And the boys were divided in
their opinions: some said that the Catcher was a demon, one of those
who had been created at twilight on the eve of the Sabbath. Others
said that he was simply a "heathen," and some others, that he was an
"apostate." Then, there were some who asserted that he was merely a
bad Jew, though a learned one nevertheless;--that he wore the
regular Jewish costume, the long coat and the broad waistband, and
had the Tallis-Koton on his breast, so that the curse of the
righteous could not hurt him. According to rumor, he was in the
habit of distributing nuts and candy among Jewish boys; and if any
one tasted of them, he could not move from the spot, until the
Catcher put his hand on him and "caught" him. I happened to
overhear a conversation between father and mother, and I gathered
from it that I need not fear the Catcher.
It was a Saturday night, soon after the death of my elder brother
Dovidl, within the period of the thirty days' mourning for him.
Mother would not be consoled, for Dovidl had been her "very best."
Three brothers had I.
Pages:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25