The Jewish advance., 1881-10-07

trate INTO the DARKNESS OF ten years sur
fering? In sharp tone he said to her !:
:" 1t is true we went together, we talk
ed also about different things; the peas
ant even wanted to deal with me, but |
declined his offer | do not want to have
any dealings with any one connected
with her. left him as soon as we had
reached the village"
Poor Miriam This was what she ex-
pected.
When on Sabbath eve Havdala, or the
symbolic separation of the week from
the Lords day of rest by the lighting
and extinguishing Of taper was over
Joseph would balance the account Of
his business he would count and write
down the moneys received and to be
paid, and make a list of the peasants
whom he had to dun that week Fishele
would help him by piling, according to
its different kinds, the money which COW
cred the whole table, and hardly left
room enough for the candlestick to
stand upon it. Thus the boy, as Joseph
would say every week, should learn to
know the value Of money, SO that he
might not make mistake in giving or
receiving change But this time he de-
clined Fishele's services He told him
not to stir nor to make any noise that
night, for he had to make out an account
and to compute the compound interest
Of capital, so that his head would be-
come as big as house. From the hind
most drawer of a secretary he then took
out some papers that had turned yellow
from age, put his spectacles on his nose,
and perused them He ciphered and
ciphered, seemed to make frequent mis-
takes, wiped out the figures which he
had written with cha,s an the table, and
began anew. Large arops Of perspira
tion stood upon his sofebeoa h.4t tine
great strain with Will L. exerted has
brains pressed out. Na.4af and son
looked With some astonishment at his
doines fishele did not stir, and there
reigaed such silence in the room that
nothing was heard but the shrill scratch
ing of the chalk ON the wood.
At last he seemed to have done. With
deep sigh he pushed aside the yellow
,ov.oro loaloJ onoo roopo ~ +bo love-
row of figures on the table, and it ap-
peared as if he had found them right.
Once more he opened the old secretary,
and took out of the most secret drawer
a sum of money, consisting partly in
silver coin, partly in paper The count
ing of this sum took also some time. In
large figures he at once wrote down on
the border of the table sum which, as
it were, represented the final result of
the whole evening; Fishele read it from
across the table, and found that it Just
amounted to 578 forms and 35 kreuzers.
Joseph, whose hands rested on the
table, stared first at the piles Of money,
then at the written sum.
Il am now done with her, he mutter,
ed, but so audibly that Miriam and Fish
ele could understand it.
These uttered sounds seemed a sign
to them that they were allowed to break
the silence which, according to Joseph's
strict order they had kept the whole
evening.
1T is strange said FisheIe, 81 first the
whole table was covered with figures,
now only five are remaining
DO you not want to eat your supper,
now? asked old Miriam. You have
long enough racked your brains
Joseph was still looking at the sum
of money.
There are just five hundred and sew
enty eight forms and thirty-fye kreuz-
ers," he said, in a loud voice to the
grandmother, without averting his eyes
from the table. Not a groschen is
wanting. Take the money and send it
to her by our servant, but let her not