Atlanta Georgian., 1914-02-22


there. but | could find neither my parents nor
regular work.
Finally after several months of hardships
during which spent most of the time in the
open air, despite the cold nights. and also went
for days without food, thought | would risk
everything and return again to Kiev. There
was overjoyed to find my parents. who had just
returned. In our happiness we all cried and
we sat up all that night and talked. My parents
had thought never to see me again. and they did
nothing but embrace and kiss me.
With the aid Of some relations, who gave us
their savings, my family scraped a few roubles
together and bribed the police to let me remain
in the town for a time. My father by now was
too old to work, and he and my mother were
being supported by some Jewish charities, and
they were more comfortable than they had
been since we first left Nescherow.
The Pitiful Lack of Opportunity.
l started once more my hunt for work; but
it was more difficult than ever. l was not edu-
Gated enough to do the work l should have
liked. had no trade and l too old for the
odd jobs in shops that had done before going
into the army.
This search after work went on for some
months. Until. young and strong as was, fell
i'll ms the result of privation and exposure.
had no home at the time, never enough to eat,
and | slept anywhere could. 1 could feel my
self growing weaker every day.
One day met Jewish doctor. He saw how
Ill was and told me to come to his house and
be examined. He had examined me, and found
that | was in the first stage of consumption.
This news made me very sad, because thought
/ could not live for more than a few months
My relations wept bitterly when 1 told them
and my parents fell i'll with grief.
few days afterwards my parents came to
me and said "Mendel, you must come and live
with us. If you do not you may die at any mo-
ment"
Such an idea had never entered my head.
said to them: you have scarcely enough bread
for yourselves, clothes to keep you warm. |
cannot take from you"
you are our SON." replied my father. "Come
to us. The good God will provide for5ns all.'
But as 1t happened, the Jewish doctor had
spoken about me to famous specialist This
good man had me taken to a hospital and at
tended to me himself | remained there nearly
a year.
With good food and care soon began to i'm.
prove. But the constant worry of my life the
anxiety of not knowing where the next meal
was coming from. had destroyed my nerve.
Often l would wake up in the middle of the
night in great misery, and | prayed to God:
"Oh. God. send me death. take my life while
have no wife and no children. and relieve my
soul from the awful suffering that | have to
endure" Death seemed to me the only way out
of my troubles.
Nearly a year of the hospital put new life
into me- l felt myself growing stronger all the
time. and | began to look forward to trying
once more to make my way in life. Then came
an event which changed everything for me-
few days before was due to leave the hos
p1tai girl whom had known all my life came
she was glad was better. but this was not So
"Mendel." she said, what are you going to
do when You leave here?"
i shall try again to find work. l answered
But what can you do? You have no money,
no powerful friends You will suffer just as
you have suffered in the past"
| had to admit that what She said was prob
ably true. but all the same / replied that | was
going to do my best.
Now why don't you try and marry a wife
with dowry?" she asked.
why should 1 try to make another human.
being as unhappy myself?' answered "Be-
sides. what girl would have me-such a poor,
unfortunate manr
A Romance" in Russia.
Listen. Mende" She continued, "as you
know, have a sister. She is not very od-only
wentysix-about the same age as yourself She
IS pretty and lots Of young men want to marry
her. We think 1t is time she was married, and
we have chosen you for her husband, because We
know you are honest and will he good to her."
l was taken completely by surprise-I did not
know what to answer. At last l said:
You know already it is impossible. could
not possibly keep her. At present do not
know how to get food for myself. You know
that have no education and that up to now,
l have been unable to find work that a good
Jew, the son of respected parents, could pos
sibly do"
"Mendel" she said, I'VE are going to give you
dowry with my sister You shall have $50
roubes when you marry her. What is more we
brick works; we will get you the position Of
foreman"
could scarcely believe her words The offer
seemed to be too good to be true. / thanked her
and accepted the proposal with gratitude
In few days the marriage contract by which
We were to be married within month, was
drawn up and signed, and was given the $50
roubes My wife's father did not have the
money but he sold his house for 200 roubles'
and when he had paid me the dowry he set aside
the rest for our marriage festival
had never had so much money before, and
/ decided that must buy some good clothes
with 1t for the wedding / went to a tailor
knew II had never had a new suit OF clothes
: before) and told him to make me a "siourtouK
(frock coat. 1t was lovely coat; it came a.
most down to my heels. 1 also bought another
suit of clothes cheap, and an overcoat. was
for the first time in my life, very proud OF my
appearance.
Next week Mendel Bells will continue his
story with description Of pogrom or mas
sacre Of the Jews, in which he barely escapes
death and of his arrest on the trumped-up