Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-02-15

shone on the white bedclothes, then, sadly:
''It is not Boum- Boum! / want to sec
Boum-Boum"
Ali if Jacques could have wrapped him in
his quilt, carried him off, taken him to the
circus, shown him the clown dancing under
the lighted chandelier, and said to him,
''There is Boum-BoumI"
He did better than that. this good Jacques.
He went to the circus, he asked for the
clowns address, and timidly, with limbs
weakened by emotion, he mounted step by
step the staircase that led to the home OF the
artist at Montmartre. 1t was very bold what
he had come to do there, this man Jacques!
But after all, actors are willing to go and
play, to recite monologues in the drawing
rooms of fine people. Perhaps the clown
oh, if he only would may be willing to come
and say good morning to Francois. What
mattered it how they received him, Jacques
Legrand, at Boum- Boum's homer
1t was no longer Boum- Boum! 1t was NJ.
Moraine, who, in the rooms of an artist,
among books, engravings, an artistic ele-
gance making a choice background to
charming man, who received Jacques in his
office like that Of physician Jacques stared,
did not recognize the clown, and turned his
soft hat over and over in his hands The
other waited Then the father excused him
self. 1t was surprising what he had just
asked-it could not be done-pardon, excuse
me-but in fact, it related to the little boy.
"a fine little boy, monsieur And so intel
ligent, Always the first in his class, except
ing In arithmetic which he did not under
stand A dreamer, this little fellow, do you
sees Yes O dreamer. And the proof-there,
the proof and Jacques hesitated, stau1-
mered, then plucked up courage and alb
ruptly-
THE proof is that he wants to see you,
that he thinks only Of you, as if you were
there before him, like star that he would
like to have, and if be looked and the
father, whose face was wan and sallow with
his great care, stopped, and great drops OF
sweat stood on his brow. He did not dare to
look at the clown, who stood there with his
eyes fixed on the workman.
And what would Boum-Boum say to him?
Would he send him away, take him for
fool, put him out of the house,
You live" asked Boum-Boum.
"Ohi very near. Rue des ADDRESSES"
"Very well, said the other. "He wants to
shall see Boum-Bouml"
When the door opened before the clown,
Jacques Legrand cried out cheeringly to his
boy, "Now, Francois, be satisfied, you rogue!
See, there is Boum- Boum!"
And into the childs face there came a
happy light. He raised himself in his moth
er's arms and turned his head toward the
two men, looked for a moment to see who
was this gentleman in frock coat at his
Cot do fbo fIap,o ,brca oil
face was then smiling on him. and whom he
did not know; and when they said to him
That is Boum- Boum" ne fell back, slowly,
sadly, with his head turned to the pillow, and
lay there with his eyes fixed, his big blue
eyes that saw beyond the walls of the little
bedroom, and that looked for, that were
always looking for oum-Boum's spangles
and butterfly as lover pursues his dreams.
No" replied the child, with voice no
longer dry, but distressed, "No, that is not
Boum- Boumln
The clown, standing near the little bed,
bent profound gaze on the face of the sick
little man, a grave look, but of an infinite
sweetness He shook his head, looked at the
anxious father and broken down mother and
said, smiling, "He is right; it is not Boum-
Boum!" and he went off.
Il shall not see-I shall never see him again,
Boum- Boum" now repeated the child whose
little voice seemed to be already whispering
to the angels. Perhaps Boum-Boum is over
there, yonder, where little Francois will soon
go"
And suddenly-he had not been gone half
an hour-the door was rudely opened, and
in his black and spangled suit, with yellow
topknot on his head, golden butterfly on
his breast and another on his back, his mouth
opened into an expansive grin, his good face
all chalked, Boum-B oum, the real Boum-
Boum, the Boum- Boum of the circus, the
Boum- Boum of the people, the Boum-Boum
of the little Francois, Boum-B oum himself
appeared! And on his little white bed, with
a lively exultation in his eyes, laughing, cry
ing, happy, saved, the child clapped his little
thin hands, shouted bravol and cried with all
the ioyfulness of 7-year- old, bursting out
suddenly like lighted rocket, 'Boum- Bouml
IT'S he, it's he this timel That is Boum-
Boum, sure! Hurrah for Boum-Boum! Good
Boum- Boum!"
When the doctor came that day he found,
seated at the bedside of the little Francois,
a white faced clown, who kept the little fell
low laughing all the time, and who said to
the sick boy, stirring a lump of sugar in the
bottom of cup of medicine, "Hou know if
you do not drink it, little Francois, that
Boum, Boum will not come to see you again"
And the child drank it.
'lsn't it nices"
Every nice, thank you, Boum-Boum.n
Doctor said the clown to the physician,
edo not be jealous 1t seems to me, however,
that my antics do him as much good as your
The father and mother wept; but this time
it was because of their happiness. And |
every day until little Francois was able to |
leave his bed carriage stopped before the
workman's home on the Rue des Abbesses, |
and there stepped from it man wrapped in |
q heavy overcoat with the cape turned up, |
and beneath, dressed for the circus, and with |
jolly chalked face.
What do l owe you, sir?" said Jacques |
Legrand to the master clown at the end of |
his visits, when the boy went out for the first |
time; because, in fact, you see, l owe you
The clown offered TO the parents his two
big hands, the hands of a sweet and amiable
Hercules "a good shake of your hands,
he said Then kissing both Of the child's |
checks, which had recovered some Of their
rosiness, he added laughing, The permits
sion to print on my visiting cards
'BOUM-BOUM,