The San Francisco call., 1904-07-03
CHAPTER III.
sHMUNKE MENKE sHMUNKE's.

from side to side. / was babe again.
My proficiency in languages, my liter
airy SKILL my ideas-none of these was
of avail to me here. Again / was bab-
bling the Jewish jargon as in the be-
ginning of my miserable childhood;
again an orphan-v'ithout a fatherland
"a wanderer, a vagabond in a strange
land. 1 had to start life anew from its
very beginning. Again 1 was in the
Ghetto | so much despised. 1t seemed
that the Ghetto was foreordained for
me. In vain had 1 struggled to free
myself from it; futile had been my
strenuous efforts to break away from
the narrow confinement of the Jewry.
By force stronger than my will 1 was
drawn back to it,
Mr.. Takiff found me lodgings with
family that he said he had known in
Russia, and on the following Sunday
morning L climbed the four flights of
dirty stairs that led to my new home
and knocked gently at the door.
1t opened, and heavily bewigged
woman, with long earrings dangling
down her cheeks, thrust out her head
and asked in Yiddish: We'll, what do
you want?"
L retreated step IN surprise. In
stead of announcing myself as her new
lodger. 1 asked: If you please, arn't
you from Javolin?"
from Javolin?" she answered with
question.
rs not your name Groone?" I ven
tured to ask again, smiling at the
grimace on her face.
What, then, is my name-SprinZe?
she flung another question instead of a
reply, and swung the door as If to give
me a hint.
And your husbands name is
MenI--" 1 continued tantaliZing. hold
ing the door to keep her from shutting
it in my face.
What, then, should his name be
Todres?" came another Interrogation,
quick as lightning. Then she added:
Il don't understand you, young man.
yours, and don't you come to insult me
in my own house"
Don't you know me, Groone?" I
smiled, moving a little forward.
My tone seemed to have gained IA
vOr, for she said with rather less
sharpness: Where do you come
from?"
1 thought this enough dilly- -dallying
and told her who 1 was.
God be with you Come in, Reb
Isra,l come in. Who would have ever
believed that you would grow so tall
and nice-and in Americal Ach. mein
Gott! You also in Americai Tell me,
Reb Israel, how do you come to this
country Z!
II cou. not come by rail so came
Dy boat" 1 answered, with rather
weak attempt at humor.
Upon my word, the same Israel.
with the same old jukes. When did
you get here?"
/ told her.
did you leave your wife and chill
$ dren at homer"
1 said 1 had neither.
Upon my word in honor, you're
making fun of me. How is it without
a wife?" she asked incredulously.
With these and like arguments 1 was
assailed, and would perhaps have sur
rendered had not Menke fortunately
come in.
"S-hi" Groone warned me, then fold
ed her hands in maternal easiness.
'Menke, will you recognize this young
man?'
Menke remained standing as If sud-
denly pushed under a shower bath.
with a half-idiotic smile on his face,
his american hat" a trifie inclined to
one side.
'I do remember him. but can't re-
call his name,'' he stammered in his
nasal voice, struggling his shoulders.
"Then say you don't know him." his
spouse burst out. why are you chew
ing and pretending that you do know
him? Long shall live this head!'' She
patted her wig with her hand. THE
moment he opened the door 1 cried out
Israeli"
Menke was abashed at this; he con-
tinued to look at me with a perplexed
and foolish smile.
AS 1 was talking with these people,
or rather as Groone talked and we lis
tened, the door opened and a tall, bony
fellow, smooth -shaven. with glasses on
his nose, came in, and without looking
at us passed through the room into the
next one.
''Shmunke!' Groone called after him.
"I have told you a million times"
the young man said, turning about,
you call me by your dirty sheeny
names" And he disappeared wrath
fully into the adjoining room.
THAT is America for you!" Groone
nodded her head and waved her hand
toward Shmunke, and Menke puffed at
his pipe indifferently. "'At home
Rabbi Brill consulted him whenever he
had a knotty qoint in the Talmud, and
here he would throw stones at a Jew.
Oi and woe is me what / have lived to
sect"
What are you jabbering there?"
Shmunke appeared in the doorway
with a sneer on his face. Your Jewish
nonsense over again2 How many times
have 1 told you to leave me out Of
your lamentation after your rotten Ju-
daism? I'll leave home tonight if you
go on with this He disappeared
again, and I heard him strike a match
in the next room.
II have nothing against Shmunke,"
she whispered to me the next instant;
''if 1t had not been for us he would not
have come here. What is the use Of
talking? We must keep quiet. He pays
his board, and l make on him dollar
or dollar and a half a week"
Then she walked upon her tiptoes to
Shmunke's room, and opening the door
timidly said:
"Shmu-a-Dzames. we have guest,
a student of Javolin-"
Without answering her he appeared
with a lighted cigarette between his
lips. With his chest thrust forward he
stepped up to me and said in English
in a tone as if addressing an inferior:
$50 you are from Javolin. My name is
Dzames Connally. 1 vas also a stu
dent of dat place"
N@21 s