I began to feel more at home in their company. Elsie
was as dear as a sister to me. I went so far as to venture to invite
them and their parents to the opera, and my invitation was
accepted. I was still merely "a friend of father's," something like an
uncle, but I saw a ray of hope now
"Suppose a commonplace business man like myself offered you a
check for Minority," I once said to Anna.
"A check for Minority?" she echoed, with joyful surprise. "Well, it
would be accepted with thanks, of course, but you would first
have to withdraw the libel 'the commonplace business man.'
Another condition is that you must promise to read the magazine."
As I was making out the check I told her that I had read some
issues of it and that I "solemnly swore" to read it regularly now.
That I had found it an unqualified bore I omitted to announce.
Shortly after that opera night Tevkin provided a box at one of the
Jewish theaters for a play by Jacob Gordin
I was quite chummy with the girls. They would jokingly call me
"Mr.
Capitalist" and, despite their father's protests, "bleed" me for all
sorts of contributions.
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