The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1916-04-06
SPLENDID NE|GHB0Rs ARE
THOSE GRAN SVILLE FOLKS
Helping Hands Always Lovingly Ex-
tended in Times of Sickness and
TroubIe-An Appreciation of
Their Kindness.
BY SARAH ROBERTA GETTY.

Those of US who have read Mary Will
kins Freeman ''Neighborbood Tales"
have been charmed with them, but
when it comes to real, bona fde, neigh
borliness little old Grantsville is right
on the map, and most especially is this
true during illness. Not that one need
be i'll to be convinced of the kindness of
ones neighbors here, as you get daily
evidence of it. Should you want to
give a party or dinner, every house
wife's china and silver are at your dis
posal Immediately, together with offers
OF assistance. Should complications
arise in making your new frock or in
other sewing, some one will always help
you adjust the difficult problem. Should
your new recipe fail. depend upon it
one of the neighbors will have a time
honored one in its stead. These are
but few of their good qualities,
But when sickness visits your family
then it is that you realize that there
are people who obey the divine injunc-
ton, Love your neighbor as yourself"
and without these ministering angels
in human form, life would indeed be
dreary waste.
In case of fever there are always
willing hands to soothe and alay the
pain until nurse arrives. and often all
through the siege. Should you have
grip. hot water bottles and mustard
plasters appear as if by magic If an
old-fashioned case of nerves, somebody
chafes your hands and smoothes your
brow and makes you comfy" in so
many ways YOU forget you ever had any
nerves. If, as occasionally happens,
! you get baby, the neighbors have it
dressed spick and span, weigh it, give
it dose of catnip or "cambrick" tea
and put the dear little thing to sleep be-
fore you can say Jack ROBINSON In
the bright lexicon of the village there Is
no such word as midwife" Taking
care of babies is community privilege
and accepted as such.
And the meals you get when you're
sick. yum! YUM they more than com
pensate you for your aches and pains.
You may believe it or not, but there
are at least seventeen varieties of
/ Droths, all of them delicious, and the
milk. cream, eggs, fruit, Jelly, ice
cream, toast custards and so on through
the list-well, I'll warrant that half the
people who read this will want to come
to GrantsyIlle just to get sick, and its
worth it. But maybe you don't want
| the measles, or the mumps, or the
/ whooplng cough. or a baby, or the
| grippe or any of these things? Well
then, gentle reader, just try getting a
case of nervous prostration IN the mid
die OF your spring cleaning! Now, of
! course, nobody would deliberately get
| sick even with good neighbors, but you
/ see this is the way it happens: You
| get all your rooms torn up and things
/ go wrong and you get nervous because
| there's usually going to be a wedding,
or reunion, or its your turn to enter
I tain the club. or maybe the minister is
! coming to dinner. ANY of these upset
ting things may happen you, and as
said you just get to hurrying and try
/ ing to do three days work in one, and
something happens and there you are!
! But, bless your dear heart, while
| there's a neighbor there's hope. in
Grantsville, and pretty soon the word
goes around and, forgetful of their own
cares and worries, tender hands help
| you up from the debris of wall paper
remnants, stepladders and furniture,
and get you to bed with hot and cold
! congresses where they will do the most
good and they lower the blinds, and
tip-toe out leaving you in agony of
mind regarding the unfinished tasks
that loom so darkly on your domestic
| horizon But you needn't worry, for
presently there comes to your ears a
| symphony of heavenly sounds in which
the scraping of furniture across the
floor and the hurried beating of carpet
mingle with the rhythmic music of the
hammer and tacks and the clinking of
your best china in capable hands. and
you, you just snuggle shamelessly into
the cool sheets, and simultaneously
with the heavenly noises the cobwebs are
cleared away from your brain and the
tired lines go out of your face, and
presently you feel the big tears of re-
lief running down your face and you
murmur: Dear Lord, how | do love
these neighbors of mine," (as well you
should) and then you go to sleep, while
downstairs the work goes merrily on,
because, you see, the reputation of the
village is at stake.
A fanclful picture, do you ask? Oh!
no; just little glimpse of real life, a
little drop of the milk of human kind
ness which is found In every breast
You have them, these dear neighbor
people have them, please God they
will always exist, for they give you