The American Jewish world. [volume] (Minneapolis ;) 1915-current, 1922-02-24
"SET IN PLATINUM"
A Mrs. Cohen Story by Elma Ehrich Levinger
Copyright by Ema Erhch Levinger rights reserve

dancing the virginia Keel, or what
ever they danced in those days, in all
the glory Of her remnant finery. And
l wondered how it would be to grow
old and heavy and garrulous myself,
boring the younger generation as
chartered of old-fashioned dresses and
forgotten festivities. But Mrs. Cohen
prattled on.
"Addie got married when she was
about sixteen, I guess. Them days
people didn't think girl ought to
wait till she got over thirty like mine
Carrie, but as soon as you got good
chance you jumped for it. Addie did
MT do any too we'll for herself, but I
guess she figured she couldn't have
it any worse than she did at home,
trying to dress like a millionaire's
daughter, with her poor papa making
his fifteen week, maybe, in the base
ment, and her mamma always yelling
at her to help with the dishes. So
she married Abe Zucermann. He was
a travelling man for wholesale gro
ceries and he wasn't making so much
and they said he had terrible tenn
per, but he wasn't home much, so she
could stand it If she had to. I always
say if you're going to marry a man
who yells at you if he don't like his
meals or can't find clean shirt on
washday, that it is better to pick one
in the travelling business or a doctor
that amt home much, and you can
maybe get along with 'em.
"They had just two children, Belle
and Clara. Belle was two years older
and as soon as she could walk her
mother made her take care of Clara.
She had to keep on giving up to Clara
in everything; first cause she was the
oldest and it made her mother nerv-
GUS to hear Clara yelling if she
couldn't get what she wanted right
away, and because Clara was so good
looking. A regular picture that girl
was and nobody knew where she got
1t from. Yellow curls and big blue
eyes-she didn't look bit Jewish.
Poor Belle was just like her father,
short and skinny and awful dark; she
didn't even have her mothers style
when she got older and started going
out to parties. And it was a shame
for the neighbors how the poor girl
dressed. Addie Zucermann didn't
have much to do with, but whenever
family, Clara got it. And when Belle
got new one, it was secondhand,
made out of her mothers or Clara's
old things. Her mother said it
wouldn't do no good to dress Belle
up; she didn't have the face or the
figure. And Belle never complained;
it wasn't her style. That's where all
the trouble come in. I always say
that as long as human beings go on
being natural and selfish, you got to
be selfish, too, and stick up for your
rights. I've heard your husband
preach lot about the Golden Rule,
and giving up to folks and all that;
and wouldn't argue with a rabbi,
especially in matters that amt my
business, like what he breaches. And,
maybe. it's all right for him to let
himself be imposed on; people always
expect it Of minister but it never
pays in the long run, even if it did
with Belle, and that was an accident.
Everybody took it for granted that
Clara would marry young, just like
her mother she was so good-looking
and got on so grand with the boys,
and her mother dressed her like a
doll and never let her help with the
h ore Of hNu