Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1888-03-16
CHILD AND CLOWN.
A STORY ERoM THE FRENCH.

a
The child lay on his little white bed
deathly pale, and looked, with eyes
made all the bigger by fever, straight
before him, steadily, and with the strange
fixedness of the sick, who already per
ceive what those who are well cannot
see. The mother, at the foot of the bed,
biting her fingers so as not to cry out,
anxious and tormented with her suffer
ing, watched the progress of the disease
over the poor, thin face of her little boy,
and the father, fine fellow, though he
was only wOrkingman, held back in his
eyes the tears that burned on their lids.
And the first light of the dawn, clear,
gentle, the light of a fair morning in
June, came into the narrow bedroom on
the Rue DIES ADDRESSES, where lay dying
the little Francois, son of Jacqes Legrand
and of Madeleine Legrand, his wife.
He was boy of seven years. A blonde
and rosy little chap, who, not three
clipper as a sparrow. But fever had
seized him, and they had brought him
home one evening from school with his
head so heavy and his hands so hot. And
ever since he had been there on his bed,
and sometimes in his delirium he would
say, looking at the nicely polished shoes
that his mother had carefully set in the
corner: "You can throw them away
now-Httle Francois's shoes Little
Francois will not wear them any more
Little Francois will not go to school
again-never, never"
Then the father would cry out: ''Will
you be quiet?" and the mother would 90
and hide her face in her pillow, so that
little Francois would not hear her weep
Through the night that had just passed
the child had had no delirium, but for
two days he had bothered the doctor by
a strange sort of dependency, which re-
sembied surrender to death as if,
though but seven years old, the sick bCy
had always experienced the WEAKNESS of
life. He was tired out, apparently, 81
lent, sad, tossing his weak head back
ward and forward on the pillow, I'M
willing to take anything, having no
longer a smile on his poor, thin lips, and
with his haggard eyes searching, seeing
no one knew what, far off, far away.
: 'There, above us, perhaps" thought
Madeleine, who shivered at the thought.
When they wanted him to take his med
iclne, some syrup maybe, or a little beef
tea, he refused everything.
''Do you want anything, Francois2"
''No, l want nothing"
''You must get him out of this" said
the doctor. This torpor alarms me.
You are his parents; you should know
your child. Think Of something which
may animate this little fellow, bring
back to earth the mind which is roam
ing among the Clouds" And then he
went away.
nl.
yOnd doubt they knew him we'll their
Francois, these good people. They knew
how much he was amused, the little fel
low, when on Sunday he would forage in
the hedges, and would come back to
Paris on his fathers shoulder loaded
with hawthorn. Jacques Legrand had
bought for Francois all sorts of i'm
ages, and he put them on the child's bed
and made them dance before the wander
ing eyes of the little fellow and, all ready
to cry, tried to make him laugh. Now,
do you see. it's the broken bridge. Ira
la-la. And here is a General. You re-
member we saw General once in the
Bots de Boulogne2 If you will take
your medicine l will buy a real GEN
eral for you, with cloth coat and gold
epaulettes. Do you want him-the Gen
eral9 Tell me-"
"No," replied the. child, in the dry
voice which fever. produces.
do you want a pistol, some marbles,
a bow and arrcws?"
"No," answered the little voice, almost
cruel in its distinctness.
And to all that they said to him, TO
all the jumping jacks, to all the balloons
that they promised him, the little voice
the parents all the while looking at
each other in despair NO!
no. mol"
''But what do you want, then, my
Francois!" asked the mother. Come,
now, there must be something that you
would like TO have What is it! Tell
it to me, your mammal" And she laid
sex cheek down On the pillow Of the