Fall Beauty and Bountiful Harvest
The summer of 1914 lasted late. The weather was beautiful and dry. The colors of the foliage were glowingly rich. The sky was clear without a blemish. The entire landscape was peaceful and more delightful than many could remember. The harvest, too had been good; fruits were plentiful.
Word got around that the fields still contained a lot of potatoes, cabbages and squash. The peasants, who were drafted, hadn't had time to finish gleaning. The refugees, mostly women, children, and older men went into the fields to gather the leftovers. I wanted to go, too, so mother would tie a big apron around my middle and I came back laden with potatoes, hardly able to walk. I was growing up and wouldn't let mother come along.
Editor's Notes: This account indirectly confirms the dependence of the Jewish population on local peasants for farm produce.
