The San Francisco call., 1904-06-26


- pie nght. would quickly dress,
seize ths Prophets or Psalms,
ard run out into the blooming
,srdea which was in front of Makes
.hanber. would stretch myself up
n the grassy ground, and with an open
book in my hand lose myself in the
Swine poetry cf the king Of prophets,
isaiah or reflect upon the consciing,
inspiria-g verses If David. I would
ook up TO the blushing sky above, TO
he verdant trees all around. the float
ng sunbeams, feel the cool earth be-
~oath mc-then. ali then l would
fsthcm tho Sreat singers meaning
Who Cov9rcth himself with light as
vi-il garment: who s;Ietcheth out the
heavens like curtain, mo layeth the
beams OF his chambers in the water;
vho maketh the clouds his chariot;
who waiketh upon the wings Of the
Vird. He sendeth the streams into the
valleys which run among the hills; by
ihem the fowls of the heavens have
their habisaficn which sing among the
branches: the trees Of the Lord are
full Of SAP. @ Lord. how manifold are
thy works, The earth IS fun Of thy
Iiches viii sirg unto the Lord as
long as ] live. 7 viii sing praises to
my God while I have being" Homer
Virgil. Chaucer. Heine. Byron. Shelley
who "a them could express SO much
beauty in lines 50 few?
one morning as I lay stretched on
the ground. reading and pronouncing
The lyrical words Of Psalms which
himed in my ears ike exquisite music.
Make opened the window of her
hamber and thrust out her head. Her
EYES were only half open. and the mist
4 sleep was still hcvering over her
face.
" by did yOU get up so early?" she
sszed me. ard family blushing as she
.overed her partly exposed bosom with
her naked hand
I raised my eyes to hers. and behold
ing her head ~restinE between her
hands, her Iuxuriant hair hanging
down her bare neck like loosened
skein Of silk her rising and falling
breast between her arms. I faltered
shyly. "Ah. it is so beautiful" and
spread my arms and dropped them in
despair.
she smiled blushed and lowering her
head she asked me to pluck a violet
for her
I was delighted to obey her. TO be
q some service TO her. to please every
whim and fancy Of hers.
As / handed the flower to her she
bert forward through the open win
COW. ard smelling the violet she mur-
INJURED. What delicious fragrancel"
and glanoed blushingiy at my face
with q charming twinkle in her eyes.
She remained leaning on the win
COW sill and staring in front Of her
meditatively. while I gazed and gazed
a her face hat spoke of unsuitable
lfe. youth. passion. beauty. The gar
den vita those many trees and shrubs
a.d flowers and birds. the shimmering
sky. the spreading sunbeams, the YER
dart- earth. the delicious air, the
booming maiden with that wondering
gaze Of hers-ah. Nature in all her
splen6or and supreme beauty stood bsr
fore me
She again glanced at me. with a sad
smile playing around her lips, and with
what I thought teasing mockery she
said in q very low tone "ah, il is so
beautiful" and her pretty head dis
appeared.
1 threw myself upon the ground with
the book clasped to my breast, and
looked listlessly at the bits Of sky
screened by the branches above me-
In my heart I felt a longing mixed
with venom. She was so near to me,
and yet her confidence IN me, her
frankness, her calmness, her self-pos-
session in my presence, Indicated the
distance between us.
Thus passed the summer in state
Of doubt and despair. Make grew
Imore and more absent-minded and
melancholy. She frequently spoke to
me of her lack OF friends, OF the monot-
ony of her life, and expressed long
ing TO visit theaters and attend balls
as did the ladies of big cities.
One DAY she asked abruptly: Israel,
is il such a great sin to marry a gen.
tile? Msgdeline Grubovski, the sur
veyOr's slaughter, says she would mar
~ a Jew IL she only loved him, and
she is a Christian. Why should it be
a greater sin for a Jew to marry
Christian"
could give no definite answer to
this, SO I said nothing. Then she re-
sumed: I like Magdeline so much.
She has parties and balls, and OH
what nice. gallant gentlemen come to
her! ] have been invited many times.
but ] do not like to go there because
the young men call me pretty Jewess.'
and they seem to take more liberties
with me than with Magdeline. But they
are so pleasant, so polite. Isn't Count
Losjinsh handsome? Did you notice
how erect he walks2 How beautiful
his long black mustache becomes his
dark blue eyes, He always pulls and
twirls his mustache when he talks TO
me, and he acts very strangely. Once
he said 10 father-in joke, of course
that If he could get a girl like me"
Here she burst into feigned laughter
and covered her blushing face with
both hands. Isn't il nice of him to
say that2 He's a count and owns this
village and the next, and what a pal
ace he has. Think of his marrying a
plain Jewish girl Why do You keep
so quiet, Israeli" she asked abruptly.
You're always angry at me when I
speak Of Count Losjinski. You're a
Gcod little tutor. nevertheless" she
added, emphasizing every syllable by
striking nv chin in ulavfI1I manner