coquettish. And other people had done their part; the women through
their jealousy, and the men through their admiration. Lea awakened
feelings in the hearts of the young men of Barnow such as were seldom to
be found there. For, as a general rule, the long-haired Jewish youth
never even thinks of any girl until his father tells him that he has
chosen a wife for him. He sometimes sees his bride for the first time at
his betrothal, but in a great many cases he does not see her until his
marriage-day; and then, whether she pleases him or not, he makes up his
mind to get used to her, and generally succeeds. But many thought of
Lea; and as she walked down the street, people would turn and look at
her--a thing hitherto unknown. Even in the "Klaus," where the quiet,
dreamy, and very dirty Talmudists bent over their heavy folios, her name
was sometimes mentioned, followed by many a deep sigh.
Beautiful Lea knew nothing of this. But other people took care that she
should not remain in doubt as to whether she pleased them or not. The
school-boys who came home to Barnow for the holidays were all in love
with her and Esterka Regina, another beautiful Jewish girl whose life
was a sad one. Then there were the young nobles, who were in the habit
of stopping at the door of Gawriel's inn for a glass of schnapps and a
little conversation. But the boldest of all were the hussar officers,
who got into the habit of spending hours in the bar-room, without making
any way with the girl.
Lea was vain, but she was thoroughly good and modest. Jewish women are,
as a rule, kind, charitable, and sympathetic with others; but Lea was
even more so than the generality--so the poor used to bless her and
reverence her. The girl's great weakness was, that she was in love with
her own beauty, and especially with that of her splendid hair. When she
loosened her heavy plaits, her hair used to infold her like a mantle of
cloth-of-gold, descending to her knees--a mantle of which any queen
would have been proud. It was this that gained for her her nickname of
"Lea with the long hair...."
The Jews of Barnow were firmly convinced that Lea would never marry. The
women hoped and the men feared that it would be so. She grew up, was
seventeen, eighteen, nineteen years old, and yet had never deemed any of
her suitors worthy of her hand. Such a thing was unheard of among the
Podolian Jews, who usually marry at a very early age. But old Gawriel
acted differently from most fathers--he let his daughter decide her own
fate.
Lea's answer to all her suitors was a short, resolute "No." And after
the day when Josef Purzelbaum was dismissed in like fashion, although he
was the son of the richest man in the whole district--and also little
Chaim Machmirdas, who was nearly connected by marriage with the great
rabbi of Sadagora--no other suitor ventured to come forward. The
rejection of a member of the holy family of Sadagora filled every one
with amazement, and many looked upon it as tantamount to blasphemy. But
Lea was not to be moved, and continued to drive the match-makers to
despair. In the end these good people scarcely dared to set foot in the
inn, although there are no quieter and more considerate men in the world
than the Jewish match-makers in Podolia. But one of them, Herr Itzig
Tuerkischgelb, used to say: "I am an old man, but I have not yet given up
the hope of living to see Lea's marriage and the coming of the Messiah.
But, truly, I think the latter will take place first." Itzig
Tuerkischgelb always liked his joke.
At last Lea's engagement was announced. And when the name of the
fortunate suitor was made known, the astonishment of all was even
greater than at the fact of the engagement. For Ruben Rosenmann--or
Ruben of the town-hall, as he was called, because of the position of his
shop--was neither rich nor of a pious family; and besides that he was a
widower. He was a handsome man, tall and dignified, and of a grave and
serious disposition. He was particular about his dress, and wore his
caftan about a span shorter than any one else. He had spent two years in
a large town called Brody, and had learned to read, speak, and write
High German. Perhaps this was the reason that he was looked upon as a
freethinker, which he certainly was not, for he followed all the
commands, not only of religion, but also of superstition, with a slavish
obedience.
When Lea was asked why she had chosen him of all people, her only answer
was, "Because I like him." It was an unheard-of reason for a Podolian
Jewess to give: so no one believed that it could be the real reason.
Many questions were asked of the match-makers, but they could throw no
light on the subject. Even Tuerkischgelb had to confess that this
engagement was not brought about by his diplomacy. Ruben had sent him to
Lea; but the girl had refused to listen to him, saying, "Let him come
and speak to me himself if he has anything to say."
Ruben went to see her. The two young people had a long conversation that
lasted fully two hours. No one, not even the girl's parents, knew what
they had talked about during their interview. But old Gawriel heard
Ruben say in a loud impressive voice: "Very well--if you have set your
heart upon it, I consent. It is not a sin in the sight of God, although
our people regard it as such. Keep your secret carefully; for, were it
discovered, it would cause the destruction of us both." The father
tried in vain to persuade Lea to tell him her secret.
The marriage took place soon afterward. Lea was lovelier than ever as
she stood under the "trauhimmel." And yet her richest ornament, her
golden hair, was wanting. No married woman is allowed to wear her own
hair, which is always cut short, and sometimes even shaved, before the
wedding. The head is then covered with a high erection made of wool or
silk, called a _scheitel_. Stern and ancient custom demands this. For a
married woman to wear her own hair, would not merely be regarded as
immodest, but as a terrible sin against God. Lea permitted no one to lay
a finger on her hair, but locking herself into her room, cut it off with
her own hands....
Contrary to expectation, the marriage was a happy one; and more
wonderful still, Lea was a humble, obedient wife. The most envious could
not deny that Ruben was a lucky fellow. No one knew it better than he
did, and, when he heard that Lea hoped soon to be a mother, his joy knew
no bounds. But, unfortunately, this hope was not fulfilled; the child
was born dead, and before it was expected. The doctor said it was in
consequence of a chill from which Lea had been suffering; but the rabbi
of Barnow was of a different opinion. He sent for Lea, and asked if she
had not broken some commandment in secret, and so brought down upon
herself the judgment of God. Lea turned very pale, but answered firmly,
"No, rabbi."
This happened in spring. One autumn day, a year and a half afterward,
Lea had a son; but it only lived six days. The doctor said it had died
of apoplexy, like many other new-born babies. Lea wept bitterly; but
when the rabbi came to her and repeated the question he had before asked
her, she again answered shortly and firmly, "No, rabbi."
In the following summer Lea knew that she was to become a mother for the
third time. She felt oppressed by a foreboding that the same sorrow as
before would come to her. She took every precaution, and Ruben watched
over her anxiously and tenderly. But when the Day of Atonement came
round, she insisted on spending the whole day in the synagogue fasting,
in spite of her husband's remonstrances and the doctor's having
forbidden her to do so.
That was the cause of her destruction.
The old synagogue was dreadfully close that day, and worse than close;
it was filled with a most disagreeable and sickening odor of candles,
and of an uncleanly congregation that had spent hours within its walls
praying and weeping. It was an atmosphere in which the strongest person
might have been overcome with faintness; so that its effects on a
delicate woman in Lea's condition may be readily imagined. Her head
began to swim, and, uttering a low cry, she fell from her prayer-stool
in a swoon.
The women quickly surrounded her, and tried to bring her to herself.
They loosened her dress, and thrust two or three smelling-bottles under
her nose at the same time.
All at once they started back: a wild shriek from a hundred throats
echoed through the building; it was followed by silence--the silence of
dread....
Lea's _scheitel_ had become displaced, and her glorious hair, which had
been confined within the _scheitel_, flowed over her shoulders, and
crowned her pale beautiful face as with a golden halo.
That was Lea's secret.
The scene that followed can not be described; an idea of it can hardly
be conveyed to a stranger. The stillness was broken by wild shouts of
rage, curses, and struggling. Quick as lightning the news flew to the
body of the synagogue, where the men were praying; and its effect was
the same there as in the women's part. At first horror and astonishment
produced an intense stillness; then the men seemed filled with an insane
fury, and rushed into the women's "school." Had Lea just confessed that
she had murdered her children--and the Jews regarded infanticide as the
worst of crimes, as even more wicked than parricide--their wrath could
not have been greater. But in the eyes of these ignorant, superstitious
people, Lea's hair had borne silent witness that she was indeed
guilty!...
It was the holiest day in the year, and she against whom their wrath was
raised was a weak woman, and was, moreover, in a condition that ought to
have pleaded for her with the most savage of men. But who knows how far
pious zeal might not have led these fanatics? It had often before
carried them to incredible lengths. Ruben forced his way through the
ranks of infuriated men, his anger and pain giving him strength to do
so. He lifted his wife like a child, and, supporting her with his left
arm, pushed a way for himself and her through the crowd by a vigorous
use of his right arm. He then rushed down-stairs, and home through the
streets, pursued by the curses of his co-religionists. The October wind
blew his wife's hair sharply in his pale face as he ran, and almost
blinded him.
Lea soon recovered from her faint; but when she looked round and saw her
hair hanging about her like a cloud, she shrieked out, and fell into
violent convulsions. The doctor hastened to her; but he only succeeded
in saving the life of the mother, not that of the child. Next morning
the Jews of Barnow told each other that the judgment of God had fallen
upon the sinner for the third time.
Ruben was as though petrified with grief. And when he was summoned
before the rabbi in council that very morning, he obeyed the mandate as
calmly as if he had not been the culprit to be tried. He returned no
answer to the curses that were heaped upon him, and, when put upon his
defense, gave short and bold replies to the questions addressed to him.
He was asked whether he had known of his wife's sin. Yes, he said, he
had. Why had he suffered her to commit such a wickedness? Because it was
not wicked in his eyes. Did he recognize what had now befallen him as a
judgment of God? No; because he believed in an all-wise, all-merciful
God. Would he at least consent to cut off his wife's hair now? No, for
that would be breaking the promise he had made her when they were
engaged. Did he know the punishment he was bringing upon himself by
continuing in his sin? He did, and would know how to bear it.
This punishment was the "great _cherem_" or excommunication--the worst
punishment that the community could inflict upon one of its members.
Whoever is thus excluded from the congregation is outlawed by them, and
it is regarded as a good deed to do him as much harm as possible, both
socially and in his business relations. Neither he nor anything that
belonged to him might be touched except in enmity; his presence could
only be permitted with the object of doing him an injury. _Cherem_
loosens the holiest ties, and what in other cases would be a terrible
sin is, under such circumstances, regarded as a sacred duty--the wife
may forsake her husband, the son may raise his hand against his father.
It is a war of all against one--a merciless war, in which all means of
attack are admissible. No love, no friendship, can venture to break down
the barrier of excommunication, contempt, and loathing that incloses the
culprit. It is a fate too awful to contemplate, a punishment terrible
enough to break the most iron will. He who falls under this ban,
generally hastens to make his peace with the rabbi on any terms, however
humiliating.
Ruben thought this too high a price to pay, although he felt the curse
of the excommunication doubly, both in his person and his work. No
customers came to his shop. But he did not give way. He turned for
protection to those who were bound to help him, and appealed to the
imperial court of justice in Barnow. It is a punishable offense in
Austria to use the _cherem_ as a means of extortion; and, in the best
case, when there is real and just cause for the infliction of punishment
on an offender, it is nothing but an audacious attempt of a community to
arrogate to itself the functions of the state. The sympathy of Herr
Julko von Negrusz, district judge of Barnow, was aroused by Ruben's
tale, and he did what he could to help him; but naturally he could not
do much. He summoned the rabbi before his court, and punished every
injury or indignity that was put upon Ruben which could be proved
against any one in particular. But in most cases the mischief was done
in the dead of night, and the prosecution of the rabbi only served to
increase the fanatical rage of the people. As for the shop, Herr von
Negrusz had no power to force any one to buy their sugar and coffee from
Ruben if they did not wish to do so.
The war of parties lasted all winter, and well into the spring. In April
the rabbi was sentenced to six weeks' imprisonment. When he was set
free, the community showed their joy by illuminating the streets and
breaking Ruben's windows; otherwise, nothing was changed--Ruben remained
firm. He was growing visibly poorer. His father-in-law continually
entreated him to give way, but in vain. More than that, Lea, who had
wept away all her youth and beauty during that terrible winter, and who,
now that the spring was come, knew that she was again to become a
mother, entreated her husband to allow her to cut off her hair. Perhaps
the poor woman had been so influenced by the superstition of her
neighbors, that she had really begun to think that it might cause the
death of her child were she to continue to wear it. But Ruben shook his
head sternly, and answered--"No; keep your hair; and if there is a God,
He will not desert us--He will give me the victory."
In most cases it is a dangerous thing to place one's belief in the
existence of God on the answer to a question such as this. It was so
here: Ruben was conquered. What remains to be told I will relate in as
few words as possible....
In the following November another son was born to Lea. The child was a
strong, healthy little fellow, and the mother's heart was at rest about
him. Six days passed; then the rabbi summoned his most faithful
adherents to his presence. "The father is under the ban of _cherem_, and
the mother wears her own hair; but the child is innocent. If we remain
idle, the child must die as his brother died, because the mother
continues to sin."
This was what the rabbi said--that is to say, it was probably he who
spoke; but the originator of the horrible deed was never discovered.
This was the deed of darkness perpetrated by the zealots.
About midnight of the sixth day after the baby's birth, some masked men
burst into Ruben's house, overpowered both him and the nurse, dragged
Lea out of bed, and cut off her hair.
Two days later Lea died in consequence of the fright she had had. The
child, which had taken a fit soon after the men had broken into the
house, died a few hours before its mother.
Ruben remained at Barnow until the judicial examination was over,
although he hoped but little from it; for when the Jews are determined
to be silent, no power on earth can make them speak.
Then he went away. Many years have passed away since then. He, probably,
has also found rest, and sleeps away the dark sorrows of his life in
some other corner of the world.
I have already described Lea's grave, and there is nothing more to be
said.
I must add a few words in conclusion, that come from the bottom of my
heart:
Forgive them, be not angry with them, for they know not what they do!
THE END.
Christian Reid's Novels.
"The author has wrought with care and with a good ethical and artistic
purpose; and these are the essential needs in the building up of an
American literature."
VALERIE AYLMER.
MORTON HOUSE.
MABEL LEE.
EBB-TIDE.
NINA'S ATONEMENT, and other Stories.
A DAUGHTER OF BOHEMIA.
BONNY KATE.
THE LAND OF THE SKY.
AFTER MANY DAYS.
HEARTS AND HANDS.
A GENTLE BELLE.
A QUESTION OF HONOR.
A SUMMER IDYL. (Forming No. XII in Appletons' "New Handy-Volume
Series.") 1 vol.
HEART OF STEEL.
Rhoda Broughton's Novels.
"_I love the romances of Miss Broughton; I think them much truer to
Nature than Ouida's, and more impassioned and less preachy than George
Eliot's. Miss Broughton's heroines are living beings, having not only
flesh and blood, but also esprit and soul; in a word, they are real
women, neither animals nor angels, but allied to both._"--ANDRE THEURIET
(the French novelist).
SECOND THOUGHTS.
JOAN.
COMETH UP AS A FLOWER.
NOT WISELY, BUT TOO WELL.
NANCY.
GOOD-BYE, SWEETHEART!
RED AS A ROSE IS SHE.
Julia Kavanagh's Works
"There is a quiet power in the writings of this gifted author which is
as far removed from the sensational school as any modern novels can be."
ADELE; a Tale.
BEATRICE.
DAISY BURNS.
GRACE LEE.
MADELINE.
NATHALIE; a Tale.
RACHEL GREY.
SEVEN YEARS, and Other Tales.
SYBIL'S SECOND LOVE.
QUEEN MAB.
JOHN DORRIEN.
THE TWO LILIES.
WOMEN OF CHRISTIANITY. Exemplary for Piety and Charity.
DORA. Illustrated by Gaston Fay.
SILVIA. A Novel.
BESSIE. A Novel.
VICE VERSA;
OR, A LESSON TO FATHERS.
By F. ANSTEY.
"If there ever was a book made up from beginning to end of
laughter, yet not a comic book, or a 'merry' book, or a book of
jokes, or a book of pictures, or a jest-book, or a
tomfool-book, but a perfectly sober and serious book, in the
reading of which a sober man may laugh without shame from
beginning to end, it is the new book called 'Vice Versa; or, a
Lesson to Fathers....' We close the book, recommending it very
earnestly to all fathers, in the first instance, and their
sons, nephews, uncles, and male cousins next."--_Saturday
Review._
"Cordially do we recommend 'Vice Versa.' We content ourselves
with a tardy tribute, in general terms, to its originality, its
irresistible humor, and never relaxed fascination."--_New York
Independent._
"By all odds the freshest and most unconventional work of
fiction recently published."--_New York Herald._
"If the story were not so laughable in every incident, and the
humor so delightful, we should weep over Mr. Bultitude; but we
are grateful to the author for an original, incomparably funny,
and morally instructive story, which exhibits a variety of
talent that will make him a distinguished
novelist."--_Criterion_, St. Louis, Mo.
"We predict for this book a wide popularity in
America."--_Boston Journal of Education._
"'Vice Versa' is a remarkable book. It has been received in
England with a clamor of applause, and deserves all the good
that has been said of it."--_New York Critic._
"An uncommonly bright and amusing novel. It is brimful of clean
and spirited humor, and is as diverting a book as we have met
with in some time: refined in character, admirable in literary
style, and equally keen and clever in satire."--_Boston
Gazette._
"'Vice Versa' has a rare and lasting flavor that will make it
sought."--_Boston Globe._
"A capital book, full of fun, constantly provoking to laughter,
and abounding in dramatic incidents. It is the cleverest book
of the kind that has been written for many a day."--_Baltimore
Sun._
"If you want the best novel of the year, buy 'Vice
Versa.'"--_Chicago Inter-Ocean._
"One of the drollest and most entertaining books ever
written."--_New York Churchman._
"A work of genuine and well-sustained humor from beginning to
end."--_Utica, N. Y. Herald._
UNCLE REMUS:
_His Songs and his Sayings._
THE FOLK-LORE OF THE OLD PLANTATION.
By JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS.
"The idea of preserving and publishing these legends in the
form in which the old plantation negroes actually tell them, is
altogether one of the happiest literary conceptions of the day.
And very admirably is the work done.... In such touches lies
the charm of this fascinating little volume of legends, which
deserves to be placed on a level with _Reincke Fuchs_ for its
quaint humor, without reference to the ethnological interest
possessed by these stories, as indicating, perhaps, a common
origin for very widely-severed races."--_London Spectator._
"We are just discovering what admirable literary material there
is at home, what a great mine there is to explore, and how
quaint and peculiar is the material which can be dug up. Mr.
Harris's book may be looked on in a double light--either as a
pleasant volume recounting the stories told by a typical old
colored man to a child, or as a valuable contribution to our
somewhat meager folk-lore.... To Northern readers the story of
Brer (Brother--Brudder) Rabbit may be novel. To those familiar
with plantation life, who have listened to these quaint old
stories, who have still tender reminiscences of some good old
mauma who told these wondrous adventures to them when they were
children, Brer Rabbit, the Tar Baby, and Brer Fox, come back
again with all the past pleasures of younger days."--_New York
Times._
"Uncle Remus's sayings on current happenings are very shrewd
and bright, and the plantation and revival songs are choice
specimens of their sort."--_Boston Journal._
"The volume is a most readable one, whether it be regarded as a
humorous book merely, or as a contribution to the literature of
folk-lore."--_New York World._
"This is a thoroughly amusing book, and is much the best
humorous compilation that has been put before the American
public for many a day."--_Philadelphia Telegraph._
Well illustrated from Drawings by F. S. Church, whose humorous animal
drawings are so well known, and J. H. Moser, of Georgia.
Charlotte M Yonge's Novels.
HEIR OF REDCLYFFE.
THE CLEVER WOMAN OF THE FAMILY.
THE DAISY CHAIN; or, Aspirations.
THE TRIAL; or, More Links in the Daisy Chain.
DOVE IN THE EAGLE'S NEST.
DYNEVOR TERRACE; or, The Clue of Life.
HEARTSEASE.
HOPES AND FEARS.
KENNETH; or, The Rear Guard.
THE THREE BRIDES.
THE TWO GUARDIANS.
YOUNG STEPMOTHER; or, A Chronicle of Mistakes.
THE CHAPLET OF PEARLS.
THE CAGED LION.
BEECHCROFT.
BEN SYLVESTER'S WORD.
THE CASTLE BUILDERS.
THE DISTURBING ELEMENT.
James Fenimore Cooper's Novels.
_NEW LIBRARY EDITION._
1. The Spy.
2. The Pilot.
3. The Red Rover.
4. The Deerslayer.
5. The Pathfinder.
6. Last of the Mohicans.
7. The Pioneers.
8. The Prairie.
9. Lionel Lincoln.
10. Wept of Wish-ton-wish.
11. The Water-Witch.
12. The Bravo.
13. Mercedes of Castile.
14. The Two Admirals.
15. Afloat and Ashore.
16. Miles Wallingford.
17. Wing-and-Wing.
18. Oak Openings.
19. Satanstoe.
20. The Chain-Bearer.
21. The Red-Skins.
22. The Crater.
23. Homeward Bound.
24. Home as Found.
25. Heidenmauer.
26. The Headsman.
27. Jack Tier.
28. The Sea-Lions.
29. Wyandotte.
30. The Monikins.
31. Precaution.
32. Ways of the Hour.
_GREEN AND GOLD EDITION._
Illustrated with Steel-plates from drawings by Darley.
Handsomely bound in green cloth, beveled boards, gilt top.
_LEATHER-STOCKING TALES._
Illustrated by Darley.
I. The Last of the Mohicans.
II. The Deerslayer.
III. The Pathfinder.
IV. The Pioneers.
V. The Prairie.
_THE SEA-TALES._
Illustrated by Darley.
I. The Pilot.
II. The Red Rover.
III. The Water-Witch,
IV. Wing-and-Wing.
V. The Two Admirals.
_APPLETONS' POPULAR SERIES._
I. RODMAN THE KEEPER:
Southern Sketches. By CONSTANCE FENIMORE WOOLSON, author of "Anne," etc.
The success of Miss Woolson's novel, "Anne," has caused a fresh
demand for the artistic and remarkable sketches in the above
volume.
II. IN THE BRUSH; Or, OLD-TIME SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE IN THE
SOUTH-WEST.
By H. W. PIERSON, D. D. Illustrated by W. L. Sheppard.
"_It has peculiar attractions in its literary methods, its rich
and quiet humor, and the genial spirit of its author._"--The
Critic.
III. THE ODDEST OF COURTSHIPS; Or, THE BLOODY CHASM.
A Novel. By J. W. de FOREST, author of "The Wetherel Affair,"
"Overland," etc.
"_At last, it seems, we have the American novel, with letters
royal to attest its birthright._"--HOME JOURNAL.
IV. THE NEW NOBILITY:
A Story of Europe and America. By J. W. FORNEY.