this project?” Be “~~ old comrades were willing to kill the union itself. As May Day of 1936 approached, it was voted by } <g@tthe union membership that we should march in the © agpublic procession. “On the morning of May Day I , Seocei ved printed i instructions as to the time and place | : arhore our union contingent would assemble to join | parade. At noon I hurried to the spot and found t the parade was already in progress. in vain I | -4gearched for the banners of my union local. ‘Where | SPF do you propows fo do about their ¢ com- ints’” I asked, ; ‘rere they? I went up and down the streets, esking aor the location of my local. a : “Oh, that local’s gone fifteen minutes ago; a. >