Bread Givers

Sara gets a job at the paper-box factory and quickly becomes one of the fastest workers, and so she earns higher wages than the others. But when she brings her earnings home to Father, he never lets her spend any of it on herself. Mother pleads to let Sara buy herself a coat, insisting that it’s freezing out. But Father denounces Mother for even asking, insisting that Father would have to take that money out of the funds he donates to charities. Does she really want him to stop donating to the Free Hebrew School, the only place in America to learn about the Holy Torah? Everyone realizes it’s useless to try to argue with him.  

Not long after this, Father starts working as a matchmaker. He even takes out an ad in the paper, lauding his success at finding matches for girls and widows alike. One day Zalmon the fish-peddler comes to Father in search of a match—his wife recently died, and he can’t take care of his six children on his own. He explains that the 30 days after his wife’s death will be up next week. He’s 56 years old, but he’s willing to pay Father well if he can find him “a girl.” Zalmon only requests that the girl be attractive and not lazy. If she makes a good home for him, Zalmon promises, he’ll feed her the finest fish. Father vows to find Zalmon the perfect match.

Later that night, Father suggests that Zalmon might be the perfect opportunity for them to “get rid of our old maid.” Mother angrily shoots back that he can’t be serious—does he not remember how recently he married off two of his daughters to dishonorable scoundrels? And besides, Zalmon is an old man—and Bessie would have all those children to take care of. “They’ll torture the life out of her,” Mother insists. When Father laments his misfortune at having no sons—only daughters he must marry off—Mother retorts, “And woe to us women who got to live in a Torah-made world that’s only for men.” Father insists that Zalmon is the only man who may be willing to marry Bessie, and Mother reminds him that Berel Bernstein wanted to first. 

When Zalmon returns later to learn whom Father has matched him with, Father informs him that the match is his own daughter, Bessie. Zalmon is overjoyed, and the men shake hands to seal the deal. When Bessie returns home from work later, she refuses to marry Zalmon, insisting she hates him and the smell of fish. Father calls her a “dried-up old maid” and insists this is her last chance to marry. The next day, he bargains all day and buys a beautiful velvet dress for Bessie with the money Zalmon paid him. At first, Bessie is overjoyed—until she realizes the dress is only to show her off to Zalmon.

Zalmon arrives just then, freshly shaven to meet his new bride. The Smolinskys leave “the young people” alone to talk in private. Zalmon, elated, offers Bessie his late wife’s fur coat and gold jewelry. She rudely rejects the gifts—but Zalmon, distracted with his eagerness to marry again, doesn’t detect her coldness. Mother and Father return then and ask Bessie to serve tea. Mother feigns happiness as she sings Bessie’s praises. Bessie prepares the tea and sits silently and sullenly. Father demands that she go and change into the beautiful new dress. Bessie finally does, albeit grudgingly. Mother lies, insisting that Bessie sewed the dress herself.

After Zalmon leaves, Father turns to Bessie, irate. How could she just “sit there like a lump of ice?” He laments Zalmon, with his “innocent, good heart” for believing all his lies about Bessie’s goodness. Zalmon returns a few nights later, and this time he brings his youngest child, Benny. Zalmon points to a scrape on the boy’s knee and explains that he fell and hurt himself. He suggests Bessie tend to it. Benny looks timid and innocent, and Bessie can’t help but help him. Benny talks about how he spends his days waiting for mamma to come back. This breaks Bessie, who lets out a sob as she wraps her arms around the child. Zalmon watches this silently, “a new light of human understanding” filling his eyes. But Zalmon doesn’t bring Benny again, and Bessie becomes cold and uncooperative once more. 

As the day of the wedding approaches, it seems that only Sara recognizes Bessie’s pale and lifeless face. After supper one day, Bessie asks Sara to go for a walk together. Outside, Bessie vows that she’ll kill herself before she marries Zalmon. She tells Sara of her plans to run away to a new city. As they pass by Zalmon’s house, Dave, another of Zalmon’s sons, runs out and announces that Benny is horribly sick and Zalmon isn’t home. Bessie runs inside and finds Benny burning with fever. From that day forth, she doesn’t fight Father about the wedding anymore. Not long after, she and Zalmon marry—and with that, “the burden bearer had changed her burden.”