The San Francisco call., 1904-06-26

though she is so much above me?"
would demand in behalf of my passion
Must the poor's right 10 love be re-
stricted, just as are all his other priv
iieges, and confined within a narrow
compass?" And anger would swell my
breast against all the rich people of the
world, as if they had taken sides
against me. She may not reciprocate
my love-that is as she will. 1 only
Justify my right to love her"
But If she was to learn that l loved
her, I told myself, she would discharge
me Immediately. Dismissal I could not
stand. 1 would rather a thousand
times over suffer the pangs of an un-
told love than be sent away from her
Her servant-her slave-I cared not
what my position was so long as I
could continue to see her.
In one of our talks I casually touched
the history of the Jews in Spain, the
pages of which are adame with fire
and blood. / must have talked with no
little fervor and enthusiasm, for 1 no
ticed tears sparkling in the eyes OF my
pupil. I asked whether had hurt her
feelings. She only smiled in response,
but a minute later she said in her
sweet, sympathetic voice: 1T must
have hurt you to speak of 1t, Mr.. Rus
sakoff. How your eyes changed"
After that lesson I went home like
somnambulist. I recall collision with
something or somebody, and that some
body muttered: 'It is really shame to
have drunkards stagger through the
streets" Next I remember my head
met with something as bulky and as
hard as mine, and the owner of 1t
grumbled, "Bolshay durak (big fooD!"
and then I remember, as through
mist, myself seated on the old sofa in
my room, my head between my hands,
looking fixedly upon the head of nail
in my carpetless floor. I cannot tell
how long I studied that object before
jolly laugh, which sounded queer in my
ears, interrupted my reflection. and
hand shook me by the shoulder rather
violently.
1 looked up and recognized Ephraim
Razovski.
You must have a nightmare"
laughed Razovski again, slapping me
on the shoulder. 81 raped on your
door more than etiquette permits. but
you were evidently so absorbed in your
dreams that you did not hear me at all.
So I ventured to open the door myself,
for I saw the key sticking on the in
side. Wake up, comrade! You must
not dream in your fur coat" Again he
laughed a hearty, sonorous peal.
You are perhaps dreaming Of writ
ing for the Morning Star an article
against assimilation, you Orientalist,
you Ghetto mystic" he continued,
having received no answer from me.
You always come out with your bosh
about the glorious Jewish past, their
wonderful history and their philosophic
monotheism, and so forth, and so on.
Can't we look into the face Of truth
and realize that the world is waiting
for us to assimilate If we just say the
word? Wake up, you dreamer!" And
he slapped me on the shoulder again.
There must be something wrong
with you" Razovsk continued, shak-
ing me by my long hair. Wake up,
Israel Che always called me by my
Jewish name). If II is love, nights
rest and sound sleep will readily cure
you of 1t. I fell in love at least score
of times, and every time I thought 1
would not be able to survive it. and in
spite of that lived long enough to fall
in love with some other best girl in the
world
He shook my head in both his
hands and examined my face playfully.
Il surmised correctly" he laughed.
Your Observation-Disclosures and these
blue rings betray you. Indeed, you are
more sensitive than I thought; this is
only momentary sickness. Once be-
lieved that a person could love one girl
only, and IL that one rejected him he
should seize the first knife he could get
and send his soul to the better world.
My twenty-six years or experience,
however, have taught me differently.
If you are in love with a girl and she
is indifferent to you, seize the first op-
portunity and fall in love with another.
This is the best cure I can recommend
as layman. Haihai hal Isn't that
good prescription for a lawyer?"
We'll, good night. comrade." he said
after few moments of silence. IT just
dropped in to see you. 1t is getting dark
and I have yet a lot of work to do.
Well, good night. 1 will let you dream
of your best GIRL" and he slammed the
door after him.