THE JEWISH FAIRY BOOK
I
THE MAGIC APPLES
ONCE upon a time, a long, long time ago, there lived a happy family in some little town, the name of which I have forgotten. The family consisted of a good Rabbi, his wife and an only daughter. The girl was exceedingly sweet-tempered, and as she grew in years so did she grow in beauty. Every one who saw her fell in love with her at first sight. As is the rule in Jewish homes the girls are never allowed to be out of their parents' sight, and the Rabbi's daughter was no exception to the rule. She was always with her mother or father. The years sped on their course, and one day she was keeping her twentieth birthday. No one till then had had an opportunity of speaking to her, unless her father or mother had been present.
"'Tis time," said the Rabbi to his wife, "to think of our darling daughter's future. She is now twenty years old, and it is not good for a young woman to remain a child. We must let her see just a little of the world, and if the call of love comes to
3
