Witches’ Loaves

Miss Martha Meacham kept the little bakery on the corner. Miss Martha was forty, her bank-book showed a credit of two thousand dollars, and she possessed two false teeth and a sympathetic heart.

Two or three times a week a customer came in to buy some bread. He was a middle-aged man, wearing spectacles and a brown beard.

He spoke English with a strong German accent. His clothes were worn and darned in places. But he looked neat, and had very good manners.

He always bought two loaves of stale bread. Fresh bread was five cents a loaf. Stale ones were two for five.

Once Miss Martha saw a red and brown stain on his fingers. She was sure then that he was an artist and very poor. No doubt he lived in a garret, where he painted pictures and ate stale bread.

When Miss Martha sat down to dinner and tea she used to sigh and think of the poor artist and feel sorry for him. Miss Martha’s heart was a sympathetic one.

In order to test her theory, she brought from her room one day a painting that she had bought at a sale, and hung it on the wall of her bakery.

It was a Venetian scene. A splendid marble palace stood in the foreground. For the rest there were gondolas (with the lady trailing her hand in the water), clouds, sky.

Two days afterward the customer came in.

“Two loafs of stale bread, if you blease.

“You haf here a fine bicture, madame,” he said while she was wrapping up the bread.

“Yes?” says Miss Martha. “You think it is a good picture?”

“Der balance,” said the customer, “is not in good drawing. Der bairspective of it is not true. Thank you, madame.”

He took his bread, bowed, and hurried out.

Yes, he must be an artist. Miss Martha took the picture back to her room.

How gentle and kindly his eyes shone behind his spectacles! What a broad brow he had! Genius often has to struggle.

He saw the perspective at once. She wanted to help him – to keep house for him, to share with him all the good things she had in her bakery. Maybe even two thousand dollars. But these were day-dreams, Miss Martha.

Often now when he came he talked to her for a few minutes. But he bought only stale bread as before. Never a cake, never a pie, never one of her delicious sweets.

She thought he began to look thinner and discouraged. Her heart wished to add something good to eat to his meagre purchase. But she did not dare affront him. She knew the pride of artists.

Miss Martha began to wear her new blue silk dress. She also began to use some cream in order to make her face a little more beautiful.

One day the customer came in as usual, laid his nickel on the showcase, and asked for his stale loaves. While Miss Martha was getting them there from the shelf, the siren of a fire-engine was heard.

The customer hurried to the door to look. Miss Martha seized the opportunity.

On the bottom shelf behind the counter was a pound of fresh butter that the dairyman had left ten minutes before. With a bread knife Miss Martha made a deep cut in each of the stale loaves, inserted a big piece of butter, and pressed the loaves tight again.

When the customer turned from the door, she was tying the paper around them.

When he had gone, after an unusually pleasant little chat, Miss Martha smiled to herself.

She was thinking about her deed. Had she the right to do such a thing? Will he feel offended? But surely not. That’s just butter, nothing more.

She imagined the scene when he discovers her little deception.

He will lay down his brushes and palette. He will prepare for his luncheon of dry bread and water. He will cut into a loaf – ah!

Miss Martha blushed. Will he think of the hand that placed the butter in the bread? Will he —

The front door bell jangled viciously. Somebody was coming in, making a great deal of noise.

Miss Martha hurried to the door. Two men were there. One was a young man smoking a pipe – a man she had never seen before. The other was her artist.

His face was very red, his hat was on the back of his head. He clinched his two fists and shook them ferociously at Miss Martha. At Miss Martha!

“Dummkopf!” he shouted with extreme loudness; and then “Tausendonfer!” or something like it in German.

The young man tried to draw him away.

“I vill not go,” he said angrily. “You haf shpoilt me,” he cried, his blue eyes blazing behind his spectacles. “I vill tell you. You vas von meddingsome old cat!”

Miss Martha leaned weakly against the shelves and laid one hand on her blue silk dress. The young man took the other by the collar.

“Come on,” he said, “you’ve said enough.” He dragged the angry one out at the door to the sidewalk, and then came back.

“I want to explain,” he said, “That’s Blumberger. He’s an architectural draftsman. I work in the same office with him. He has worked hard for three months drawing a plan for a new city hall. It was a prize competition. He finished inking the lines yesterday. You know, a draftsman always makes his drawing in pencil first. After that he inks the line. When it’s done he rubs out the pencil lines with stale bread. That’s better than India rubber.

Blumberger has bought the bread here. Well, today he tried to rub out the pencil lines of his plan with the bread he bought in your bakery… You know, ma’am, that butter isn’t good for paper. And well, Blumberger’s plan can now be used only as a paper for railroad sandwiches.”

Miss Martha went into the back room. She took off the blue silk dress and put on the old brown serge she was wearing before.

Exercises

1. Choose the right variant:

1. Miss Martha was sure that the customer would buy fresh bread.

2. Miss Martha was sure that the man would bring more customers to her.

3. Miss Martha was sure that the customer would be thankful.

4. Miss Martha was sure that the customer would never come again.

2. What is the German architectural draftsman’s name?

1. Tausendonfer

2. Meacham

3. Dummkopf

4. Blumberger

3. Who was the young man with Blumberger?

1. his colleague

2. his son

3. his lawyer

4. his driver

4. Why did Miss Martha put the butter inside the bread?

1. She wanted to spoil the drawing.

2. She had too much butter in her bakery.

3. She liked butter very much.

4. She intended to support the “artist”.

5. What is a “Dummkopf”?

1. a wise man or a woman

2. a fool

3. a police officer

4. a friend

6. What is “Tausendonfer”?

1. wishing luck

2. wordplay

3. magic chant

4. German cursing

7. Choose the right variant:

1. Miss Martha put butter on the customer’s loaves of bread.

2. Miss Martha put butter under the customer’s loaves of bread.

3. Miss Martha put butter near the customer’s loaves of bread.

4. Miss Martha put butter into the customer’s loaves of bread.

8. Why did Miss Martha bring the picture to her bakery?

1. She liked art very much.

2. She wanted to know the occupation of the customer.

3. She wanted to hide the hole on the wall.

4. There was no room for the picture at home.

9. Why did the customer begin to curse Miss Martha?

1. She spoiled his work.

2. He hated women.

3. He did not know any good words.

4. He forgot to take his loaves of bread.

10. Choose the right verb:

Miss Martha _____________ well putting butter into the loaves of bread.

1. did

2. meant

3. made

4. wished

11. Choose the correct verbs:

With a bread knife Miss Martha _____________ a deep cut in each of the stale loaves, _____________ a big piece of butter, and _____________ the loaves tight again.

1. pressed, inserted, made

2. inserted, made, pressed

3. pressed, made, inserted

4. made, inserted, pressed

12. Insert the right prepositions:

in order to – around – from – at

1. He clinched his two fists and shook them ferociously _____________ Miss Martha.

2. When the customer turned from the door, she was tying the paper _____________ them.

3. She also began to use some cream _____________ make her face a little more beautiful.

4. In order to test her theory, she brought _____________ her room one day a painting that she had bought at a sale.

13. Complete the chart: