Late this afternoon I hunted up my old friend in the expectation that he
would continue the story of his life. Mention had been made of his son,
though only _en passant_, and I cherished the secret hope that Simon
Eichelkatz would return to him now that he had once begun to pour out
his heart to me. But to-day he didn't say anything bearing on what had
gone before. When I entered, I found him in a gay mood; and before I
crossed the threshold he called out to me:
"It occurred to me to-day that I wanted some time or other to tell you a
_Maaseh_, which is half funny, half sad."
And he only recounted anecdotes. Not one word about the events in his
life--only the story of the great dearth and famine. Simon Eichelkatz
was right; it is a tragi-comic history.
"It was a year of famine after the war of '59; sickness everywhere; bad
harvests, bad business; the potatoes rotting in the ground on account of
heavy rains and floods. Herr Kreisphysikus, to understand the misery of
the people thoroughly, you must live through such a year here.
"All over the mining district typhus, for which the stupid workmen and
peasants thought there was only one remedy, the whisky flask. The women
and children died miserably on their foul, ill-smelling straw heaps, the
men in the ditches. Herr Kreisphysikus, happily it is different now;
conditions have improved, it cannot be denied, since forty years ago.
Any one might be satisfied to have the difference expressed in money
added to his fortune. On that account it's silly always to talk of the
good old times. The world's gotten much better, much better. That's what
this old man tells you. The winter was terrible that year. To be sure,
the typhus grew less severe when the cold set in; but the poor people
suffered from the cold instead. Every day you found bodies frozen to
death in the ditches by the roadside. Of course they were usually
drunkards; nevertheless they were human beings, and such occurrences
aroused horror among us. The members of families gathered closer
together, they doubly realized the comfort of a heated room and the
blessing of a well-ordered existence. Every sign of well-being was
regarded with heightened interest; and one day the greatest excitement
was caused by the appearance of a new winter coat on the back of the
wife of the vice-president. She wore it to Shul for the first time on
_Sukkoth_. Frau Wilhelm Weinberger was the wife of a well-to-do man who
had brought her the garment from the Leipsic Fair. I can see it now, as
though it were yesterday it happened. And you may be sure the other men
had it impressed on their memory, too; for you can imagine, Herr
Kreisphysikus, it aroused as much envy as excitement; and after Shul
most families were probably discussing the coat of Frau Wilhelm
Weinberger. It was dark blue, of the finest buckskin, lined with white
and light blue striped cloth, and bordered at the bottom with a band of
black lambskin. The collar and cuffs were also of lambskin. I tell
_you_, Herr Kreisphysikus, it was a marvel."
He chuckled as he always did when something tickled his sense of humor.
I did not know whether it was the winter coat of Frau Wilhelm Weinberger
which amused him so greatly after the lapse of forty years, or other
recollections suggested by it. He paused for a long while before
continuing his narrative.
"Besides Teacher Sandberg there were two other teachers in the
congregational school at that time, Teacher Deutsch and Teacher
Herrnstaedt, and two assistants for the lowest classes. All were married
and blessed with children; unfortunately, they were not blessed with a
corresponding income. The Khille was not in a position to give them
sufficient salaries; as it was, its budget for the officers that
conducted the services was considerable. So the teachers were extremely
hard put to it to support their families in a bekovet way; and in bad
times, when it is particularly difficult to get extra jobs, like giving
private instruction, they had no smooth road to travel, nebbich.
Sandberg had it a little easier, because on his free afternoons he was
employed as secretary to the congregation and he kept the minutes of the
meetings. But Deutsch had a hard time of it. He had two daughters, and a
son who worked in a dry goods store in Breslau. His wife and daughters
were very industrious. They did embroidery for the shops, and tried in
every possible way to add to the small income of their father. The son
also contributed to the support of the family, so that to all outward
appearances they seemed to be more than the children of the other
teachers. Besides, they always associated with the wealthier families in
the congregation. But exactly this was their misfortune. People with
daughters were annoyed that the daughters of Teacher Deutsch were always
so well-dressed--not like children of a poor teacher, but like those of
rich Baale-Batim. The teachers in meeting had decided to ask for a raise
of their salaries because of the increased cost of living on account of
the famine. They couldn't go on in the old way. The price of bread,
potatoes, coffee, and sugar was exorbitant. As it was, they ate meat
only once a week, on Shabbes; and it was impossible to obtain the fuel
needed during that severe winter. In a very emphatic and touching
petition drawn up by Teacher Herrnstaedt, the matter was brought to the
attention of the president and the board, who were requested to grant an
increase to the teachers for the coming year."
At this point Feiwel Silbermann entered with a large cup of coffee and a
freshly filled pipe. Simon sipped the hot drink with evident enjoyment,
puffed at his pipe several times, and said:
"Yes, at that time things didn't go very well with us, Herr
Kreisphysikus. Feiwel, do you still remember the year 1859?"
"Why shouldn't I remember it, Herr Eichelkatz? Am I going to forget how
we starved and froze? It wasn't anything, wasn't it? That was a year!
The snow lay for four weeks. You wouldn't think there could be such
cold, and Teacher Deutsch's daughters got new winter coats."
With this he shambled out of the room and Simon said:
"Yes, the cold was frightful. But in spite of it we were greatly
astonished to see Caroline and Lenchen Deutsch, the teacher's daughters,
cross the Ring on Christmas day in new winter coats. Of course, we ought
to have been glad that the girls had warm clothing in such freezing
weather. But human nature is not so indulgent, and the Khille rather
bore them a grudge. Everyone ran to the window to make sure of the
wonderful fact. 'Look at them,' they called to one another, 'Caroline
and Lenchen Deutsch have new coats on. In such bad times! Really, you
wouldn't believe it. Chutzpeh!' But the worst of it was that the coats
in cut and color, in goods and trimming, were exactly like Frau Wilhelm
Weinberger's--blue buckskin and black lambskin--the latest style. The
excitement caused by Frau Wilhelm Weinberger's garment wasn't a
circumstance to what Caroline and Lenchen Deutsch's called forth. And
the consequences, Herr Kreisphysikus, the consequences!" Again he
laughed softly. "I don't believe blue buckskin and black lambskin have
ever produced such consequences. On the day after Christmas there was a
meeting of the committee. The first matter for consideration was the
petition of the teachers for a raise in salary. The committee almost
unanimously agreed that there was reason in the request. It wasn't
fitting that men intrusted with the education of the young should suffer
want. In order to have a proper influence upon children teachers should
have a free mind and a light heart. Thus spoke Dr. Ehrlich, with great
eloquence; and he moved that the petitioners be granted a raise of
thirty dollars for the year of famine. Hereupon our honorable friend,
Herr Doktor Krakauer, saving your reverence, arose and said he had an
addition to make to the proposition: 'to exclude Teacher Deutsch from
the benefit of the raise, because for two days his daughters have been
flaunting about in winter coats of blue buckskin with black lambskin,
coats exactly like the one which Frau Wilhelm Weinberger wears. If
anyone can afford that, he needs no raise.'"
A dumbfounded expression probably came on my face, because Simon looked
at me, and with that furtive smile of his he said:
"Every word of what I tell you is true, Herr Kreisphysikus. Herr
Manasse, _Zichrono livrochoh_, tried to oppose him in vain. He assured
the committee that he himself had brought the cloaks with him from
Breslau, where the son of Teacher Deutsch, a clerk at Immerwahr's, had
given them to him, because he wanted to save the expense of expressing
them. They had been lying there ever since the beginning of November,
and Teacher Deutsch's son had bought them way below the regular
selling-price from a travelling salesman, who had brought them to
Breslau as samples months before; one of them in fact was quite damaged.
But all that didn't help matters any. Blue buckskin with lambskin
remained a crime. It was no use to urge that a good son and brother had
pinched himself to give his parents and sisters a pleasure, and that he
was able to do it only because the cloaks were cheap and underpriced.
Other objections made by two members beside Manasse were also refuted.
They say Manasse almost cried when, at the end, he called out: 'But for
heaven's sake, they can't eat blue buckskin and black lambskin to
satisfy their hunger!' Even that was of no use. Our amiable Dr.
Krakauer, saving your reverence, carried his motion, and Teacher
Deutsch's petition was refused."
Simon looked into space, then said: "Do you know the real meaning of the
word '_nebbich_' Herr Kreisphysikus?"
"Yes, I do, _nebbich_."