Page 159 - The Book Thief

TRICKSTERS

You could argue that Liesel Meminger had it easy. She did have it easy
compared to Max Vandenburg. Certainly, her brother practically died in her
arms. Her mother abandoned her.

But anything was better than being a Jew.

In the time leading up to Maxs arrival, another washing customer was lost, this
time the Weingartners. The obligatory Schimpferei occurred in the kitchen, and
Liesel composed herself with the fact that there were still two left, and even

better, one of them was the mayor, the wife, the books.

As for Liesels other activities, she was still causing havoc with Rudy Steiner. I
would even suggest that they were polishing their wicked ways.

They made a few more journeys with Arthur Berg and his friends, keen to prove
their worth and extend their thieving repertoire. They took potatoes from one
farm, onions from another. Their biggest victory, however, they performed
alone.

As witnessed earlier, one of the benefits of walking through town was the
prospect of finding things on the ground. Another was noticing people, or more

important, the same people, doing identical things week after week.

A boy from school, Otto Sturm, was one such person. Every Friday afternoon,
he rode his bike to church, carrying goods to the priests.

For a month, they watched him, as good weather turned to bad, and Rudy in
particular was determined that one Friday, in an abnormally frosty week in
October, Otto wouldnt quite make it.

All those priests, Rudy explained as they walked through town. Theyre all too
fat anyway. They could do without a feed for a week or so. Liesel could only
agree. First of all, she wasnt Catholic. Second, she was pretty hungry herself. As
always, she was carrying the washing. Rudy was carrying two buckets of cold