Page:Etta Block - One-act plays from the Yiddish (1923).pdf/162

 threw himself upon the earth to wait, and for three long hours he wet the ground with his burning tears. When he finally arose and with a great effort pulled the heavy net out of the water, the net was full of—stones!

DAVID (disappointed) Stones—just stones?!

CHANNAH Yes. And again he prayed: “Grant, dear God,. a good catch this time. Give, dear God, a mess of golden fishes with eyes of diamonds, scales of purest gold, and the little bones— and the little bones should be at least of pearl.” And he cast the net into the river for the second time, and again he threw himself down upon the earth, and for three times three hours did he wet the ground through with his bitter tears. And when he rose, he could hardly pull the net out of the water, for there lay in it—a log, a rotten log! .. . The river and the birds had already sung their evening prayers, the sun had parted from the earth, but the fisherman still stood beside the sleeping river, by the outspread net. When he pulled in the net, for the third time, he felt it had grown as light as a spinweb, marvelously light, and by the light of the moon he saw that the whole net was of silver and the wet weeds that lay therein were of gold”...

DAVID (joyously) Of gold! ...

CHANNAH Upon the golden weeds there lay a little angel