Evening star., 1912-09-08

then he'll be strong"
raw eggs fresh milk and cod liver oil were in
tended for Yekl Three days later Chaym Herr Knobes
cashier he looked through the circular hole in the
window Yekl gazing in at him. His face terror
stricken. His eyes bnked. he gasped for breath, and
held handkerchief to his mouth. He saluted Chaym.
who emerged from the boxoce, with nod of his head.
"Now you'll ketch it when Herr Knobel you"
exclaimed Chayim.
"What can do dear Chayim?' said YeLl. "For no
there fire you. All day and night the wind
blows, and they have open windows they won't let you
close. Why does Herr Knobel bother me? In New
York the air is hundred times better there What do
get from it? Look at this!"
His handkerchief f1ecked with blood.
The eminent tragedian seated in the foyer of his
theater when Yekl presented himself He stood before
him with such abect humility and woebegone, that
Herr Knobes stern face broke into kndness as he said:
@Well, what do you want now you scamp?'
In reply, Yek handed him roll of bills. He said,
"Hcre is eighty dollars, what got left l owe you
twenty, which you can take off from my wages
"What wages? Whose wages?" exclaimed Herr Kno-
bel, rising in a rage "Has anyone asked you about
wages? Fool! l send him away he should get well; he
talks to me of wages What shall do with YOU Yekl,
say? ask you, can you fix up my costumes when you
spit your lungs outo What will people say of me
when you got consumption too. Look at yourself you
poor boy and what you made of your poor body
Come with me! You doctor the first thing,
right away"
He followed Herr Knobe meekly to the office of DR..
Kamenetz, who stripped him. examined him with in
strunents and then told him to dress. Then he took
Herr Knobel aside and spoke to him. When they had
left the physicians office, Herr Knobel said sternly
"The doctors advice is, Yekl, that you must get on
diet at once A diet means you must eat some things
lots and other things not at ALL You must sleep with
open windows, and all the time you must be in the open
You don't want to 60 to the mountains the next
best thing is to into the Bronx. You make your
choice In the mountains I'll pay all expenses In the
city not at all; but to show you that have Jewish
heart III get you stand in front of my theater and you
sell things there few hours day. Maybe that will
expenses. So let me know what you want to do
FOR week Yek1 went about in dream. His life
was the verge of being remade. His experiences
in the mountains had been terrifying. He had felt
around him not people, but bleak and uncouth Nature
subject to outbreaks of temper Life up there
unbroken sofoquy. There, according to Herr knobel
health
But to leave the theater to miss the intimate touch
with the dressing whence Herr Knobel emerged
the hereto Urel Acosta night; the next the
mystical Black Jew who forsook his parents and his
people for Christianity another night the distressed
father; the next as sober-hued Hamlet-not to see all
this grandeur in the making and to hear the rumblngs
of applause they waited up to him in the dress
ing room!
Within hearing distance of the theater he could catch
the of the theatergoers between the acts he
could Zhulik and gossip with him the affairs of
the world of make believe. He preferred that to the
solitude of the mountains Had he been gifted with
speech Yel might have said that the mountains
too close to God, and he was afraid.
He took lodgings in the Bronx, and came to Herr
Knobel and said
I'll stay here Herr Knobel Give what to peddle
and III pedde.
The actor placed his hand on Yelds head and said
@If you had done what told you, you would not be
what you are But there is talking to you
Scamp You want stay with me and die. But don't
think I'm going to leave you peddle, and maybe not
living and starve instead OF getting well, which
maybe you will even here. | you live, Yek.
You belong Fifteen years of your life you gave
Let the unions and the whole world say what they
may say of me. III take OF you until you re we'll
Don't worry about pedilng."
Yekl grasped Herr Knobel's hand and wept over it.
hc O visible of
Herr Knobel had Zhulik purchase basket and sup
ply Of wares and evening Yekl came down from