LEAH, THE JEWESS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2757, 15 March 1890, Page 5 (Supplement)

LEAH, THE JEWESS.

TN the old'days, when Jewish people wero cruelly persecuted in Germany, there lived in tliafc country an old farmer, whoso only son, having met a beautiful young Jewess named Leah, desired to marry lior. , At that day there were fearful superstitions current' amongst tlie ignorant, aoruo of whom believed that Hebrew women ate littlo 1 children, arid that they could cast all sorts of spells upon Chnsti'ans ; arid •the farmer, though a good : man, pleaded w itb his son to • give u p hia fancy for Leah. 1 Howover, thp boy seemed so broken-hearted that the father, who loved him dearly, - con r . suited with the village pastor and , the schoolmaster as to what was best to do. ' ; ; . The . pastor was a kindly man, ' who was very pitiful to all, but the schoolmaster was crafty and cruel; lie was actually a Jew who. had profussod Christianity through fear of persecution, and his ; greatest dread was that the villagers would discover him, and amongst- the people with whom Leah .lived he had seen an old man who knew him well. His only hope of escaping discovery" seemed to bo ! to drive .tliese Jewish people from the! poor place in which-they-sought'shelter, and be, foresaw that if-Rudolph, the farmer's son, rimrriod ieali, this would become impossible. Therefore he conceived a plan which would rid him of their presence. " My good friend," he said to the farmer, ' your son is blinded by the beauty of this girl. She is redly mercenary. Offer , her a sum : of moneyj and she will leave him and depart. I will become your messenger, and bring' 'you 1 ba'ck the The father reported this to Rudolph. " My son," ho said, " I will take no unfair advantage of you. I will ask thp schoolmaster to undertake the mission. But if the girl refuses the money you shall marry her ; for I shall know that she loves you and is true." ■ Rudolph, who trusted Leah, implicitly,. consented with i joy, thanked hi 3 father, and awaited the result c lmly, . < Meantime the schoolmaster hurried away and sought the old patriarch of tho Jewish party, Abraham by name, to whom lie represented that it was desired that he should move away from, the neighbourhood, and take the others with him, and that the money was offered him-to do so. He felt safe in doing this, for he had discovered that Abraham had become blind. However, after he had agreed to depart, and had accepted the money, Abraham'remembered the apostate's voice, and charged him with being Nathan—a Jew who had greatly incensed his people years before—and threatened to expose him ; and.in terror of discovery Nathau killed the old man. Reaching the farmhouse he reported that tho Jewess had accepted the money and relinquished her lover. The farmer rejoiced, and Rudolph, his love turned to hate, renounced the unhappy Leah, and betrothed himself to a youns: and worthy girl who had long loved him in secret. Leah, anxious and alarmed, sought an interview with him, but he repulsed her with reproaches. They were cruelly unjust, and fell opon her heart like deadly blows ; but, seeing that he was in some way misled arid forsaken, she forgave him and loved him still. But terror had seized upon the Jewish family. Their old father was found dead, and they hastened to leave slie spot. Before they departed Loali wandered about the woods, bidding adieu to the scenes of her departod happiness, and came one evening to the door of the church, lit with many lamps and full of villagers. She hard the music of the mar riage ceremony, and felt a strange impulse to see the happy bride. Creeping to a window, she gazed through it into the church, and saw Rudolph, who, a few weeks before, had vowed to love her for ever, standing before the altar, with a bride's hand in his own. Horror strickeu and furious, she rushed away to hide herself in the forest, but returned, as though fascinated, and met Rudolph, who, the ceremony over, had stolen away, to be rid of the joy in which she had no share. They stood face to face for the first tima. He listened to her, and learnt that she was innocent of that laid to her charge; thad no money had ever been offered to h»r, and 'hat it was ha who had been false to her, while alio was true to him. Sh >me and gri«f weighed poor 'Rudol pti to th earth. He fall at Leah's feet and begged hnr pardon; but she, insulted and enraged, spurned him from her. Then lifting her evea towards heaven, she called upon the God of Israel to curse him, and uttered the awful malediction of her faith, cursing him and those he' loved, and all that he possessed or should possess— bis future children, should he havo any, his friendß, his servants and his cattle, and rushed away into the woods, leaving him prostrated on tho ground. Rudolph made no attempt at concealing what had happened, and from that hour never forgot Leah's malediction. But she returned no more, and 00 evil fell upoo iiinj. Bia wjjo

and children were well, and his business prospered. ; But for rehis first love, he would have been happy, , Meanwhile, the murderer lived in the village t boasting of his piety, and persecuting all of his own race who crossed his path. , Enraged by his injustice, Rudolph at i last determined to seek the Emp«ror aud ask for protection for the Je\va. ; It was, at that time, against the law? to shelter or feed them, or to deal with them in any way. For the sake of Leah's memory, ho hoped to benefit her people, and left home for that purpose. His wife awaited his return anxiously, and as'the time went on, almost: despaired of over seeing him again.She stood at her garden gate one day. patching the; road, when a woman, paining, and trembling, rushed towards her and begged for protection. 1 She was a Jewess. Behind her followed the scEeolmaster and his pupils, fiirious, of threats and menaces. • The good woman protected her/ and oven against the law, gave her shelter.: But as the poor creature's senses returned she recognised the t place; for this was Leah, and no other. She knew that- sho was speaking 1 to • the' wife of her old lover, and iury possessed her. She watched his little girl as she played about, and planned to do her some great harm. For this purpose she concealed herself on the place, and awaited his voturu. Already he was near. Sho heard his wife's cry of joy ; she heard him ciill her fond names, and kiss her and his daughter ; and she crouched down, listening to their conversation. Then sho heard tho purpose of, his visit to the Emperor, and that his prayer had been answered, and as sho listened to the good that he had done her people her heart sof to nod. ill is- lit.tlo daughter approached her. Sho embraced her, and inquired her name. " Leah," said the littlo one ; "and my mamma says I am to pray every night for the Leah I was namod for." ; Then the unhappv Jewess melted into tears, and invoking-.a .blessing on the .man she cursed, would have stolen away ;' but as she turned to do so cries and shouts, arose, and the schoolmaster and hia band returned with the police to drive her to prison. Again she fled, but this time it was Rudolph who was her protector. Armed with the authority given by the Eniperer, he announced the fact of the royal pardon for the Jews, and drove them from the spot; hefore they departed Leah had recognised the schoolmaster. "He persecute the Jew 3!" she cried. "Heis a Jew himself— V athan the apostate !" But as she spoke tho words the furious schoolmaster drew a dagger from his bosom and plunged it in her riide. She faltered and fell, but Rudolph caught her in his arms, fie knew her at last. 'His wife also knew who this must be. With true and tender tears in her blue eyes, she also knelt heside the dying woman, and placed her little one near her. Their arms encircled her. ''he child pressed its innocent lips upon hers. "May the God of Israel bless you aiid your house," murmured the Jewess, " and forgive me for the curse ho did not hear." And then her head fell peacefully upon Rudolph's bosom, and she breathed her 'ast in his arms. Later the authorities sought the murderer, and found him dead. He had hang"d hitnse'f to a tree, and so died, I Judas-like, as he had lived.