Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1891-09-26
D0UM- -B0UM.

The child lay ON his little white bed, deathly
pale, and looked with eyes mDde all the bigger
by fever straight before him, steadily, and
with the strange fxedness OF the sick who
already perceive what those who are well
cannot SEE. The mother, at the foot Of the
led, biting her fingers 80 as not To cry out,
anxious and torInen,ed with her suffering,
watched the progress Of the disease over the
poor, thin face Of her little boy, and the
father, IA fine fellow, though he was only
workingman, held back in his ewes the tears
that burned on their lids. And the first light
Of the dawn, clear, gentle, the light OF a fine
morning In June, came into the narrow bed
room on the Rue des Abbesses, where lay
dying the little Francois, son OF Jacques
Legrand and Of Madeleine Lcgrand, his wife
he was boy OF years. 4 blonde and rosy
little chap, who, not three weeks before had
been as lively and as chipper as a sparrow.
But a fevs' 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 lind been there, on his bed,
and sometimes in his delirium would saw
looking at the nicely polished shoes that his
mother had carefully set in corner: You
can throw them away now, little Francois
shoes. Little Francois will not wear them
any more. Little frNuCDiS Will not 20 10
school again-nevcr, neverlr
Then the father would cry out, "Will you
be quietf' and the mother would go and
hide her face in her pillow ~ that the 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 de
spondency, which resembled a surrender to
death, as IL, though but years old. the
sick boy had already experienced the weari-
ness of life lie was tired out, apparently
silent, sad, idly tossing his weak head back
ward and forward ON the pillow, unwilling
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, per-
haps," thought Madeleine, who shivered at
the thought When they wanted him to
take his medicine, some syrup may be, or
little beef tea, he refused everything
DO you want anything, Fraincois"
"No, want nothingn
"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 roaming among the clouds" And
then he went away.
Think OF somethngr Oh, YES, beyond a
doubt, they knew him well, their Francois,
these good people They knew how much
he was amused, the little fellow, when on
Sunday he would 20 and 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 images, and he put them ON the
childs bed, and made them dance before the
wandering eyes Of the little fellow, aud, all
ready to cry, tried to make him laugh
"Now, do You see, It's the Broken Bridge.
Tra-la-la- And here Is a general You re-
member we saw general once in the Bois
de Boulogne. III you will take your mcdi.
cine will buy "a real general for YOU, with
a cloth coat and gold epaulettcs. Do you
want him-the generali Tell me"
no. replied the child, in the dry voice
which fever produces
"Do you want pistoli some marblesl q
bow and nrrowsfH
mo" 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
answered, 'Nol no. nor
"But what do you want, then, my Fran.
coisfe asked the mother Come now. there
must be something that YOU would like 10
have. What is it' Tell il TO me, your
mammal And she Land her cheek down on
the pillow of the sick boy, and she whispered
her request in his ear, as II IL were a secret
between them. Then the child. rising in his
bed and stretching out toward something in
visible an eager hand, replied suddenly, with
a strange accent and III an earnest tone, that
was at onco supplicating and imperative:
~ want Roum- BoumH
Boum- Bonml
The poor Madeleine threw o frightened
look at her husband. What did the littl,
one sayi Was it the delirium, the terriblt
delirium come backi
Boum- Bouml
She did not know what It meant, and she
was frightened at these queer words, which
the child now repeated with tho ~illfulnes'
Of a sick person, as II. not having dared unit
then to formulate his dream, he would cling
10 It now with an inyinciblc obstinacy.
"Yes, Boum- Boumi Boum- -Boum, | want
Boum- BoumT'
The mother had seized in her nervousness
Jacqnes's hand, and said ia IA low voice, a,
though she were out Of her wits, What
does that mean, JacqueSl Oil il is ali oyei
But the father had on his rough face
smile that was almost happy And bewil
dered smile, also-she smile Of a condemneC
man who detects a possible chance for lib
erty. Boum-Boumi lie well rcmeinberet
the Easter morning when he lad takeI
Francois 10 the circus. He had still In hi
ears the child's great bursts of JOY, hi
hearty laugh-the laugh Of an amuseC
youngster-when the clown, the splendiS
clown, all spotted with gold, with a spark
ling, many eolored dress. on the back O
which was set big brown butterfly, per
formed his antics In the ring. played trick
ON tho riding master, or held himself motion
less ON the ground, his head down and hi
feet In the air, or threw up % the ahande
lier his soft felt hat and caughtit adroitly ol
his head, and where the mon formed a pyra
mid; and ut each trick, like the refrain of
song, lighting up his big, droll, bright face
the clown uttered the Same cry, repeated tn
same word, accompanied sometimes by rol
OF drnms-Runm- Bonnl
Boum-Boumi and every time that ID cam
round, Boum.Boumlth the whole circus burste,
out In braves, and tho little one laughe,
heartlest. Boum- Bouml It was thi
Boum-Boum, tho clown Of the circus, tb
man who entertained good part Of the city
that he wanted 10 see-the little Francois