MEET ME ON THE BARRICADES Revolution, the midwife of history, is about to deliver a new society. At the monument of Alexander III, orators ad- dress the crowds who stamp and thump themselves to keep warm. The speeches are impassioned, electric. , Suddenly out of one of the side streets the police make a sortie, opening fire on the people. Men and women flee, terrified. ' All is confusion; but Tovarich Pyotr Simpson stands firm. “Comrades,” he shouts above the din, “do not run!” His voice is no longer thin and weak. A holy cause has given him strength; his voice is stentorian. “Death to the Pharaohs!” He draws his automatic from his holster and fires into the ranks of the oncoming police. They waver and in this moment the courage of the crowd stiffens. A soldier in the ranks of the demonstrants pulls the pin of a hand grenade, hurls it. It explodes with a deafening roar. The tide is turned; the police are routed. A revolutionist of professorial appearance wearing pince-nez and small pointed beard congratulates Pyotr. 38