TitEPETRonjEwnn (ARON ICLE

PAGE SIX

Ilemalle in place, "we are the sort of peep].
trodden on its tail.
wa: side inns for poor folks, or in have
A a half roubles a month his father the threshold of the house that was teeth
and swallowed,
yes,
positively
at villagt
who never have any money, but yell
s. Or else he would play in the beat time with his little bare feet.
swallowed
every
word
that
he
said.
to
me
a
little
Garden
of
Eden,
will find more honor and justice o,
old teach me how to play. But if
for wild beasts and fowls of the And all the while he kept looking at
"On the ;fiddler
our house than in the house of •
liked it, he himself, the son, that is, my friend I'inna introduced me to The fiddle you must understand," -forest Het!
me
out
of
his
rougeth
little
eyes
and
What a tiddler Paganini
his father. Shalom, Nahum Walks, a went on Napthali Bezborodka to me, ,t.
winking to nu-, as if he would say: richest man. Maybe you have a t,
w sold teach me.
!Continued from page one.)
groschens about you?"
Be
wants
to
learn
to
rich
man's
hey.
.
'.
blow
well,
don't
I
with
the
lee-
"Well,
isn't
it
so?
and evidently satisfied
On the fiddle.
, boys, to your places! To your I?" But it was Naphtali himself who
the 'fiddle."
"Eh molts!"
I took out a rouble and gave it t•
ture he was giving me, "the fiddle, instru
double bass, another the trumpet, an-
"On the fiddle?" he repeated. Can play Naphtali
worked
hardest
of
all.
Along
with
hint. Naphtali took it in the mania
twirled his ear you must understand, is an instrument
other the Ballalaika, another the drum
a half roubles a locks, fixed Bezborodka
yt m pay two and
Wh.
a t Was the order which Naph- playing the fiddle he led the orchestra, of a professor, with his two lingo -
instru-
other
up
his
collar,
buttoned
up
than'
all
older
is
that
another
the
cymbals.
And
be-
and
oath? Or are you as unfortunate as his coat and started a long converse- ments. The first man in the world tali B ezborodka gave to his regiment waved his hands about, shifted his He called over "Mother Eve," turned
tween them there were some who could I t am?"
all of whom came togeth- feet nod moved his nose and his eyes away his eyes and said to her:
with me all about music and mu- to play on the fiddle was Tubal Cain, of chi ldren, minute.
whistle the longest melody with their
"So far as that goes, I can manage tion
Each one took up and his whole body. And if someone
"Here! Iluy something to eat"
steal instruments in general and the or Methusalem, I don't exactly re- er in i n one
lips, or between their teeth. Others
,"
I
said.
"But
what
then?
Neither
strument. Naphtali himself made a mistake—God forbid!—he
it
He
gave
me
to
You
will
know
that
an
fiddle
in
particular.
member
which.
could play tunes on little glasses or
"Mother Eve" took the rouble front
mother
nor
any
y
father
nor
my
up,
his
baton
on
the table, threw ground his teeth and shouted in anger:
stood
was
the
fiddle
the
better
than
I,
for,
to
be
sure,
you
are
that
understand
little pots or bits of wood. And some
him,
but with both hands and all her
to ocher must know that I am learning best and most beautiful of all instru- learning Bible history at school. The a sha :p glance on every separate child
"Forte, devil, forte! Fortisimmo! fingers, examined it on all sides, and
made music with their faces. They
play
the
fiddle."
tc •
none was
older second
and none fiddler in the world was King and a .n at once, and they began to Time, wretch, time! One, two, three! asked of her husband:
a it! ments.
There ere
"The Lord keep us from telling
were demons, evil spirits—nothing
more is
wonderful
the world -Another
than the
s cried. "Whose business
it to in David.
great fiddler—the play I concert on every sort of instru- One, two, three!"
shall I buy?"
else.
h.
fiddle. To prove this to me he went third greatest in the world—was Pag- molt with so much force that I was Having arranged with Naphtali "What
"What you like," he answered, pre-
I made the acquaintance of this di runs the news through a town? May- on to tell me that the fiddle was al- anini. Ile also was a Jew. All the almm t knocked off my feet. Each
Bezborodka that he should give me tending not to care. "Buy a few rolls,
family quite by accident. One day,
:•you
have
on
you
a
cigar
end
or
II
tried to make more noise than
the leading
of an in the world were Jews. child her.
garet? No? You don't smoke?
any instrument
best fiddlers
ways Then
three lessons a week, of an hour and two or three salt herrings and sotto
as I was standing outside the win- ci nil me a knave and I will orchestraand
But above all, I was nearly
the instance,
trumpet or the there Wan Stempenyu, the te ned
buy rig- not For
a half each day, for two roubles a dried sausage. And don't forget an
dows of their house, listening to them Il
by the noise that one boy
draft
because
Of
myself
l
s
simply
sim
wa
and
there
was
Pedotchur.
And
this
s
n
flute.
I again and yet again begged onion, vinegar and oil. Well, and a
playing, one of the children, Plana,
retes for myself. lint you must tell the fiddle was the mother of all must- I say nothing. People tell me that I made , a little fellow who was called month,
of hint that he would keep my visits
the flutist, a youth of about la, in a n o one because my father must not
II e was a dry little boy a secret of secrets, for, if he did not glass of tonally, say—"
Rent
em
sole.
do
not
play
the
fiddle
badly.
Ifut
how
cal
instruments.
When all these things were brought
bare feet, caught sight of me through
now that I smoke. And if my mother And so it came about that Napthali can I come up to Paganini. They say with a wet little nose and dirty, hare I would be lost forever. Ile promised home
and placed on the table the
the window. He came out to me and ti ads out that I have money she will
Hemalle played on a curl-
sold his soul to the Ash- little feet.
gave me a whole lecture the Paganini
me faithfully that not even a bird family fell upon them with as much
for Bezborodka Whilst
asked me if I liked his playing.
the it from me and buy rolls What
made
instrument.
It
was
a
(fusty
Paganini
hated
for
a
fiddle.
media
he
was
speaking
he
would
hear
of
my
coming
and
going.
on
music.
appetite
as if they had just ended a
a sack which, when you blew
"I only wish," said I, "that I may upper. Come into the house.
play before great people like kings sort of t out
gesticulated with his hands and moved to
"We arc the sort of people," he long fast. I was actually' taken hold
a mad screech—a peculiar
play as well as you in 10 years' time." a re we standing here for?"
up,
I
e
and
popes,
although
they
covered
him
And
I
stood
staring
right
his
nose.
of
by
an
evil spirit. And when they
said
to
me,
proudly,
fixing
his
collar
With great fear, with a palpitating
I like the yell of a cat after you
"Can't you manage it?" he asked
asked me to take my place at the table
cart and trembling limbs I crossed into his mouth. I looked at his black with gold. Ile would much rather play noun,
tee. And he told me that for two

___

•

a

Before You Butj

ANY

Oil Burner

Be Sure to See the

A Ten Minute Demonstration will
Convince You That it is-

Demonstration and Sales Office

Cass Avenue
Jas. Roach Jr. Mgr.

4246

Telephone Glendale 7017
Detroit Michigan.

PENBERTHy

AUTOMATIC
OIL BUt-NER.

I could not refuse. And I do not ri
member when I enjoyed a meal as
much as I enjoyed the one at the mu-
sician's house that day.
After they had eaten everything
Naphtali winked to the children that
they should take their instruments in
their hands. And he treated me all
over again to a piece—"his own com-
position." This "composition" WAS
played with so much excitement and
force that my ears were deafened and
my brain stupefied. And I left the
house intoxicated by Naphtali Bez-
borodka's "composition." The whole
day at school the teacher and the boys
and the books were whirling round
and round in front of my eyes. And
my ears were ringing with the echoes
of Naphtali's "composition." At night
1 dreamed that I saw Paganini riding
on the Ashmodai and that he hanged
I
me over the head with his fiddle.
awoke with a scream and with a head-
ache and I began to pour out words
as from a sack. What I said I do not
know. But my older sister, Pessel,
told me afterwards that I talked in
heat and that there was no connection
between any two words I uttered. I
repeated some fantastic names, com-
position," "Papanini," etc. " • •
And there was another thing my sis-
ter told me. During the time I was
lying delirious several messages were
sent from Naphtali, the musician, to
know how I was. There came some
barefoot boy who made many inquiries
about me. He was driven off and
was told never to dart; to come near
the house again.
"What was the musician's boy do-
ing here?" asked my sister. And she
tormented me to tell her. But I kept
repeateing the same word:
"I do not know. As I live, I do
not know. How am I to know?"
"What does it look like?" asked
my mother. "You are already a young
man, a grown-up man—may no evil
eye harm you! They will soon be
looking for a bride for you, and you
go about with new friends, barefoot
young musicians. What business have
you with musicians. What was Naph-
tali. the musician's boy, doing here?"
"What Naphtali?" I asked, pretend.
ing not to understand. "What musi-
cian?"
"Just look at him—the said!" put
in my father. "Ile knows nothing
about anything. Poor thing! His
soul is innocent before the Lord!
When I Wan your age I was already
long betrothed. And he is still play-
ing with strange boys. Drees your-
self and go off to school. And if yea
meet Hershel, the tax collector, and
he asks you what Was the matter with
you, you are to tell hint that you had
the ague. Do you hear what I am
saying to you? The ague!"
I could not for the life of me un-
derstand what business Hershel. the
tax collector, had with me. And for
what reason Wan I to tell him I had
been suffering with the ague • •
It was only a few weeks later that
this riddle was solved for me.
Hershel, the tax collector, was so
called because he and his grandfather
before hint had collected the taxes of
the town. It was the privilege of
their family. He was a young man
with a round little belly, and a red
little beard and moist little eyes, and
he had a broad, white forehead, a sure
sign that he was a man of brains.
And he had the reputation in our town
of being a fine young man, a modern
and a scholar. He had a good knowl-
edge of the Bible and was a writer
of distinction. That is to say. he had
a beautiful hand. They say that
his manuscripts were carried around
and shown in the whole world. And
along with these qualities he had
money and he had one little daughter,
an only child, a girl with red hair and
moist eyes. She and her father, Her-
shel, the tax collector, were as alike
as two drops of water. Her name
was Esther, but she was called by the
nickname of "Plesteril." She was
nervous and genteel. She was as
frightened of us, the school boys, an
of the Angel of Death, because we
used to torment her. We used to
tease her and sing little songs about
her:
"Estheril,"
"Plesteril,"
"Why has. you no little sister?"
Well, after all, what is there in
such words? Nothing, of course.
Nevertheless, when "Plesteril" heard
them she used to cover up her ears.
run home crying and hide herself
away in the farthest of far corners.
And for several days she was afraid
to go out in the street.
But that ■ vas once on a time when
she was still a child! Now she is a
young woman and is counted among
the grown-ups. Her hair was tied up
in • red plait and she Was dressed like
• bride. in the latest fashions. My
mother had a high opinion of her. She
could never praise her enough and
called her "a quiet dove." Sometimes,
on the Sabbath, Esther came into our
house to see my sister Pessel. And
when she saw sot she grew redder
than ever and dropped her eyes. At
the same time my sister Pesael would
call me over to ask me something and
also to look into my eyes as she looked
into Esther's.
And it came to pass that on a cer-
tain day there rame into my school
my father and Hershel, the tax col-
lector. And after them came Shalom
Schachno, the matchmaker, a Jew who
had six fingers and • curly black
beard and who was terribly poor. See-
ing such visitors our teacher, Reb
Zorach, pulled on his long coat and
put his hat on his head. And be-
cause of his great excitement one of
his earlocka got twisted up behind his
ear. His hat got creased so more

than half of his little round cap was
left sticking out at the back of his
head, from under his hat, and one
of his cheeks began to blase. One
could see that something extraordi-
nary was going to happen.
Of late Reb Shalmon Schacno, the
matchmaker, had started coming Into

