The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-24

Seven iatle gIriA " their best rec frocks
sSt Yesterday after8Oon al m a row before
Frau Kals MARKS iB q tiny lttle room al the
back Of the teneuieO' ~ % Forsyth STREET.
their eye- fairly buig'ng with excitement
- the olc Woman smoked Dsr pipe and told
them creepy ssoriee.
II = sgfn hsd been mace II the sEes OF
the -eser lf'le gi'is. emo 10 that sum had
h@en addeG fh@ sge " Tho old frau's son
70 bVnsekeep~r Herr Louis Nsrk=. the
f0isi would hays i~en short Of the age Of
Frau MsrA- nCJ-~if. because. as she qlsv-
sred with muCh pride. she was lNs yesfer-
Gay. able 20 ~ well. hear well and take
Joy from m" same little black pine rhe has
smoked for nearly fifty years
The little grit sil n a ro~ ~e1es part Of
Fran Nsrk-, birthday oelebrsiion. an event
IN which FORSYTH street took great iDter-
eei. Al day here was a string OF visitors
IA and 0gr the $40 liirls rooms al the back
Of the tenement where Frau Marks lives
alone with JoIas. vino does nearly all Inc
thinzs around the huu-s that a woman
Can DO.
A. L. hi- haDi,. I1DIi- swept the rooms
clean yesterday, polishing sthe windows.
~ecrubbing ne dishes and even doing part
Of the week. washing. he hss done the
same thing every lay for forty years, be-
sides max .ng a living for the two by carry
ing q pack In the country, trading in second
hand clotheS Herr LOui- IL 81 year, old him
seif. but Frau Mark riders him about
a. II he we're . iiflle ctlld. and he obeys
her slightest WORD.
The old woman rec.s we'd her birthday
guests as she sat in an armchair a few
tnchee FROM the FIRE that was roaring in
the coal stove Sh~ had beena tall WOMAN
once. tall and S'0u'iy built. but extreme
age has tent her nearly double. She
t0oksd hke q chair ridden witch who H. no
longer able 10 whistle for her broom and
go sailing through the night. With the
people oi Forsytb street abe has almost
a ~itch's reputation. for u she not a -sCien-
tiet." able 20 work spells. see the dead
safely or 90 iIs3f journey TO the next world.
sure parsIy>s ~ prayer bring back fail
ing vsioB and WORK n'JDbere-s other mar
vels; - saII he Herr LOUIS. IS he swept
the room. AMI rhe visitors nodded their
heads s~oleDniy. ag'eang with hun, while
the little slFis .biycred and thesr eyes got
bigger ana bigger
Frau Mark welcomed her guests 10 her
best attire. a hack SslA dress that was the
gift OF her husband half a century ago and
which She wears only on tbe most i'm
portaDt OcraSiOnE Wrapped about her
bead war a wOoIcu sha al, red striped with
a blu fringe A. she croucbed before the
hot FIRE. putting a. her Iape, she told stories
OF her life sc q shsmoste IA woman who
prepares the dead for burial. praying for
them befof. and after DEATH and Of the
bodies she had healed by prayers and
charms that nobody but herself knew.
Somefimss she would stop suddenly in
the middle 81 q story 50 long that the red
coal In her pipe would go out, while she
bent nearer the fire and stared At nothing.
Then the little girls all in a row would look
at each other with big eyes and Herr Louis
would ger another live coal, put it In bis
mother pipe and touch her gently on the
shoulder. Like a. not she would forget
what story she had been telling and start
another. but il was all the same TO the little
girls. II - quite probable that there were
bugaboos in Forsyth street last night.
Frau Marks was taught TO prepare the
dead for burial m her home. Buvalk. Rus
sian Poland. long before she came 70 Amer
ics, y thai wss moro than fifty ear
ago OF her life ia Suyalk she remembered
a good deal, but ~ was all OF q samSnese,
except one incident that she recalled with
a swapping q the black ey@ in the parch-
nnent face When she was q girl. not yet 20,
the Russian sDldiers came 70 the hut where
her father lived with bis family. dragged
her father OuI and drove bsyonets into bis
body until lac was quite dead. Then they
left him IN 'bH snow and she and her mother
carried the body into the house and washed
Il for burial.
my RTandfa ther was a revoIutionist.'
said Herr boui-. V,th pride. 80 they killed
him. They dG he .aru- thing now in Rus-
sin | read n az The tspers
When she came 10 New York she was an
old woman. bu; she had a good trade, for
money ives 20 be made in getting the 2
ready for Tho grave There were none
more skilful han old Frau Marks la that
trade, and whAe she was able TO move around
tsprvfy she made money. Now. she COM
paasDed ou- -iiously, she had TO sit all day
NY the hre. with no pleasure left but TO
smoke her pire and watch LoIis MIND the
house. The little girls shivered an She told
stories " sitting with the dead.
Onoe. she said in Eiddish. stopping every
now and then while the little girls wiggled.
% very had man who cheated bis D~eighbors,
q man who did not obey his religion. died
In hts horne ia Chryst.e street. She prayed
for him iust before I've died, but he only
looked al her with a scoWl and held on 20
bis MONEY. counting the bills and the coins
and drawing tie string in the old black
pouch. Then he died and she prayed again.
While she was washing the body and get
ting the fGDersl clothes ready she saw him
open his eyes and heard him scream. She
began 10 pray again and when she opened
her eyes 10 was oerta My dead thai time.
The little girls on the seven chairs in a row
caught hold ~ each others hands. IL
was 4 delightful story, but the room vas
getting dark. After that Frau Marks told
Them stories Of the sick she had cured.
For the sick she always prayed twice a day.
once at sunrise and once at sunset. besides
uttering a charm especially for the sick
that her mother had given her. There
were very few cases she had failed to cure,
she said proudly.
Tn many visitors brought presents TO
the old woman. There we're beef from the
butcher around the corner In bayard street.
thick woOllen stockings from her nephew
Edelst:in. who keeps a small store, and
inee OF all = gread round birthday cake.
with silver icing and liz candy starr set
on IL, besides her own name In a pink candy
scroll.
my mother saws size is l14,' said Herr
Louis, and who am I 10 doub the word OF
my mother? ! know that l was born when
she was ~ years old. and that was in 5uvalk-
Now | I'm ~ years old. 50 she must be liz.
That IL the truth. She has been a good
mother. and 40 ! am good 20 her, more a
daughter than a son. although ] make a
little money 10y peddling clothes In the
country in New jersey.
II think my mother keeps alive by smok-
Ing good tobacco. For food she cares little
and she drinks little, but she must smoke
night and day and ! buy her the best to-
bdcco ! can afford. Wait a minute; she
wants me- 10 say something TO you. What
10 IL, molher2
she vents me to tell YOU that she has