Page 125 - Devil's Arithmetic by Jane Yolen

help. These barracks were as starkly unwelcoming as
theirs.
From under her sleeping shelf, Rivka pulled out a
pile of shoes. Quickly, she sorted through them until
she found three pairs, two of which matched exactly
and a third that was at least the same size and style,
though one shoe was dark maroon and the other brown.
The shoes were badly scuffed and worn through at the
toes, but wearable. "I hope these fit, or at least are
close enough."
"Why don't they give us back our own shoes?" Han-
nah asked.
"Because the good shoes get sent to Germany," Rivka
said. "But one does not ask why here."
"Another rule?" Hannah asked.
"And a good one," Rivka said. "It is better not to
know some things. .Knowing the wrong things can make
you crazy."
"No stockings?" Shifre said.
"You are lucky to have real shoes," Rivka answered.
"And riot just clogs. When I got here, I had to run
around for months on wooden clogs my mother carved
for me."
"Wooden shoes!" Hannah said.
Rivka smiled. "Never mind. I shall keep trying for
better shoes for all of us." She looked down at her own
shoes. The right was so badly worn at the heel, her foot
showed through. "At least now it is spring and we have
time to look. Last month was bad. There was snow and
frost. Masha from Krakow, J16689, lost two toes and
there were many cases of frostbite. Bad cases, bad enough

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