him that he would have to assume
the support of his own family without delay. My father therefore
entered on a series of experiments with paying occupations, for none
of which he was qualified, and in none of which he succeeded
permanently.

My mother was with my father, as equal partner and laborer, in
everything he attempted in Polotzk. They tried keeping a wayside inn,
but had to give it up because the life was too rough for my mother,
who was expecting her first baby. Returning to Polotzk they went to
storekeeping on their own account, but failed in this also, because my
father was inexperienced, and my mother, now with the baby to nurse,
was not able to give her best attention to business. Over two years
passed in this experiment, and in the interval the second child was
born, increasing my parents' need of a home and a reliable income.

It was then decided that my father should seek his fortune elsewhere.
He travelled as far east as Tchistopol, on the Volga, and south as far
as Odessa, on the Black Sea, trying his luck at various occupations
within the usual Jewish restrictions. Finally he reached the position
of assistant superintendent in a distillery, with a salary of thirty
rubles a month. That was a fair income for those days, and he was
planning to have his family join him when my Grandfather Raphael died,
leaving my mother heir to a good business. My father thereupon
returned to Polotzk, after nearly three years' absence from home.

As my mother had been trained to her business from childhood, while my
father had had only a little irregular experience, she naturally
remained the leader. She was as successful as her father before her.
The people continued to call her Raphael's Hannah Hayye, and under
that name she was greatly respected in the business world. Her eldest
brother was now a merchant of importance, and my mother's
establishment was gradually enlarged; so that, altogether, our family
had a solid position in Polotzk, and there were plenty to envy us.

We were almost rich, as Polotzk counted riches in those days;
certainly we were considered well-to-do. We moved into a larger house,
where there was room for out-of-town customers to stay overnight, with
stabling for their horses. We lived as well as any people of our
class, and perhaps better, because my father had brought home with
him from his travels a taste for a more genial life than Polotzk
usually asked for. My mother kept a cook and a nu