The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-02
" IN u r A BIZ E."
A GHETTO TRAGEDY.
BY I. ZANGwILL.
Author Of children OF the Ghetto.r


grave. whom thou remsnbsrssi no more. and they
IVES, pit a f IN dark 10 the Inv wrath
s,h hard upon and thou n. ns, ansss me With =.
from me. thou sa.I made me az seo@insiion w. .
ss s.s Is,i ; s:,s:
INTO thee-EiSht-ayh~ P'ai".
There was u restless air about the refuge.
In few minutes the friends OF the patie ts
would be admitted. The incurables would
hear the latest gossip Of the Ghetto. for the
world was still very much with these abortive
livea avid OF sensations. Jewish to the end.
It wns an unpretentious institution-two cor
ner houses knocked together-near the east
lung OF London: supported manly by the poor
at penny week. and scarcely recognized by
the rich SO that paraplegis and vertigo and
rachitis and a dozen other hopeless diseases
knocked bopelessly at It's narrow portals. But
Il was model institution all the same, and the
patients lacked for nothing except freedom
from pain. There was even a miniature syna-
gogue for their spiritual needs. with the wo-
mems compartment rellRiously rallied of from
the mems, es II theee grotesque ruins Of sex
might still distract each others devotions,
Yet the rabhis knew human nature. The
sprightly hydrocephalous paralytic. Leah. had
had the chair she Inhabited carried down into
the mems sitting room to beguile the mo-
ments and was smiling fascinatingly upon the
deaf blind man who had the Braille Bible at
his fingers ends. and read on az stolldy as st.
Anthony. Mad Mo had strolled vacuously into
the ladies' ward. and. Indifferent to the pretty
white-aproned Christian nurses. was lettering
BY tho side o! weird hutchet-faced cripple.
with q stiletto-shaped nose supporting big
spectacles. Like most Of the patients. she was
ND and dressed. Only a few Of the white pal
lets ranged along the walls were occupied
Leah snya she'd DO quite happy II she could
walk like you." said Mad Mo in complimentary
tones. '"she always says Milly walks 30 beau
tifuL She says you can walk the whole length
OF the garden" Milly. huddled in her chair.
smiled miserably.
you're crying again. Rachel" protested
dark-eyed. briRht-faced dwarf in excellent
English as she touched her frend'swithered
hand. You are in the blues again. Why.
that page Is all blistered."
mo. I feel 80 nice" said the sad-eyed Rus
sian. in her quaint. accent You sail not tink
I cry because I am not happy. When read
sad tings--like my life-den only am happy"
The dwarf gave laugh that made her pen
dant earrings oscillate. Il thought you were
brooding over your love AFFAIRS" she said.
"Mew cried Rachel. Il lost too young my
leg to be in love. No. It is Psalm 80 that
brood over. 4 nm afflicted and ready to die
from my youth up Yes. was only girl
when had to 60 to Konesberg to find doctor
to cut off my leg. Lover and friend hast
thou put far from me. and mine acquaintance
into darkness"
Her face shone ecstatic.
Hushv' whispered the dwarf. with warn
ing nudge and slight nod in the direction Of
0 neighborinR wnterbed, which q pale.
rigid middle-a aged woman lay with shut Sleep
less eyes.
30 cannot understand Enells." said the
Russian girl proudly.
Don't be SO sure. Look how tho: nurses
here have picked up Yiddlshl"
Rachel shook her head incrsdulously.
ssars Is . Polis' woman" she said For
years dey are In England and deg learn
noding."
Ich bin krank! Erankl frank" suddenly
moaned shrivelled Polish grandmother. a. II
to corroborate the girls contention. She was
sauatting monkey-like on her bed. every now
and again murmurng her Querulous burden
Of sickness. and jabbering at the nurses to
shut all tho windows. Fresh air she objected
to as vehemently as II 1t were butter or some
other heterodox dainty.
Hard upon her grooming came blood-curdlinR
screams from tho room above. sounds that re-
minded the visitor he was not in o Barnum
show. that the monstrosities wero genuine
Pretty Sister Margaret-not yet indurated-
thrilled with pity. as before her inner vision
rose the ashen. perspiring face OF the palsied
sufferer. who sat quivering all the long day in
an easy chair. her swollen. jellylike hands
resting on cotton wool pads. an air pillow be-
tween her knees. her whole frame racked at
frequent intervals by fierce spasms Of pain.
her only diversion faint blurred refections Of
episodes Of the street In the glass OF O framed
picture: yet morbldly suspicious OF slow poison
in her drink. and cursed with an incurable
vitality.
Meantime Sarah lay silent. bitter thoughts
moving beneath her white, impressive face like
salt tides below o frozen surface. 1t was q
strong. stern face. telling Of q present Of pain
and family limiting OF q past Of prettiness. She
seemed alone In the populated ward. and. in
deed. the world was bare for her. Most Of her
life had been spent In the Warsaw Ghetto.
where abe was married at 10. nineteen years
before. Her only surviving soma youth whom
the English atmosphere had not improvedAhad
sailed away to trade with the Kaffrs And her
husband had not been to soc her for fort
night.
When tho visitors began to arrive her torpor
vanished. She eagerly raised the half o: her
that was not paralyzed. partially sitting up.
But gradually expectation died ont OF her
large gray eyes. There was q buzz OF talk In
the room-the hydrocephalous girl was the
gay centre Of a group: the Polish grand
mother who cursed her grandchildren when
they didn't come. and when they did. was de-
nouncing their neglect OF her to their faces:
everybody had somebody to kiss or quarrel
with. One or two acquaintances approached
the bcd-ridden wife. too. but she would speak
no word. too proud to ask after her husband.
and wlncing under the significant glances oc-
casionay cast In her direction. BY and by
she had tho red screen placed round her bed.
which gave her artificial walls and quasi
priyncy Her husband would know where to
look for her.
WOE Is mo" walled her octogenarian ooun-
try woman, rocking to and fro. What sin
nave committed to get such grandchildren?
You only come to see il the old grandmother
isn't dead yet. So sick So sick! SO sick!"
Twill ght filed the wards. The white beds
looked ghostiy In the darkness. The last
visitor departed. Sarah's husband had not
yet come