THE BATTLE IS FOUGHT AND WON.
"The personal affections by which we are governed," said Aaron Cohen,
seating himself comfortably in his chair, "are, like all orders of
beings to which they come, of various degrees and qualities, and the
smaller become merged and lost in the larger, as the serpents of
Pharaoh's magicians were swallowed up by Aaron's rod. Wisdom is better
than an inheritance, and anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
Moreover, as is observed by Rabbi Chanina, 'wise men promote peace in
the world.' Such, my dear Rachel, is my aim, and so long as the means
within my reach are harmless, so long will I follow the learned
rabbi's precept. If the human heart were not full of envy and deceit
what I have done should bring joy to our persecutors, but I will not
pledge myself that it has done so in this instance. On the contrary,
on the contrary." Aaron paused here to laugh. "The opprobrious cries
ceased suddenly, did they not, Rachel?"
"They did, and I was very much surprised."
"You will be more surprised when you hear that I rewarded with modern
shekels the labors of the young rascals who would make our lives a
torment to us."
"You gave them money!" exclaimed Rachel in amazement.
"I threw among them seven penny pieces. Why not?"
"But why?"
"Ah, why, why? Had I thrown among them seven cannon balls they would
scarcely have been more effective. The truth of this will be made
manifest to our benefit before many days are gone, or Cohen is not my
name. Wife of my soul, I went forth, not with a lion's but with a
fox's skin. Have I not studied the law? Are not the Cohanim priests,
and are not priests supposed to be men of intelligence and resource?
We read in Proverbs, 'Counsel is mine and sound wisdom; I have
understanding, I have strength.' Rabbi Meyer says that the study of
the law endows a man with sovereignty, dominion, and ratiocination. He
is slow to anger, ready to forgive an injury, has a good heart,
receives chastisement with resignation, loves virtue, correction, and
admonition. This, perhaps, is going a little too far, and is endowing
a human being with qualities too transcendent, but it is true to a
certain extent, and I have instinctively profited by it. Ill fitted
should I be to engage in the battle of life if I were not able to cope
with the young rascals who made the night hideous outside our door,
and who, if I am not mistaken, will repeat their performance to-morrow
evening at the same hour."
"They will come again," cried Rachel, clasping her hands in despair.
"They will come again, and again, and yet again, and then--well, then
we shall see what we shall see."
"You gave them money to-night," said Rachel sadly, "and they will
return for more."
"And they will return for more," said Aaron with complacency. "At the
present moment I should judge that they are engaged in a fierce
contest. When that look comes into your face, my dear, it is an
indication that I have said something you do not exactly understand. I
threw to them seven apples of discord, which the nimblest and the
strongest seized and fled with. But each soldier conceived he had a
right to at least one of the apples, and those who were left
empty-handed labored under a sense of wrong. They had been robbed by
their comrades. After them they rushed to obtain their portion of the
spoils of war. Then ensued a grand scrimmage in which noses are
injured and eyes discolored. I am not there, but I see the scene
clearly with my mind's eye." He took a sovereign from his pocket and
regarded it contemplatively. "Ah, root of much evil and of much good,
what have you not to answer for? Rachel, my love, take heart of
courage, and when you hear those boys shouting outside to-morrow night
do not be alarmed. Trust in me; everything will come right in the
end."
The scene which Aaron had drawn from his imagination was as near as
possible to the truth. There had been a battle royal between the boys
and girls for possession of the pennies; noses were put out of joint,
eyes were discolored, words of injurious import exchanged, and bad
blood engendered. The sevenpence for which they fought would not have
paid for the repairs to the clothes which were torn and rent during
the fray. The end of it was that the robbers, after being kicked and
cuffed ignominiously, were not allowed to join in a compact made by
the penniless, to the effect that they would assemble outside Aaron
Cohen's shop to-morrow night and repeat the tactics which had been so
well rewarded, and that all moneys received should be equally divided
between the warriors engaged. One, Ted Kite, was appointed commander,
to organize the expedition, and to see fair play.
Accordingly, on Tuesday night, a score or so of boys and girls
presented themselves in front of the shop and commenced shouting,
"Jew! Jew! Jew!" the fugleman being Ted Kite, who proved himself well
fitted for the task.
"There he is, there he is," said the youngsters eagerly as Aaron made
his appearance on the doorstep, and, inspired by their captain, they
continued to fire.
"Good children, good children," said Aaron, nodding benignantly in
approval, and continuing to smoke his silver-mounted pipe. "Very well
done, very well done indeed!"
"Aint he going to throw us anything?" they asked each other anxiously,
their greedy eyes watching Aaron's movements.
They were kept rather long in suspense, but at length Aaron's hand
sought his pocket, and half a dozen pennies rattled on the stones.
Down they pounced, and fought and scratched for them as on the
previous night, the fortunate ones scudding away as on the first
occasion, followed by their hungry comrades. They were caught, and
compelled to disgorge; the pennies were changed into farthings, and
each soldier received one for his pay; the two or three that were left
were spent in sweet stuff.
"What a game!" the children exclaimed, and appointed to meet on the
following night to continue the pastime.
On this third night they were kept waiting still longer. Aaron Cohen
did not make his appearance so quickly, and several minutes elapsed
before the pennies were thrown to them. On the first night he had
disbursed seven, on the second night six, on this third only four.
There was the usual fighting for them, and the usual scampering away;
and when the sum total was placed in the hands of Ted Kite a great
deal of dissatisfaction was expressed. Only fourpence! They doubted
the correctness of the sum; they were sure that more had been thrown;
one girl said she counted eight, and others supported her statement.
Who had stolen the missing pennies? They quarreled and fought again;
they regarded each other with suspicion; doubts were thrown upon the
honesty of the captain. Off went his coat instantly; off went the
coats of other boys; the girls, having no coats to throw off, tucked
up their sleeves; and presently six or seven couples were hitting,
scratching, and kicking each other. Much personal damage was done, and
more bad blood engendered. The warfare was not by any means of a
heroic nature.
Nevertheless they assembled on the fourth night, and were kept waiting
still longer before they were paid. Aaron did not show his liberality,
however, until he had had a conference with the captain. His keen eyes
had singled out Ted Kite, and he beckoned to him. Ted hesitated; he
was only a small boy; Aaron Cohen was a big man, and in a personal
contest could have disposed of him comfortably.
"Yah, you coward!" cried the rank and file to their captain. "What are
you frightened at? What did we make you captain for?"
Thus taunted, Ted Kite ventured to approach the smiling foe.
"Come a little nearer," said Aaron; "I am not going to hurt you. I
wish you to do me a favor."
Ted, with a sidelong look over his shoulder at his army, as if
appealing to it to rush to his rescue in case he was seized, shuffled
forward. Aaron Cohen held out his hand; Ted Kite timidly responded,
and was surprised at the friendly grip he received.
"You are the leader," said Aaron in his most genial voice.
"Yes, Mr. Cohen," replied Ted, growing bold; "I'm the captain.
"Clever lad, clever captain! Here's a penny for you. Don't let them
see you take it. It is for you alone. They will do as you tell them,
of course."
"I'll let 'em know it if they don't."
"It's right you should. I think it is very kind of you to come here as
you do, but I want you to oblige me and not come to-morrow night. It
is Friday, and the shop will be closed, so you would be wasting your
time. That would be foolish."
"Yes, it would," said Ted, somewhat bewildered. "Shall we come on
Saturday night?"
"Certainly, if you think proper. Then you will not be here to-morrow?"
"We won't, as you'd rather not, Mr. Cohen."
"Thank you; I am really obliged to you. Now go and join your army."
Ted Kite turned away, walked a step or two, and returned.
"But I say, Mr. Cohen----"
"Well, my lad?"
"Do you like it?"
"Do I like it?" echoed Aaron, with a sly chuckle. "Should I speak to
you as I am doing if I didn't? It is as good as a play. I think it is
very nice of you--very nice, very nice indeed!"
"Oh," said Ted in a crestfallen tone. As Aaron took pleasure in the
persecution it was not half such good fun as it had been. "He says he
likes it," he said to his comrades when he was among them. "He says
it's as good as a play."
"How much did he give you?" they inquired, feeling as he did in
respect of the fun of their proceedings.
"He didn't give me nothing."
"We saw him hold out his hand to you," they protested.
"You saw us shake hands, that's what you saw. Let's get on with the
game; we don't want to be kept waiting here all night."
They went on with the game, calling "Jew! Jew! Jew!" half-heartedly.
Putting the pecuniary reward out of the question, it was a game that
was becoming rather monotonous. They had to call for quite a quarter
of an hour before Aaron paid them; and this time he paid them with two
pennies only. The children fell on the ground, and scraped the stones
for more, but found none, and they retired grumbling, discontented,
and suspicious of each other's honesty.
On Friday night, the Sabbath eve, Aaron and Rachel had peace; and on
Saturday night the children made their appearance again and gave forth
their chorus. Aaron came to the door and stood there smoking his pipe
and smiling at them. But he did not throw any money to them. They did
not know what to make of it. Their voices grew weaker and weaker, they
wandered about discontentedly, they declared it was not fair on Mr.
Cohen's part. "We'll try him again on Monday night," they said.
They tried him again on Monday night, and he stood on his steps,
commending them, but he gave them no more money. There was no heart
whatever now in their invectives. They were not philosophers, and did
not know that the course Aaron had pursued had taken the sting out of
their tails. "He likes it," they said to each other as they strolled
off moodily, "and he wants us to come here and scream our throats dry
without being paid for it. Well, we aint going to do it. We won't call
him Jew any more if he wants us ever so much. It aint likely, now, is
it? What does he mean by treating us so shabby?" These young
rapscallions thought the world was out of joint.
In this way it was that Aaron Cohen fought the battle and gained a
bloodless victory. He laughed in his sleeve as he thought of it, and
laughed aloud in his cozy little parlor when he related the whole
affair to Rachel.
"One shilling and eightpence has it cost me, my love," he said, "and I
do not begrudge the money. Show me the battle that has been won for
less."
Rachel was greatly relieved, but her dominant feeling was admiration
for her husband's wisdom.
"I do not believe any other man in the world would have thought of
it," she said; and though Aaron shook his head in modest deprecation,
he was justified in inwardly congratulating himself upon his astute
tactics.
The story got about, and the townspeople were much amused by it. "Mr.
Cohen's a clever fellow," they said. He grew to be respected by them,
and as the weeks passed by and it was seen that he was not only a
fair-dealing but a kindly-hearted man the innuendos which Mr. Whimpole
continued to circulate about him produced a very small effect. Mr.
Whimpole was not pleased; where is the man who would have been in his
position? Talking one night with Rachel over the animosity the
corn-chandler bore toward the Jews, Aaron said:
"I have no doubt, my dear, that he is quite conscientious, and that he
considers his prejudices to be the outcome of a just conviction.
Doubtless his parents had the same conviction, and he imbibed it from
them. There are thousands of people who agree with him, and there are
worse persecutions than that to which we have been subjected. Look at
that infamously governed country Russia, which in the maps ought to be
stamped blood red, with a heavy mourning border around it. The
wretches who inflict incredible sufferings upon countless innocent
beings call themselves Christians. They are not Christians, they are
fiends, and judgment will fall upon them. Spain, once the greatest of
nations, fell into decay when the Jew deserted it. So will it be with
other nations that oppress the Jew. Let Germany look to it. It is easy
to arouse the evil passions of uneducated human beings, but a brand of
fire shall fall upon the heads of those who are employed in work so
vile."