ortant an event as his
nephew's _bar-mitzvah_.

The bread having been broken, the supper was proceeded with. The fish
was succulent and the cake delicious. A lofty and religious Sabbath
sentiment enhanced the charm of the whole meal. Then a prayer of thanks
was offered, the dishes were cleared away and the family settled
themselves at ease, to discuss the topics most dear to them.

"You make a great mistake, sister," said Bensef, "if you allow Mendel to
waste his time in this village. The boy is much too bright for his
surroundings."

"Don't begin that subject again," said the mother, determinedly; "for I
positively will not hear of his leaving. The parting would kill me."

"But," continued her brother, "have you ever asked yourself what his
future will be in this wretched neighborhood? Shall he waste his
precious years helping his father teach _cheder_? Shall he earn a few
paltry kopecks in making _tzitzith_ (fringes for the praying scarfs) for
the _Jehudim_ in the village? Or, shall he cobble shoes or peddle from
place to place with a bundle upon his back, which are the only two
occupations open to the despised race?"

"Alas!" sighed the mother, "what you say may be true. But what would you
propose for the boy?"

"Let him go with me to Kief. There are nearly fifteen thousand of our
co-religionists in that city; and, while their lot is not an enviable
one, it is decidedly better than vegetating in a village. Our celebrated
Rabbi Jeiteles is getting old and we will soon need a successor. It is
an honorable position and one which our little Mendel will some day be
able to fill. Would you not like living in a big city, my boy?"

Mendel hovered between filial affection and a desire to see the big
world. It was difficult to decide.

"I should like to remain with father and mother--and Jacob," he
stammered, "and yet----"

"And yet," continued his uncle, "you would love to come to Kief, where
everything is grand and brilliant, where the stores and booths are
fairly alive with light and beauty, where the soldiers parade every day
in gorgeous uniforms. Ah, my boy, there is life for you!"

"But how much of that life may the Jews enjoy?" asked Mordecai. "Are
they not restricted in their privileges and deprived of every
possibility of rising in station? Is their lot any happier than ours in
this village, where, at all events, we are not troubled with the envy
which the sight of so much luxury must bring with it?"

"I