Part 15 (2/2)

”You never told me how you got on at Manchester,” she said. ”Did you settle the dispute satisfactorily?”

”Oh, yes,” said the Reb; ”but it was very difficult. Both parties were so envenomed, and it seems that the feud has been going on in the congregation ever since the Day of Atonement, when the minister refused to blow the _Shofar_ three minutes too early, as the President requested. The Treasurer sided with the minister, and there has almost been a split.”

”The sounding of the New Year trumpet seems often to be the signal for war,” said Hannah, sarcastically.

”It is so,” said the Reb, sadly.

”And how did you repair the breach?”

”Just by laughing at both sides. They would have turned a deaf ear to reasoning. I told them that Midrash about Jacob's journey to Laban.”

”What is that?”

”Oh, it's an amplification of the Biblical narrative. The verse in Genesis says that he lighted on the place, and he put up there for the night because the sun had set, and he took of the stones of the place and he made them into pillows. But later on it says that he rose up in the morning and he took _the_ stone which he had put as his pillows.

Now what is the explanation?” Reb Shemuel's tone became momently more sing-song: ”In the night the stones quarrelled for the honor of supporting the Patriarch's head, and so by a miracle they were turned into one stone to satisfy them all. 'Now you remember that when Jacob arose in the morning he said: 'How fearful is this place; this is none other than the House of G.o.d.' So I said to the wranglers: 'Why did Jacob say that? He said it because his rest had been so disturbed by the quarrelling stones that it reminded him of the House of G.o.d--the Synagogue.' I pointed out how much better it would be if they ceased their quarrellings and became one stone. And so I made peace again in the _Kehillah_.”

”Till next year,” said Hannah, laughing. ”But, father, I have often wondered why they allow the ram's horn in the service. I thought all musical instruments were forbidden.”

”It is not a musical instrument--in practice,” said the Reb, with evasive facetiousness. And, indeed, the performers were nearly always incompetent, marring the solemnity of great moments by asthmatic wheezings and thin far-away tootlings.

”But it would be if we had trained trumpeters,” persisted Hannah, smiling.

”If you really want the explanation, it is that since the fall of the second Temple we have dropped out of our wors.h.i.+p all musical instruments connected with the old Temple wors.h.i.+p, especially such as have become a.s.sociated with Christianity. But the ram's horn on the New Year is an inst.i.tution older than the Temple, and specially enjoined in the Bible.”

”But surely there is something spiritualizing about an organ.”

For reply the Reb pinched her ear. ”Ah, you are a sad _Epikouros_” he said, half seriously. ”If you loved G.o.d you would not want an organ to take your thoughts to heaven.”

He released her ear and took up his pen, humming with unction a synagogue air full of joyous flourishes.

Hannah turned to go, then turned back.

”Father,” she said nervously, blus.h.i.+ng a little, ”who was that you said you had in your eye?”

”Oh, n.o.body in particular,” said the Reb, equally embarra.s.sed and avoiding meeting her eye, as if to conceal the person in his.

”But you must have meant something by it,” she said gravely. ”You know I'm not going to be married off to please other people.”

The Reb wriggled uncomfortably in his chair. ”It was only a thought--an idea. If it does not come to you, too, it shall be nothing. I didn't mean anything serious--really, my dear, I didn't. To tell you the truth,” he finished suddenly with a frank, heavenly smile, ”the person I had mainly in my eye when I spoke was your mother.”

This time his eye met hers, and they smiled at each other with the consciousness of the humors of the situation. The Rebbitzin's broom was heard banging viciously in the pa.s.sage. Hannah bent down and kissed the ample forehead beneath the black skull-cap.

”Mr. Levine also writes insisting that I must go to the Purim ball with him and Leah,” she said, glancing at the letter.

”A husband's wishes must be obeyed,” answered the Reb.

”No, I will treat him as if he were really my husband,” retorted Hannah.

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