The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1876-09-22
"HoW IT Is: TO BE SICK. &"

bit of it. My fingers have been
aching to get hold of pen again, but
the truth is, have been sick, and that,
1 can tell you, means a great deal in
modern English. 1t means trouble,
both domestic and financial; it means
the getting out of gear of all the house
hold machinery; it means doctors and
DOCTORS bills; it means hardship it
means an old ogre of nurse; it means
nasty medicine, and nothing to eat but
tea and toast for six mortal weeks.
When the good old doctor came, he
examined my tongue, felt my pulse,
took me through a short catechism, and
then looked wise. ats a plain case"
he said, at last, 'ithat you have over
worked yourself, and will have to pay
for it,"
Tom was anxiously looking on, and
attending to the various questions asked
by the doctor, most of which he an
swered himself; because, you know,
when you are sick everybody knows
more about your ailment that you do
yourself. Bat when Dr. Martin said I
had overworked myself, Toms look of
astonishment and incredulity was
amusing. 1 thought he was going to
call the doctor a long-eared animal,
but he only CALCULATED:
"Overworked herself! How could
she when she didn't have anything but
little cooking to do ?"
"What else hare you been doing ?n
asked the doctor, sharply turning to me.
81 have been sewing some. 1 have
done all our sewing for the last six
months. It's so expensive hiring it
DONE" said, watching Tom out of the
corner of my eye.
"You would rather give money to a
doctor than to a seamstress, eh? Have
you a sewing machine ?"
ayes"
"WelI, you ought to have known bet
ter than to have been sewing on it.
The most of them run like threshing
machines, and, if they didn't, woman
would have no business using one
much. Why, sir" and he turned to
Tom, ''it seems to me it takes peopl e a
long time to learn a little common
sense. All the machines to do work
for men go by steam or horsepower,
but all the machines for doing house
work-the sewing and knitting ma
chimes, the patent churns, and eUen the
aUaSbing DlachineS-must all go by
woman power, and it's shame"
ats perfectly abominable," I said,
putting one hand to my head and the
other to my back.
'Yes, it is abominable," said the doc
tor, making out his prescriptions, which
he left with numerous cautions about
keeping quiet.
Tom went out with the doctor, and, as
everybody thinks of Job when they are
afflicted, 1, of course, began to think OF
Job, and to wonder whether Jobs pa.
thence would not have given out if he
had been troubled with a weak back
when he was morally certain that the
"help' in the kitchen was wasting and
destroying everything in the house
Then I thought how Tom had once
said that all Job needed to have trieC
him beyond the point of endurance, wat
to have been pestered with woman.
rights. And just here 1 began, as {
matter of course, to think of Mrs. Job
and to wonder why, though every body
talked about the Affections of Job, tha
nobody had ever thought of the trials o
=. his poor wife. Didn't Mrs. Job lose al
of her children? and wasn't she reduced
to poverty as well as her lord and mas
ter? and wasn't that just as hard fo
= her as for him? She didn't have tn
] boils, know, but Tom had the infiam
matory rheumatism once, and l hav
+ always said that I'd rather have it my
v self than that Tom should have it again
8 think it would be easier on me. AM
. doubtless Mrs. Job felt that way abou
+ the boils. Before Tom had the rheuma
tism he had never been sick, and b
thought it would kill him. He groane
: all the time for three weeks; groane
y even in his sleep; in fact, didn't stop a
> all only to take big breath in order
;. start out afresh. Then, he would nc
u allow any one to do anything for hir
. but myself-not even sit up with hiT
of nights. When any one insisted o
y doing so, he would say: mo. Madg
+ understands the DOCTORS orders bette
u and that's all she has to do" Some
e times, when sleep would overcome mt
!, he would give a groan of extra lengt
n and loudness, and tell me he believed
IS slept more than half my time, and tha
'e 1 would sleep if knew he was dying
. Well, one day dear mother came u
h and put me to bed, and Tom was we
e, of the rheumatism long before I kne
'e anything about it.
1t isn't recorded that Mrs. Job ha
ID brain fever all on account of Jobs afflit
Is tions, but she did get so tired aud out
J. patience that she at last gave vent
her feelings, and respectfully suggeste
e. to her liege that he might as well "di
lie continue" He called her a FOOLS
! woman, and thought the wife of h
~ bosom had cruelty added the last drc