Mrs. Bible

Mrs. Bible

At twenty five it was my first teaching job.

Mrs. Bible taught at the same

western Massachusetts boarding school.

She taught foreign languages, was at least 50 years old,

and spoke with an east European accent.

Mrs. Bible was an enigmatic person.

No one knew who Mr. Bible was,

when she had come to the States, or her history

after she left Russia. She was educated and

had a special calmness and worldly bearing.

The school arranged a bus trip to the 1964 World's Fair.

As the students meandered about

Mrs Bible and I visited the displays together.

She was keen to see the Russia Pavilion.

Together we went to the exhibit of

holy icons, and listened to the presentation.

When the guide finished, Mrs. Bible suggested

that this was not the original icon - the docent

insisted it was. Mrs. Bible stated she had worked

on the restoration of this icon and had placed the gem

differently. Silently the group broke up befuddled.

The incident told me something about Mrs. Bible,

and made her more mystifying.

An example of a bejeweled Russian icon.