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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.
没有人关心伯尔把他儿子寄给他的钱放在了哪儿。小屋只有一个房间，里面包含了他们所有的家当：桌子、肉架、放奶制品的架子、两张床和一个泥炉子。鸡有时把柴房当它们的窝，天冷时就进了火炉旁的鸡笼里。天不好时，山羊也躲进了屋里。条件好点的村民们已经有了煤油灯，但是伯尔和他的妻子不相信新玩意儿。只有在安息日，伯尔莎才去商店买些蜡烛。夏天时，天一亮老两口就起来了；到了晚上，鸡进笼了，他们也歇息了。在漫长的冬夜，伯尔莎纺麻，伯尔就坐在旁边，周围一片寂静，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.
伯尔从教堂回来时，偶尔会给妻子带回些新消息。在华沙，有一些罢工工人要求沙皇退位。 有一个叫赫茨尔的博士提出了犹太人应重新定居在巴勒斯坦的想法。伯尔莎一边听一边摇头。她的脸色有点发黄，脸皱得像甘蓝叶。因为她的听觉不太好了，所以伯尔不得不向她重复说过的每一句话。
