FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127  
128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   >>   >|  
story of an old man, blind like me, named Tobias; the history of Joseph; the history of David; the history of Jesus Christ. And then he made me repeat them after him. But my head, it was hard--it was hard; it was not used to learning, and I was always getting tired in my arms and my legs." "And he tormented us to death," said his wife, laughing. "True, true," replied he, laughing also; "I became cross. He came again, and said, "'James, you must go to work.' "I showed him my poor, burned hands. "'It is no matter; I have bought you a capital in trade.' "'Me, Mr. Desgranges?' "'Yes, James, a capital into which they never put goods, and where they always find them.' "'It must have cost you a great deal, sir.' "'Nothing at all, my lad.' "'What is then this fund?' "'The river.' "'The river? Do you wish me to become a fisherman?' "'Not all; a water-carrier.' "'Water-carrier! but eyes?' "'Eyes; of what use are they? do the dray-horses have eyes? If they do, they make use of them; if they do not, they do without them. Come, you must be a water-carrier.' "'But a cask?' "'I will give you one.' "'A cart?' "'I have ordered one at the cart-maker's.' "'But customers?' "I will give you my custom, to begin with, eighteen francs a month; (my dear friend pays for water as dearly as for wine.) Moreover, you have nothing to say, either yes or no. I have dismissed my water-carrier, and you would not let my wife and me die with thirst. This dear Madame Desgranges, just think of it. And so, my boy, in three days--work. And you, Madam James, come here;' and he carried off Juliana." "Yes, sir," continued the wife, "he carried me off, ordered leather straps, made me buy the wheels, harnessed me; we were all astonishment, James and I; but stop, if you can, when Mr. Desgranges drives you. At the end of three days, here we are with the cask, he harnessed and drawing it, I behind, pushing; we were ashamed at crossing the village, as if we were doing something wrong; it seemed as if everybody would laugh at us. But Mr. Desgranges was there in the street. "'Come on, James,' said he, 'courage.' "We came along, and in the evening he put into our hands a piece of money, saying," continued the blind man, with emotion-- "'James, here are twenty sous you have earned to-day.' "Earned, sir, think of that! earned, it was fifteen months that I had only eaten what had been given to me. It is good to re
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   103   104   105   106   107   108   109   110   111   112   113   114   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127  
128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Desgranges

 

carrier

 
history
 

carried

 

harnessed

 

continued

 

capital

 

earned

 

ordered

 

laughing


Juliana

 
leather
 
straps
 

thirst

 
Madame
 
dismissed
 

ashamed

 

emotion

 

twenty

 

courage


evening

 

Earned

 

fifteen

 

months

 

street

 

drawing

 

drives

 

wheels

 

astonishment

 
pushing

crossing

 

village

 
replied
 

bought

 

matter

 
burned
 

showed

 
tormented
 

Tobias

 
Joseph

Christ

 

learning

 

repeat

 
horses
 

customers

 

custom

 
dearly
 

friend

 

eighteen

 
francs