Final answer:
The text provided does not specify the gift Nelson gives to Ruth May when she is sick with malaria in 'The Poisonwood Bible.'
Step-by-step explanation:
In Barbara Kingsolver's novel The Poisonwood Bible, Nelson gives Ruth May a gift when she is ill with malaria. Unfortunately, there is a misunderstanding in the question as the text provided does not contain the exact information regarding Nelson's gift to Ruth May in the context of her sickness. In the book, there are many acts of kindness shown to Ruth May, but specific details of a gift given by Nelson during her illness with malaria are not directly mentioned in the passages provided nor in the memory of existing context within the book.