A Struggle for Existence.
(Translated from the Yiddish by M. S. Mandell)
CHAPTER VII.
The first few weeks Moshe returned from his work sighing and grumbling, nor was it to be wondered at. With his weak constitution it was very hard to stand in a trench and dig a whole day, especially as he was not accustomed to manual labor. And, further more, the beginning of such work is harder when it is despised.
Once, coming home tired, breathless, he stretched himself upon the bed; he sighed and almost wept.
"What are you doing?" Sarah began to scream at him, "I can't understand it! All men are working, and are thought none the less of for it, and you stretched yourself, almost weary enough to die. If you cannot work, you had no business to get married. Get up this minute, and eat you supper!"
Since that time Moshe dared not to complain. His fellow-men soon recognized what sort of a fellow he was and nicknamed him "Moshe the wise."
"Well, wise Moshe," one of the work-
men would playfully say, at the same time tapping his dirty fingers on Moshe's face, "how goes it?"
They did not exact many treats from Moshe, but they made fun of him to their hearts' content. So his new life went from day to day, from year to year. During the summer he dug the earth; during the winter he combed flax. After having worked for seven years in this way, Moshe changed considerably. He grew strong and apparently more vigorous. The regular work, as well as the better behavior of his fellow-workmen towards him, gave him a great deal of courage. In his congregation he was no longer afraid, as in former times, to tell a joke, quote a sentence from the Torah or cite a passage from some other book. In spite of his wife's objections, he stopped beating the children. Sarah behaved with little more kindness towards him. Now that our readers are somewhat acquainted with some of the characters of our story, we will return to Sarah as she carries her husband's dinner, but first let