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No one cared to know where Berl kept the money that his son sent him. The hut consisted of one room, which contained all their belongings: the table, the shelf for meat, the shelf for milk foods, the two beds, and the clay oven. Sometimes the chickens roosted in the woodshed and sometimes, when it was cold, in a coop near the oven. The goat, too, found shelter inside when the weather was bad. The more prosperous villagers had kerosene lamps, but Berl and his wife did not believe in new gadgets. Only for the Sabbath would Berlcha buy candles at the store. In summer, the couple got up at sunrise and retired with the chickens. In the long winter evenings, Berlcha spun flax and Berl sat beside her in the silence of those who enjoy their rest.
沒有人關(guān)心伯爾把他兒子寄給他的錢放在了哪兒。小屋只有一個房間，里面包含了他們所有的家當(dāng)：桌子、肉架、放奶制品的架子、兩張床和一個泥爐子。雞有時把柴房當(dāng)它們的窩，天冷時就進(jìn)了火爐旁的雞籠里。天不好時，山羊也躲進(jìn)了屋里。條件好點(diǎn)的村民們已經(jīng)有了煤油燈，但是伯爾和他的妻子不相信新玩意兒。只有在安息日，伯爾莎才去商店買些蠟燭。夏天時，天一亮老兩口就起來了；到了晚上，雞進(jìn)籠了，他們也歇息了。在漫長的冬夜，伯爾莎紡麻，伯爾就坐在旁邊，周圍一片寂靜，一切都安睡了。
Once in a while when Berl came home from the synagogue, he brought news to his wife. In Warsaw there were strikers who demanded that the czar abdicate. Somebody by the name of Dr. Herzl had come up with the idea that Jews should settle again in Palestine. Berlcha listened and shook her head. Her face was yellowish and wrinkled like a cabbage leaf. She was half deaf. Berl had to repeat each word he said to her.
伯爾從教堂回來時，偶爾會給妻子帶回些新消息。在華沙，有一些罷工工人要求沙皇退位。 有一個叫赫茨爾的博士提出了猶太人應(yīng)重新定居在巴勒斯坦的想法。伯爾莎一邊聽一邊搖頭。她的臉色有點(diǎn)發(fā)黃，臉皺得像甘藍(lán)葉。因?yàn)樗穆犛X不太好了，所以伯爾不得不向她重復(fù)說過的每一句話。
