150 SHOLOM-ALECHEM
fails, he feels like fainting. But fie, what an idea ! To fast a whole week, to arrive at the eve of the Ninth of Ab, and not hold out to the end ! Never !
And Chayyim Chaikin takes his portion of bread and potato, calls Fradke and Beilke, and whispers :
"Children, take this and eat it, but don't let Mother see!"
And Fradke and Beilke take their father's share of food, and look wonderingly at his livid face and shaking hands.
Chayyim sees the children snatch at the bread and munch and swallow, and he shuts his eyes, and rises from his place. He cannot wait for the other girls to come home from the factory, but takes his book of Lamentations, puts off his shoes, and drags himself it is all he can do to the Shool.
He is nearly the first to arrive. He secures a seat next the reader, on an overturned bench, lying with its feet in the air, and provides himself with a bit of burned-down candle, which he glues with its drippings to the foot of the bench, leans against the corner of the platform, opens his book, "Lament for Zion and all the other towns," and he closes his eyes and sees Zion robed in black, with a black veil over her face, lament- ing and weeping and wringing her hands, mourning for her children who fall daily, daily, in foreign lands, for other men's sins.
" And wilt not thou, Zion, ask of me
Some tidings of the children from thee reft? I bring thee greetings over land and sea, From those remaining from the remnant left! "
And he opens his eyes and sees :
