The Denver Jewish news., 1923-12-27
MOSHELE's RESCUE

the great war DrOke OUT. lie was yet
too Young to understand what was
going ON. The quarrels OF kings ana
dynasties, so-called statesmen in yari-
Gus foreign offices We're beyond the
comprehension of the 3-year child.
But, if unaware of the causes, lie was
soon aware of the effects. For he SIN
remembers as through haze tthat
happened SO very, very long agoo how
two men in uniform came in and
dragged his father away, notwith-
standing his mothers cries and en-
treaties. Where they took his father
he did not know-but he does know
his mother cried great deal for many
days and months after that happened.
and that once she rent her clothes, SAT
on low stool and cried some more
and told him that he had no father any
longer. How and when it happened
he didn't know, but he knows it now
only too we'll
| He remembers that for years after
that event, there was little to eat in
the house but an occasional tin of soup
and small, dry crust that mother
used to get at the American kitchen
after being away from home for hours
at time. standing in IA long line CT
hungry men and women. as she would
lafterward tell him. Still. those days
were not SO bad. His mother was liv-
| ing then and she would starve herself
day after day in order that he should
have enough. and she'd patch and darn
so that his body would eprotected
from the cold. For they lived in
| Tkrania. which was outside Of the war
zone and there was no fighting there.
But different days soon came. This
year. quite suddenly rumors of rowing
bands began spreading through the
town. His mothers well of tears,
which he thought had completely
dried up. now began flowing copiously
again. She would east pitiful glanccs
! in his direction. hug him to her brcnst
little oftener and would sleep ut
! nights with one eye open. What it
all meant he didn't entirely under
stand. though he understood good
deal more now than when trouble first
/ broke upon them.
/ These days of terror and uncertainty
continued for quite n while. Runners
of outrages. of disturbances here and
4 there kept coming to the town. to the
/ evident increase of his mothers uneasi-
ness and apprehension: until one day
the storm broke He heard Il medley
of voices. alarmed and painful voices
mingling in one. There We're tlrc
sounds of axesbattcring down doors.
and the crash of broken glass. He was
| filled with terror and hid under rhc
nearer and nearer Pretty soon he saw
the final act 10 the sad drama enacted
and before his very eyes The door of
their little hcusc crashed down. and
three fearsome and recling peasants
|, rushed in: one of them dra gged away
his mother 10 u corner Of the little
room. choked her and kicked her; beat
1 her with his axe while the others
l busted themselves with snatchins up
whatever seemed valuable TO them and
l MASKING in with their axes the rest,
after which they SET fire 10 the house
and went out TO continue their work
elsewhere.
| Little Moshele, who had evidently
/ been overlooked by the robbers, now
| rushed out from the burning house.
terror stricken and screaming at the
I top of his voice, and ran headlong into
neighbor's house, which. ms luck
would have it, was spared from the
marauderS' fury. This family shell
( tered and fed him for awhile, but it
met its fate in turn in subsequent
raid by one of the rowing bands.
Now Moshele was both fatheriess
and motherless, rs well as homeless.
He wandered aimlessly for some time
begging II crust of bread from some
one when hungry lonely and sad
hearted all the time. How he managed
to find shelter from the elements:
clothes TO cover his naked body with
and care when sick-wbich happened
quito frequcnrly-he does net know TO
this day.
BY and by he succeeded in picking
up more friends: little boys and girls.
oa his age or older, who were in the
same plight as he himself was in. They
Travelled about in droves, wandering
aimlessly through town and country
side begging and stealing whatever
food or rag they could find and sleep
ing in caves, abandoned, half-ruincd
houses or under the open skies, whom