The shoemaker : $b A powerful picture of nature, adapted from Hal Reid's famous drama of the same nameHarper, Olive
General
The shoemaker : $b A powerful picture of nature, adapted from Hal Reid's famous drama of the same name
Harper, Olive
Abduction -- Fiction; Fathers and daughters -- Fiction; Shoemakers -- Fiction; West (U.S.) -- Fiction
“Oh, Gott! de fader abofe, send me mein chilt to me. I haf vaited so
long for her dot mein heart shall surely preak. Oh, Gott! send me mein
chilt!”
In the meantime John and Dopey, having loosened the rock, sneaked away
silently, leaving the rock balanced on a hair almost. They circled
around and escaped being seen by the rocks and tree-stumps, and stood
at a safe distance from the mine, as the rock might rebound. In such a
case it would be difficult to decide which way it would go. While they
stood hidden, waiting the moment when the loosened rock should come
crashing down, there was a soft sound, as of small feet brushing along
the leafy rocks, and a plaintive voice became audible as someone sang:
“Tell me that you love me,
Tell me softly, sweetly, as of old.”
The poor father thought this was the answer to his prayer and believed
that Dora was dead and this was her spirit that had come to warn him of
her death. He sank to the ground, sobbing, incapable of other movement.
Then, again, clearer, nearer came the sound of the dear voice, and
Morris raised his head to see his child come walking toward him and
singing the old song as she came. He half-whispered:
“Dora, mein chilt--alife! Dank Gott--alife!”
“Who are you, sir?” asked Dora, looking at her father as we look at
strangers. “I don’t know you. I am looking for my father and Bennie.”
“Look at me, mein chilt! I am your fader! Don’t you know me?”
“No--I don’t know you, and I must go away from you, for I must find my
father and Bennie.”
As she said these words, poor Dora walked away toward the ravine from
whence she had come. Muriel, worn out with watching, had fallen asleep,
and Dora had somehow found another entrance to the cave and gone out
that way, which brought her to the mouth of the tunnel where her father
was at work trying to get gold to seek for his daughter, and now that
he had found her he discovered that she was insane and did not know
him. As she went back toward the ravine her father roused from his
stupor and cried:
“Dora! Dora! come back! Come back!” But she disappeared from his sight
in the darkening shadows, while John and Dopey both sprang at Morris,
saying roughly:
“Where are you going?”
“Stand avay! I am going to get mein chilt.”
“You’ll do nothing of the kind. She belongs to me now.”
“Stand avay! or, py de Gott dot made me, I vill kill you!”
“Kill?” sneered John, “why, you poor Jew, you wouldn’t kill anything.”
“Jew; yes, I am a Jew, but I haf anoder name and dot is vot de vorld
calls Fader, und a fader dot vill die for his young.”
“Stay where you are, or die!” said John.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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