Other children, I am told, are brought up listening to stories about Cats in Hats or animals named Piglet and Phooh. Not so Samuel Reuben’s children. Neither at home nor in his letters to us after we had left home.
September 21, 1970
My Dear Shelly:
This is the first letter to you since you left Chicago; I hope this find you well and happy. A famous philosopher once wrote that “The world desires to know what a man can do, not what he knows.” Last week my brother Meyer came to Chicago from Miami Beach. Yesterday he spent the afternoon here and told us about his travels and experiences in Hong Kong, Tokyo and the Far East. It would have been nice for you to have swapped stories about your different travels – but maybe next time.
“Vivae ... ma non Troppa Presto” which as you well know means “Lively ... But not too quickly.” I was in a downtown hardware store when I saw an Italian man and his wife waiting to get a package wrapped, and I could not resist saying it to him, just to see if my Italian was any good. The Italian turned to me and replied, “Not so fast! Watt-sa de hurry, man.”
There were a few exchanges of conversation between the graceful Lady Rowena and the beautiful Rebecca in the tale of Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott:
“Damsel,” said Rowena, “Wilfred of Ivanhoe on that day rendered back but in slight measure your unceasing charity towards him in his wounds and misfortunes. Speak. Is there anything remaining in which he or I can serve thee?”
“Nothing,” said Rebecca calmly, “unless you will transmit to him my grateful farewell.”
“You leave England then?” said Rowena scarcely recovering the surprise from this extraordinary visit.
“I leave it lady ere this noon again changes. My father hath a brother high in favor with Mohammed Boabdil, King of Granada– thither we go secure of peace and protection, for the payment of such ransom as the Moslems extract from our people.”
“And are you not then as well protected in England,” said Rowena. “My husband has favour with the King. The king himself is just and generous.”
