The Meeker herald., 1923-01-20
Old Mendel Goes
to Rachel
D. ERNEST LEvINE'
n, "a Wssssss nsssesess usiss.,

Asntel should continue At seventy
Ave to push his cart laden with cheap
underwear along ths streets q the
East sids. But he habits Of Z ii's'
time are "dtmcuit 70 eradicate, and
Nsndel had bssu doing II for thirty
ave ysarA
He had come svse from Poland in
the prime of life, determined 70 make
Q fortune and then ssnd for his wife.
Rschel. They had been married ten
Year,. and, though deg had no chill
drsn, they had always been happy
together. sineS they arst became sweet
hearts a. ) boy and gffl.
Mendel had mot prospered at afst
II had taken him tive years IN
sweatshop to save up enough. money
to acquire q pushcart, and then the
saving MP fos the steamship fare was
4 slow process. AZ isss, however. hs
was able to send the money.
A letter came back inciosing II.
Rachel had died Of typhus about the
time Mendel was buying the draft 90
the Wafsaw bank. '0" v ''' - ''n'.
She had disd. fancying that he was
standing beside her bed. and that same
night Mendel had had such 4 strange
dream oe her. ....u .,, -
He had dseamed he vas home. but
In . strange housS and holding Rach.
sl's. hand, and phs had told him that
shs could not coms over Immediately.
but that she would come soon and
all would b well,
Old Mendsi was dassd BY the news.
Fer . week hs did something that no
ssiffespecting Jew would think Of do
Ing: be Eoa drunk. Then he was found
In Hestsr street. with his pushcart
again. ~, -,
Tims passed. 1As ssishbors who
had pitied him, begin to look askance
at him. "why -6sesn't Mendel get
married againr' thsy asked. They
knew be had 4 tidy sum put By.
Ncodel did not marry again. and
after . while he was accepted a. .
connrmed old vidower. And he was
growing. old, - that the siris no long.
er looked At hin. His hair whitened.
he let his beard grow long.
Old Nendsi had twelve thousand
dollalp In the bsnk. There was NO
reason why he should have continued
to. pusA. his cart. But every day he
'was essn in the strssts. calling his
wares nschanical1y. Nobody bought
Of Mendel, for an his gsods were out
q style. They soly said. There goes
Oid MendSl I" -" ~---'
Old Mendsl loved The streets, the
svarminS childssa, ~ whom he had
q pat % The bad, and sometimes .
penny. He lsved the aShts and smells
Of the East ada II was bis life. It
was the life to which be had meant
to bring Rachel. He. setsn fancied
that she was with him. Sometines
people would hear him muttsring. but
they I'D not know he was talking to
hsr They eoly said, "Oid Aendei's
getting aueer... y.... ..,.
The day was - bright and warm
Old Nendsl sst Down % Q doorstep.
bis pushcart standing in ths Rad. The
psliceman. who knew Old Mendel.
looked the other way whsn he saw
that OId Neodsl was sleeping. Grad
ually the hum Of ceuvsssatiou, the roar
Of the tralsc passed Into . dull mono
tons, and Old Nsndsl dreamed.
il was % vivid q dream that be might
have been living. he saw Rachel
standing bsfsfs him with outstretched
arms and sach I sweet smile On her
faes, And II waa not Rachel a. she
would have bssn. net even ~ she had
been when they Kissed each other
sood-by before he sailed, but Rachel
q she was when he hrst esuftsd hes.
And the nrst thought that came to
Old Mendes WAS Il am tos old. Why
hasn't she changed "a all these yearsr'
But Rachel kiSsed hin and said. TITS
hesp Q long waiting Ter yos. my dear.
but I've managed to esms At last"
Mendel forgot that It was q dream.
''God bless you, Raehslt'' he said. I'm
going to take such . nice apartment
for you--four roems and . bath. And
I've gct twelve thousand saved up. %
- can buy cur furniture outright.
But dreamed you were dead. and Eve
been 70 unhappy" ''' ~ t'.5's
there's no such thing ~ death, my
DEAR she answered gmilinsiy. "Here
I've been walking up and down Hester
street beside 700 for years, trying to
talk to you, and sometimes you an
swered me, but you were never quite
sure II was L" .-..,....,- %.
Mepdel remembered that he had
fallen asleep. Promise me that this
isn't q dreami' he pleaded. "Havs
vn., rAnUv Aoy,sS hnHar ~ mn forever =.
Forever and ever" answered Rach-
81 softly. a. she drew his head down
to her breast. ~ .,'--'
The policeman, returning on his pa.
troll, glanced st Nsndsl again. The
lnld mans having . loog Sleep" he
thought. he cresesd the road and
touched HIN lishtiy % ths shoulder.