The Magic Barrel

Lieb, a baker whose delicious bread attracts customers in droves, has a visitor: Kobotsky, a “frail, gnarled” man who seems marked by a deep misery. Bessie, Lieb’s second wife, makes short work of the customers with her “annihilating service” and nervously approaches the stranger, who says he is an old friend of her husband’s. Lieb almost cries when he sees Kobotsky, who came from Poland many years ago on the same ship that he did. They learned English together in night school and were dear friends, though they have not seen each other in 15 years. He tells Kobotsky that he had little success as a baker until one day, overcome with sadness, he wept into the bread dough. Since then, his bread has been wildly popular, and he has trouble keeping up with demand. Kobotsky hesitantly tells Lieb that he needs 200 dollars. Saddened but unsurprised, Lieb remembers the terrible argument that destroyed their friendship 15 years ago: Kobotsky borrowed a hundred dollars from Lieb and later insisted that he had repaid it.

Now, Lieb waits for Kobotsky to apologize for this past transgression, but the latter just stares at his hands. Lieb decides to forgive Kobotsky and tells him that he will ask Bessie for the loan.