On Monday, May 31^st  of 1909, the labor pains began around noon.  Télesphore got Dr. Lafond, who by coincidence happened to be  in Fortierville that day.  The delivery was not a difficult one for Marie-Anne. The very next day, Télesphore, Arthur & Séverine Leboeuf, godfather and godmother, went to church accompanied by Exilda Lemay who was holding the infant during the ceremony.  And what a baptism it was!  When Father Grondin asked what the child’s name was to be, he realized that only Exilda had heard Marie-Anne speak of her choice for a name. However, she did not remember what that name was.  So the priest took it upon himself and said: « I baptize you Marie …and I’m leaving a space for the name which you will later choose».  And the priest declared:

I now baptize you Marie… Aurore, suddenly said Exilda who now remembered the name. So the priest continued:           I now baptize you Marie… Aurore, probably… Julienne…. in the name of the Father…

         Upon returning to the house, Exilda who was not quite sure of herself, asked Marie-Anne:

-What name had you chosen for her?

-Aurore. But lately, I had changed my mind…

          Marie-Anne had a sense of foreboding concerning the name «Aurore».

            Ten months later, Marie-Anne was finally feeling more maternal and protective with Aurore, as if the child, by her vulnerability, had been demanding it.  She was a fragile, anxious, submissive and delicate child who did not crawl much as her older sister Marie-Jeanne had done with bounding energy before quickly learning to walk and run.

         Ever since he was back, Télesphore seemed to look down upon the child.  Marie-Anne, to please him, would very often place her baby on the floor to help her motor skills develop so that she would start to walk as soon as possible.  At this time of year, the evenings were much cooler and therefore the child would find refuge under the stove door for warmth and a sense of security.  At the end of a particular meal, Télesphore, walked to the stove to light his pipe. Removing the cast-iron burner, he found a bright red ember and dropped it to the floor at the last minute.  It rolled out of sight and suddenly infant cries exploded through the room.

 They were cries of pain! Télesphore saw Aurore; Marie-Anne ran to her daughter, picked her up and saw a hole on the sleeve of her small dress under which she could also see a small round skin burn the size of her pinky.

Well, she’s always in the way that one.  That’ll teach her!          Gédéon got up from his chair, pointed at his son with his own pipe and warned him

          -If you feel guilty towards this child, do not blame her.  Teary-eyed and visibly upset, Gédéon left the kitchen and slammed the door behind him.

On April 6th, Anthime purchased a Kodak camera.  Télesphore asked to see it up close to see for himself how this contraption worked.  He asked Anthime to take a picture during the afternoon.  Marie-Anne sent Marie-Jeanne with a note to Exilda, the neighbour, who was minding Aurore asking her to bring the child back home.

           -You’ll get your picture taken with us.

           Marie-Anne took her place.  She let Aurore lean on her knee to help her keep her balance while Gédéon and Louise stood on the step.  Marie-Jeanne was at her grandfather’s and Exilda’s feet, a little to the side.  A little further away, Anthime was showing Télesphore how simple it was to use the camera and said:  there’s practically nothing to it; and then the picture was taken.

«To date, this is the only photograph of Aurore.»

            A few days later, Georges-Étienne was born, his name having been chosen by Télesphore.  The child was baptized by Father Grondin.

In mid-August, Arzélie and Nérée Caron, the maternal grandparents, accompanied Charles, Marie-Ange and Véronique to visit the new mother.

Having come to drink, Charles saw Aurore crawling around the stove and said:            -This one isn’t even walking yet and there’s already another on the way.             He was very interested in Aurore who seemed a bit lost.

             Returning to the summer kitchen, he suddenly turned, knelt before the child, touched her head, hugged her and treated her as a small treasure and she responded quickly with smiles and babytalk.  When he was fully confident that she trusted him, he picked her up and placed her on the first step of the stairway.  He backed up two paces and stretched out his arms.

             -Comme Aurore, come see Uncle Charles, come.

            -She looked right and left and Charles smiled as he stretched out his arms.  She finally got up!

            -Come on, softly said the young man.  Looking for any type of support, Aurore moved first one leg then the other until she finally got the knack of it.  First one step, then another and a next one and so on and so forth… towards the loving arms of her uncle Charles.

            -Charles placed her back on the step, backed up a few more paces; Aurore repeated her actions which brought her total happiness.

             -Ah, well it took Charles to make my daughter learn to walk, said Mare-Anne.

On his way to the United States, Charles came back a few weeks later with all his luggage.  As soon as he entered the house, little Aurore walked up to him with outstretched arms but Télesphore pushed her aside to take his brother-in-law’s suitcase.

    When evening came, Charles decided to take a bath in the tub hidden behind a curtain in the summer kitchen.  He was joyously singing as he bathed.  Attracted by this sound, Marie-Jeanne went to see at the door between the two houses..  Aurore recognized his voice and knowing where he was, pushed the curtain and went to her uncle’s side.

             Her father suddenly became furious.  Why in God’s name would this child want to see someone naked?  Télesphore grabbed her as if he were holding the devil himself.  He found her as light as a feather as he pulled her up and set her down at the edge of the room.  Get away from here you unchaste being!  He didn’t hide his disgust as he spanked her behind and made her lose her balance.  He pushed her forward which made her fall flat on her face.  Cries of pain were heard from the child who felt so desperate at being so cruelly mistreated.  The result was a huge bump on her forehead.  Louise was the first one to reach the child, picked her up and said to the father

             -You’re big and mean Télesphore! as he returned to the bakery.

             Charles heard from Télesphore’s mother that he had beaten Aurore.  Outraged, Charles promised himself that he would never take a bath in the Gagnon house.  Charles also promised to console the child before leaving.  He wanted to leave her with memories to cherish, a little bit of confidence and to let her know that love from an adult was possible.  This might help her spirit grow and would certainly help get through the trials of everyday life.  He quickly finished bathing and got dressed.

Charles emptied the tub, turned it over and placed candles and put out forks, knives and spoons on it.  In the darkness, the flames danced and made the utensils sparkle.

            He put Aurore on the ground but kept on holding her hand while dancing around the upturned tub.  Marie-Jeanne suddenly understood and grabbed her uncle’s and her little sister’s hands.  Aurore was now totally fascinated and stared with wide-opened eyes at the fire, at her sister and at this great magician full of love for everyone.  Aurore let herself be drifted by her surroundings.

the hands, the flames, the sparkling spoons, plus her mother’s smile and her grandmother’s tender look as they leaned against the door jam.

             Although her eyes were swollen and she had an enormous bump on her forehead, her face radiated despite her frightened cries; this was one of the brightest days of her life. Charles thought of her  tiny arms which looked like wispy wings …. At this very minute, Aurore  found her life to be just grand.  Her grandfather joined the circle and Marie-Anne joined also by getting  between Louise and Aurore.  Aurore was now between Charles’ friendship and her mother’s love.

1913            Everything changed once in the car; Gédéon and Louise were leaving for their home in the village.

May 1915        Joseph was born ; and what a joy for Télesphore .  Aurore would be six in a few days.

In May, Aurore, as did all the others, started her first year of school during four weeks in the springtime to become familiar with school studies.   This tiny girl made her way to school along with her sister Marie-Jeanne.  Being very nervous, she asked her sister how it had been for her when she started school.  Did the teacher scold or spank her and did the other students like her or had they been mean to her?  After a few days, she found her teacher exceptionally nice.  Each day the children would go home with their little pails, linencloth schoolbags and their minds full of newly learned facts.

   September 1915

  Upon returning from school, Marie-Jeanne and Aurore, followed their usual route and noticed a man sitting by the side of the road.  However, they didn’t recognize him.  Marie-Jeanne ran behind the stranger but suddenly remembering that she was responsible for her younger sister, she stopped and turned.

             Marie-Jeanne yelled as loudly as possible :  Aurore, Aurore, hurry!

             Run! Aurore, come now!

            Aurore began to run without noticing the stranger who was sitting very still.  As she reached him, he suddenly turned towards her and looked at her.  She abruptly stopped and proceeded very slowly.

            She joined her sister, turning several times towards the stranger but she never recognized her uncle Charles who had just come back from the war.

                                                                 «He had tuberculosis..»  

               Even at death’s door, Charles kept his word and ordered the two-bladed skates by mail. In the fall, Aurore was folding the fragrant hay when the skates for Marie-Jeanne and herself arrived as promised by Charly before he had left for the United States.   

                Afterwards, the dice were tossed for the Gagnon family.

            In the early morning of Thursday after February 12^th, 1920, Aurore opened her eyes and kept them on the ceiling of the attic where she spent most of her last moments.  As she slowly lowered her eyes, she recognized her older sister Marie-Jeanne; smiled tenderly; and her last comprehensive words were

             …

             …rie-Jeanne…

                …

These were Aurore’s last words  and her last look was for her greatest friend, Marie-Jeanne. As a small dove, she flew towards a better life, full of happiness and devoid of suffering as her spirit slowly vanished from this earth around 7 o’clock p.m.

                This date, February 12^th, 1920, will forever be etched in the minds of thousands of people in Québec.  Aurore Gagnon’s death was a sad event which never should have taken place!  

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