The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-09-14
THE VILLAGE SICK WATCH

Il spent mine in a New England viii
lage," said the quiet man, when asked
about his vacation by a New York Sun
reporter II knew no one in the town
1 had never been there before. In fact.
IL was the first time was ever in New
England. l wanted to rest. ] did not
want to camp out or rough it. L
stopped at the inn, the only one, 1 be-
ileVe- in the town. City people have
an idea that village is a place where
everybody knows everybody elSe'S bus
mess. and where nobody talks of any
thing else. Perhaps 1 had no business,
but wish to certify that no one in this
village evinced the slightest curiosity
| to find out what was or from whence
1 came If anything, 1 was the curious
| one [ found myself making inquiries.
This brings me to my story.
Il was sitting on the big porch one
night. rather later than was my Gus
tom. The stiffness was broken occa-
S1Onally by one person passing, and
later another. and SO on, until 1 had
seen several men and women go and
come out of a house within my view.
l noticed that these people were alone
in coming and going. 1 thought they
walked rather more lightly on the side
walks than people usually do. This,
however. may have been a fancy.
While 1 was wondering what II
meant the landlord of the inn stepped
upon the porch. 1 had seen him come
out of the house in which I had be-
come interested, but did not recognize
him until he came upon me. I en-
couraged him to stop and he sat down.
AS soon as I could do so with proDri-
ETY. 1 told him that my curiosity had
broken the bounds of conventionality
and had almost prompted me to go to
the house from which he had come.
" 1t is nothing new with u.s. he said,
almost in a whisper, but I guess you
city people don't have anything of this
e. Il IT, %. III
It's a young man of our village who
was taken down several weeks ago and
it finally turned out to be a case of
typhoid. the doctors say. He is the
only son of the family. Finally his
own people got worn out attending him
and then the villagers took it uD. We
divide ourselves into watches of four
or five; in this case four. You see,
most of US are old people in this viii
lage. There are not a dozen young
people in the place. Old folks can't
sit up all night. so we go down there,
one at a time. and sit up with the pa
tient until the next watch relieves US.
We carry out the doctors orders, and
give the patient any attention neceS-
sary. There is hardly man or woman
in our village who has not been
watcher by some sick bed at some time.
We consider it our duty. We don't
know whose turn will come next. Our
doctors are like most of US, a little old
fashioned. and they don't furnish
nurses as your city doctors do And
we never have had a hospital here, be-
cause il wouldn't pay. and most of us
kind O. believe that within few more
years there won't be anybody left to be
sick. No strangers ever move into this
community. and none of our people has
! left here alive in twenty-five years
Before Irealized il the landlord
passed in and was again alone. Pref
I ty soon I saw another watcher come
! out of the house down the street and
walk away rather briskly. A half-hour
/ later he returned with another I sur
missed that the other was the doctor.
/ learned later that my Surmise was
! correct. Another hour passed and an
/ other watcher came. He was met at
! the door by the doctor, who talked with
him a few moments, and then they
went away
1.-The village watch at another sick
| bedside was over. The second day the
/ few stores in the place were closed and
| I heard the tolling of the bell in the
/ cupola of a little uncovered church.
/ I felt it my duty to speak to my land
] lord of the incident, and was struck
by his reply:
Yes he said, it's too bad. If it
/ had been one of us old people we
wouldn't have thought anything about
| it. but for n young person to die in our
village is quite blow. Just seems as
/ if we can't spare en-