Simon Eichelkatz; The Patriarch. Two Stories of Jewish Life — John Shaqi
Simon Eichelkatz; The Patriarch. Two Stories of Jewish LifeFrank, Ulrich
Religion
Simon Eichelkatz; The Patriarch. Two Stories of Jewish Life
Frank, Ulrich
Jewish fiction; Jews -- Fiction
"It will be necessary for us to divide into bands to examine the banks
of the stream from the mill-dam as far as the large sluice gate at the
miner's dam. The water is shallow because of the drought of the past
days, so there is still hope that some trace of him may be discovered.
It would be well to take along a few persons who know how to swim, and
provide others with poles. Our president will also see to it that the
police help us in our search, and he will ask Garetzki, the proprietor
of the mill, to let the water at the dam run off."
These directions, thoughtfully and quietly given, did not fail of their
effect. Search parties were formed on the instant by Herr Moritz
Liepmann, and sent in various directions. As they went toward the river,
the wit of the Khille, Reb Shmul Eisner, even at that critical moment
could not repress the remark: "The idea of making _Tashlich_ on Shivoh
oser be-Tamuz."
Many Christians in the city joined the expedition, and the people
sallied forth in the parching heat to hunt for Teacher Sandberg. The
rabbi and the two trustees accompanied the crowd as far as the meadows
bordering on the stream, and here a small posse branched off to go along
the mill-race, to carry on the search along the tributary stream as
well. Then Dr. Merzbach and his companions went to the meeting-room of
the congregation in order to receive word there of the results of the
investigation. Up and down the river went the people looking for Teacher
Sandberg in the shallow spots. In vain! With the exception of a few
irregular foot-prints in the moist soil near the mill-dam, nothing of
note was discovered. Even the foot-prints were not of much significance,
since they disappeared a short distance beyond the slope. Teacher
Sandberg had completely disappeared. But one supposition was possible,
that he had met with an accident. Probably in the glowing heat he had
used the handkerchief to wipe away the perspiration, and had taken off
his boots to cool his feet in the water, and in doing so had stepped
into a deep spot, or overcome in the water by the heat, he had fainted,
and drowned. A hundred guesses were made. But what remained the least
explicable part of the mystery was why the teacher had gone out at all
in the heat of high noon. In the meantime the day wore on. Hour after
hour passed by. The searchers returned home dead-tired, hungry, and
thirsty. In their zeal they had forgotten they were fasting; but at last
the needs of the body asserted themselves. One by one they returned to
the city. Each brought back the report of their vain endeavors; and when
the last came back shortly before sunset, everybody was sure that
Teacher Sandberg was no longer among the living. The rabbi once more
went to Frau Sandberg to speak words of comfort to her and her children,
and then the fateful day neared its end. There was scarcely a _Minyan_
present at the evening services in the Shul. Pretty nearly every one
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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