Page:Yiddish Tales.djvu/329

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EEB SHLOIMEH 325

"Then," he asked angrily, "the whole of 'your' learn- ing is nothing but astronomy and geography ?"

"Oh, no!" said the teacher, "there's a lot besides a lot!"

"For instance?"

"Do you want me to tell you standing on one leg ?"

"Well, yes, 'on one leg,' " he answered impatiently, as though in anger.

"But one can't tell you 'on one leg,' " said the teacher. "If you like, I shall come on Sabbath, and we can have a chat."

"Sabbath?" repeated Reb Shloimeh in a dissatisfied tone.

"Sabbath, because I can't come at any other time," said the teacher.

"Then let it be Sabbath," said Eeb Shloimeh, reflec- tively.

"But soon after dinner," he called after the teacher, who was already outside the door. "And everything else is as right as your astronomy?" he shouted, when the teacher had already gone a little way.

"You will see !" and the teacher smiled.

Never in his whole life had Reb Shloimeh waited for a Sabbath as he waited for this one, and the two days that came before it seemed very long to him; he never relaxed his frown, or showed a cheerful face the whole time. And he was often seen, during those two days, to lift his hands to his forehead. He went about as though there lay upon him a heavy weight, which he wanted to throw off ; or as if he had a very disagreeable