Jewish Children by Sholem Aleichem
Author:Sholem Aleichem [Sholem Aleichem]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Jews -- Fiction, Jewish fiction
Published: 2008-10-24T00:00:00+00:00
The Spinning-Top
More than any of the boys at "Cheder," more than any boy of the town, and more than any person in the world, I loved my friend, Benny "Polkovoi." The feeling I had for him was a peculiar combination of love, devotion, and fear. I loved him because he was handsomer, cleverer and smarter than any other boy. He was kind and faithful to me. He took my part, fought for me, and pulled the ears of those boys who annoyed me.
And I was afraid of him because he was big and quarrelsome. He could beat whom he liked, and when he liked. He was the biggest, oldest, and wealthiest boy in the "Cheder." His father, Mayer "Polkovoi," though he was only a regimental tailor, was nevertheless a rich man, and played an important part in public affairs. He had a fine house, a seat in the synagogue beside the ark. At the Passover, his "Matzo" was baked first. At the feast of Tabernacles his citron was the best. On the Sabbath he always had a poor man to meals. He gave away large sums of money in charity. And he himself went to the house of another to lend him money as a favour. He engaged the best teachers for his children. In a word, Mayer "Polkovoi" tried to refine himselfâto be a man amongst men. He wanted to get his name inscribed in the books of the best society, but did not succeed. In our town, Mazapevka, it was not easy to get into the best society. We did not forget readily a man's antecedents. A tailor may try to refine himself for twenty years in succession, but he will still remain a tailor to us. I do not think there is a soap in the world that will wash out this stain. How much do you think Mayer "Polkovoi" would have given to have us blot out the name bestowed upon him, "Polkovoi"? His misfortune was that his family was a thousand times worse than his name. Just imagine! In his passport he was called Mayor Mofsovitch Heifer.
It is a remarkable thing. May Mayer's great-great-grandfather have a bright Paradise! He also must have been a tailor. When it came to giving himself a family name, he could not find a better one than Heifer. He might have called himself Thimble, Lining, Buttonhole, Bigpatch, Longfigure. These are not family names either, it is true, but they are in some way connected with tailoring. But Heifer? What did he like in the name of Heifer? You may ask why not Goat? Are there not people in the world called Goat? You may say what you like, Heifer and Goat are equally nice. Still, they are not the same. A Heifer is not a Goat.
But we will return to my friend Benny.
. . . . .
Benny was a nice boy, with yellow tousled hair, white puffed-out cheeks, scattered teeth, and peculiar red, bulging, fishy eyes. These red, fishy eyes were always smiling and roguish.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
The Lion King by Disney Book Group(680)
The Butter Battle Book (Classic Seuss) by Dr. Seuss(643)
You Have a Match by Emma Lord(577)
Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House 13 by Vacation Under the Volcano(562)
Time To Go by Time To Go (epub)(546)
Once in a Blue Moon by Sharon Sala(530)
Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House 01 by Dinosaurs Before Dark(529)
Bartholomew and the Oobleck (Classic Seuss) by Dr. Seuss(492)
Olga and the Smelly Thing from Nowhere by Elise Gravel(491)
Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House 35 by Night of the New Magicians(483)
Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House 28 by High Tide in Hawaii(480)
Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House 14 by Day of the Dragon King(475)
Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House 05 by Night of the Ninjas(470)
The Man in the Iron Mask by Alexandre Dumas (père)(462)
Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House 24 by Earthquake in the Early Morning(460)
Sufferance by Thomas King(456)
Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House 21 by Civil War on Sunday(454)
Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House 47 by Abe Lincoln at Last!(446)
Mary Pope Osborne - Magic Tree House 22 by Revolutionary War on Wednesday(440)