Page:Yiddish Tales.djvu/126

 122 SHOLOM-ALECHEM

just as she was, without any dowry or anything Jewish luck! They say she has a bad time of it no evil eye to her days can't get on with his children. Well, who would be a stepmother? Let them beware! Take Chavvehle ! What is there to find fault with in her ? And you should see the life her stepchildren lead her ! One hears shouting day and night, cursing, squabbling, and fighting."

The candles began to die down, the shadow climbed the wall, scrambled higher and higher, the nuts crackled in our hands, there was talking and telling stories and tales, just for the pleasure of it, one without any reference to the other, but Aunt Yente talked more than anyone.

"Hush!" cried out Aunt Yente, "listen, because not long ago a still better thing happened. Not far from Yampele, about three versts away, some robbers fell upon a Jewish tavern, killed a whole houseful of people, down to a baby in a cradle. The only person left alive was a servant-girl, who was sleeping on the kitchen stove. She heard people screeching, and jumped down, this servant-girl, off the stove, peeped through a chink in the door, and saw, this servant-girl I'm telling you of, saw the master of the house and the mistress lying on the floor, murdered, in a pool of blood, and she went back, this girl, and sprang through a window, and ran into the town screaming: Jews, to the rescue, help, help, help !"

Suddenly, just as Aunt Yente was shouting, "Help, help, help!" we heard trrraach! tarrrach! bom dzin dzin dzin, bommU We were so deep in the story,