The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1903-03-20
VILLAGE SICK WATCH
An Episode In n New England Town Ins
tercsts u City Man ON Vacation.


An Episode In n New England Town Tn-
tercsts u City Man ON Vacation.
81 spent mine In New England VII
lage," said the quiet man, when asked
about his vacation. II knew no one in
the town. had never been there be-
fore. In fact, 1t was the first time
was ever in New England. / wanted TO
rest. l did not want to camp out, or
rough 1t. stopped at the inn, the
only one | believe, in the town. City
people have an idea that village is a
place where everybody knows every
body's business. and where nobody
talks Of anything else. Perhaps had no
business, but | wish to certify that no
one in the village evinced the slightest
curiosity tov1nd out who was or from
whence came. II anything, ! was the
curious one. / found myself making
inquiries. This brings me to my story:
! II was sitting on the big porch ono
night, rather later than was my custom.
The stiffness was broken occasionally
by one person passing, and later
another, and so on, until had seen
several men and women go into and
come out of house within my view.
! noticed that these people were alone
in coming and going. j thought they,
walked rather more lightly on the side
walks than people usually do. This,
however, may have been a fancy.
| while l was wondering what 1t
meant the landlord of the inn stepped
upon the porch. I had seen him como
out OF the house in which had become
interested, but did not recognize him
until he came upon me. ! encouraged
him to stop and he sat down. AS soon
as / could do SO with propriety, told
him that my curiosity had broken the
bounds Of conventionality, and had al
most prompted me to go to the house
from which he had come. - -i
"It is nothing new with u.s. he said.
almost in whisper, but / guess you
city people don't have anything Of this
| sort to do. It's Just a case of sickness.
| It's a young man OF our village who
was taken down several weeks ago, and
It finally turned to a case Of typhoid,
the doctors say. He is the only son of
the family. Finally his own people got
worn out attending to him, and then
the villagers took 1t up. We divide
ourselves into watches OF four or Ave..
in this case four. You see, most of us
are old people In this village. There
are not a dozen young people in the
place Old folks can't set up all night,
SO we 60 down there one at time, and
set up with the patient until the next
watch relieves US. We carry out the
doctors orders, and give the patient
any attention necessary There is hard
ly man or woman In our village who
has not been a watcher by some sick
bed at some time. We consider 1t our
duty. We don't know whose turn will
come next Our doctors are like most
OF us, little old-fashioned, and they
don't furnish nurses, as your city doc
tors do. And we have never had hes
pital here because it wouldn't pay, and
most of us kind O. believe that within
q few more years there won't be any
body 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 / realized it the landlord
passed in, and l vas again alone.
Pretty soon / saw another watcher
come out OF the house down the. street
and walk away rather briskly. A half
hour later he returned with another.
eurmised that the other was the doc
tor ! learned later that my surmise
was correct. Another hour passed and
another watcher came. He was met
at the door by the doctor. who talked
with him few moments, and then they
went away.
THE village watch at another sick
bedside was over. The second day the
few stores in the place were closed,
and l heard the tolling OF the bell in
the cupola Of little vine-covered
church. l felt 1t my duty to speak to
my landlord of the incident, and was
struck by his reply:
Yes he said, It's too bad. II it
had been one of us old people we
wouldn't have thought anything about
1t, but for young person to die in our
village is quite blow. Just seems as
II we can't spare en-"