McSweenty 'S 4 (2.00%) SALT —> by ANC BABEL (cnansuaftD BY VAL VINOKUROV) ‘Deax’Counave Eorrox. I wane co wile ro you abour some unsensing somen who are up 20 no good for our ease. pe my hopes ia yOu, is fronts, which you have that you who's ceaveled around our nat taker due note of, hive nor overlooked che far-flung sation of Fastov a distie thar lies a million thousand leagues away, ina such and sha dintane land, was there of course, drank homne-brewed bees, oaly vtec my whiskers no my lips. Theze's alot you can write regarding cis Meremenconed sation, bat as they say in our humble abode ~ you cat Shovel all you wane, but che master’s crap heap wil sil be chere in tmerning. Ther’s why Iam only going co wete about whar my eyes seen with chee own hands, Teens a quite gloions litle nigh seven days ago, when our well: deserved Red Cavaly transpose eran stopped there, loaded with Bghe ce. All of us were burning co ptornote the common cause and were teed to Berdichey. Oly thing it, we notice chae our train can't man ge eo get a move on, our Gavia ca seem co get rolling, and the Fighters became all doubtfol and askin each ochet, "Why we sopping ow’ And indeed, ce sop earned oat co bea huge deal im seems ar the common cause, on account ofthe peddlers, chose nasty villains mong whom dhere-was a councless force ofthe female sex, who wer Erping on in an obnoxious manner with the rulrond auchoriies,Recklesly they grabbed che handtils, che nay villains, chey scam peced over ce metal roo, licked, made rouble, and in each hand they were drags ing contraband sale up eo five poods per sick. Buc che triumph of pedlerise capital did noe last long, The initiative ofthe Fighters who crepe ou of che ein made ic possible for che dishonored authority ofthe railroad personnel co breathe easy, Only those of the Female sex wich cheie bags of sulecemained on the premises, Takiog Pity, che fighters lec some of the women inside che heaced cars, but others chey didn't. That's how in our owa riload car of the 2"Placooa ‘0 girls cropped up, and then after the free bell here comes this, impressive woman with a baby and sas: Let me in, my gentle Cossack lads, che whole wat I've been sufee. ing ac these tain stations with baby a my breast and now T use want 0 go.and mect my husband, bue because of ce railouds you ea ge anywhere these days, don’t I deserve a bie of help from you, my (Consack lads” ‘AS @ matter of fact, woman,” I say to her, “whatever the platoon agcees, cae will be your fae" And, cusning to che platoon, I prove co ‘hem ehae hece is woman who wishes travel ro meet her husbaed at an appointed place and thar she in face does have a child inher poses sion nd so whars che decison chen—should we lec hee in or oe? Let her in," the boys yell. "Once we're done, she won't be wanting her hurband no more, No,” I say roche boys rather policely, "I beg your pardon, platoon, bbue fam surprised co hear such horse clk. Recall, placoon, your old lives and how you too were once babes ia your mother arms, and 30 it seems to me thae ie won't do ocak thuc way ‘And the Cossacks, having talked it chrouigh among themselves, Started saying how persuasive our Balmathev was, aod so they let the ‘woman onco thecal car, and she climbs aboard wich graticude, And ery last one of chem, each one swearing by the truth of my woeds ‘umbie all over exch other ro make room for het, saying “Please sit dows, woman, and be sweet co your baby che way meth= 15 are, no one will couch you in chat cornet, nd you will azive Sntouched ro your husband, jus a you wish, and we depend on your conscience co raise a change of gua for vs, because what's old gets old and i looks like you i shor supply. We've seen our share of grief,i they sam woman, bods when we gor red anc chen later he exert seve yeah hud Re were-ceushed by hunger an burs by eo. Bucy xl woman ack. Buc the | ese he rl dn’ worry abo cin luce of dhe "The thisd bell rang and the teuin shoved elf, And che ave Titec Jisbononed nighe pitched ies tene. And in that cent there wete starlantems, And those of the || nen membered the Kus nighe andthe gscen Kubun tar, And | Sane New up like a bird. White ee wheets catered an lateret ines. Toking sl cat, but “Time passed, and when the aighe changed its gud ou the red 62 Placaon Jrammers welcomed the dawn on theie red drums, then che Cnsatk comes thi fame up co me, seeing Ewas scing ebere sleepless andl oe pleased in ben } | Balmashes” che Cossacks say ¢0 me, “why are you so displ The wa anager a Tteourot gucious pardon low igh do polo ata sia beheld jut pn fw weds with tice ly nk guierng hea to, up fom my eng pe whee wie puna ||| aeep adam of ea wo fro «pack of cy bon aI walk wove ee Rend ee he aby ut er ars and pl is duper aed hustond at | | aga and in che diapers Tee nice fory-poud bag on, platoon, | gather cold bloody. “wasae me thac tricked you. i¢ was my eoubles | that doesn't cost Balmashey much, Balmashev sells the goods for | | SIR pace he pu for them, Buc adees yourself co she Canacks, theses, seh the Coach who lee ou ms « ba Terking meter of | fs | they Hee che | the cepublic, Addzess youre othe inde. And | sent for having suffered under us tour wives onthe what fl of the Kuban, who ae wenig out | hve eheic way with che girls erossing eeie pach... But you they didn tea mater of fas sha al owe good for.) rough lastnight. Address yourself my words, | eat couch eventhough ‘Rios yousele Rosa, cue by it edhe ee 0 | Mi pvold sions, |ee lose my sale as ies. ws Fin no ala hing mu 4 bie of truth. Don's give me char abou saving Rass hoe yes Lenin and Trowsky hut youte saving This conversion ist abaur yl, yeu despa citizen. The ys done ener int ie. And by the way, I don'ekaow shour Leni, but Trotskyist dashing son of che Guvernorof Tambuw. who euroed his bcc om where he came Feom and ine the working elas. Like prison 2 vencence co Dal Labor, they e draping ws out Lenin and Trosky ae, co the fee eo! of if, while you, foul citizen area worse counter revolutionary chan chat White general waving. his shapes saber ae ws from his shousand-rble wars. At lease him you can see, that general thee, For every rx, and the working man has only one lice dteam = ro cut him up. Buc you, dishonest ciizen, wich your ie-teting Kids who don’ ask or bread and don’ cate cold, you we cant se, just ike a lea, and so you chew on us, you chew and cheve And 1 tankiy do adic ehac I ehtew chat citizen off the moving aim and derailed her, but she, hefey a8 she was, setup. shook cus her shires and wene her nasty way. And seeing cis unharmed woman, with all Russa around her suffering uneold and che peatane fields wishoue an ear of gran, and the gil ll dishonored, and the comrades many of whom go co the front and few of whom rerurn, I wanced to jump off che teuin and finish her off ot die trying. Bix the Cossucks {ook pity on me andl sid “Just ue che ie So I rook che erusy rifle down from the wall and washed thse dis: grace fom the face of che workin land and the republic And we, che figiters af the Second Plaroon, swear before you, dear Comeade Editor, and before all of you, dear comrades of che ediorial fice, chac we will deal mercilessly with all che eaiors who are dea: ising us into che diech and wane to curn back che stream and cover Rusia with corpses and dead gras. 1m che mame of all che fighters of che Second Plaroon—Nikica Balmashev, Soldier ofthe Revolution,