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THE JEWISH CHRONICLE
HOW MY WIFE ACCEPTED ME
A Charming Romance of Jewish Life
By ABRAHAM BURSTEIN
When you tremblingly ,asked her —a mere child. I tut for sonic rca- directly facing me. And then—my
that most momentous question, was son or other I seized the earliest anger, that should have kept at a
her answer really a single mono- opportunity to remove that ticklish white heat to be at all impressive,
syllable? You married men, who appendage from my upper lip— immediately vanished.
I bent dowil smilingly over the
wish you weren't, was it a shy and when I had (lone so, I felt the
"yes" that set you in the clouds relief of having rolled six years off girl's head, encased in a hat, very
much resembling an inverted bas-
from which you were to fall so my shoulders.
Lily
and
I
had
.
much
to
talk
ket,
and declared, "Lily," you
readily ? And you sour and crabbed
bachelors, was one decisive "No" about. She displayed a great de- shouldn't wear a hat that comes
sufficient to put a permanent dash sire to discuss her future education down so over your head. For then
of acid In the cup of your happi- in matters Hebraic, while I took I can't get a glimpse of your face!"
ness? pleasure in telling her all I knew or I did get a glimpse of it, how-
Perhaps it was a nod or a shake could devise on the subject. I ever, the next minute—and it was
of the head ; possibly father was wondered vaguely at the time why blushing most prettily and happily.
Thereafter, I always greeted her
referred to and approached with we always drifted toward each
by
inquiring sarcastically : "Can
misgivings, and a kiss may have other,
There
were
flashes
of
repartee
you
decline
cha-more—a donkey?"
been the only and most eloquent re-
The
answer
always was. "No,
a
remote
between
us
in
class.
For
Lily
could
ply. Or else—and this is -
conjecture—the maid turned her not behave, and her humor and mis- teacher, I'm afraid I'll never be able
head saucily to one side, and with chief were irrepressible. I did not to learn!"
For a week following this, Lily
a mischievous smile gave such an allow anyone else, I recall now, to
arch response as my maid—now no answer any rebuke of mine—what was absent. As it was my custom
longer maid—betsowed on my love- a charmed life my present wife as principal to attend personally to
such matters, and since her home
must have led in those days!
lorn plea.
As T look back over the years of Before and after hours I would was on my way to the school, I
our friendship and the short per- sometimes unconsciously fondle the stopped to call for my missing it-
spective of our married life, it beautiful curls of the lass and say pil to escort her thither. The walk
seems like another age in which T things such as "I'll be sorry when was a most sedate one—we dis-
• met my Lily for the first time. T these curls of yours are gone, cussed IIebrew education in gen-
was barely twenty then, but, forti- Lily !" And then I would turn to eral and her education more par-
fied by a straggling mustache, T see sly smiles on the faces of the ticularly.
When we reached the dOor of the
had undertaken to serve as princi- other girls.
One
morning
Lily
took
a
seat
far
school-synagogue,
however, I pur-
pal in a little Hebrew school for
children. And while I was being in the rear. There she prepared to posely held back, so that it should
most properly • introduced to my enjoy a short respite from her ar- seem that we had come independ-
class by my feminine predecessor, duous application to Hebrew trans- ently. But the wily lass reduced
the only face .that. I seemed to see lations and paradigms by talking her pace immediately and forced
was that of a dark, curly-haired and laughing throughout the lesson. me to enter with her at my side. I
child, .whose eyes were beaming 1 was asking the children to de- shall never forget how the other
children and the other teachers all
with good humor and mischief. I cline certain easy nouns.
"Soos—a
h
o
r
s
e
;
soosi—my
young
ladies of understanding,
was constrained to stop and admire
the sweet beauty of her young horse ; soos-cha—thy horse—" rang smiled and nudged one another in
countenance, and to inquire the out in easy unison from the class. glee.
My favoritism led Lily to the as-
Lily was at the time engaged in
name of its possessor.
"Lily !". she answered, with a making funny pictures of her sumption of many privileges other-
neighbors and accompanying each wise taboo. Finding that I was
•
gleam of her teeth.
ludicrous stroke with a peal of ready to permit her to leave the
"How old are you ?"
"Thirteen," was the pleased re- laughter. I mustered a great school before the regular final as-
ply—it was a matter of edification amount of indignation into my or- sembly, on another occasion she
to her that the new instructor had dinarily placid countenance and approached me with a friend of
singled her out from all the other electrified her with a sudden : hers, and demanded that both be
lasses. They smiled, too, for their "Lily !" excused at the same early hour !
The answer was calm, however : - Of course I refused ( for they
pretty classmate, they believed, had
had no good excuse), but no sooner
"Did you call on me?"
made a conquest. .
"What
is
the
Hebrew
for
don-
had
I turned my back than I heard
If I recall correctly there were at
the
swish of skirts through the
the time about ten girls and two key ?"
door.
Both had run out without
" `Cha-more.' of course."
boys in this class, the highest in the
"Decline it—my donkey, thy my permission.
school. In the proper orthodox
The cause of this breach of dis-
fashion, the boys seated them- donkey—come!"
But
the
curls
were
tossed
in
a
cipline
was easy to fathom. L Lily
selves . a distance apart from the
had
apparently
said : "Oh, come,
girls, leaving me to stand with the sudden pettish coyness.
"I
can't
decline
cha-more.
and
I
let's
run.
Teacher
won't care. He
majority. And in the majority. I
likes
me!"
could see only one face that was al- don't want to try !"
Still, I managed to work myself
I insisted that she could, and
ways smiling within its black border
then
I
demanded
that
she
should,
into
a deep indignation at our next
of curls.
It is difficult to recall the names but all to no avail. One who has meeting, and I delivered a polemic
of a new •assortment of pupils. I ' not taught girls of the maturing age to the whole school that was most
mentioned this fact in extenuation has not yet learned what real oh- apparently directed at a certain lit-
to some whom on my third day stinacy can be. It seemed to me tie girl . who was always disobe-
with them 1 was lamentably lax in that Lily was exemplifying in her dient. The dear little soul, I re-
recalling' by name.. But a brazen budding self the stiff-necked traits joiced to see, became better be-
lass in:the. rear cried: "You for- of the whole Jewish people. hayed from that moment.
I have said that the teachers and
Discovering how futile were
get all except Lily!''
I muttered a short rebuke, but threats and arguments. I angrily pupils were inconveniently discern-
was not 'prepared to offer any de- demanded that she take a seat in • ing. Someone approached me once
nial of this charge. front of me where I could better and declared . that it was the
What a foolish thing I thought it . check her extravagant mischievous- school's concensus of opinion that I
that children should link the names . ness. Again I was met with a set- was in love with Lily, and that they
of a moustached youth with that of tied refusal, but a moment of ap- all hoped to see something come of
a little girl, hardly maturing. Sure- parent anger on my part finally it some day. I laughed at the idea
:\ ly I could not fall in love with her . brought her reluctantly to the bench —in love with a little girt—and
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asked who it was that had divulged
the information. By virtue of a
strenuous process of extraction I
learned that it had been one of the
young lady teachers, who could not
possibly have ever seen Lily and
myself together. How rumor flies!
I took to writing poetry about
"The Youngest Queen of Hearts"
and "Dark Eyes" and such subjects.
I had no definite idea why I did so,
however—something seemed to im-
pel me. In one of my admonitory
letters sent out to pupils from time
to time, I inadvertently promised
Lily the gift of a little book—a
Purim play. Later I was slyly re-
minded of my promise, and I de-
livered the booklet, with the follow-
ing inscription :
"To a dear lassie and a bright
pupil ; loyal to her nation and de-
voted to her religion—her posses-
sion of which qualities have often, I
must confess, made me sorry that
she was not older."
But, of course, she did grow
older with every passing moment.
When Lily became fourteen I gave
her another gift, with another in-
scription. Then I began to take a
surprising interest in her knowledge
of Hebrew and Jewish history, and
(Continued on page 5)