Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-30

as though he had thought out
a brand-new business proposition.
Able slid one arm around his faith
er's shoulders and said in a soothing
voice:
Don't you worry. dad. Every
thing is going to work out all right.
I don't want to marry-yet. haven t
met the right girl That's the impor'
tant part, don't you Think"
."Yis, dot is de important part,
Able. Yis. She must be purdy, like
vour mudder wuz. Und she must be
kind und smart und-und. of course,
she must be Jewish. ="
But, dad" said Able, remember
one thing. l must find some one that
I love with all my heart. L could not
be happy with any one merely be'
cause her faith happened to be the
same as mine"
able" exclaimed his father.
'Yes?"
.'You have nut gone ind married
yum Of dem French brides, have YOU?
"No-cross my heart
Solomon Levy sighed great sigh
of relief and went out to speak to one
of his department managers, who mao
beckoned to him from the door.
Able was touched by this talk with
his father, as he always was by such
talks. He knew with what faithful
simplicity Solomon took his religion
and how for this reason 1t would be
hard to convince him that marriage
with Rose Mary would be the proper
thing.
He knew every detail of his fathers
life. He knew the bitterness and trag-
edy that had entered it when solomon
Lew was a boy. He knew how this
bitterness, which might have been IN
tensified in another, had really turned
TO sweetness and melIowness in the
man after his long, hard struggle up
ward. AS Able himself had put 1t TO
Rose Mary in Paris, beneath his
grabbed exterior, dad is the. dearest
man in the world.
Solomon Levy had been born in
Russia. He was the youngest of SIX
children. A poor family, confronted
by many hardships.
They had lived under the tyranny
of a despot, who knew how to be
nothing else. His minions likewise
knew nothing else but to Cypress the
downtrodden and unfortunate. Abie's
grandmother had been "a softeyed
Jewess whose tears had long since
ceased to fall, dried from much weep
ing, His grandfather had been tall,
scholarly man who had wrested a re-
markable education from secret and
forbidden study.
The pair, with their children and
grandchildren, had lived in little
house in small Russian town-a
family happy only when locked be-
hind it's own doors and away from
danger.
Solomon was 10 years old at the
time it had happened. His mind was
still young enough for the impression
to sink deep into his brain and stay
there, to influence many later actions
in his life. He was old enough to
grasp its full horror-a tragedy scared
into his memory by picture which
never ceased to make him shudder.
It was one sunny day that it hap
lpened. 1t seemed too nice, a1day for
such an atrocity. His mother and
four of the children had walked out to
meet his father. The latter had been
nearly home when half dozen drunk
en- Cossack soldiers, riding their wild
horses, had borne down on him.
The mother had screamed a warn
ing. But before the father could turn
one of the horses had trampled him.
And they did not stop here. AS the
mother huddled her children about her
the six Cossacks rode straight over to
them. AS they rode they struck out
with their long riding crops. But
there had been no need for that-the
horses had done their work.
And what was the difference? just
few less Jews. That was all. q.
Solomon and his brother had watch
ed this sight from around the corner
of the house. They were too Mortified
to know what they were doing. They
hid until night and then fled.
Nor was the horror ended with this.
Solomon had yet to see his brother
shot and killed before his eyes as they
We're about to cross the border
He got to Berlin eventually, ragged,
half starved. He became the appren-
tice Of junk dealer, who beat him
and tormented him numerically
throughout his period there-a period
of two years or more.
One night he ran away with the
earnings he had scraped together and
boarded ship for America. America,
the land of promise. America, where
money could be found in the streets.
America, where there was religious
freedom. America, where one could
be happy.
He had expected an easy time here,
but he was to be disappointed again.
Once here he saw that one must fight
for things here as anywhere else. He
found that has new fellow countrymen
were merely the same sort of cruel
and predatory creatures as in other
countries. In different way, of
course, but he found the instinct
there.
So. instead of life of ease and
comfort, this youth, who had been
beaten by soldiers, by his employer
in Germany, now found himself ha-
raised and beaten in America.
His perseverance was not of the
sensational kind. He simply plugged
on and on. 1t was as if he knew
nothing else TO do but to work and
save. Until he met Rebecca Schwartz.
Then new interest came into his
life. He was already something of a
success, in small way. Now was a
time for relaxation and a little pleas
ure. He began to WOO Rebacca, in
his determined, calm way.
He wooed and won her But just a
year after their marriage Solomon
Levy found himself alone again with
little baby boy "a day old. His wife
had died when little Able was born
1t was another blow to Solomon and
this time he thought that his heart
would break.
The only interest he had in life
henceforth was little Able, whom he
now undertook to rear. He set about
the task with characteristic devo
tlon. And the years went on.
Ills business was such that 1t in
creased without his noticing it.
He had sent his son through college
and upon his graduation-as soon az
he had acquired a reasonable amour
Of eXperience-he decided to make hin
a partner in the business. Then came
the war.
And once more the light of hi
heart was taken from him.
On the day he had sailed Solomon
had clasped his son in his arms an,
kissed him, too overcome to sa.
good-by.
He was reconciled, then. to the fat