The Denver Jewish news., 1923-09-06
The Wiles of Destiny
Denver. Colorado

I intelligent prodigy assiduousiy coming
and porting over the formidable folios
Of abtruse lore, could he accept paltry
three hundred? Time and agafn he had
rejected the most brilliant matches on
the sole ground that the dOwry didn't
| soar above the three hundred mark.
| And should he now marry with this
amount as his dOwry, why he'd be dis
graced before his own friends, the
young Jews gracing the sanctified study
halls of tho synagog. Think Of it. a
beggarly three-hundred-ruble groom
| He was quite ready then and there to
takei off his coat and quite together
with his father. But he hesitated to
, scandalixe the young Jews and the
guests in the next room. He Kept
twirlins his side locks, saying:
| Father knows better what's good for
me; depend upon him.
| And so the brides father, confrsnted
by stern necessity, had to make the best
l u
coat, took his cane, and went out into
the street to serape up hundred-ruble
loan for the balance of the dowry.
The bride had to keep on sitting with
her hair loosened, waiting for the
groom to veil her. until the hundSed
rubles, scraped together in silver and
copper coins from the. widely ramihed
kifi, and kin Of the brides family, was
safely tied up In the handkerchief Of
the small-sized, puny, freebOOting, and
tongue-tie specimen Of Jew.
David, go and veil the BRIDE" said
this undersized son Of Abraham. with
the silver coin in the knotted kerchief
in his tight grasp.
At night, when the bridal pair were
alone, the bride swOoned In At of
nausea When David had sprinkled
some water on her face and she had
come to herself, she opened her eyes
and looked at him bewildered and
frightened. Her look seemed to beg
him for something. David could not
make out what was wrong with her,
and asked:
hand and put 1t to her heart, whisper
ing in the night hush:
II an sick, David"
whist ails you?" he asked in fright.
| Her eyes now implored with still
greater iatensity.
| MY hearth"
"Your heart?' he shuddered, as he
moved away from her.
~why didn't they tell me anything
aboat it?' be asked angrily.
the match"
"A bride with heart disease" he
muttered to himself.
He kept still for minute; he did
not know what to do with himself.
Dawn was still afar of, yet it was too
late at night for him to dress and so
out. He sat down on the edge Of the
bed.
1--WE been duped." he muttered to
himself"
| All hol " DaAhfN. Il 0NssSA sOA4 AAAS
to keep quiet. Now you're my husband.
you've got to know it, and so / told
you"
David didn't say word. He gazed
at the window in search of a single
light ray to herald the dawn. He
thought he would surely go home with
his father i'm the morning. A bride
with heart disease, why it was out OF
the question. 1t wasn't his fault. He
Was trapped. But the rabbi would
grant divorce at once. He felt with
a sense of pain the slow, snail-like pace
of the night: here he was with
stranger in the same room, with one
whom from tomorrow on he would
never see again.
David, you're angry?" she asked
him.
He did not answer her. but thought
it was not her fault that God had pun
ished her.
Does your heart still ache?' he
asked, without looking her in the face.
CONTINUED on next psge.)