The Denver Jewish news., 1923-09-06
By SHOLOM ASCH

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accept the note" he begged, and showed
1t into Oiser's hand.
But the weazened, scrawny bit of a
Jew does not bulge. His hand keeps
stroking his beard without making the
slightest move in response to the plea.
He sits there just as before, with his
body rigid, without raising his eyes or
moving his head, his mouth tightly shut.
From time to time one Of the brides
relatives pokes her head through the
doorway, speaking into the room.
well, family, the bride and groom,
as you know, are having long sum-
mer's day fast"
Family, the guests are breaking up !;
wen be disgraced before the people"
what shall I do? He is sitting
there like brigand"-the father of
the bride pointed at Oiser. well,
have an idea. Let's appeal to the
groom. II he insists that l don my
long coat outright, take my cane, and
60 out into the street to scrape together
loan of one hundred rubles for the
balance of the dowry, right now, before
the marriage service under the canopy,
where my child is waiting for the veil,
well, then, 1 will do it, III do it." the
irate father Of the bride bursts out.
''rhe groom will do as / tell him" "
was Shorty Oiser's curt, pnrunled
reply.
mo, must have it from his own
lips; I want him to tell me he won't
step up to veil the bride until the last
one hundred rubles Of the dowry are
put down In cash." he insisted.
"well, you can have it If you must"
Shorty Oiser again said, in his un-
ruffled manner. Rising and coming up
to the door, he called out: David,
David, just step in."
The groom sat surrounded by the
young Jews invited to hear him expound
the prepared forensic piece Of. abtruse
Talmudic lore prescribed by the mar
riage canon. But his inner most thoughts
and heartstrinSs were fixed elsewhere.
He understood that something was
| amiss and that the match might fall
| through. He did not sense it ~ real
disaster. If his father should stop the
performance before the canopy service,
why, of coarse, he surely knows what
he is about, and means 1t for his sons
good The young groom did not kn0w
his bride ~ yet. He had seen her q
couple of times at the betrothal, when
he and she signed the marriage con
tract and wished each other good luck.
OF course he felt overcome with pity
| at the idea that daughter OF Israel
was to suffer disgrace but his father
| surely knew what he was about, and
there must he sufficient ground for It.
He felt bored by the long day. He
| took another try 1t his nuptial lecture
with now and then wistful and FUR.
tive peep into the next room, where the
bride was sitting He saw nothing but
a white dress. No doubt the bridal
dress appealed to his emotions In q
somewhat pleasurable way, helping him
| to n realization OF the fact that she
| was his heayen-tlecreed bride. But, OF
course, the dress could not as yet evoke
anything deeper. When his father
called him in, he was sure the match
was to be won or lost by his decision
and SO his heart beats began to quicken
David, doseou want to marry on u
three -hundred-ruble dowry?" his father
asked.
what do yeu mean? It's four hun
dred here is the note'-the bride i
| father showed the note into the groom's
hand.
| whats in a note. a begsarly note
It's nothing the dowry in spot cash is
only three hundred rubles If you
Dave, are willing, well, then won't
object"
| David's blood rushed to his face. In
the three hundred rubles he sensed u
deep slur and affront to his worth
why, any common ruck of fellow
nowadays gets his four, five hunred
in cash. and could be, with the phenpn-
enal brains of talmudic erudite, real