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Beenah patiently drew her needle through and through the fur, ever and anon glancing at Mendel's worn spectacled face, the eyes deep in the sockets, the forehead that was bent over the folio furrowed painfully beneath the black Koppel, the complexion sickly. A lump seemed to be rising in her throat. She bent determinedly over her sewing, then suddenly looked up again. This time their eyes met.
"My brother in America has won a thousand pounds on the lotteree and he invites me and Beenah to come and live with him." "Your brother in America!" repeated his children staring. "Why, I didn't know you had a brother in America," added Miriam. "No, while he was poor, I didn't mention him," replied Mendel, with unintentional sarcasm. "But I've heard from him several times.
This is the early form of purchase marriage, such bridal-gifts being the forerunners of the payment of a fixed bride-price. We still find purchase marriage practised side by side with beenah marriage in the countries where the transitional stage has been reached and mother-right contends with father-right. But there is stronger evidence even than these two cases.
Thou knowest that he wishes us not to think that he remains single for our sake. All his money goes to keep up this house we live in. It is the law of Moses. Sawest thou not his face when I spake of Sugarman's daughter?" Beenah rocked herself to and fro, crying: "My poor Daniel, my poor lamb! Wait a little. I shall die soon. The All-High is merciful. Wait a little."
Miriam came in, fagged out from teaching. Old Hyams dropped from Yiddish into English. "You are right, he must." Beenah replied in her slow painful English. "Would he not have told us?" Mendel repeated: "Would he not have told us?" Each avoided the others eye. Beenah dragged herself about the room, laying Miriam's tea. "Mother, I wish you wouldn't scrape your feet along the floor so.
The crackling flames had subsided to a steady glow, the clock ticked on quietly as before, but something new and sweet and sacred had come into her life, and Beenah no longer wished to die. When Miriam came home, she brought a little blast of cold air into the room. Beenah rose and shut the door and put out Miriam's supper; she did not drag her feet now.
This “fairy theory” of marriage is really the maternal or beenah form: such a marriage as was made by Jacob and is still common among all maternal peoples.
It gets on my nerves and I am so worn out. Would he not have told you what? And who's he?" Beenah looked at her husband. "I heard Daniel was engaged," said old Hyams jerkily. Miriam started and flushed. "To whom?" she cried, in excitement. "Bessie Sugarman." "Sugarman's daughter?" Miriam's voice was pitched high. "Yes." Miriam's voice rose to a higher pitch. "Sugarman the Shadchan's daughter?"
"But what wilt thou do?" said Beenah, ceasing to cry and looking up with affrighted face. "Thou canst not go glaziering. Think of Miriam. What canst thou do, what canst thou do? Thou knowest no trade!" "No, I know no trade," he said bitterly. "At home, as thou art aware, I was a stone-mason, but here I could get no work without breaking the Sabbath, and my hand has forgotten its cunning.
"He doesn't like to be seen with us," Beenah Hyams thought. But she was silent. "He has never forgiven my putting him to the fancy goods," thought Mendel Hyams when told. But he was silent. It was of no good discussing it with his wife. Those two had rather halved their joys than their sorrows. They had been married forty years and had never had an intimate moment.
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