My Father's Sister, the Wandering Jew
Now and then, father's sister would arrive -- but always late at night. She was tall and dark with long thick hair which she wore braided around her head. Nobody seemed pleased to see her. Everyone spoke in whispers while she was there and soon she would disappear. After one of her visits, soldiers came on horseback, banging on the door. They searched the house, making a great noise trodding around in their big boots, yelling loud. Grandma opened the big wardrobe where she kept her best linens and dishes. She brought out a bottle and glasses and they drank. Then she brought food and they ate. She gave them something in a handkerchief which they accepted. But they insisted on taking father with them. Mother started to cry and so did I. It wasn't until days after that father returned.
Much later, I learned that father's sister was doomed to be the Wandering Jew. She didn't dare to settle in any one place. She was forced to be on the move for if caught she would go to prison. A male member in their family had run away from military service and she was considered an accomplice. But the punishment could be extended to anyone else who might have assisted her. Father, being next of kin. could also be responsible. The poor woman eventually gave in out of exhaustion and served a term in prison.
Editor's Notes: See the Subject Index for a summary of Dorothy's descriptions of conscription -- and measures for avoiding it.
