Part 59 (1/2)

”Servant of the Lord,” he said, ”I have come in to get a drink of water.”

”There is none, I say, there is none. There is nothing here for you to take. Go!”

Elisey asked her:

”Is there no well man here to take this woman away?”

”There is n.o.body here: the man is dying in the yard, and we here.”

The boy grew quiet when he saw the stranger, but when the old woman began to speak, he again took hold of her sleeve.

”Bread, granny, bread!” and he burst out weeping.

Just as Elisey was going to ask the old woman another question, the man tumbled into the hut; he walked along the wall and wanted to sit down on the bench, but before reaching it he fell down in the corner, near the threshold. He did not try to get up, but began to speak. He would say one word at a time, then draw his breath, then say something again.

”We are sick,” he said, ”and--hungry. The boy is starving.” He indicated the boy with his head and began to weep.

Elisey s.h.i.+fted his wallet on his back, freed his arms, let the wallet down on the ground, lifted it on the bench, and untied it. When it was open, he took out the bread and the knife, out off a slice, and gave it to the man. The man did not take it, but pointed to the boy and the girl, to have it given to them. Elisey gave it to the boy. When the boy saw the bread, he made for it, grabbed the slice with both his hands, and stuck his nose into the bread. A girl crawled out from behind the oven and gazed at the bread. Elisey gave her, too, a piece. He cut off another slice and gave it to the old woman. She took it and began to chew at it.

”If you would just bring us some water,” she said. ”Their lips are parched. I wanted to bring some yesterday or to-day,--I do not remember when,--but I fell down and left the pail there, if n.o.body took it away.”

Elisey asked where their well was. The old woman told him where. Elisey went out. He found the pail, brought some water, and gave the people to drink. The children ate some more bread with water, and the old woman ate some, but the man would not eat.

”My stomach will not hold it,” he said.

The woman did not get up or come to: she was just tossing on the bed place. Elisey went to the shop, and bought millet, salt, flour, and b.u.t.ter. He found an axe, chopped some wood, and made a fire in the oven.

The girl helped him. Elisey cooked a soup and porridge, and fed the people.

V.

The man ate a little, and so did the old woman, and the girl and the little boy licked the bowl clean and embraced each other and fell asleep.

The man and the old woman told Elisey how it had all happened.

”We lived heretofore poorly,” they said, ”but when the crop failed us, we ate up in the fall everything we had. When we had nothing left, we began to beg from our neighbours and from good people. At first they gave us some, but later they refused. Some of them would have been willing to give us to eat, but they had nothing themselves. Besides we felt ashamed to beg: we owed everybody money and flour and bread. I looked for work,” said the man, ”but could find none. People were everywhere looking for work to get something to eat. One day I would work, and two I would go around looking for more work. The old woman and the girl went a distance away to beg, but the alms were poor,--n.o.body had any bread. Still, we managed to get something to eat: we thought we might squeeze through until the new crop; but in the spring they quit giving us alms altogether, and sickness fell upon us. It grew pretty bad: one day we would have something to eat, and two we went without it.

We began to eat gra.s.s. And from the gra.s.s, or from some other reason, the woman grew sick. She lay down, and I had no strength, and we had nothing with which to improve matters.”

”I was the only one,” the old woman said, ”who worked: but I gave out and grew weak, as I had nothing to eat. The girl, too, grew weak and lost her courage. I sent her to the neighbours, but she did not go. She hid herself in a corner and would not go. A neighbour came in two days ago, but when she saw that we were hungry and sick, she turned around and went out. Her husband has left, and she has nothing with which to feed her young children. So we were lying here and waiting for death.”

When Elisey heard what they said, he changed his mind about catching up with his companion, and remained there overnight. In the morning Elisey got up and began to work about the house as though he were the master.

He set bread with the old woman and made a fire in the oven. He went with the girl to the neighbours to fetch what was necessary. Everything he wanted to pick up was gone: there was nothing left for farming, and the clothes were used up. Elisey got everything which was needed: some things he made himself, and some he bought. Elisey stayed with them one day, and a second, and a third. The little boy regained his strength, and he began to walk on the bench and to make friends with Elisey. The girl, too, became quite cheerful and helped him in everything. She kept running after Elisey: ”Grandfather, grandfather!”

The old woman got up and went to her neighbour. The man began to walk by holding on to the wall. Only the woman was lying down. On the third day she came to and asked for something to eat.

”Well,” thought Elisey, ”I had not expected to lose so much time. Now I must go.”

VI.

The fourth day was the last of a fast, and Elisey said to himself: