of the
Old Shool.

Among the German Jews a boy like that would have been left unwed till he
was sixteen or even seventeen, but our Ezrielk was married at thirteen,
for his bride had been waiting for him seventeen years.

It was this way: Reb Seinwill Bassis, Ezrielk's father, and Reb Selig
Tachshit, his father-in-law, were Hostre Chassidim, and used to drive
every year to spend the Solemn Days at the Hostre Rebbe's. They both
(not of you be it spoken!) lost all their children in infancy, and, as
you can imagine, they pressed the Rebbe very closely on this important
point, left him no peace, till he should bestir himself on their behalf,
and exercise all his influence in the Higher Spheres. Once, on the Eve
of Yom Kippur, before daylight, after the waving of the scape-fowls,
when the Rebbe, long life to him, was in somewhat high spirits, our two
Chassidim made another set upon him, but this time they had quite a new
plan, and it simply _had_ to work out!

"Do you know what? Arrange a marriage between your children! Good luck
to you!" The whole company of Chassidim broke some plates, and actually
drew up the marriage contract. It was a little difficult to draw up the
contract, because they did not know which of our two friends would have
the boy (the Rebbe, long life to him, was silent on this head), and
which, the girl, but--a learned Jew is never at a loss, and they wrote
out the contract with conditions.

For three years running after this their wives bore them each a child,
but the children were either both boys or both girls, so that their vow
to unite the son of one to a daughter of the other born in the same year
could not be fulfilled, and the documents lay on the shelf.

True, the little couples departed for the "real world" within the first
month, but the Rebbe consoled the father by saying:

"We may be sure they were not true Jewish children, that is, not true
Jewish souls. The true Jewish soul once born into the world holds on,
until, by means of various troubles and trials, it is cleansed from
every stain. Don't worry, but wait."

The fourth year the Rebbe's words were established: Reb Selig Tachshit
had a daughter born to him, and Reb Seinwill Bassis, Ezrielk.

Channehle, Ezrielk's bride, was tall, when they married, as a young
fir-tree, beautiful as the sun, clever as the day is bright, and white
as snow, with sky-blue, star-like eyes. Her hair was the color of ripe
corn--in a word, she was fair a