Two days after these sweet words, to my surprise, I found Little Jakey
pillowed in an arm-chair.
"Bless me!" I exclaimed, "what has happened to this dear treasure? Are
you sick, Little Jakey?"
"No," he replied, hardly able to speak, "I not sick, but I have got ze
pain in my life," placing his little hand on his chest, "dot bees all.
Vile I hear ze birds sing in ze park, I not know it, and I sleep on ze
ground; and vile I sleep I tink my moder and ze baby, and Meme mit her,
come vare I be. I tink zey all come fon Himmel, and I see zem, and I
talk mit zem, and zey talk mit me, and zey say dot I vill go mit zem;
but ven I vake I bees sleep on ze ground, and ze big rains have come
down, and zey have vet me too vet, and I bees too cold; and ven I tink
I come to ze house, I not fine ze vay; and I have got ze pain in my
head, and ze pain in my neck. Long time I not fine ze vay; zen long
time Bridget ce come, and ce bring me to ze house, and ce put me in ze
bed; and in ze night I have got ze pain in my life."
I knelt down before the dear, stricken lamb, and blaming my neglect of
him, I kissed him many times, and tried to smooth the pain from his
little brow; but what I felt, words can never speak.
The next morning Little Jakey was regularly installed in the sick-room.
Days passed, but the doctors would not say that they thought him any
better. Some days, however, he was able to be pillowed up in an
arm-chair, and amuse himself a little with the toys the children were
constantly bringing him; for by this time the desire to do something
for Little Jakey had come to pervade the whole house.
Once, sitting by his little bed, I discovered that he was trying very
hard to keep awake, and I said to him softly,--
"Dear Jakey, why do you not shut those sweet eyes of yours, and go to
sleep? Surely you must be sleepy."
"Yes, but I tink I not sleep. Vile I sleep, ze pain make me groan, and
Mattie ce hear me, and ce not sleep."
Mattie was then very sick also, and lying on a little bed not far from
his.
One day Mr. Artman, a German, called on Jakey, who asked for his little
box of moneys, which had been presented to him mostly by visitors, and
placing it in Mr. Artman's hand, he said to him, in his own sweet
way,--
"You vill keep ze leetle box mit you. Von time Jeem and Fred vill come
in ze America, and ven zey come, you vill give ze big money to Jeem,
and ze leetle moneys to Fred; and you vill tell zem dot I have go im
Himmel mit my moder, and mit ze baby, and mit Meme."