Jacob's Way by Gilbert Morris Page B

Boris?”
    Hearing his name, Boris grinned broadly and said, “Yow!”
    â€œSee? He wants to be rich,” Petya laughed.
    â€œI don’t think it’s going to be as easy as you think.”
    â€œOh, there’s lots of money to be made in America.”
    Reisa was not at all sure about this. She finished the washing and went downstairs.
    After she had made her grandfather as comfortable as possible, Reisa turned to one of her new acquaintances, Ivana Chapaev. “Are you feeling better, Ivana?”
    Ivana was not feeling better. She was a middle-aged woman not in the best of health. She and her husband, Ilya, were traveling with their three children. Both of the adults were very ill and seasick to an incredible degree, and it had been Reisa who had taken over the care of their three children.
    She took care of them now, seeing that they were fed and washed as much as was possible. The food was dished out of large kettles into dinner pails provided by the ship. They all ate like starved wolves, and Reisa herself had never had a better appetite.

    As the days passed, Jacob grew better, and the weather seemed to improve. The ship still plunged on, and sometimes waves came crashing over the top of the deck, filtering down to steerage below. Ship life was hard, but it was endurable.
    Reisa was busy and had found ways to make herself useful to many of the passengers. One thing troubled her, however, but she never mentioned it to her grandfather.
    She had gone to stand in the bow of the ship often during the voyage, especially late in the afternoon or early in the morning. It gave her, somehow, a feeling of exultation to stand there watching the boundless ocean before her, knowing somewhere ahead was America. But she had become aware that a man was often there watching her. She had seen him first early one morning, and had been somewhat frightened. There were few sailors on deck, and it was quiet except for the hissing of the water along the side, and the ropes trilling with the pressure of the wind. She had turned and seen this huge figure of a man, and a start of fear had taken her. He had not spoken and neither had she, but his eyes, almost hidden by the wild tangle of his beard, were steadfast as they watched her.
    Reisa had slipped away, but it had happened more than once. And even worse, she noticed him when she went to get food and at other times. He never spoke, but she feared him and determined never to be caught alone.
    Jacob got better each day, but the rough food was not doing him much good. Reisa finally went to the galley where she spoke to the cook, a German named Schultz.
    â€œHerr Schultz,” she said. “Could I heat some soup and make some tea for my grandfather?”
    Schultz, a thin man who always dressed as if it were summer due to the heat of the galley, agreed at once. “Yah,” he nodded. “I like some tea myself once in a while.”
    As the cook prepared the tea, Reisa spoke with him freely. He seemed to be an approachable man, and she finally asked him, “Who is that big man with the bushy black beard?”
    â€œOh, you’ve seen him? His name is Dov. That means ‘bear.’”
    â€œWhat do you know about him?”
    â€œNothing. He never says anything.” Schultz turned to her suddenly, his eyes narrowing. “Why? Has he bothered you?”
    â€œNo,” Reisa admitted. “Not really. But he watches me sometimes.”
    â€œStay away from him. He looks like a bad one. And he’s not the only one on this ship.”
    Reisa took the soup and the tea down, and it took some expertise to manage the ladder. But when she got there she found her grandfather talking with Ilya Chapaev. “I brought some tea and some soup, Zaideh .”
    â€œOh, that smells good! But there’s not enough to go around.”
    â€œOh, that’s all right. We’ve had plenty,” Ilya said. He was a large man, though somewhat