New-York tribune., 1922-04-23
The Brown Roof
in the Village
By FREDERIC pOtrrr
Translated by w. l.. Mcpt

s''u gus were p'sy'hg' hliing the ar .' ~,..
their shouts and laughter. Froro ,s Wit
branches one could see the roofs os 4'.'s' ~ tn'
by village, glowing N the afternoon s,s r's near
"Fanny, Fanny. yo0 and Enijo a,a'.. o'
till We hide" cried clear, shrjD 7o;..- 49, VA
Fanny, a little girl of seven t,.-,
and fresh-iookinz, remained alone o.a. @'e'
"norne" tree, with Emile. '9' 'aa
"Go thst may,' sho sajd to hin, af...
minutes. is7
FANNY mans 7oice called sof.j.
The child turned her hoad. gbo
der half hidden behind = b9.5 y. %,
youngish locking man, with @ hear, r,n'.' 11'
and tanned face. His cap vas p1rad 1'Iso'' ~
light over his black hair. U0F'
Good day, monsieur" TIE child said
Come here. Don't De aid"
sim not afraid. But st 20 and 49,,
others, who are hidin~.' ''' 'a'
"You can 90 in a9te or evo f.
mere first" ''*
The child drew n~.r, lifting her little T.,
to the soldiers.
''You come from ne city, don. vop,r :.
asked ITS very nice. ms path ti!,-o7,. =, =.
woods. Il IS coos aud fresh - '
The man sat down or pile os wo,3 g.,
drew the child 70 him. PIT his hand &, -
curly head ard gazed a. her ;ntentlr =
"How pretty she is. would have 49,.
rized her By the resemblance % he, ,;....
She IS the image ot The other" Re ta9Yr,,
Are you sick thac your hara trer'5leS g.
asked the little orc. "You zrow. there !, a..
vilage-dovn there. You can see the r,,<.
She pointed with her finger ard added.
~Our house Is the one With the brown 7,,..
"Ah! It seems TO ne very prsttv ~.
house does said the soldier in an ingrsts4..
tone. Come, tell me, DO you i've with v,,
mammal"
yes, and with my grandmother. She ~,
the house. And then there is Bertha. 7 .-
her sister. She is bigger than am and t-.
she is at school"
"And your mamma, ho77 is she! VIA. d,s
she do? What is her name?"
"Sha is pretty well now, but she was se.
She worked too hard, people said. She wo,1
IN the factory on the ether side Of the vIls?.
She is Nine. Valin.0
Suddenly she made movement to relssa
herself from the hands which softly gripp
her fragile vrists.
at is long enough, n7ong;eur. Xaynt
now1~
"1n q minute Stay with me little lo.n.
Do bother you? Ten, me, what does y.
father do?''
The chud's facsg grew eerioux.
Papa? He isn't here. Already be:n
there-wss war he wasn't ever here. He ss
far away, mamma said. Now he Is ct the va
We never see him. All the others have papa
vho come home on leave But he never comes
Then you don't remember him?' asked th
soldier, bending over toward the little gil!
clear eyes.
She shook fer3 head.
cit IS true he said tohimset. Flow could
she remember: She was hcw<oid? Twelve
or fifteen MONTHS. And 4 is SIX yesrs sns
then"
"And ,your mamma, - he asked aicntI @Es'
does she say about this"
She doesn't say anything. She vo-nS Sno
then she takes care Of grandmother, se 'an
hardly walk any longer, and she tass afscA
Bertha and ne"
The man stopped questioning her. be Uie"
10 reconstruct from the little ones lessle'
an image Of the mother. The memory o. a'-
and of their past-that memory "nich :"
months IN the midst OF peril, suffering o..
weariness had been impressed upon niln n''1
and more irnperiously, and which al 1851 n'1
brought him here to find out sonielniHs
her, now stirred him with strange eno':V.'
He saw again the young girl, tinald aflo .e''1'-
who had become his wife and whom ne nso y
unjustIy made suffer He thought Oh aH :.
love which she had given HIM aho "i''',' -.
had squandered. He saw from 'he WV ~.
house which, could have been nome " ''.a, -.
This fresh and appealing little glri was IL,
daughter. He had & o~spera'e oeS-t' =,
cover what he had turned MS o"'A
years before. IN.
He rose to his feet I'D said TO the cni'0'
Listen. YOU are -.ing to bring me- - ..
But be hesitated ard stopped s'loi'. s.-ss
nembereG now their last quarreis-nTr, .stst
ness to her. her revolt against MN ~ ..r,ra
himself If he hadn't become as nlu1N IL. He
er TO the mother SIS he vas 10 'ne >''''
turned to the latter: .a,e.sH
Tell me, is your mamma SAD so'''e. snct
ooh. no. She says that she IS happs ...ri s
she has US two-Bertha and me. AHS e...s
mother tells her that now she is lett ~ ~ A.
"Ah! And what does your ms~A'A
swer?" ..,sieu.
"She answers yes. Where Is H.
that am to bring you? .rr
She answers yes. She answers s.,s all
The man bent his head, his face p''